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Educational  History  of  Illinois 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/educationalhistoOOcookrich 


EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY 


OF  ILLINOIS 


GROWTH  AND  PROGRESS  IN  EDUCATIONAL  AFFAIRS 

OF  THE  STATE  FROM  THE  EARLIEST 

DAY  TO  THE  PRESENT 

WITH 

PORTRAITS  AND  BIOGRAPHIES 


'c       .  -  .   ,, 


•      •••*••  ••  • 


By 


JOHN    WILLISTON    COOK,    A.M.,   LL.D 

President  of  the  Northern  Illinois  State  Normal  School 


THE     HENRY    O.    SHEPARD     COMPANY 
CHICAGO,    ILLINOIS 

1912 


•  ,•  *./  •  •.•GdpvVight,  1912, 

.  .By  Xlie.HeJiry  O.'Shepard  Company. 

.*•.:«     ••II       .-•         • 


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I. 


INTRODUCTORY 


IN  entering  upon  the  production  of  the  present  volume 
the  publishers  aim  to  meet  a  want  that  has  heretofore 
been  unsupplied,  namely :  A  comprehensive  history  of  education 
in  Illinois  from  the  inception  of  the  State  to  the  present  time. 
No  such  work  has  yet  been  given  to  the  public  and  the  pub- 
lishers feel  that  there  is  an  ample  field  for  such  a  contribution 
to  educational  literature,  and  that  the  same  will  be  fully 
appreciated  by  the  educators  of  the  State.  Every  possible 
source  of  information  has  been  drawn  upon,  all  matter  carefully 
corrected  and  revised,  and  it  is  believed  the  work  will  be  found 
of  value  to  every  one  in  any  way  associated  with  educational 
institutions,  or  engaged  in  educational  work. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


f5il578o 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION 

CHAPTER  I. 
The  Organization  of  the  Territory  Northwest  of  the  Ohio 


The  First  School  Law 


CHAPTER  II. 


CHAPTER  III. 
The  Reactionary  Movements  and  the  Development  of  the  School  Law 
Law  of  1841         ........... 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Movement  Terminating  in  the  Free-School  Law  of  1855 


UP   TO   THE 


Early  Teachers  and  Early  Schools 


The  Permanent  School  Funds 


CHAPTER  V 
CHAPTER  VI. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
Conditions  as  shown  by  Superintendents  '  Reports 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Founding  of  the  First  Normal  School  in  the  Mississippi  Valley 

CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Organization  of  the  Free-School  System  of  Illinois 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 
First  Ex  Officio  Superintendent 
Second  Ex  Officio  Superintendent 
Third  Ex  Officio  Superintendent   . 
Fourth  Ex  Officio  Superintendent 
First  Superintendent 
Second  Superintendent    . 
Third  Superintendent 
Fourth  Superintendent  . 
Fifth  Superintendent 
Sixth  Superintendent 
Seventh  Superintendent 
Eighth  Superintendent    . 
Superintendent  Raab  's  Second  Term 
Ninth  Superintendent 
Tenth  Superintendent     . 
Eleventh  Superintendent 
Twelfth  Superintendent 

CHAPTER  X. 
The  County  Superintendency         .... 
Township  Trustees  ..... 

School  Directors  and  Teachers 
The  Teacher   ....... 

CHAPTER  XI. 
The  Development  of  the  Normal  School 


PAGE 

9 
31 
37 

36 
42 
59 
71 

78 

87 

104 
105 
108 
109 
109 
110 
112 
113 
114 
123 
140 
144 
150 
156 
166 
170 
173 
173 
178 

188 
209 
210 
212 

214 


CONTENTS  — Continued 


The  New  Normal  School  Movement 
The  County  Normal  School  . 
Development  of  Higher  Education 


CHAPTER  Xn. 
CHAPTER  Xni. 
CHAPTER  XIV. 


CHAPTER  XV. 
State  and  Sectional  Teachers  '  Association   ..... 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
State  Charitable  Educational  Institutions  .  .  .  .  . 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Professor  Turner  and  the  Development  of  Industrial  Education 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 


The  State  Course  of  Study 
The  Chicago  Public  Schools 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


CHAPTER  XX. 
The  Development  of  a  Few  Typical  Schools 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


Graded  High  Schools 
Consolidated  Schools     . 
Illinois  Soldiers'  College 
State  Training  School  for  Girls 
St.  Charles  School  for  Boys 
State  Reform  School 

School  Journalism  in  Illinois 


Julian  Sturtevant 
Simeon  Wright 
Benaiah  G.  Roots  . 
Enoch  A.  Gastman 
P.  R.  Walker 
John  Williston  Cook 


Illinois  '  First  School    . 
Nathaniel  Pope      .  . 
Some  Early  Workers 
Jacksonville  Association 
Monticello  Seminary     . 
"White"         .  .•       . 

Circuit  Schools 
Early  Schools  in  Alton 
Fowler  Institute 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
CHAPTER  XXIII 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


PAGE 

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262 

286 

369 

413 

431 
449 
456 

494 

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513 

515 

528 
531 
531 
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540 

542 
542 
543 
543 
544 
544 
545 
546 
547 


The  Educational  History  of  Illinois 


INTRODUCTION  ;-t., 

EDUCATION  is  a  large  term.  In  its  widest  sense  it  includes  all  of  those  dis- 
ciplines, both  conscious  and  unconscious,  through  which  a  race  is  led  to  exercise 
its  capacities  in  such  a  way  as  to  acquire  steadily  increasing  efficiency  in  the 
struggle  for  survival.  In  a  narrower  and  more  technical  sense  it  is  limited  to  those 
,  conscious  efforts  at  improvement  which  a  people  makes  as  it  takes  itself  in  hand  and 
organizes  its  activities  for  the  acquisition  of  the  accumulated  knowledge  of  the  race 
and  for  the  mastery  of  certain  of  its  arts.  The  history  of  such  a  movement  must 
always  be  extremely  attractive  to  those  who  are  interested  in  the  story  of  the  evo- 
lution of  human  society.  It  displays  civilization  in  the  process  of  becoming.  All 
progressive  races  regard  the  existing  culture  as  very  precious  and  endeavor  to  pass 
it  on  to  the  new  generation,  while  they  at  the  same  time  add  their  own  contribution 
to  its  riches.  Thus,  a  widespread  intelligence  is  slowly  developed  through  which  a 
great  democracy  becomes  a  possibility.  A  true  history  of  education,  therefore,  is 
a  splendid  epic  that  celebrates  the  spiritual  conquests  of  man  over  his  lower  nature. 

The  great  educational  agency,  in  the  sense  in  which  we  are  considering  education, 
is  the  school.  Improvement  in  education  has  been  accomplished  mainly  through 
the  improvement  of  the  school.  The  history  of  education,  therefore,  will  be  chiefly 
the  history  of  the  growth  of  the  school.  In  the  following  pages  an  attempt  will  be 
made  to  trace  its  development  in  the  Illinois  country  from  the  early  territorial  days 
to  the  present,  when  the  ancient  wilderness  has  become  a  populous  empire.  Where 
a  century  ago  were  only  the  creatures  of  the  wild  are  now  the  "  seats  of  the  mighty," 
palaces,  temples,  hives  of  industry  and  vast  market  places,  all  crowding  upon  each 
other  for  standing  room. 

This  is  not  the  place  for  anything  approaching  an  exhaustive  historical  survey. 
Our  task  is  far  less  pretentious  than  that.  Illinois  has  a  history  abounding  in  events 
that  exhibit  all  of  the  charm  of  romance.  But  it  is  to  the  school  that  we  are  chiefly 
to  confine  our  attention.  We  are  the  children  of  the  past,  however,  and  to  under- 
stand ourselves  and  our  civilization  we  must  know  something  of  the  conditions  out 
of  which  our  social  and  economic  life  developed. 

Illinois  occupies  the  most  favorable  position  in  the. great  plain.  It  contains  the 
choicest  portion  of  that  vast  northwest  territory  which  the  valor  of  Clark  and  his 


10  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

intrepid  comrades  added  to  the  colony  of  Virginia.  It  has  no  mountains,  although 
the  Ozark  hills  are  sometimes  dignified  by  such  an  appellation.  They  abound  in 
charming  scenery  and  often  suggest  the  mountainous  regions  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
State  is  generally  level,  with  a  gentle  slope  to  the  southwest.  The  culminating 
summit,  in  Jo  Daviess  County,  is  but  1,257  feet  above  the  sea,  while  Cairo,  at  the 
southern  extremity,  is  barely  270.  It  is  properly  described  as  "the  Prairie  State," 
about  seventy- five  per  cent  of  its  surface  consisting  of  those  remarkable  plains.  The 
glaciers  plowed  their  way  down  as  far  as  Chester,  leaving  an  unglaciated  region  below, 
and  also  in  the  extreme  northwest.  A  second  glaciation  covered  the  northeast  por- 
tiQi)'- and  .extended  to  the  neighborhood  of  Peoria. 

What  'does  Illinois  not  owe  to  her  prairies!  The  pioneer  gazed  with  wonder  upon 
:-.tlii36ie';4rejeTfrs's  t^lains:  all  ready  for  the  plow  and  the  seed  grain  of  the  farmer.  Here 
were  farms  almost  for  the  asking  and  without  the  wearing  toil  demanded  by  forest 
lands.  Yet  the  early  settlements  were  made  along  the  streams  and  under  the 
cover  of  the  groves,  for  the  early  settlers  shrank  from  the  open  country  as  the  early 
mariners  feared  the  open  sea.  When  the  boundless  fertility  of  the  prairies  was 
once  understood,  however,  there  was  exhibited  that  rare  phenomenon  of  rapid 
colonization  which  soon  transformed  Illinois  from  a  wilderness  to  a  populous  com- 
monwealth. 

In  area,  Illinois  is  almost  equal  to  England  and  Wales.  It  lies  well  up  in  the 
temperate  zone,  where  men  may  engage  in  severe  manual  labor  without  finding  it 
oppressive.  Here  life  may  be  comfortably  and  energetically  lived.  It  is  a  splendid 
stage  upon  which  a  great  people  has  played  a  notable  part  in  the  development  of  a 
free  civilization. 

The  history  of  Illinois  was  a  comparatively  unexplored  field  until  within  a  recent 
period.  A  few  writers  were  attracted  by  its  singularly  interesting  past,  but  the  main 
business  of  its  people  was  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  the  opening  of  its  exhaustless 
mines,  the  building  of  cities  and  the  establishing  of  means  of  communication.  At 
last  the  historian  has  discovered  abundant  material  to  occupy  his  pen.  A  recent 
legislative  enactment  requires  the  teachers  of  the  children  in  the  public  schools 
to  pass  an  examination  in  the  history  of  the  State,  and,  in  consequence,  an  added 
interest  has  developed.  Nearly  all  of  the  counties  have  been  written  up  by  thrifty 
publishers,  and  not  a  little  that  deserves  preservation  has  thus  been  accumulated  and 
placed  at  the  disposition  of  the  future  chronicler.  The  State  Historical  Societies 
of  the  States  that  were  carved  out  of  the  Northwest  Territory  are  doing  an  admirable 
service  in  rescuing  from  oblivion  a  wealth  of  valuable  and  interesting  matter  that 
would  soon  have  passed  into  forgetfulness.  While  little  of  it  relates  to  the  school  im- 
mediately, it  is  all  preparing  the  way  for  that  later  civilization  which  is  impossible 
without  the  school. 

The  observations  and  discoveries  of  early  explorers  and  the  widely  scattered 
remains  of  primitive  peoples  alike  point  to  a  prehistoric  period  vastly  longer  than 
that  which  has  passed  since  the  white  man  first  gazed  with  wonder  upon  the  prairies 
of  Illinois.  The  singular  mounds  that  have  given  a  name  to  an  early  people  still 
perplex  the  archaeologist.  These  and  other  remains  indicate  the  presence  of  a  race 
that  struggled  to  express  ideas  of  profound  significance  to  them.     It  may  be  that 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  11 

there  was  a  culture  that  made  something  in  the  nature  of  an  education  a  necessity 
for  those  who  built  the  mounds,  erected  fortifications,  cultivated  the  soil,  shaped 
the  stone  implements  and  did  something  with  such  pliable  metals  as  lead  and  copper. 
Whoever  these  mysterious  peoples  were,  they  had  disappeared  before  the  restless 
white  man  with  his  "burden"  invaded  the  new  continent. 

When  he  came  he  found  a  confederacy  of  a  few  tribes  of  Indians,  living  for  the 
most  part  in  a  wretched  condition.  In  the  midst  of  the  bounties  of  nature  they  were 
diminishing  in  nuraber  from  the  constant  warfare  in  which  they  were  engaged,  from 
destructive  diseases  of  whose  treatment  they  had  learned  little  or  nothing,  and  from 
starvation  through  the  cruel  winters  for  which  they  had  never  developed  the  fore- 
sight to  prepare.  They  seem  to  have  called  themselves  the  "Illini,"  the  men,  to 
distinguish  themselves  from  the  Iroquois,  possibly,  whose  ferocity  made  them  rather 
akin  to  the  fierce  creatures  of  the  wild.  They  contributed  nothing  to  the  land  in 
which  they  dwelt  and  over  which  they  wandered,  beyond  an  occasional  name  of 
a  locality,  an  interesting  tradition,  and  those  puzzling  remains  which  still  encour- 
age curious  speculation.  That  there  were  occasional  characters  among  them  who 
challenge  the  warmest  admiration  for  their  native  ability  and  for  their  devotion 
to  their  people  must  be  admitted.  But  it  is  all  a  tragic  tale,  a  story  of  singular 
'pathos. 

The  first  white  man  to  invade  the  wilderness  was  the  adventurous  Frenchman, 
stimulated  by  religious  zeal,  by  fondness  for  exploration  and  stirring  event,  by  a 
desire  to  win  new  lands  for  his  sovereign,  and  by  the  common  hunger  of  all  men  for 
gain.  And  it  is  interesting  to  remember  that  these  pioneer  invaders  of  the  interior 
of  the  country  were  not  the  restless  contingent  of  an  overcrowded  country,  but  were 
mainly  scholars,  gentlemen,  and  many  of  them  members  of  the  nobility.  What 
were  they  doing  in  the  great  central  valley,  far  in  the  rear  of  the  English  colonists 
who  claimed  the  continent  lying  back  of  their  discoveries  on  the  coast  ?  It  is  another 
of  those  many  illustrations  of  the  determination  of  the  course  of  civilization  by 
geographical  elements. 

Spain  claimed  the  new  world  by  virtue  of  the  discovery  by  Columbus,  in  1492. 
DeLeon,  DeSoto  and  Melendez  seemed  to  strengthen  her  title.  England  based  her 
claim  to  whatever  should  be  found  upon  the  discoveries  by  Cabot  in  1498.  The 
patents  to  the  Plymouth  and  to  the  London  Company  specified  the  territory  lying 
between  the  parallels  of  45  degrees  and  34  degrees.  It  was  within  these  limits  that 
the  activity  of  the  English  colonists  was  exhibited.  Behind  them  were  the  mountain 
barriers  and  the  savage  Indians.  Although  there  were  French  fishermen  in  the 
Newfoundland  region  very  early  in  the  first  decade  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  the 
Italian  Verrazani  under  the  patronage  of  Francis  I.  is  supposed  to  have  explored 
the  coast  from  Labrador  down  to  the  limits  of  New  England  in  1524,  it  was  the  French 
Cartier  who,  in  1534,  penetrated  far  into  the  interior  of  the  continent  by  way  of 
the  St.  Lawrence.  Seven  years  later  an  unsuccessful  attempt  was  made  at  coloniza- 
tion, but  it  came  to  nothing.  More  than  sixty  years  passed  away  before  a  second 
serious  attempt  was  made.  The  country  was  not  forgotten,  however.  Samuel 
Champlain,  destined  to  become  the  "Father  of  Canada,"  founded  Quebec  in  1608. 
Henceforward  until  his  death  he  was  identified  with  the  new  land. 


12  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

He  soon  felt  the  presence  to  the  south  of  a  powerful  and  extremely  warlike  tribe 
of  Indians.  They  had  made  their  name  a  terror  to  the  w^eaker  tribes  and  were 
destined  to  play  no  small  part  in  the  subsequent  history  of  the  country.  But  for 
their  jealous  defense  of  their  country  it  is  altogether  probable  that  the  French, 
in  the  prosecution  of  their  fur  trade,  would  soon  have  found  their  way  into  the 
Illinois  country  instead  of  reaching  it,  as  they  finally  did,  by  the  circuitous  journey 
of  the  lakes  and  Mackinac.  With  an  earlier  establishment  of  authority  it  might 
not  have  been  so  easy  to  dislodge  them. 

Our  especial  interest  in  Champlain  in  this  connection  is  excited  by  his  map  of 
New  France,  published  in  1632,  in  which  he  seems  to  attempt  to  locate  "a  nation 
where  there  is  a  quantity  of  buffalo,"  and  of  which  he  had  heard,  according  to  Ed- 
ward G.  Mason,  "as  he  had  coasted  the  shores  of  Georgian  Bay."  Mason  thinks 
that  the  indications  upon  the  map  justify  the  belief  that  these  people  "were  the  tribe 
later  known  as  the  Illinois,  and  that  the  country  in  which  they  lived,  where  the 
buffalo  abounded,  was  the  prairie  land  upon  which  their  name  is  fixed  forevermore." 
Since  Champlain  reached  Lake  Huron  five  years  before  the  landing  at  Plymouth 
this  would  indicate  that  the  Illinois  country  had  attracted  the  attention  of  Europeans 

before 

"A  band  of  pilgrims  moored  their  bark, 
On  the  wild  New  England  shore." 

There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  of  Jean  Nicolet's  visit  to  Wisconsin  some  time  in 
the  late  thirties,  dispatched  by  Champlain  to  compose  a  quarrel  between  the  Winne- 
bagoes  and  the  Hurons,  and  he  was  the  first  white  man  to  go  to  the  west  of  Lake 
Michigan.  He  is  said  to  have  brought  back  tidings  of  the  Illinois  Indians.  We  are 
interested  to  find  as  early  a  discovery  as  possible,  for  a  certain  dignity  attaches  to 
antiquity. 

It  would  seem  to  be  impossible  that  the  knowledge  which  the  Indians  must  have 
possessed  of  the  Mississippi  river  and  the  prairie  country  would  not  be  passed  along 
until  it  should  reach  the  French  in  Canada.  In  1670,  Jean  Talon,  Intendant  of 
Canada,  sent  St.  Lusson  to  Sault  Ste.  Marie  to  inform  such  of  the  Indians  as  he 
could  induce  to  come  to  his  convocation  that  they  were  henceforward  Frenchmen, 
at  least  by  adoption.  It  was  an  interesting  ceremony,  as  the  historians  portray  it. 
Among  the  company  who  listened  to  the  Proces  Verbal  by  which  French  sovereignty 
was  nominally  established  over  this  vast  domain  was  a  young  man,  once  a  priest 
but  now  an  explorer  and  trader,  Louis  Joliet  by  name,  who  was  selected  two  years 
later  by  Talon  to  go  into  the  wilderness  to  find  the  great  river  and  the  country  of 
the  buffalo.  Three  years  later  he  started  upon  his  perilous  journey,  accompanied 
from  St.  Ignace  by  a  young  priest  whose  pious  devotion  to  the  cause  of  his  Master 
entitles  him  to  a  place  in  the  calendar  of  saints. 

The  story  is  a  twice-told  tale.  It  need  not  be  rehearsed  here.  Both  of  these 
men  were  wilderness-wise  and  were  thus  peculiarly  fitted  for  their  expedition.  They 
found  the  great  river  and  the  Illinois  country.  Later  La  Salle,  Father  Hennepin 
and  the  faithful  Tonty  are  to  extend  the  explorations  of  the  French  and  to  add  new 
chapters  to  the  romantic  story  of  our  early  annals.  These  men  were  all  of  the  true 
heroic  mold.     Father  Marquette  was  the  first  to  give  his  life  to  his  zeal  for  the  poor 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS    '  13 

savage,  dying  on  the  shore  of  the  great  lake  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-eight.  In 
loving  appreciation  of  his  services  in  their  behalf  the  rude  children  of  the  forest 
bore  him  tenderly  back  to  St.  Ignace  and  buried  him  within  the  little  church  "there 
to  remain  as  the  guardian  angel  of  the  Ottawa  Mission."  Joliet  returned  to  Quebec 
in  1674,  and  seems  never  again  to  have  visited  the  Illinois  country.  He  was  not 
forgotten  by  his  superiors  in  Canada,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying 
in  1700. 

La  Salle  and  Tonty,  by  their  longer  residence  and  more  extended  explorations, 
are  the  intensely  dramatic  figures  of  the  seventeenth  century  in  the  Illinois  country. 
Arriving  in  the  new  country  in  1667,  La  Salle  engaged  in  the  fur  trade,  which  threw 
him  into  intimate  relations  with  the  Indians.  He  was  soon  exploring  the  wilderness, 
and  when  Frontenac  built  his  fort  for  the  control  of  the  northern  fur  trade  La  Salle 
was  put  in  charge  of  it.  Full  of  vast  plans  of  colonization  and  trade  he  went  to  France, 
where  he  was  ennobled  and  received  large  grants  from  the  King.  In  1678  he  was 
again  in  France  with  more  stupendous  schemes  for  the  future  of  New  France.  They 
involved  nothing  less  than  a  careful  exploration  of  the  whole  country,  the  finding 
of  the  mouth  of  the  great  river,  and  the  establishment  of  a  line  of  fortifications  from 
Fort  Frontenac  to  the  west  and  south,  by  which  the  control  of  the  entire  region 
should  be  secured  for  his  royal  master.  Here  was  a  man  of  large  designs.  He  saw 
the  future  possibilities  of  the  new  continent  and  in  his  conceptions  rose  to  the 
occasion. 

Tonty  was  a  lieutenant  who  was  worthy  of  his  leader.  In  1679,  in  midwinter, 
they  entered  the  Illinois  country  by  way  of  the  Kankakee.  Henceforward  La  Salle's 
passion  for  exploration  and  colonization  will  keep  him  in  the  wilderness,  with  the 
exception  of  a  brief  visit  to  France,  until  the  tragic  ending  of  his  eventful  life.  His 
sovereign  entered  into  his  plans  so  far  as  to  confer  upon  him  the  dignities  of  barren 
offices,  for  in  1683  he  was  governor  of  that  Louisiana  which  had  taken  from  Canada 
the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  The  places  which  were  his  bases  of  supplies  and  his 
centers  of  influence  are  red-lined  on  the  map  of  the  State.  The  location  of  Fort  St. 
Louis,  which  was  at  the  site  of  the  ancient  village  of  the  Indians  near  Utica,  must 
forever  remain  a  historic  spot.  The  faithful  Tonty,  with  incredible  hardship,  built 
the  fort  on  the  summit  of  the  frowning  rock,  and  there,  for  years,  waved  the  lilies  of 
France.  Judge  Breese  says  of  it:  "  It  is  a  most  romantic  spot.  I  have  stood  upon 
the  '  Starved  Rock '  and  gazed  for  hours  upon  the  beautiful  landscape  spread  out 
beneath  me.  The  undulating  plains  rich  in  their  verdure,  the  rounded  hills  beyond 
clad  in  their  forest  livery,  and  the  gentle  river  pursuing  its  noiseless  way  to  the 
Mississippi  and  the  gulf,  all  in  harmonious  association,  make  up  a  picture  over  which 
the  eye  delights  to  wander,  and  when  to  these  are  added  the  recollections  of  the  heroic 
adventurers  who  first  occupied  it,  that  there  the  banner  of  France  so  many  years 
floated  freely  in  the  winds,  that  there  was  civilization  while  all  around  them  was 
barbaric  darkness,  the  most  intense  and  varied  emotions  can  not  fail  to  be  awakened. " 
Creve  Coeur,  the  fourth  of  his  projected  forts,  had  a  brief  existence,  but  is  another 
of  the  cherished  suggestions  of  the  great  explorer. 

Now  that  the  way  is  opened  by  the  explorer  and  the  missions  are  established  by 
the  faithful  priest,  and  the  fur  trader  has  given  to  the  Indian  the  conception  of  value 


14  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

to  his  trophies  of  the  chase,  the  French  are  on  the  way  to  a  real  occupation  of  the 
great  west.  Something  more  than  a  royal  gift  of  lands  of  which  he  never  heard  will 
be  necessary  to  hold  this  vast  inland  empire  for  an  English  king,  while  the  French 
are  forging  a  more  substantial  claim  with  their  forts  and  their  villages  and  their 
grants.  Destiny  had  not  yet  become  manifest  with  respect  to  this  splendid  domain 
when  such  conflicting  civilizations  as  those  of  England  and  France  were  rivals  for 
its  possession.  More  than  half  of  another  century  is  to  pass  into  history  before  that 
memorable  victory  on  the  Heights  of  Abraham  is  to  secure  the  great  valley  of  the 
Mississippi  to  the  institutions  of  the  Germanic  race.  It  is  but  the  speculation  of 
an  idle  hour  to  theorize  upon  what  the  character  of  the  educational  institutions  of 
the  Illinois  country  would  have  been  if  the  French  had  been  able  to  do  what  seemed 
within  the  range  of  probability  at  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

Old  Kaskaskia  was  founded  in  the  last  year  of  the  seventeenth  century.  It 
perpetuates  the  name  of  the  Indian  village  on  the  Illinois  where  Tonty  built  his  Fort 
St.  Louis  on  the  svimmit  of  the  "Starved  Rock."  It  is  first  of  all  a  mission.  Here 
is  the  church  and  here  the  parish  of  "The  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin." 

It  is  a  source  of  sincere  regret  that  we  have  only  glimpses  of  the  life  of  the  first 
of  all  of  the  permanent  settlements  made  by  the  French.  They  were  not  institution 
builders  as  the  English  were.  They  did  not  industriously  write  their  annals  and 
jealously  preserve  them.  They  were  too  simple-minded  and  pleasure-loving  for  that. 
They  were  rather  disposed  to  meet  the  Indian  half  way  and  adopt  as  many  of  his 
customs  as  they  required  him  to  accept  as  an  indication  of  his  conversion.  The 
Frenchman  of  all  men  can  make  himself  at  home  an3rwhere.  The  exceptionally 
amicable  relations  of  the  French  with  the  Indians  have  often  excited  remark.  As 
an  explanation,  Judge  Breese  suggests:  "Religious  influence  was  brought  to  bear 
upon  them  by  the  most  learned,  acute,  crafty,  zealous  and  indefatigable  men  of  the 
age,  by  intermarriages  with  them  and  by  the  power  of  '  fire  water '  and  the  possession 
of  fire-arms.  Added  to  all  of  these  was  that  singular  native  aptitude,  so  character- 
istic of  the  Frenchman,  to  be  satisfied  under  circumstances  that  would  deprive  the 
Anglo-Saxon  of  all  his  serenity  and  composure. 

"Though  naturally  gay  and  volatile,  he  has,  notwithstanding,  great  energy, 
courage  and  fortitude,  and  a  happy  honhommie,  disposing  him,  in  whatever  situation 
he  may  be  placed,  to  inspire  the  same  feeling  in  others,  and  an  astonishing  faculty 
of  dispensing  the  light  and  beauty  of  his  own  nature  around  every  circle,  Christian 
or  savage,  and  instead  of  being  grum,  gruff  and  surly  over  his  wild  rice  and  jerked 
venison,  he  laughs  and  talks  with  no  counterfeited  pleasure,  and  joins  in  the  corn 
dance  to  the  sound  of  the  drum,  and  the  rattle  of  the  chechegua,  with  as  much  apparent 
gusto  as  he  would  in  his  national  cotillion  to  the  music  of  his  own  loved  violin.  He 
has,  too,  his  own  interests  in  his  eye,  as  much  as  any  other  man,  and,  therefore,  would 
neither  say  or  do  anything  offensive  to  those  among  whom  he  had  come  to  gather 
buffalo  robes,  peltries  and  beaver  skins." 

Something  is  learned  of  the  early  years  at  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia  by  the  entries 
in  the  parish  register,  but  these  entries  are  quite  invariably  confined  to  such  common- 
place facts  as  births,  christenings  and  deaths.     Bancroft,  in  the  third  volume  of  his 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  15 

History  of  the  United  States,  gives  an  idyllic  picture  of  Kaskaskia  days  when  the 
good  Father  Mermet  was  at  the  head  of  the  mission.  A  college  is  said  to  have  been 
established  some  twenty  years  after  the  founding  of  the  mission,  but  it  seems  to  have 
escaped  the  attention  of  the  historian  afterward.  Later  there  was  to  be  much 
coming  and  going  of  men  of  prominence  connected  with  the  control  of  Louisiana 
and  with  the  trade  with  the  Indians,  and  the  greed  for  gold  sent  exploring  parties 
into  the  wilderness  in  search  of  the  precious  metals.  To  be  the  commandant  of  the 
Illinois  dependency  of  Louisiana  was  no  mean  dignity,  for  it  carried  many  perquisites 
in  the  matter  of  Indian  trade  that  were  highly  profitable.  Indeed  the  time  came 
when  Old  Kaskaskia  was  called  "  The  Paris  of  the  West." 

A  few  miles  away  a  fortress  was  erected  in  1720  and  Fort  Chartres  is  full'  of  con- 
notations -as  to  French  conditions  at  home  as  well  as  to  what  was  going  on  in  the 
Illinois  country.  Men  have  always  hoped  to  dig  gold  from  the  ground  instead  of 
accumulating  riches  by  the  slow  processes  of  labor  and  frugality.  France  was  in 
sad  need  of  money  and  her  sovereign  looked  to  the  new  Eldorado  to  furnish  it.  That 
historic  fact  explains  the  grant  to  Crozat,  and  the  absence  of  the  gold  mines  explains 
Crozat's  surrender  of  his  costly  privilege  in  1717.  What  an  individual  could  not 
do  it  was  hoped  that  a  company  might  do,  hence  John  Law's  Western  Company,  a 
'forerunner  of  countless  wild-cat  schemes,  succeeded  to  the  chance  for  boundless 
wealth  to  the  company  and  to  the  government  of  France.  And  now  the  people 
came  in  earnest  and  by  the  hundred ;  and  not  only  the  free  emigrant,  for  Law  sent 
three  hundred  slaves  to  work  on  the  plantations  and  in  the  mines.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  African  slavery  in  Illinois,  but  the  way  had  been  preparing  for  it  by 
the  enslavement  of  Indians. 

There  is  no  space  for  details.  It  must  suffice  to  throw  Old  Kaskaskia,  Cahokia 
and  Fort  Chartres  upon  the  screen  for  a  moment.  .  These  remote  posts  in  the  wilder- 
ness were  often  a  theme  of  anxious  debate  in  the  councils  of  statesmen  at  the  French 
court.  Edward  G.  Mason  has  told  the  story  in  a  charming  way  in  his  "  Chapters 
from  Illinois  History."  Parrish  writes  of  the  overland  trail  from  Kaskaskia  to 
Detroit  "in  those  far-off  days  of  French  ascendency,  when  Fort  -  Chartres  was  the 
center  of  French  power  in  the  great  valley,  and  the  commandant  of  the  Illinois 
country  ruled  as  a  little  king.  This  old  trail  witnessed  many  a  gay  cavalcade.  Here 
passed  fair  maids  and  merry  matrons  of  France,  not  a  few  in  the  ruffled  petticoat  and 
high-heeled  shoes  of  fashion;  beside  them  gallant  soldiers  rode  with  bow  and  smile, 
their  lace-trimmed  uniforms  gorgeous  in  the  sunshine.  Courtiers  of  the  French 
court,  friends  of  the  great  Louis,  traveled  these  somber  miles  of  wilderness,  passing 
the  time  with  quip  and  fancy,  while  many  an  adventurer,  his  sole  wealth  his  glittering 
sword  at  his  side,  pressed  forward  hopefully  to  his  fate  in  the  west.  Troops,  travel- 
stained  and  weary,  marched  it  on  their  way  to  battle  against  the  English  outposts; 
wild  raiding  parties  swept  over  it  through  the  dense  night  shadows,  and  many  a 
dispatch  bearer,  lying  low  upon  his  horse's  neck,  speeded  day  and  night  with  his 
precious  message." 

In  Publication  Number  10,  of  the  Historical  Library  of  Illinois,  Stuart  Brown 
has  written  vividly  of  "Old  Kaskaskia  Days  and  Ways."  In  Number  8,  of  the 
same  Library,  Joseph  Wallace  contributes  an  interesting  chapter  on  Fort  de  Chartres. 


16  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

But  these  are  but  references  taken  quite  at  random.  Whoever  writes  of  early  IlUnois 
searches  the  annals  for  tidings  of  the  French  in  the  Kaskaskia  region.  The  villages 
near  the  present  site  of  Chester  related  themselves  to  all  of  the  French  settlements 
in  the  west,  and  the  formidable  fortress  was  in  vital  relations  with  all  the  links  in 
the  chain  of  forts  that  were  built  to  realize  the  dream  of  the  great  La  Salle.  It  brings 
us  nearer  to  the  Old  French  War,  and  to  the  career  of  the  young  Virginian  who  was 
destined  to  immortality,  to  learn  that  the  Fort  Chartres  garrison  was  represented 
in  his  first  defeat. 

But  the  French  regime  was  drawing  to  its  close.  It  gave  little  to  Illinois  but  a 
most  romantic  early  history.  The  English  victory  at  Quebec  was  also  an  English 
victory  in  Illinois.  On  the  tenth  day  of  October,  1765,  the  lilies  of  France  that  had 
waved  so  long  above  the  ramparts  at  Fort  Chartres  were  exchanged  for  the  British 
ensign.  Many  of  the  old  French  inhabitants  had  already  gone  to  New  Orleans, 
leaving  as  soon  as  the  news  of  the  cession  of  the  territory  was  known. 

"  Kaskaskia  and  its  environs  seem  a  fitter  field  for  the  poet  than  for  the  historian. 
When  some  skilled  hand,  worthy  of  the  task,  shall  weave  into  the  sober  warp  of 
fact  the  softer  threads  and  brighter  colorings  of  romance,  and  do  for  Old  Kaskaskia 
what  has  been  done  for  Acadia,  we  shall  gladly  excuse  the  historian  from  his  labors. 
We  do  not  care  to  know  the  formal  history  of  Acadia.  We  do  not  concern  ourselves 
about  the  number  or  the  names  of  its  governors,  civil  or  military,  if  such  there  were, 
nor  seek  to  find  the  exact  date  of  the  founding  of  the  '  beautiful  village  of  Grand 
Pre,'  the  exact  number  of  its  inhabitants,  the  extent  of  its  cultivated  acres,  the 
quantity  of  its  agricultural  products  or  the  value  of  its  fisheries.  If  these  facts  were 
ever  ours  they  have  long  since  escaped  us  and  we  make  no  effort  to  reclaim  the 
fugitives;  for  we  know  the  story  of  Evangeline  and  of  Gabriel,  of  saintly  Father 
Felician  and  of  sturdy  Basil,  the  blacksmith,  and  what  more  do  we  care  to  know? 

"  Comparing  Old  Kaskaskia  with  Acadia  as  a  field  for  poetic  endeavor  the  setting 
seems  as  picturesque,  the  life  as  idyllic,  the  souls  as  devout,  the  spirits  as  brave,  the 
hearts  as  true,  the  end  as  tragic,  the  effacement  as  complete.     They  are  all  gone — 

'  Scattered  like  dust  and  leaves  when  the  mighty  blasts  of  October 
Seize  them,  and  whirl  them  aloft  and  sprinkle  them  far  o'er  the  ocean.' 

the  soldier  and  his  fortress,  the  priest  and  his  people,  the  master  and  his  slaves,  the 
gold  digger  and  his  dreams,  the  hunter  and  his  quarry,  the  trader  and  his  traffic,  the 
voyageur  and  his  canoe,  the  cottager  and  his  village,  leaving  no  more  impress  upon 
the  country  or  upon  its  institutions  than  was  left  by  their  fragile  barks  upon  the 
broad  bosom  of  the  Mississippi.  The  work  of  Joliet  and  La  Salle  alone  endures — a 
priceless  heritage,  a  legacy  in  perpetuity  to  all  the  ages. 

"Yes,  it  is  a  theme  for  the  poet  and  not  for  the  historian.  Until  another  Long- 
fellow shall  arise  to  take  in  hand  such  naked  facts  as  I  have  set  before  you,  touch 
them  with  the  magic  wand  of  his  sympathetic  genius  and  clothe  them  in  the  graceful 
drapery  of  poetic  thought  and  form,  there  will  be  no  satisfactory  rendering  of  the 
story  of  'Illinois  under  the  French.'  "* 

In  the  capture  of  Kaskaskia  by  George  Rogers  Clark  another  name  is  added  to 

*Stephen  L.  Spear. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  17 

the  list  of  illustrious  characters  in  the  early  annals  of  Illinois.  It  is  not  difficult  to 
recognize  the  hero  when  he  appears.  What  did  it  matter  to  him  whether  the  Illinois 
country  should  be  wrested  from  the  British  cmd  added  to  the  territory  of  his  own 
Virginia  or  not?  There  was  an  almost  trackless  wilderness  between.  There  were 
hostile  Indians  lying  in  wait  who  were  ready  to  contest  the  passage  of  any  expedition 
through  their  territory.  His  force  was  small,  but  all  were,  like  himself,  at  home  in 
the  wilderness.     The  only  answer  is  that  they  were  heroes  one  and  all. 

The  conquest  was  conceived  by  Clark  and  furthered  by  his  friend,  the  governor, 
one  Patrick  Henry,  whom  the  historian  loves  to  remember  even  for  a  single  day  and 
a  single  deed  in  a  colonial  assembly.  Another  Virginian,  Thomas  Jefferson,  and 
still  a  third,  George  Mason,  were  in  his  confidence.  It  is  enough  for  us  here  that  the 
deed  was  done  all  on  the  fourth  day  of  July,  1778,  which  marks  the  beginning  of  the 
modern  epoch  for  Illinois.  And  yet  the  whole  expedition  would  have  come  to 
naught  through  the  neglect  of  her  hero  by  the  colony  of  Virginia  if  a  rich  St.  Louis 
merchant,  a  Sardinian  by  birth  but  a  sympathizer  with  the  American  movement,  had 
not  come  to  the  rescue  of  the  starving  and  ragged  troop.  Let  us  remember  Francis 
Vigo  for  his  gift  of  $20,000,  and  for  the  subsequent  aid  which  he  rendered  to  Colonel 
Clark,  and  let  us  smother  our  indignation  over  the  disgraceful  fact  that  the  generous 
'Sardinian  never  saw  his  money  again. 

And  thus  it  was  that  Illinois  became  a  part  of  the  county  of  Virginia,  the  dignity 
being  formally  conferred  upon  it  by  the  General  Assembly  of  that  colony  in  October 
following  the  notable  victory  of  Colonel  Clark.  A  most  abundant  county  it  was, 
too,  at  least  in  territory,  for  it  comprised  all  of  what  is  known  as  the  Northwest 
Territory,  since  divided  into  five  spacious  States.  Although  engaged  in  the  great 
struggle  with  the  English  government  for  independent  existence,  what  was  con- 
ceived to  be  ample  arrangements  were  made  for  the  government  of  the  acquired 
territory,  and  a  man  with  extraordinary  preparation  for  such  a  position  was  des- 
patched. Governor  Patrick  Henry  selected  him  because  of  his  peculiar  qualifications. 
His  name  was  John  Todd.  He  was  lawyer,  statesman,  pioneer,  Indian  fighter  and 
one  of  Colonel  Clark's  companions  in  the  Kaskaskia  campaign.  Mason  says  that 
he  was  the  first  man  to  enter  Fort  Gage.  His  instructions  were  written  in  "  Colonel 
John  Todd's  Record  Book,"  probably  by  Patrick  Henry  himself.  This  precious 
document  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society  and  was  rescued 
from  the  ruthless  hands  of  the  document  destroyers  at  Chester.  It  is  doubly  inter- 
esting and  valuable,  for  it  was  written  almost  in  the  presence  of  a  British  fleet, 
and  it  deals  with  the  problems  of  free  government  in  such  a  way  as  to  commend  itself 
to  the  inhabitants  of  a  country  which  henceforward  was  to  be  free  from  the  authority 
of  kings  and  courts  across  the  sea. 

Colonel  Todd  was  at  this  time  at  or  near  Vincennes,  and  in  search  of  him  went 
a  faithful  messenger  bearing  his  commission  and  his  instructions.  The  messenger 
found  him  at  Vincennes  and  delivered  his  charge.  Colonel  Todd  did  not  set  out 
immediately  for  his  new  field  of  labor,  but  in  the  spring  of  1779  he  reached  his  des- 
tination. Respecting  his  coming.  Mason,  in  his  intensely  interesting  "  Chapters 
from  Illinois  History,"  says:  "This  was  no  ordinary  arrival  at  the  goodly  French 
village  of  Kaskaskia.     In  the  eighty  years  of  its  existence  it  had  seen  explorers  and 

2 


18  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

missionaries,  priests  and  soldiers,  famous  travelers  and  men  of  high  degree,  come 
and  go,  but  never  before  one  sent  to  administer  the  laws  of  a  people's  government 
for  the  benefit  of  the  governed.  We  may  imagine  its  inhabitants  gathered  at  the 
river  side  to  watch  the  slow  approach  of  a  heavy  boat,  flying  a  flag  still  strange  to 
them,  as  it  toils  against  the  current  to  the  end  of  its  long  voyage  down  the  Ohio  and 
up  the  Mississippi.  And  when  there  lands  from  it  one  with  the  mien  of  authority 
(having,  perchance,  this  book  under  his  arm),  they  are  ready  to  render  him  the  homage 
exacted  by  royal  governors,  and  here  and  there  a  voice  even  cries,  'Vive  le  Roi.' 
And  as  they,  are  reminded  that  they  are  under  a  free  government  now,  and  learn 
that  the  newcomer  is  their  new  County- Lieutenant,  on  their  way  back  to  the  village 
we  may  hear  Francois  and  Baptiste  say  to  one  another,  'What  is  this  free  govern- 
ment of  which  they  speak?  Is  it  a  good  thing,  think  you?'  Small  blame  to  them 
if  their  wits  were  puzzled.  Less  than  fourteen  years  before  they  had  been  loyal 
liegemen  to  King  Louis  of  France;  then  came  a  detachment  of  kilted  Highlanders 
and  presto!  they  were  under  the  sway  of  King  George  of  Great  Britain;  a  few  years 
passed  and  one  July  morning,  a  band  with  long  beards  and  rifles  looked  down  from 
the  heights  of  Fort  Gage  and  raised  a  new  banner  over  them,  and  now  there  was 
yet  another  arrival  which,  though  seemingly  peaceful,  might  mean  more  than 
appeared.  Perhaps  the  very  last  solution  of  the  mystery  which  occurred  to  them 
was  that  henceforward  they  were  to  take  part  in  their  own  government." 

The  new  governor  began  in  a  vigorous  way  the  organization  of  a  government 
on  a  democratic  basis.  Civil  officers  were  soon  chosen  by  the  people,  which  was  the 
first  exercise  of  the  elective  franchise  by  the  people  within  the  limits  of  Illinois. 
Instead  of  an  excess  of  office-seekers  there  were  here  more  offices  than  available 
candidates,  so  that  several  individuals  were  obliged  to  serve  in  two  or  more  capacities. 
Military  organization  was  a  prime  necessity  under  existing  conditions,  and  when 
that  was  attended  to  the  other  functions  of  a  state  were  provided  for.  Business 
was  encouraged,  the  financial  question  was  considered,  and  it  was  grave  enough,  for 
on  the  eastern  borders  of  the  country  they  were  engaged  in  the  great  struggle  for 
independence.  The  paper  currency  was  worth  but  little  more  than  the  material 
upon  which  it  was  printed.  The  land  question  demanded  early  and  vigorous 
attention,  and  to  all  of  these  urgent  issues  the  governor  addressed  himself  with 
such  expedition  and  energy  as  was  possible. 

As  an  example  of  the  rudeness  of  the  times  there  is  an  oft-quoted  instance  of  the 
severity  of  the  law  which  sentenced  a  negro  slave  to  be  burned  at  the  stake  in  expia- 
tion of  his  dreadful  crime,  respecting  which  the  historian  seems  to  be  silent.  One 
such  instance  seems  to  have  sufficed,  for  there  is  no  further  record  quoted  by  the 
authorities  of  the  infliction  of  so  extreme  a  penalty. 

For  the  history  of  this  most  interesting  period  we  are  almost  entirely  indebted 
to  the  industrious  and  painstaking  care  of  Colonel  Todd,  the  founder  of  the  com- 
monwealth of  Illinois.  His  eventful  life  was  spent  on  the  frontier  doing  yeoman 
work  for  civilization  and  was  finally  closed  in  the  unfortimate  Indian  battle  of  the 
Blue  Licks,  in  Kentucky,  in  1782. 

One  dwells  with  interest  upon  the  beginnings  of  modern  life  in  this  noble  State 
which  has  taken  so  conspicuous  a  place  in  the  union  of  commonwealths.     If  not  a 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  19 

story  of  educational  development  it  is  at  least  the  development  of  educational 
material.  As  an  organized  society  it  was  parallel  to  the  infant  stage  of  the  human 
being,  in  which  consciousness  has'  not  yet  awakened.  The  notion  of  freedom  was  in 
the  air,  and  men  were  feeling  their  way  blindly.  Individualism  had  not  yet  submitted 
itself  to  the  truer  individualism  of  a  self-conscious  state.  It  was  all  to  come  in  its 
own  good  time  out  of  these  simple  beginnings. 

The  part  that  Illinois  took  in  the  Revolutionary  War  is  a  most  enticing  theme, 
but  it  has  been  so  amply  treated  by  the  historians  that  it  seems  a  needless  repetition 
to  introduce  it  into  this  brief  introduction.  It  is  enough  for  present  purposes  to  say 
that  although  quick  methods  of  communication  and  travel  were  unknown  there 
were  ways  by  which  the  little  handful  of  people  about  Kaskaskia  kept  well  informed 
as  to  the  progress  of  events.  It  is  estimated  that  at  the  time  of  the  cession  of  Illinois 
to  England  there  was  a  possible  population  of  two  thousand  whites  and  a  thousand 
negro  slaves.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  whites  were  nearly  all  French.  Be- 
coming British  subjects  they  demanded  all  of  the  privileges  that  belonged  to  those 
who  were  "  to  the  manner  born. "  The  home  government  regarded  such  a  suggestion 
as  the  height  of  absurdity  and  returned  a  corresponding  answer.  Like  the  patriots 
on  the  Atlantic  seaboard  they  assembled  in  convention  or  in  popular  assembly  and 
'repeated  their  demands.  Kaskaskia  witnessed  scenes  not  altogether  unlike  those 
that  occurred  in  the  old  "  Cradle  of  Liberty."  And  they  had  the  courage  to  declare 
that  tyrannical  government  would  not  be  endured.  In  1777,  one  Tom  Brady  organ- 
ized a  valiant  army,  numbering  only  sixteen,  counting  horse,  foot  and  dragoons, 
and  stealing  upon  the  English  force  at  Fort  St.  Joseph  stormed  the  redoubt  and  cap- 
tured the  garrison.  But  they  were  themselves  captured  before  they 'could  make  good 
their,  escape,  and  were  sent  to  Canada  as  prisoners  of  war.  The  succeeding  summer 
a  more  pretentious  army  recaptured  the  fort  and  sent  the  English  garrison  across 
the  border  on  parole  for  the  remainder  of  the  war. 

Of  course  the  main  event  was  the  Clark  expedition,  of  which  brief  mention  has 
been  made.  There  were  other  minor  campaigns  that  seemed  to  the  Illinois  people 
of  great  pith  and  moment,  and  the  Indians  were  often  the  occasion  of  much  anxiety. 
It  is  not  to  be  forgotten  that  even  in  these  remote  regions  the  fires  of  patriotism  were 
burning,  and  that  the  French  colonists  had  been  so  awakened  to  the  inestimable 
value  of  free  institutions  that  they  behaved  like  the  Americans  who  boasted  of  their 
Anglo-Saxon  descent  and  their  right  to  the  privileges  conferred  by  Magna  Charta. 

But  people  are  necessary  to  constitute  a  commonwealth  and  they  came  very 
slowly  to  the  Illinois  country.  The  stories  of  the  valiant  fellows  who  had  gone  with 
Clark  doubtless  stimulated  some  immigration,  and  a  few  families,  accustomed  to 
pioneering,  came  from  the  older  settlements  to  the  east.  Parrish  says:  "  For  thirty- 
six  years  northern  Illinois  remained  an  almost  untrodden  wilderness.  In  1812  pos- 
sibly a  dozen  settlers  were  about  the  present  site  of  Chicago,  hovering  within  the 
protecting  shadow  of  old  Fort  Dearborn,  but  no  influx  of  colonists  from  the  northern 
States,  arriving  by  the  way  of  the  great  lakes  and  spreading  out  over  the  rich  prairies 
of  the  northern  counties,  occurred  until  after  the  close  of  the  second  war  with  Eng- 
land. Even  the  advance  was  slow  beyond  the  main  watercourses,  several  counties 
being  without  a  single  settler  as  late  as  1840." 


20  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that  George  Rogers  Clark  was  a  Virginian  colonel  and 
that  his  expedition  was  authorized  and  dispatched  by  that  sovereign  colony.  What- 
ever of  conquest  he  should  accomplish  would  so  far  enrich  the  State  promoting  the 
expedition.     In  consequence  the  Illinois  country  became  a  county  of  Virginia. 

The  possession  of  vast  outlying  tracts  of  territory  by  some  of  the  original  States 
introduced  a  most  troublesome  and  difficult  problem  for  adjustment  in  organizing  a 
union.  Let  those  who  will  pursue  the  subject  through  congressional  reports  and 
legislative  proceedings.  It  is  enough  for  our  purposes  that  Virginia  ceded  the  Illinois 
country  to  the  general  government  on  March  1,  1784,  and  that  the  territory  thereby 
passed  from  being  a  county  of  Virginia  to  the  Northwest  Territory,  from  which  five 
great  States  were  subsequently  to  be  carved.  To  the  one  reserving  the  original 
name  and  occupying  the  most  desirable  location  our  interest  especially  attaches  in 
the  subsequent  pages  of  this  volume. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  21 


CHAPTER  I. 

"Not  without  thy  wondrous  story, 

Illinois!     Illinois!  . 

Can  be  writ  the  nation's  glory, 
Illinois!     Illinois!" 

ON  the  thirteenth  day  of  July,  1787,  the  Congress  of  the  American  Confederacy 
passed  the  celebrated  ordinance  by  which  the  whole  of  the  country  north- 
west of  the  Ohio  river  became  one  territory  for  the  purposes  of  government 
and  for  the  encouragement  of  immigration.  It  left  "to  the  French  and  Canadian 
inhabitants  and  other  settlers  of  Kaskaskia,  St.  Vincents,  and  other  neighboring 
villages,  who  have  heretofore  professed  themselves  citizens  of  Virginia,  their  laws 
and  customs  now  in  force  among  them,  relative  to  the  descent. and  conveyance  of 
property." 

The  temporary  government  was  to  consist  of  a  governor,  a  secretary,  and  a  court 
of  three  judges,  all  of  whom  must  reside  in  the  territory  and  be  landowners.  They 
were  to  adopt  suitable  laws  then  in  force  in  the  original  States,  which  were  to  remain 
in  force  until  the  election  of  a  general  assembly,  to  which  the  territory  should  be 
entitled  when  its  population  reached  five  thousand  "free  male  inhabitants  of  full 
age.".  The  governor  was  commander-in-chief  of  the  militia,  which  he  was  authorized 
to  organize ;  he  could  establish  counties  and  appoint  their  officers,  and  in  conjunction 
with  the  judges  he  could  set  in  motion  all  of  the  necessary  machinery  to  regulate 
civil  affairs  pending  the  organization  of  a  government  that  should  be  chosen  by  the 
people.  .    . 

The  governor  was  clothed  with  large  authority,  but  Congress  did  not  surrender 
its  jurisdiction  and  might  step  in  at  any  time  for  the  relief  of  the  people  if  he  should 
abuse  his  power.  Provision  was  made  for  a  free,  representative  government  by  the 
people  as  soon  as  they  should  appear  in  sufficient  numbers.  In  addition  to  all  of 
these  specific  details  the  ordinance  contained  six  unalterable  articles  of  perpetual 
compact  between  the  people  of  the  original  States  and  the  people  of  the  Territory. 

1.  No  person  in  peaceable  demeanor  was  to  be  molested  on  account  of  his  mode 
of  worship  or  his  religious  sentiments. 

2.  To  the  inhabitants  were  guaranteed  those  inalienable  rights  of  trial  by  jury, 
writs  of  habeas  corpus,  suitable  representation  in  legislative  bodies,  access  to  the 
courts  to  be  conducted  under  the  common  law,  proper  bail  except  in  capital  offenses, 
and  so  on  through  the  list  that  has  found  a  place  in  the  fundamental  laws  and  the 
statutes  of  all  free  people  the  world  over. 

3.  Religion,  morality  and  knowledge  being  necessary  to  good  government  and 
the  -happiness  of  mankind,  schools  and  the  means  of  education  shall  forever  be 
encouraged. 


22  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  Indian,  once  the  possessor  of  this  vast  domain,  so  far  as  mere  occupancy  of 
a  small  part  of  it  could  confer  ownership,  was  not  forgotten.  It  was  declared  that 
good  faith,  justice  and  humanity  toward  him  were  to  be  observed,  his  lands  and  pro- 
perty were  not  to  be  taken  without  his  consent,  and  peace  and  friendship  were  to 
be  cultivated. 

The  three  remaining  articles  made  the  Territory  and  the'  States  to  be  formed 
therein  perpetual  members  of  the  national  union,  provided  for  the  payment  of  a 
proportionate  share  of  the  public  debt  by  the  inhabitants,  prohibited  discrimination 
in  taxation  against  non-residents  and  any  taxation  of  the  lands  of  the  United  States, 
opened  the  navigable  waters  of  the  lakes  without  charge  to  all  of  the  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  designated  a  minimum  number  of  States  to  be  organized  and  a  mini- 
mum number  of  free  inhabitants  with  which  they  could  be  admitted,  and  forever 
excluded  slavery  except  for  the  punishment  of  crimes  of  which  the  party  shall  have 
been  duly  convicted.  Who  shall  say  that  this  is  not  a  good  beginning?  It  was 
enacted  by  Congress,  then  holding  its  sessions  in  New  York,  while  over  in  Phila- 
delphia the  convention  was  laboriously  working  out  a  fundamental  law  for  the 
whole  country.  Surely  the  education  of  the  people  is  the  only  method  by  which 
such  a  scheme  of  government  can  be  carried  into  effect.  An  intelligent  law-making 
body  has  conceived  it ;  it  remains  for  an  intelligent  constituency  to  realize  it. 

In  October  of  the  same  year  Congress  elected  Major- General  Arthur  St.  Clair 
governor.  He  had  been  an  excellent  revolutionary  soldier,  had  suffered  great  losses 
in  the  war  and  his  friends  had  pressed  him  for  the  position  with  the  understanding 
that  he  was  to  retrieve  his  decayed  fortunes  by  speculation  in  land.  His  tastes, 
however,  did  not  run  in  that  direction,  and  if  they  had  he  would  not  have  engaged 
m  it,  believing  it  to  be  inconsistent  with  his  position. 

The  governor  and  judges  having  promulgated  a  code  of  laws  and  proper  officials 
having  been  provided,  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  July,  1788,  the  territorial  government 
was  launched.  The  date  is  worth  remembering;  it  is  the  birthday  of  Illinois.  A 
study  of  the  code  would  be  interesting  if  space  permitted.  Since  there  were  no  jails, 
it  was  necessary  to  provide  forms  of  punishment  for  offenders  that  could  dispense 
with  that  feature  of  municipal  administration.  The  death  penalty,  whipping,  fines 
and  disfranchisement,  the  stocks  and  the  selling  of  convicts  into  service  were  the 
main  methods.- 

In  1789  President  Washington  directed  Governor  St.  Clair  to  proceed  to  "the 
Kaskaskias"  and  carry  into  effect  the  orders  of  Congress  with  respect  to  the  land 
titles  of  the  people.  In  consequence,  St.  Clair  arrived  at  Kaskaskia  accompanied  by 
his  secretary  the  following  February.  This  was  his  first  official  visit  to  this  portion 
of  his  territory  and  is  thus  worthy  of  mention.  The  country  from  the  southern 
limit  of  the  territory  to  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Mackinaw  creek  where  it  enters  the 
Illinois  river  was  erected  into  a  county  and  was  named  after  the  governor.  St. 
Clair  county,  although  having  been  shorn  of  a  large  part  of  its  original  area,  may 
still  claim  the  distinguished  honor  of  being  the  mother  of  all  of  the  counties  of  the 
southern  half  of  the  State.  There  was  as  yet  no  need  of  any  county  organization 
in  the  remainder  of  the  territory,  for  it  was  but  an  uninhabited  wild,  patiently  wait- 
ing for  the  coming  of  the  white  man. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  23 

There  is  an  abundance  of  most  interesting  events  connected  with  the  organization 
of  the  government,  but  it  is  beyond  the  present  purpose  which  aims  alone  to  find  the 
beginning  of  the  school  as  a  well  defined  institution.  Through  all  of  the  incidents 
connected  with  the  early  settlement  whatever  there  was  of  education  as  we  use  the 
term  was  purely  incidental.  Intelligent  parents  taught  their  children  the  mastery 
of  the  tools  of  learning  and  left  them  to  that  self-education  which  is  so  often  inde- 
pendent of  the  book  and  which  surprises  us  by  its  results.  The  mind  has  a  way  of 
its  own  of  realizing  its  native  capacities. 

In  1800  the  Northwest  Territory  was  divided,  that  portion  of  it  now  included 
within  the  States  of  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan  and  Wisconsin  being  included  in  the 
Indiana  Territory.  Nine  years  later  Illinois,  including  the  present  State  of  Wis- 
consin, was  separated  from  Indiana,  after  a  close  and  bitter  struggle.  Ninian 
Edwards  became  its  governor.  We  shall  have  occasion  to  refer  to  him  later. 
The  territory  contained  a  population  of  about  nine  thousand. 

Nine  years  more  were  to  pass  before  the  Territory  was  to  rise  to  the  dignity  of 
statehood.  They  were  to  be  years  of  great  privation  and  stirring  adventure  for  the 
people.  Their  history  should  be  studied  by  the  children  of  the  great  and  populous 
commonwealth  so  that  they  may  know  what  it  means  to  convert  a  wilderness  into 
a  State.  The  gravest  troubles  were  with  the  Indians,  as  might  be  expected.  They 
fought  to  avenge  their  wrongs,  of  which  they  had  many,  and  to  retain  their  fields 
and  hunting  grounds.  When  the  Indian  question  arises  we  find  it  convenient  to 
discuss  some  other  and  simpler  topic.  It  is  easily  disposed  of.  It  is  the  old  struggle 
between  the  weak  and  the  strong  in  which  the  former  has  what  the  latter  desires 
and  usually  gets.  The  victory  is  not  always  a  bloodless  one,  however,  and  so  it 
was  in  Illinois.  It  will  not  be  surprising  if  some  reflective  youth,  poring  over  these 
early  annals,  should  wonder  about  the  particular  principle  of  justice  under  which 
these  children  of  the  wild,  these  strangers  to  what  we  call  civilization,  were  dis- 
possessed of  their  homes  and  driven  to  the  new  frontier.  Like  "Poor  Joe"  they 
have  continued  to  "move  on"  to  the  west  until  their  hereditary  foe,  the  "civilized" 
man  has  flanked  them.  There  is  no  longer  a  "west."  Who  will  venture  to  write 
of  their  future  ?  - 

It  was  in  January,  1818,  that  the  territorial  legislature,  then  in  session  at  Kas- 
kaskia,  passed  a  resolution  directing  the  territorial  delegate  in  Congress  to  petition 
that  body  to  enact  a  law  enabling  the  people  to  form  a  State  government.  The  bill 
was  introduced  on  the  seventh  day  of  April.  The  well-known  controversy  respect- 
ing the  northern  boundary  of  the  State  is  of  especial  interest  in  the  light  of  later  events. 
The  bill  fixed  the  boundary  at  41  degrees  and  39  minutes,  because  of  one  of  the 
articles  of  the  ordinance  of  1787.  Delegate  Pope  moved  an  amendment  to  the  bill 
extending  the  State  to  the  parallel  of  42  degrees  and  30  minutes,  thus  including 
the  southwestern  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  within  its  jurisdiction,  Mr.  Pope  made 
an  interesting  argument  in  support  of  his  amendment,  which  was,  in  effect,  that  the 
proposed  botmdary  would  identify  Illinois  with  the  States  to  the  south  rather  than 
with  her  immediate  neighbors,  for  her  interests  would  be  so  involved  in  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  Mississippi  as  to  make  such  a  relation  of  the  most  commanding  impor- 
tance commercially.     Being  cut  off  from  the  lake  on  the  north  her  only  relief  would 


24  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

be  in  the  opposite  direction.  Furthermore,  a  canal  connecting  the  lake  and  the 
Illinois  river  was  only  a  matter  of  time,  and  every  practical  consideration  indicated 
the  necessity  of  having  it  within  the  territory  of  Illinois.  It  is  interesting  to  see 
how  narrowly  the  State  escaped  the  loss  of  the  port  of  Chicago  and  the  range  of 
populous  counties  on  the  north.  What  that  loss  might  have  involved  is  suggested 
by  certain  striking  facts.  The  people  of  those  fourteen  coimties  made  the  election 
of  Lyman  Trumbull  to  the  United  States  Senate  possible,  with  all  of  its  significance 
in  relation  to  the  Kansas- Nebraska  policy  of  Senator  Douglas.  It  was  this  portion 
of  the  State  that  gave  the'  Republican  part}'  its  victory  in  1856,  and  thus  made 
Lincoln  an  available  candidate  for  the  presidency  in  1860.  Mr.  Pope  must  be  cred- 
ited with  far  more  than  ordinary  foresight. 

But  this  was  not  the  only  indication  of  the  wisdom  of  Mr.  Pope.  He  further 
urged  the  amendment  of  the  original  bill  so  that  the  provision  appropriating  the 
State's  portion  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  the  public  lands  for  the  construction 
of  roads  and  canals  was  changed  to  the  appropriation  of  two-fifths  of  such  proceeds 
for  the  building  of  roads  and  the  remaining  three-fifths  for  the  encouragement  of 
learning,  of  which  one-sixth  part  shall  be  exclusively  bestowed  upon  a  college  or 
university.  This  added  a  very  substantial  sum  to  the  school  fund,  and  furnished  a 
part  of  the  foundation  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  founded  about  forty 
years  later. 

Two  other  provisions  of  the  enabling  act  are  of  especial  educational  interest. 
The  first  runs  as  follows: 

"  The  section  numbered  16  of  ievery  township,  and  when  such  section  has  been 
sold,  or  otherwise  disposed  of,  other  lands  equivalent  thereto,  and  as  contiguous  as 
may  be,  shall  be  granted  to  the  State  for  the  use  of  the  inhabitants  of  such  townships 
for  the  use  of  schools. " 

The  second  is  of  similar  import: 

"  That  36  sections,  or  one  entire  township,  which  shall  be  designated  by  the  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  together  with  the  one  heretofore  reserved  for  that  pur- 
pose, shall  be  reserved  for  the  use  of  a  seminary  of  learning,  and  vested  in  the  legis- 
lature of  the  said  State,  to  be  appropriated  solely  to  the  use  of  said  seminary  by  the 
said  legislature. " 

This  is  another  of  the  funds  that  formed  the  support  of  the  State  Normal  Uni- 
versity for  the  first  twelve  years  of  its  existence.  We  shall  hear  of  it  later,  for  it 
became  a  bone  of  contention  among  the  schoolmen  of  the  State,  a  bone  with  no 
little  nutrition  attached,  and  conflicting  clans  did  battle  royal  for  its  possession. 

And  now  the  new  State  has  a  constitution  and  is  one  of  the  noble  sisterhood. 
There  was  a  population  of  about  forty-five  thousand,  some  two  thousand  of  whom 
were  descended  from  the  early  French  settlers  in  the  romantic  villages  of  Kaskaskia, 
Cahokia,  Prairie  du  Rocher  and  Prairie  du  Pont.  The  latter  was  an  interesting 
element  of  the  population  in  retrospect,  but  next  to  worthless  for  the  development 
of  a  State.  They  had  common  fields  for  farming  and  perpetuated  the  ancient 
customs  of  their  people  inviolate..  One  can  easily  imagine  how  disappointing  this 
unpromising  remnant  would  be  to  the  reflective  historian  who  sympathized  with 
the  ambitious  aims  of  the  French  monarch  and  French  ministers  of  the  early  part 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  25 

of  the  nineteenth  century.  A  sorry  outcome,  indeed,  of  the  dreams  of  empire.  The 
awakening  had  been  rude,  but  the  EngHshman  does  not  consider  rudeness  as  alto- 
gether out  of  place  when  he  is  adding  vast  areas  of  territory  to  the  dominion  of  his 
king.  We  must  dismiss  these  picturesque  people,  with  all  of  their  lightness  and  airy 
grace,  for  they  had  nothing  to  give  to  the  new  State  that  could  not  be  dispensed 
with  without  loss. 

"  The  settled  portion  of  the  State  extended  a  little  north  of  Edwardsville  and 
Alton;  south  along  the  Mississippi  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio;  east  in  the  direction 
of  Carlyle  to  the  Wabash;  down  the  Wabash  and  Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  the  latter 
river.  But  yet  there  was  a  very  large  unsettled  wilderness  tract  of  country  within 
these  boundaries,  lying  between  the  Kaskaskia  river  and  the  Wabash;  and  between 
the  Kaskaskia  and  Ohio  of  three  days'  journey  across  it."     (Ford's  History.) 

The  proximity  of  the  southern  portion  of  the  State  to  Kentucky  and  Virginia 
explains  the  immigration  from  those  communities.  Pennsylvania  also  contributed 
to  the  early  settlement.  The  people  were,  in  the  main,  a  simple  folk,  without  edu- 
cation. There  were  no  schools  except  for  the  most  elementary  studies.  There  was 
slight  need  of  lawyers,  yet  what  there  were  came  from  older  settlements.  Doctors 
of  Divinity  could  well  be  spared,  with  their  learned  disquisitions,  for  the  preacher 
will  always  develop  where  he  is  needed,  however  uncouth  his  method  or  primitive 
his  style.  These  pioneer  exhorters  usually  have  a  message,  and  have,  a  way,  all 
their  own,  of  driving  it  home.  There  was  a  popular  belief  that  all  that  was  needed 
for  a  teacher  of  religion  was  a  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  and  a  good  degree  of  vocal 
power,  and  the  second  was  generally  characteristic  of  them  whether  or  not  the  first 
was  especially  in  evidence.  There  can  be  little  doubt,  however,  that  these  early 
preachers  were  ministers  of  grace  to  the  rude  communities.  They  stood  for  the 
most  essential  virtues,  if  there  can  be  a  distinction  among  virtues,  and  they  exerted 
a  profound  and  salutary  influence.  Ordinarily  their  services  were  a  free-will  offering, 
as  they  maintained  themselves  by  their  physical  labor  in  the  fields. 

The  people  generally  were  farmers.  An  occasional  merchant  undertook  to 
supply  them  what  their  fields  would  not  produce,  but  not  much  was  needed  beyond 
the  domestic  productions.  The  farmer  could  raise  his  food  stuff,  and  as  for  such 
luxuries  as  tea  or  coffee,  why  they  could  be  dispensed  with  or  reserved  for  especial 
occasions.  Wool  and  flax  were  easily  produced  and  the  women  knew  how  to  manage 
the  spindle  and  the  loom.  Wild  animals  in  abundance  furnished  skins  for  foot  and 
head  covering,  and  the  trees  were  full  of  houses  for  those  who  could  use  the  ax.  The 
furniture  was  simple,  but  it  was  none  the  worse  for  that.  The  agricultural  imple- 
ments were  of  the  same  rude  manufacture,  but  they  sufficed  and  there  was  little 
thought  of  hardships.  Fifty  years  later  many  an  idle  hour  was  beguiled  by  the 
stories  of  the  survivors  of  those  early  days  and  many  a  sigh  escaped  from  bosoms 
filled  with  profound  regrets  that  the  "good  old  days"  were  gone  never  to  return. 
Thus  is  time  ever  lending  to  the  past  lights  and  colors  which  only  distance  can 
reveal. 

That  particular  article  in  the  Ordinance  of  1787  which  relates  to  education  has 
been  referred  to.  It  is  so  unequivocal  and  pronounced  that  it  must  have  come  from 
a  source  that  appreciated  the  advantages  both  of  religion  and  education.     The 


26  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

section  forever  prohibiting  slavery  in  the  Northwest  Territory  had  a  similarly 
admirable  sentiment  for  its  source.  Here  was  a  great  empire  pledged  to  freedom, 
religion  and  intelligence,  and  some  one  man  or  some  group  of  men  are  to  be  credited 
with  that  far-sightedness  which  distinguishes  the  statesman  from  the  mere  time- 
server.  Jefferson  was  certainly  in  full  sympathy  with  such  high  purposes,  yet  he 
had  not  been  able  to  effect  his  ends  with  his  pro-slavery  constituents,  for  they  voted 
him  down  whenever  he  advocated  such  schemes  for  the  northwestern  territory. 
Three  days  before  the  final  passing  of  the  ordinance  an  organizing  act  without  the 
exclusion  of  slavery  was  pending.  Eight  days  before  its  passage  one  Dr.  Cutler,  of 
Massachusetts,  appeared  in  New  York,  w^here  the  Congress  was  in  session.  And 
who  was  Dr.  Cutler?  He  was  a  charming  gentleman  of  university  culture  and 
professional  experience  who  had  also  won  recognition  by  scientific  treatises.  He 
ranked  along  with  the  venerable  and  accomplished  Franklin  or,  at  least,  near  him. 
And  what  has  brought  him  to  New  York?  He  was  employed  as  a  lobb^ast  by  a 
New  England  land  company  that  desired  to  purchase  large  tracts  of  public  lands  in 
Ohio.  The  country  was  wretchedly  in  debt.  Its  money  was  sadly  depreciated  and 
the  company  had  secured  enough  of  it  to  make  a  large  investment.  Still  others 
joined  in  making  Dr.  Cutler  their  agent  until  he  represented  purchasers  desiring 
more  than  5,000,000  acres.  He  wished  to  buy  and  Congress  most  ardently  desired 
to  sell.  He  was  in  a  position  to  make  demands  and  he  determined  that  the  north- 
western territory  should  be  made  as  attractive  to  future  citizens  from  the  free  States 
as  congressional  enactments  could  make  it.  He  it  was  who  dictated  these  immortal 
conditions  that  have  made  for  freedom,  religion  and  intelligence. 

The  universal  popularity  of  the  learned  Doctor  and  the  consummate  skill  with 
which  he  played  one  interest  into  alliance  with  another  won  the  day.  The  ordinance 
was  passed  on  the  thirteenth  of  July,  and  irrevocably  passed.  Although  efforts  were 
made  to  repeal  it  they  could  make  no  headway. 

And  now  that  there  is  a  State  endowed  with  all  of  the  dignity  of  sovereignty,  what 
is  it  goipg  to  do  about  that  education  of  which  the  great  ordinance  spoke  with  such 
portentous  dignity?  Very  little,  alas!  Forty  years  are  to  drag  themselves  along 
before  there  will  be  a  reputable  school  law  on  the  statute  books  of  Illinois,  and  more 
than  another  half  century  before  it  is  to  drop  the  antiquated  methods  of  a  worn-out 
and  dishonored  system. 

The  Constitution  of  1818  has  no  word  with  regard  to  education.  Indeed,  the  word 
does  not  occur  in  the  instrument.  There  was  no  real  need  that  it  should,  for  the 
general  assembly  was  clothed  with  ample  powers.     What  will  it  do? 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  27 


CHAPTER   II. 
THE   FIRST  SCHOOL   LAW. 

PASSING  by,  for  later  consideration,  the  early  schools  of  the  territorial  period 
and  the  first  three  or  four  decades  of  statehood,  let  us  follow  the  growth  of 
educational  sentiment  and  practice  as  exhibited  in  the  development  of  a 
school  law.  No  other  index  will  more  faithfully  register  the  character  of  public 
opinion  on  any  question  than  the  session  laws  of  the  general  assembly.  In  a  sparsely 
settled  country,  where  the  problems  of  social  life  have  not  pushed  themselves  into 
prominence  and  where  the  industrial  arts  are  few  in  number  and  simple  in  character, 
the  need  of  education,  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  that  term,  is  not  especially  con- 
spicuous. Agriculture  is  almost  the  sole  occupation.  It  is  an  art  that  is  acquired 
by  imitation,  and  real  proficiency  in  the  main  duties  is  entirely  possible  where  a  soil 
of  boundless  fertility  is  ready  to  atone  for  the  absence  of  any  scientific  knowledge  as 
to  the  maintenance  of  the  productive  capacity  of  the  land.  While  the  men  attended 
to  the  fields  the  women  performed  the  duties  that  have  since  gone  over  to  the  mills. 
The  spindle  and  loom  converted  the  raw  material  that  was  furnished  by  the  flax 
crop  and  the  herd  into  the  wearing  apparel  of  the  members  of  the  family,  with  the 
possible  exception  of  the  foot  covering.  Each  family  was  in  large  part  an  inde- 
pendent group  and  felt  little  dependence  upon  society  at  large. 

It  is  not  strange  that  the  school  was  regarded  with  such  indifference.  The  book 
is  but  one  of  the  instrumentalities  of  education.  There  are  ways  of  acquiring  genuine 
intellectual  power  that  dispense  with  its  ministry.  Although  a  considerable  part  of 
the  people  of  the  time  which  is  now  under  consideration  were  illiterate  according  to 
census  takers'  standards,  they  were  by  no  means  ignorant  with  regard  to  matters  of 
daily  life  and  occupation.  Many  a  man  drove  his  herds  to  a  distant  market  and 
materially  enlarged  the  boundaries  of  his  estate  with  his  returns  who  was  yet  inca- 
pable of  reading  a  bill  of  sale  or  of  signing  his  name  to  a  contract,  except  by  proxy 
and  by  the  rude  cross  which  his  clumsy  hand  managed  to  scratch.  Knowing  the 
character  of  the  people  and  realizing  the  circumstances  of  their  lives  it  should  not 
be  an  occasion  of  too  severe  reproach  if  we  find  them  very  slow  in  developing  edu- 
cational facilities. 

The  first  legislature  assembled  at  Kaskaskia  on  the  fifth  day  of  October,  1818. 
There  were  thirteen  senators  and  twenty-seven  representatives.  Shadrach  Bond 
had  been  elected  governor  and  the  French  Pierre  Menard  lieutenant-governor.  The 
governor  was  a  man  of  limited  education,  if  acquaintance  with  books  is  to  be  the 
measure.  He  had  been  trained  in  the  school  of  experience,  however,  and  that  was 
a  matter  of  far  greater  consequence  at  this  period  of  the  history  of  the  State.  In 
his  first  message  he  called  the  attention  of  the  members  of  the  legislature  to  the 


28  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

importance  of  education,  declaring  that  "it  is  our  imperious  duty,  for  the  faith- 
ful performance  of  which  we  are  amenable  to  God  and  to  our  country,  to  watch 
over  this  interesting  subject. " 

He  did  not  succeed  in  awakening  any  considerable  number  of  the  members  to  a 
consciousness  of  their  "imperious  duty,"  however,  for  there  is  no  indication  in  the 
session  laws  of  any  attempt  to  organize  any  system  of  public  education.  Since 
there  were  no  manifestations  of  any  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  lawmakers  to 
provide  for  the  education  of  the  children  who  continued  to  appear  in  the  world  and 
to  persist  in  growing  toward  manhood  and  womanhood,  regardless  of  the  neglect  of 
legislative  bodies,  private  enterprise  attempted  to  supply  local  instrumentalities 
for  that  purpose.  The  General  Assembly  granted  charters  that  were  substantially 
identical  to  Madison  Academy,  at  Edwardsville,  Belleville  Academy,  at  Belleville, 
and  Washington  Academy,  at  Carlyle.  The  preambles  recite  that  several  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  towns  have  entered  into  arrangements  among  themselves  to  build 
by  subscription  academies  for  the  education  of  their  youth.  Certain  persons  are 
constituted  bodies  politic  and  corporate,  etc.  It  is  made  the  duties  of  the  trustees, 
as  soon  as  the  funds  of  the  institutions  will  permit,  to  provide  for  the  education  of 
females.  Another  section  enjoins  the  trustees  to  cause  the  poor  people  to  be  in- 
structed gratis  and  also  to  furnish  gratuitous  instruction  to  all  children  as  soon  as 
financial  conditions  will  make  it  possible. 

The  legislature  also  decreed  that  county  commissioners  should  appoint  three 
trustees  for  each  township,  and  that  these  trustees  should  lay  out  the  sixteenth 
section  in  lots  of  not  less  than  fort}'  and  not  more  than  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
with  timber  reservations  for  the  use  of  all  of  the  lessees  in  common.  Such  a  pro- 
vision leads  the  reader  to  implications  that  lie  between  the  lines.  Material  for 
buildings,  fuel  for  the  housewife,  treeless  plains  called  prairies,  shelter  for  stock 
—  these,  perhaps,  are  some  of  the  suggestions  that  arise  in  the  mind  as,  we  read  many 
of  these  quaint  old  statutes.  The  sixteenth  section  was  from  the  first  a  matter  of 
warm  interest  to  the  people  and  they  expected  the  income  from  it  to  contribute 
very  materially  to  the  fund  that  was  to  be  needed  for  the  education  of  their  children. 
And  these  measures  were  all  that  the  first  General  Assembly  did  to  promote  the 
general  intelligence  of  the  people  through  the  agency  of  the  school. 

The  second  General  Assembly  met  at  a  town  of  its  own  making.  Moses  is 
authority  for  the  statement  that  the  change  of  location  was  due  to  the  ambition  of 
certain  influential  persons  to  profit  by  a  town  lot  boom.  Kaskaskia  was  far  away 
the  most  important  town  within  the  limits  of  the  new  State  and  afforded  trans- 
portation facilities  not  elsewhere  equaled.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  change  was  made. 
The  same  authority  vouches  for  the  story  that  the  legislators  were  anxious  to  select 
a  name  that  should  unite  euphony  and  historical  suggestion.  A  cruel  wag  gravely 
informed  them  that  a  powerful  tribe  of  red  men  had  once  lived  on  the  upper  waters 
of  the  Kaskaskia  and  that  they  were  known  as  Vandals.  The  name  at  once  struck 
the  fancy  of  the  susceptible  statesmen  and  Vandalia  perpetuates  their  decision.  The 
truth  seems  to  be,  however,  that  the  name  was  that  of  a  resident  of  the  locality,  a 
Mr.  Vandalia,  whose  connection  with  the  event  has  escaped  the  attention  of  the 
historian.     A  government  grant  of  four  sections  in  which  there  was  no  recognition 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  29 

of  the  speculators  dampened  their  ardor  and  set  their  speculative  plans  all  awry.  A 
writer  remarks  that  the  town  was  properly  named,  as  the  beautiful  forests  that  marked 
the  site  were  all  leveled  to  the  ground  regardless  of  the  future  needs  of  ornamentation 
of  streets  and  parks.  A  very  ordinary  two-story  building  had  been  provided  by  the 
commissioners  to  whom  the  duty  was  assigned,  and  thither  the  official  records  and 
belongings  of  the  State  were  transported  under  the  supervision  of  Sidney  Breese. 
It  was  an  inexpensive  moving,  as  one  wagon  afforded  ample  carrying  facilities  and 
the  whole  expense  was  but  twenty-five  dollars. 

December  4,  1820,  the  fourteen  senators  and  twenty-nine  representatives  were 
again  assembled  for  the  purpose  of  continuing  the  business  of  building  a  State. 
There  were  plenty  of  laws  added  to  the  existing  statutes  if  number  is  a  sufficient 
criterion  for  a  judgment,  but  popular  education  had  not  yet  engaged  their  attention. 
Power  was  given  to  the  Belleville  Academy  to  lease  out  the  school  section  in  township 
number  one  in  such  a  way  as  to  enjoy  half  of  the  income  for  its  own  purposes  and 
leave  the  remaining  half  for  the  schools  that  might  be  established  in  the  north  half 
of  the  township.  Section  3  of  the  act  provided  for  an  election  in  which  the  legal 
voters  were  authorized  to  permit  the  academy  to  enjoy  all  of  the  income  if  they 
saw  fit. 

There  was  also  an  act  providing  for  the  incorporation  of  a  debating  and  library 
society  at  Belleville,  in  which  it  was  provided  that  the  members  might  be  fined  for 
non-attendance,  the  proceeds  to  be  devoted  to  the  purchase  of  books. 

An  additional  act  is  interesting  enough  to  find  a  place  in  the  history  of  the  time. 
It  is  denominated  "An  act  to  encourage  learning  in  White  County."  The  preamble 
runs  as  follows: 

Whereas,  there  is  a  society  of  Christians  called  "  Cumberland  Presbyterians,"  who  have  erected 
a  house  for  public  worship  on  the  sixteenth  section  of  township  5  south,  range  eight  east  of  the  third 
principal  meridian,  and  whereas  the  said  house  may  serve  to  have  the  gospel  preached  therein  and 
likewise  may  be  used  for  a  school  house,  for  the  township. 

Section  1.  Be  it  enacted,  etc.,  that  two  or  more  of  the  county  commissioners  are  hereby  author- 
ized and  required  to  lease  five  acres  of  the  sixteenth  section  in  township  five  south,  range  eight  east, 
including  said  meeting  house  and  burial  ground,  to  the  trustees  of  the  township  for  ninety-nine  years, 
for  the  use  of  said  society  of  Cumberland  Presbyterians  and  for  the  use  of  the  schools  of  said  township. 

Section  2.  Said  school  shall  be  under  the  direction  of  the  trustees  of  the  township  and  of  said 
society  of  Cumberland  Presbyterians.  There  shall  be  no  preference  of  sect  and  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterians  shall  be  entitled  to  hold  divine  service  in  said  house  during  the  period  of  said  lease. 

And  here  is  still  another.  So  far  as  the  record  shows  this  is  the  first  authorization 
in  Illinois- of  the  levying  a  tax  of  any  kind  for  the  support  of  a  public  school.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Alton,  in  the  county  of  Madison,  petitioned  the  General 
Assembly  to  give  them  relief.  The  original  proprietors  of  the  town  donated  one 
hundred  town  lots,  one-half  of  the  proceeds  of  which  were  to  be  devoted  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  and  the  other  half  to  the  equipping  and  main- 
tenance of  a  public  school.  But  the  town  lots  vested  in  the  patentees  of  the  tract, 
who  were  not  authorized  to  use  the  donation  for  the  purposes  intended  by  the  donor. 
The  inhabitants,  therefore,  by  petition  prayed  that  the  town  might  be  incorporated 
and  that  trustees  might  be  appointed  in  whom  the  lots  might  vest,  and  who  could 
apply  them  to  the  purposes  originally  intended.     The  prayer  of  the  petitioners  was 


30  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

granted.  A  corporation  was  authorized  and  organized  and  it  was  decreed  that  the 
lots  should  vest  in  them  for  the  purposes  named.  But  more,  and  here  is  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  quotation — the  said  trustees  were  empowered  to  levy  a  tax  not  to  exceed 
seventy-five  cents  annually  on  each  of  the  lots  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  buildings 
and  paying  teachers.  The  machinery  for  assessing  and  collecting  the  tax  was  also 
provided  for.  The  same  trustees  were  also  empowered  to  regulate  the  affairs  of  the 
town  so  that  the  city  of  Alton  has  the  distinction  of  beginning  its  history  as  an 
educational  institution.  Every  child  of  suitable  age  was  to  be  permitted  to  enjoy 
the  privileges  acci*uing  under  the  conditions  established  by  the  trustees. 

The  only  additional  legislation  of  an  educational  character  which  the  second 
General  Assembly  attempted,  or,  at  least,  accomplished,  was  the  authorization  of 
the  auditor  of  public  accounts  to  lease  the  college  township,  which  had  been  located 
in  Bond  County,  and  for  the  leasing  of  the  school  lands  in  Monroe  County,  the 
proceeds  to  go  to  the  schools  when  they  should  be  organized. 

The  third  General  Assembl}^  convened  at  Vandalia  on  December  22,  1822,  and 
continued  in  session  until  February  18,  1823.  Educational  legislation  cuts  a  small 
figure.  The  action  of  the  last  preceding  session  in  giving  to  the  people  of  Alton  the 
privilege  of  taxing  town  lots  for  education  seems  to  have  been  too  radical  a  move 
for  the  times.  The  trustees  were  forbidden  the  further  exercise  of  such  authority 
by  the  repeal  of  that  section  of  the  act.  Moreover,  the  people  were  given  an 
opportunity  to  express  their  wishes  as  to  the  repeal  of  the  whole  act  of  incorporation 
by  a  vote  in  which  the  number  of  votes  by  each  participant  in  the  election  was  to 
be  determined  by  the  number  of  lots  he  owned.  The  section  of  the  Act  of  1819 
referring  to  the  establishment  of  the  Belleville  Academy,  which  made  the  trustees 
of  the  academy  also  the  trustees  of  the  town,  was  likewise  repealed.  Evidently  a 
union  of  State  and  school  was  not  satisfactory  to  the  people  of  Belleville  and  they 
sought  relief  by  their  separation.  Aside  from  the  incorporation  of  the  Edwardsville 
Library  Association  there  was  nothing  further.  The  school  was  awaiting  public 
recognition  and  public  support. 

The  action  of  this  General  Assembly  can  not  be  passed,  however,  without  refer- 
ence to  the  Memorial  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  with  reference  to  the 
township  which  was  to  be  set  aside  for  the  uses  of  a  seminary  of  learning.  It  is  worth 
quoting  as  a  whole  and  is  presented  herewith. 

To  THE  President  of  the  United  States: 

The  Memorial  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Illinois  would  respectfully  represent: 

That,  by  the  fourth  article  of  the  compact  between  the  United  States  and  this  State,  it  was  pro- 
vided "that  thirty-six  sections,  or  one  entire  township,  which  shall  be  designated  by  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  together  with  one  heretofore  reserved  for  that  purpose,  shall  be  reserved  for  the 
use  of  a  seminary  of  learning,  and  vested  in  the  legislature  of  the  said  State,  to  be  appropriated  solely 
to  the  use  of  such  seminary  by  the  said  legislature." 

As  the  period  has  now  arrived  when,  in  the  opinion  of  your  memorialists,  such  designation  ought 
to  be  made,  they  respectfully  request  that  the  President  will,  as  soon  as  practicable,  cause  the  said 
thirty-six  sections,  or  one  entire  township  of  land,  to  be  designated  for  the  purpose  contemplated  by 
Congress. 

From  the  language  in  which  the  fourth  article  of  the  compact  alluded  to  is  couched,  your  memor- 
ialists infer  that  it  is  optional  with  the  President  to  cause  the  said  quantity  of   land  to  be  located 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  31 

either  in  separate  sections  or  in  one  entire  township.  This  opinion  is  strengthened  by  the  fact  that 
when  the  bill  "to  enable  the  people  of  the  late  territory  of  Illinois  to  form  a  constitution  and  a  govern- 
ment" was  on  its  passage  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  our  delegate  called  the  attention  of  the 
House  to  the  words  "thirty-six  sections,"  expressly  declaring  that  his  object  in  inserting  those  words 
was  to  procure  the  selection  to  be  made  in  separate  sections,  and  intimating  that  if  the  House  were 
unwilling  that  the  selection  should  be  made  in  that  manner  then  was  the  time  to  expunge  the  words. 
No  motion  to  that  effect  was  made. 

When  the  bill  was  in  the  Senate,  the  delegate  appeared  before  the  committee  of  that  body  to 
whom  the  bill  had  been  referred,  and  made  the  same  explanation,  in  the  propriety  of  which  the  com- 
mittee concurred ;  and  the  delegate  states  that  he  believes  the  same  explanation  was  also  made  to  the 
Senate  by  Mr.  Morrow,  of  Ohio.  From  these  facts,  your  memorialists  infer  that  the  plans  of  select- 
ing lands  in  separate  sections  received  the  approbation  of  Congress. 

For  many  reasons,  your  memorialists  give  their  decided  preference  to  this  mode  of  selection.  On 
the  part  of  the  United  States,  it  is  believed,  no  reasonable  objection  can  exist  to  this  mode,  as  they 
are  not  asked  to  designate  a  larger  quantity  of  land  than  they  are  required  by  the  compact  to  do. 
But  for  this  State,  for  the  interest  and  prosperity  of  the  future  institution  which  is  to  grow  up  under 
its  fostering  care,  it  is  an  important  object  with  your  memorialists  to  impress  upon  the  mind  of  the 
President  corresponding  views  with  their  own ;  more  especially  as  what  they  ask  is  in  the  power  of  the 
President  to  grant,  and  is  intended  for  the  benefit  of  a  seminary  of  learning.  In  a  country  like  ours 
half  a  century  may  elapse  before  a  tenantry  can  be  collected  in  any  one  particular  section  of  our 
State  sufficiently  numerous  to  cultivate  an  entire  township  to  such  an  extent  as  to  render  it  profitable 
for  the  purpose  to  which  it  is  appropriated.  But  if  the  same  quantity  of  land  is  selected  by  sections 
in  different  parts  of  the  State  the  same  objection  will  not  exist.  A  few  individuals  may  always  be 
found  in  the  vicinity  of  a  section  of  land  to  whom  it  is  more  convenient  to  lease  than  to  purchase. 
Perhaps,  it  may  also  be  worthy  of  serious  reflection,  whether  the  collection  of  a  large  number  of  tenants 
in  a  single  township  might  not  at  some  future  day  give  an  undue  influence  to  those  who  may  be 
entrusted  with  the  management  of  the  land. 

Other  considerations  might  be  urged  in  favor  of  the  proposed  mode  of  designation ;  but  knowing 
that  .they  address  a  Chief  Magistrate  whose  administration  has  been  eminently  distinguished  by  his 
patronage  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  your  memorialists  will  not  doubt  that,  in  prescribing  the  locating 
that  portion  of  land  which  is  to  be  consecrated  to  the  sacred  purpose  of  education,  the  President 
will  be  guided  by  a  desire  to  hasten  the  arrival  of  that  period  when  the  benign  consequences  of  the 
liberality  of  Congress  will  be  felt  and  acknowledged  in  the  general  diffusion  of  useful  learning  among 
the  inhabitants  of  this  new  and  flourishing  State. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  final  disposition  of  the  funds  arising  from 
the  disposition  of  these  lands.  Some  of  the  reasons  for  urging  this  method  of  selec- 
tion upon  the  President  never  had  an  opportunity  to  materialize,  as  subsequent 
events  will  show. 

Legislative  action  usually  reflects  the  pressure  of  public  opinion  upon  the  members 
of  the  law-making  department  of  the  government.  If  one  would  seek  to  find  in  a 
highly  condensed  form  the  burden  of  conviction  upon  social  matters  that  press  upon 
the  mind  of  the  individual  voter  let  him  read  the  session  laws  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  State  in  which  he  lives.  Congressmen  spend  a  considerable  part  of 
the  year  in  Washington.  Members  of  the  legislature  go  back  to  their  constituents 
the  latter  part  of  every  week  and  are  therefore  in  close  touch  with  the  subjects  upon 
which  they  are  thinking.  If  the  information  were  accessible  it  would  make  a  most 
interesting  chapter  to  chronicle  the  events  that  led  to  the  enactment  of  the  first  law 
for  free  public  schools.  There  was  no  public  press  to  serve  the  function  of  a  clearing 
house  in  the  exchange  of  ideas  and  opinions.     But,  really,  it  was  not  needed.      Men 


32  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

and  women  had  but  to  look  at  the  children  in  their  own  homes  to  be  impressed  with 
the  need  of  the  school  and  with  the  idea  that  it  should  be  supported  and  controlled 
by  the  State  and  in  the  interests  of  all  of  the  people,  regardless  of  race  or  condition. 
Whatever  the  influence  was,  it  was  effective  in  stirring  the  fourth  General  Assembly 
to  the  enactment  of  the  first  free-school  law  in  the  history  of  the  State.  This  was 
so  significant  an  event  and  was,  the  forerunner  of  such  extended  subsequent  legisla- 
tion that  it  should  find  a  place  in  its  entirety  in  these  pages,  or,  if  not  in  its  entirety, 
in  its  main  features.  It  was  introduced  by  Mr.  Duncan,  of  Jackson  County.  It  is 
entitled 

AN  ACT  PROVIDING  FOR  THE  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  FREE  SCHOOLS. 

Approved  January  15,  1825. 

To  enjoy  our  rights  and  liberties  we  must  understand  them :  their  security  and  protection  ought 
to  be  the  first  object  of  a  free  people:  and  it  is  a  well  established  fact  that  no  nation  has  ever  con-, 
tinned  long  in  the  enjoyment  of  civil  and  political  freedom,  which  was  not  both  virtuous  and 
enlightened:  and  believing  that  the  advancement  of  literature  has  always  been,  and  ever  will  be  the 
means  of  developing  the  rights  of  man,  that  the  mind  of  every  citizen  of  a  republic  is  the  common 
property  of  society,  and  constitutes  the  basis  of  its  strength  and  happiness;  it  is  therefore  considered 
the  peculiar  duty  of  a  free  government,  like  ours,  to  extend  the  improvement  and  cultivation  of  the 
intellectual  energies  of  the  whole;  therefore, 

Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois  represented  in  the  General 
Assembly,  That  there  shall  be  established  a  common  school  or  schools  in  each  of  the  counties  of  this 
State,  which  shall  be  open  and  free  to  every  class  of  white  citizens,  between  the  ages  of  five  and  twenty- 
one  years:  Provided,  That  persons  over  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  may  be  admitted  to  such  schools 
upon  such  conditions  as  the  trustees  of  the  schools  may  prescribe. 

Sec.  2.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  county  commissioners'  court  shall  from  time  to  time  form 
school  districts  in  their  respective  counties,  whenever  a  petition  may  be  presented  for  that  purpose 
by  a  majority  of  the  qualified  voters  resident  in  that  district:  Provided  that  all  such  districts  when 
laid  ofiE  shall  respectively  contain  not  less  than  fifteen  families. 

Sec.  3.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  legal  voters  in  each  district  to  be  established  as  afore- 
said, may  have  a  meeting  at  any  time  thereafter  by  giving  ten  days'  previous  notice  of  the  time  and 
place  of  holding  the  same;  at  which  meeting  they  may  proceed  by  ballot  to  elect  three  trustees,  one 
clerk,  one  treasurer,  one  assessor,  and  one  collector,  who  shall  respectively  take  an  oath  of  office  to 
discharge  their  duties  faithfully. 

Sec.  4.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  it  shall  be  the  duties  of  the  trustees  to  superintend  the 
schools  within  their  respective  districts ;  to  examine  and  employ  teachers ;  to  lease  all  land  belonging 
to  the  district ;  to  call  meetings  of  the  voters  whenever  they  shall  deem  it  expedient,  or  at  any  time 
when  requested  to  do  so  by  five  legal  voters,  by  giving  to  each  one  at  least  five  days'  notice  of  the 
time  and  place  of  holding  the  same ;  appointing  one  or  more  persons  living  within  the  district  to  serve 
the  necessary  notice;  to  make  an  annual  report  to  the  county  commissioners'  court  of  the  proper 
county,  of  the  number  of  children  living  within  the  bounds  of  such  district  between  the  ages  of  five  and 
twenty-one  years,  and  what  number  of  them  are  actually  sent  to  school,  with  a  certificate  of  the  time 
a  school  is  actually  kept  up  in  the  district,  with  the  probable  expense  of  the  same. 

Sec.  5.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  each  and  every  school  district  when  established  and  organized, 
as  aforesaid,  shall  be  and  they  are  hereby  constituted  a  body  politic  and  corporate,  so  far  as  to  com- 
mence and  maintain  actions  on  any  agreement  made  with  any  person  or  persons  for  the  non-per- 
formance thereof,  or  for  any  damage  done  their  schoolhouse,  or  any  other  property  which  may  belong 
to  or  be  in  possession  of  such  school,  and  be  liable  to  an  action  brought  and  maintained  against  them 
for  the  non-performance  of  any  contract  by  them  made. 

Sec  6.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  trustees  to  prosecute  and  defend 
all  such  suits  in  the  name  of  the  trustees,  for  the  use  of  the  school  district,  giving  it  its  proper  name ; 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  33 

and  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the  said  trustees,  in  the  name  and  for  the  iise  of  the  said  district,  to  purchase 
or  receive  as  a  donation,  and  hold  in  fee  simple,  any  property,  real  or  personal,  for  the  use  of  the  said 
school  district,  and  they  may  prosecute  or  defend  any  suits  relative  to  the  same;  and  it  shall  be  the 
duty  of  the  trustees  to  give  orders  on  the  treasurer  of  the  said  district  for  all  sums  expended  in  paying 
teachers  and  all  other  expense  necessarily  incurred  in  establishing,  carrying  on  and  supporting  all 
schools  within  their  respective  districts;  and  at  the  regular  annual  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
district,  the  said  trustees,  together  with  the  other  officers,  settle  all  accounts  which  have  accrued 
during  the  year  for  which  they  were  elected. 

Sec.  7.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  clerk  of  each  district  to  keep  a 
book,  in  which  he  shall  make  true  entries  of  the  votes  and  proceedings  of  each  meeting  of  the  voters 
of  the  district,  and  of  the  trustees,  which  shall  be  held  according  to  law,  and- to  give  attested  copies 
thereof,  which  shall  be  legal  evidence  in  all  courts  of  the  State. 

Sec.  8.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  treasurer  of  each  school  district 
to  receive  all  moneys  belonging  to  the  same,  and  pay  them  over  for  the  use  of  the  school  to  the  order 
of  a  majority  of  all  the  legal  voters,  by  vote  in  general  meeting,  or  the  order  of  the  trustees;  requiring 
at  all  times  written  vouchers  for  such  payments,  stating  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  made. 

Sec.  9.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  collector  of  each  school  district 
to  collect  all  of  the  moneys  belonging  to,  or  due  to  the  same,  when  directed  so  to  do,  and  to  collect 
such  taxes  as  by  the  vote  of  the  district  shall  be  levied,  and  to  pay  over  all  moneys  when  collected, 
to  the  treasurer  of  said  district,  within  twenty  days  after  such  collection,  except  five  per  cent  which 
he  shall  retain  for  his  services,  taking  his  receipt  for  the  same. 

Sec.  10.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  assessor  of  each  school  district 
to  assess  all  such  property  lying  within  and  belonging  to  the  inhabitants  of  said  district  as  he  may 
be  directed  to  assess  by  a  majority  of  the  voters  in  such  district,  and  to  make  return  of  the  same, 
within  thirty  days  after  such  assessment,  to  the  trustees  of  said  district. 

.  Sec.  11.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  when  any  legal  voter  living  in  any  school  district  shall  be 
duly  elected  or  appointed,  according  to  the  second  section  of  this  act,  trustee,  clerk,  collector, 
assessor,  treasurer,  or  to  serve  a  notice,  and  shall  refuse  or  neglect  to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  same, 
he  shall,  if  a  trustee,  be  fined  in  the  sum  of  ten  dollars;  if  a  clerk,  in  the  sum  of  eight  dollars;  if  a 
treasurer,  in  the  sum  of  five  dollars ;  if  an  assessor,  in  the  sum  of  five  dollars ;  and  if  a  person  appointed 
to  serve  a  notice  of  any  meeting,  the  sum  of  five  dollars ;  and  for  a  neglect  to  settle  all  of  their  respective 
accounts  at  the  end  of  the  year  for  which  they  were  elected,  the  trustees,  clerk,  collector,  and  treasurer 
shall  be  fined  in  the  sum  of  twenty  dollars;  which,  together  with  all  other  fines  imposed  in  this  act, 
shall  be  collected  by  suit  before  any  justice  of  the  peace  within  the  proper  county;  and  when  col- 
lected shall  be  paid  over  to  the  treasurer  of  the  district  for  the  use  of  the  school  or  schools  within 
the  same. 

Sec.  12.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  legal  voters  within  any  school  district,  lawfully 
assembled,  shall  have  the  following  powers,  to  wit:  To  appoint  a  time  and  place  for  holding  annual 
meetings ;  to  select  a  place  within  the  district  to  build  a  schoolhouse ;  to  levy  a  tax,  either  in  cash 
or  in  good  merchantable  produce,  at  cash  price,  upon  the  inhabitants  of  their  respective  districts, 
not  exceeding  one-half  per  centum,  nor  amounting  to  more  than  ten  dollars  per  annum  on  any  one 
person;  to  do  all  and  everything  necessary  to  the  establishment  and  support  of  schools  within  the 
samiC. 

Sec.  13.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  one  of  the  trustees  shall  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the  voters, 
who  shall  put  all  questions  upon  which  a  vote  is  to  be  taken,  and  when  a  vote  is  taken  upon  levying 
a  tax  upon  the  district,  each  of  the  voters  present  may  propose  a  sum  to  be  levied,  and  the  vote  shall 
be  taken  on  the  highest  sum  proposed  first;  and  in  case  of  a  disagreement,  upon  the  next  highest; 
and  so  on  down,  until  a  majority  of  all  of  the  legal  voters  within  the  district  so  taxed  shall  agree. 

Sec.  14.  This  section  prescribes  the  form  of  warrant  which  the  trustees,  or  a  majority  of  them, 
shall  furnish  the  collector  and  which  shall  be  his  warrant  for  the  collection  of  the  taxes. 

Sec  15.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  for  the  encouragement  and  support  of  schools  respectively 
established  within  the  State,  according  to  this  act,  there  shall  be  appropriated,  for  that  purpose, 

3 


34  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

two  dollars  out  of  every  hundred  hereafter  to  be  received  in  the  treasury  of  this  State ;  also  five-sixths 
of  the  interest  arising  from  the  school  fund;  which  shall  be  divided  annually,  between  the  different 
counties  of  the  State,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  white  inhabitants  in  each  county  under  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years,  after  the  next  census  shall  be  taken;  until  which  time  no  such  dividend  shall 
take  place. 

Sec.  16.  This  section  provides  that  the  state  auditor  shall  issue  his  warrant  upon  the  treasury 
on  the  first  day  of  January  after  the  census  shall  be  taken  and  every  year  thereafter,  to  the  county 
treasurers  for  the  above  funds. 

Sec.  17,  This  section  requires  the  county  treasurer  to  pay  to  the  district  treasurer  of  each  law- 
fully organized  district  its  share  of  the  above  fund,  the  amount  to  be  determined  by  the  number  of 
children  under  twenty-one  and  over  five.  But  no  school  shall  be  entitled  to  any  part  of  such  appro- 
priation unless  it  has  maintained  a  school  for  at  least  three  months  in  the  year  for  which  the 
appropriation  is  made. 

Sec.  18.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  rents  arising  from  the  school  lands  in  each  township 
shall  be  collected  by  the  trustees  of  such  lands,  and  divided  by  them  among  such  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  township,  as  shall  have  contributed,  by  tax,  subscription,  or  otherwise,  for  the  support  of  a 
common  school,  in  or  near  such  township,  for  at  least  three  months  within  the  last  twelve  months 
preceding  the  time  of  making  such  dividend:  Provided,  that  such  rents  shall  be  divided  among  the 
inhabitants  aforesaid,  in  proportion  to  the  sums  contributed  by  them  to  the  support  of  such  common 
school. 

Sec.  19.  Provides  that  the  auditor  and  secretary  of  state  shall  be  commissioners  of  the  school 
fund  under  the  direction  of  the  governor. 

Sec.  20.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  cashier  of  the  state  bank,  to  pay 
to  the  order  of  the  said  commissioners,  or  a  majority  of  them,  the  amount  of  the  school  fund  on  deposit 
in  said  bank;  and  the  said  commissioners  shall,  forthwith,  proceed  to  buy  up,  therewith,  as  large 
an  amount  of  the  bank  notes  of  said  bank  as  the  same  will  purchase ;  and  the  notes  so  purchased  shall 
be  by  the  said  commissioners  deposited  in  said  bank,  and  the  cashier  shall  give  to  the  said  commis- 
sioners a  receipt  therefor,  and  proceed  to  burn  the  same,  in  the  manner  and  at  the  time  prescribed 
for  burning  the  ten  per  cent  paid  into  said  bank,  which  receipt  the  said  commissioner  shall  present 
to  the  auditor  of  public  accounts,  who  shall  issue  a  certificate  for  the  amount  specified  in  said  receipt, 
payable  to  the  aforesaid  commissioners  of  the  school  fund,  in  the  legal  currency  of  the  United  States, 
which  certificates  shall  be  by  said  commissioners  safely  kept  as  an  evidence  of  the  claim  of  the  com- 
missioners on  the  treasury  of  the  State. . 

Sec.  21.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  clerk  of  the  county  commissioners' 
court  of  the  several  counties  in  this  State,  to  make  an  abstract  of  the  report  of  the  trustees  of  the 
schools  established,  stating  the  number  of  children  within  each  district,  the  number  actually  sent  to 
school,  the  time  a  school  has  been  kept  in  operation  in  each  district,  with  an  account  of  the  expense  of 
the  same,  and  forward  it  to  the  Secretary  of  State  on  the  first  day  in  December  of  each  and  every  year. 

Sec  22.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  inhabitants  of  any  district,  at 
their  regular  or  called  meetings,  to  make  such  regulations  for  building  or  repairing  schoolhouses  as 
they  may  think  necessary,  and  for  furnishing  the  schoolhouse  with  fire-wood  and  furniture ;  they  shall 
have  power  to  class  themselves  and  agree  upon  the  number  of  days  each  person  or  class  shall  work 
in  making  such  improvements,  and  all  other  regulations  that  they  may  think  necessary  to  accomplish 
such  building  or  improvement:  Provided,  however,  that  no  person  shall  be  required  to  do  any  work 
or  pay  for  such  improvements  or  wood,  unless  they  have  the  care  of  a  child  between  the  age  of  five 
and  twenty-one  years,  or  unless  he  shall  attend  the  school  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  instruction; 
and  for  any  neglect  or  refusal  to  do  such  work,  by  any  one  of  the  inhabitants,  according  to  this  act, 
there  shall  be  a  fine  for  each  day  that  they  shall  neglect  or  refuse  to  work  of  twenty-five  cents. 

Sec.  23.     Provides  that  persons  entrusted  with  the  care  of  funds  shall  give  proper  bonds. 

Sec.  24.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  whenever  the  tax  is  levied,  according  to  the  twelfth  section 
of  this  act,  in  good  merchantable  produce,  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the  trustees  to  make  out  a  list,  with 
a  warrant,  stating  what  is  to  be  collected  in  produce;  and  they  shall  have  power  to  transfer  the  list 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  35 

and  warrant  to  any  teacher  or  teachers  that  they  may  have  employed,  who  shall  have  full  power 
to  collect  the  same;  and  if  any  persons  shall  refuse  or  neglect  to  pay  their  respective  amounts,  in 
produce,  for  two  weeks  after  demanded,  it  shall  be  lawful  to  collect  the  same  in  cash:  Provided,  that 
whenever  there  is  any  disagreement  about  the  price  of  any  produce,  offered  in  payment,  it  shall  be 
the  duty  of  each  to  select  some  disinterested  housekeeper,  to  value  the  same,  and  if  they  can  not  agree 
it  shall  be  their  duty  to  choose  a  third,  and  their  valuation  shall  be  binding. 

An  examination  of  this  law  reveals  the  fact  that  it  contains  all  of  the  conditions 
necessary  to  make  it  a  free-school  law.  It  provides  for  a  school  system  covering 
the  entire  State.  It  relegates  to  the'  past  the  old  system  of  rates  and  supplies  what- 
ever revenue  is  needed  beyond  the  income  from  the  school  funds  by  a  general  tax 
levied  upon  realty  and  personal  property  and  also  upon  persons. 

That  Illinois  was  a  pioneer  in  school  legislation  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  only 
in  New  England  could  such  provisions  for  the  support  and  control  of  popular  educa- 
tion be  found.  Nor  did  Rhode  Island  drop  into  line  until  eighteen  years  later.  In 
one  respect  Illinois  surpassed  them  all,  for  it  appropriated  two  per  cent  of  all  money 
received  by  the  State  treasury  for  the  support  of  schools  organized  under  the  con- 
ditions of  the  law.  This  would  have  furnished  about  one  thousand  dollars  a  year  at 
first  and  if  it  had  been  retained  would  have  supplied  a  large  revenue  in  a  few  years. 

Governor  Ford,  in  his  history  of  the  State,  declares  that  schools  sprang  up  in 
almost  every  neighborhood  under  the  operations  of  this  law.  The  Governor  must 
have  obtained  an  exaggerated  idea  of  the  efficiency  of  the  law,  for,  if  his  statement 
is  correct,  there  must  have  been  a  sharp  decline  immediately  after.  It  is  true  that 
the  essential  features  of  a  free-school  law  were  soon  repealed,  but  it  is  hardly  probable 
that  the  people  who  had  once  experienced  its  advantages  would  so  soon  abandon 
the  educational  enteiprise.  Indeed,  it  could  hardly  be  said  that  schools  were  any- 
thing like  abundant  thirty  years  later,  when  the  law  of  '55  went  into  operation. 
Hon.  Cyrus  Edwards  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  "  very  few  schools  were 
established  in  the  manner  required,  and  they  never  received  the  promised  reward 
of  the  State  aid."  As  this  statement  was  made  in  a  report  to  the  Senate  as  early 
as  December,  1836,  it  would  seem  to  be  worthy  of  confidence.  W.  L.  Pillsbury,  a 
most  reliable  authority,  says:  "  Certain  it  is  that  the  published  reports  of  the  Auditor 
and  Treasurer  do  not  show  any  payments  for  the  support  of  schools  in  1825  and 
1826.  The  law  of  January  22,  1829,  repealing  the  State  appropriation,  appropriates 
the  sum  of  twenty-five  dollars  for  the  school  district  in  Johnson  county  and  provides 
that  all  rights  accruing  under  the  act  of  1825  shall  not  be  affected  by  the  appeal." 
This  would  seem  to  indicate  that  some  districts  may  have  acquired  rights. 

Mr.  Pillsbury  adds:  "  Not  the  least  remarkable  thing  in  connection  with  the  law 
is  that  at  the  time  it  was  passed  it  is  not  probable  that  five  per  cent  of  the  inhabitants 
had  come  from  States  which  had  free-school  laws,  and  that  with  two  or  three  excep- 
tions the  members  of  the  legislature  had  come  from  the  South.  If  we  could  get  at 
the  unwritten  history  of  the  passage  of  the  law  we  should,  I  imagine,  find  that  its 
passage  was  secured  by  strong  personal  influences,  more  potent  in  Vandalia  with 
the  small  number  that  could  be  talked  to  face  to  face,  than  with  the  sparse  and 
widely  scattered  people  of  the  State  at  large  in  those  days  of  few  newspapers  of 
short  subscription  lists,  when  travel  was  chiefly  on  horseback." 


36  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE   REACTIONARY   MOVEMENTS  AND   THE    DEVELOPMENT 
OF   THE   SCHOOL   LAW   UP   TO   THE   LAW   OF   184L 

AT  last  the  new  State  seems  to  be  committed  to  the  poHcy  of  pubhc  education. 
It  would  be  interesting  to  know  how  the  bill  was  pushed  through  the  legis- 
lature. Many  of  its  provisions  were  extremely  liberal.  It  must  have  had 
some  loyal  and  energetic  friends.  The  presence  of  the  word  "white"  in  the  law 
suggests  a  social  condition  in  the  State  which  is  full  of  interest  to  the  student  of 
history  and  which  made  the  enactment  of  a  free-school  law  a  matter  of  great  difficulty. 
Although  it  is  aside  from  the  main  purpose  of  this  history  to  discuss  the  topic,  "Slavery 
in  Illinois,"  with  any  fulness,  it  is  fitting  that  it  should  receive  at  least  a  passing 
notice  in  order  that  frequent  reference  to  negroes,  by  implication  if  not  explicitly, 
in  educational  legislation  shall  be  understood. 

The  early  settlers  of  the  State  were  familiar  with  the  "peculiar  institution"  for 
two  reasons :  many  of  them  came  from  slave  States  and  slavery  was  a  feature  of  the 
early  life  of  Illinois.     A  brief  reference  must  suffice. 

Although  Crozat,  when  appointed  governor  of  Louisiana,  in  1712,  was  granted  the 
exclusive  privilege  of  importing  negro  slaves  from  the  Guinea  coast,  if  he  regarded 
their  services  as  essential  to  the  development  of  the  new  country,  he  did  not  avail 
himself  of  his  high  privilege.  Such  seeming  humanity  can  not  be  attributed  to  any 
philanthropic  theories  which  Crozat  may  have  held,  hence  the  traffic  must  have 
been  delayed  for  economic  reasons. 

When  the  management  of  the  colony  was  transferred  to  the  "  Compagnie  de 
rOccident, "  however,  there  was  slight  delay  in  utilizing  the  opportunity.  Corpora- 
tions are  not  credited  with  souls,  and  a  little  short  of  two  years  after  the  transfer, 
on  the  sixth  day  of  June,  1719,  a  century  after  a  similar  occurrence  in  Virginia,  the 
first  slave  ship  arrived  from  the  Guinea  coast  with  five  hundred  negroes.  They 
were  intended  for  the  region  below  Natchez.  This  would  have  been  a  matter  of 
comparative  indifference  to  the  people  of  the  Illinois  country  perhaps,  but  it  was  in 
the  same  year  that  Philip  Frances  Renault  started  for  this  country  with  a  force 
of  two  hundred  workmen  to  develop  the  mines  of  the  upper  portion  of  Louisiana. 
Under  the  authority  and  patronage  of  the  same  organization  he  came  by  San  Domingo, 
where  he  purchased  five  hundred  slaves  and  brought  them  with  him  to  work  in  the 
mines  that  were  to  be  opened.  These  he  brought  into  the  Illinois  country,  for  he 
located  near  Fort  Chartres.  This  was  the  introduction  of  negro  slavery  into  what 
was  destined  to  be  one  of  the  great  free  States  of  the  American  Union. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  the  Virginia  cession  to  the  United  States,  in  1784, 
of  her  claims  to  the  Northwest  Territory,  it  was  decreed  that  the  people  of  Kaskaskia 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  37 

and  the  neighboring  villages  should  be  secured  in  all  of  their  ancient  rights  and 
privileges.  One  of  these  they  conceived  to  be  the  right  and  privilege  to  hold  negro 
slaves.  But  that  fatal  clause  in  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  prohibiting  slavery  and 
involuntary  servitude,  except  as  a  punishment  for  crime  of  which  the  offender  shall 
have  been  duly  convicted,  excited  grave  apprehensions.  Governor  St.  Clair,  how- 
ever, saw  an  easy  way  out  of  the  difficulty.  It  was  plain,  to  him,  at  least,  that 
what  was  intended  was  the  proscription  of  the  further  importation  of  slaves,  not 
the  emancipation  of  those  already  within  the  territory.  In  consequence  the  question 
was  not  agitated ;  masters  were  permitted  to  hold  their  slaves. 

At  last,  however,  the  silent  section  of  the  ordinance  began  to  attract  the  attention 
of  the  lawyers.  Governor  Edwards,  whose  opinion  as  a  lawyer  was  highly  esteemed, 
interpreted  it  as  prohibiting  slavery  but  permitting  the  indenturing  of  negroes  for 
limited  periods.  There  were  three  territorial  assemblies  without  legislation  on  the 
subject,  but  by  1803  it  was  clear  that  the  law  must  intervene  to  regulate  the  relations 
of  masters  and  slaves.  A  slave  code  was  enacted  which  permitted  a  scheme  of 
"indenturing"  that  substantially  amounted  to  the  legalizing  of  a  system  of  slavery 
practically  similar  to  that  of  the  States  of  the  south.  It  is  true  that  the  period  of 
indenture  was  limited  by  law,  but  there  was  slight  difficulty  in  its  evasion.  Ninian 
Edwards  registered  several  slaves  in  strict  accord  with  its  provisions.  The  periods 
varied  from  fifteen  to  forty-five  years. 

In  1818  the  State  was  admitted  to  the  Union  with  a  constitution  prohibiting 
slavery  but  retaining  the  right  to  "indenture  servants."  Encouraged  by  an  appar- 
ent leaning  to  the  proslavery  view,  that  party  determined  to  secure  a  change  in 
the  constitution  which  should  unequivocally  recognize  the  institution.  In  conse- 
quence the  succeeding  six  years  were  full  of  strife,  and  the  matter  was  not  finally 
settled  until  the  defeat  of  the  "  Convention"  party  of  1824.  It  was  many  years, 
however,  before  the  education  of  the  negroes  was  seriously  undertaken,  and  separate 
schools  are  still  maintained  in  some  portions  of  the  State. 

As  may  be  assumed,  this  bitterly  fought  battle  left  its  animosities.  It  was  but 
little  more  than  a  year  after  the  defeat  of  the  convention  movement  that  the  law 
for  free  schools  was  placed  upon  the  statute  books.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that 
the  word  "white"  should  find  a  place  in  the  opening  section  of  the  act.  It  was  a 
concession  to  the  strong  proslavery  sentiment  of  the  legislature  if  it  were  not  a  uni- 
versal sentiment. 

Section  twelve  reveals  the  extremely  conservative  action  of  the  Assembly  with 
regard  to  local  taxation.  One-half  per  centum  of  the  taxable  property,  even  with 
a  liberal  assessment,  would  return  only  a  small  fund  for  educational  purposes.  The 
privilege  of  paying  the  tax  in  good,  merchantable  produce  is  an  interesting  com- 
mentary on  the  quantity  of  the  circulating  medium,  and  the  absolute  limitation  of 
the  tax  to  a  ten-dollar  maximum  in  any  case,  indicates  with  what  a  small  beginning 
the  educational  propaganda  was  obliged  to  content  itself. 

Section  fifteen  was  an  astonishingly  liberal  provision  of  the  law.  Although  it 
would  have  yielded  but  a  small  aggregate  then,  if  a  provision  for  one-fifth  as  much 
could  have  been  retained  in  the  law  permanently  it  would  have  been  a  material 
improvement  upon  present  conditions. 


38  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

But  the  General  Assembly  could  not  have  foreseen  the  character  of  its  immediate 
successor.  It  paid  its  respects  to  the  law  of  '25  in  a  most  unequivocal  way.  A 
strong  reactionary  tendency  developed  and  it  resulted  in  a  savage  attack  upon  the 
law  of  1825.  The  essence  of  a  free-school  law  is  its  provision  for  raising  revenues 
for  the  maintenance  of  schools.  However  elaborate  the  other  features  may  be,  they 
are  of  no  avail  unless  there  is  behind  them  an  energy  which  supplies  the  means  for 
carrying  them  into  execution.  But  there  is  the  point  at  which  the  public  feels  the 
pinch  of  authority.  It  follows  as  a  matter  of  course  that  the  sections  providing  for 
separating  people  and  their  money  will  be  the  first  to  feel  the  effect  of  the  opposition 
of  the  conservatives. 

Section  three  of  the  amendments  of  1827  permitted  the  legal  voters  of  any  school 
district,  at  their  regular  meeting,  to  exercise  their  discretion  as  to  whether  the  whole 
or  only  one-half  of  the  sum  required  to  support  a  school  in  such  district  should  be 
raised  by  taxation. 

Section  four  marked  a  more  ignoble  retreat  from  the  principle  of  free  education 
at  public  expense.  It  was  there  provided  that  "  No  person  shall  hereafter  be  taxed 
for  the  support  of  any  free  school  in  this  State  unless  by  his  own  free  will  and  consent, 
first  had  and  obtained  in  writing.  Any  person  so  agreeing  and  consenting  shall  be 
taxed  in  the  manner  prescribed  in  the  act  of  which  this  is  an  amendment."  Only 
those  consenting  to  be  taxed  were  to  be  permitted  to  enjoy  the  privileges  of  the 
schools  without  the  permission  of  the  trustees. 

Such  a  provision  was  a  sufficient  excuse  for  the  disaffected  to  withdraw  their 
support  from  the  schools.  It  was  not  possible  to  maintain  anything  approaching 
an  efficient  school  system  on  such  terms.  The  cause  of  popular  education  was  thus 
embarrassed  and  delayed.  Children  were  growing  up  in  ignorance  and  the  develop- 
ment of  the  State  was  being  retarded  by  so  penurious  and  misguided  a  policy. 

The  sixth  General  Assembly  at  one  fell  stroke  repealed  the  fifteenth,  sixteenth 
and  seventeenth  sections  of  the  act  of  1825.  Turn  back  to  the  law  and  see  what 
this  action  means.  The  fifteenth  section  appropriated  two  dollars  out  of  every  hun- 
dred received  in  the  treasury  of  the  State  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  schools. 
It  further  appropriated  the  interest  arising  from  the  school  fund.  The  sixteenth  pro- 
vided for  the  issuing  of  the  auditor's  warrant  for  these  funds  to  the  county  treasurers. 
The  seventeenth  directed  the  county  treasurers  to  pay  these  funds  over  to  the  dis- 
trict treasurers.  Such  legislation  paralyzed  all  effort  toward  the  support  of  public 
schools.  The  sixth  General  Assembly  made  it  the  duty  of  the  County  Commis- 
sioners' Court  "to  appoint  some  good,  competent  and  responsible  person  of  the 
county  to  act  as  commissioner  and  agent  for  the  county ' '  in  the  sale  of  public  lands. 
Here  is  the  officer  who  finally  developed  into  the  County  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

By  reference  to  the  act  of  1825  it  will  be  seen  that  if  there  were  any  income  from 
the  sale  of  the  school  lands  in  a  township  the  interest  on  the  fund  might  be  divided 
among  those  who  had  subscribed  for  the  support  of  schools.  The  act  of  1833  provided 
that  if  the  school  commissioner  had  any  such  money  in  his  hand  on  the  second  Mon- 
day of  the  following  November,  and  if  such  money  were  not  needed  for  the  pay- 
ment of  the  expenses  of  the  survey  and  sale  of  school  land,  it  might  be  divided 
among  teachers  who  had  conformed  to  the  following  conditions : 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  39 

The  teachers  were  to  call  together  their  employers  on  the  first  Saturday  in  May, 
or,  if  school  began  later,  then  within  a  month  after  the  beginning  of  school.  These 
employers,  upon  their  meeting,  were  to  select  three  persons  to  act  as  trustees  of  schools 
until  the  following  November,  when  they  were  to  retire  and  be  succeeded  by  others 
similarly  chosen.  These  trustees  were  to  have  charge  of  the  schools  and  were  to 
require  the  admission  to  free  tuition  of  children  whose  parents  or  guardians  were 
unable  to  meet  the  necessary  expenses  of  instruction.  Immediately  after  the  close 
of  October,  or  at  the  close  of  his  school,  if  completed  earlier,  the  teacher  was  required 
to  submit  to  the  school  commissioner  a  schedule  indicating  the  attendance  at  his 
school  and  especially  of  those  who  were  authorized  to  receive  free  tuition.  This 
was  to  be  certified  to  by  the  trustees  or  by  five  of  his  employers.  The  commissioner 
was  then  authorized  to  make  a  distribution  of  the  distributable  fund,  although  no 
part  of  it  was  to  reach  back  previous  to  the  last  of  the  preceding  April.  Any  balance 
due  the  teacher  was  to  be  paid  by  his  employers. 

Another  interesting  feature  of  the  same  law  was  a  provision  permitting  school 
commissioners  to  lend  any  available  funds  to  residents  of  the  districts  who  were 
financially  responsible,  to  the  amount  of  two  hundred  dollars,  for  the  purpose  of 
building  schoolhouses. 

The  ninth  General  Assembly,  in  session  December  1,  1834  —  February  13,  1835, 
seems  to  have  determined  to  atone  for  the  folly  (?)  of  the  sixth.  It  provided  that 
the  undistributed  interest  should  be  added  to  the  principal  up  to  the  close  of  the  year 
1833.  It  further  provided  that  the  interest  on  the  college  and  seminary  fund  should 
be  distributed  along  with  the  interest  on  the  school  and  township  fund  on  the  first 
Monday  of  January  annually.  The  apportionment  was  to  be  made  on  the  basis 
of  the  population  under  twenty  years  of  age.  This  fund  was  to  be  distributed 
among  teachers  as  provided  by  the  eighth  General  Assembly,  with  the  proviso  that 
no  teacher  should  receive  more  than  half  due  him  from  this  fund.  If  any  remained 
after  such  distribution  it  was  to  be  reserved  as  a  county  fund.  This  was  the  origin 
of  that  particular  fund  which  subsequently  became  a  source  of  revenue  for  the 
schools. 

The  legislature  further  provided  that  the  entire  fund  should  be  loaned  to  the 
State  to  meet  current  expenses  and  that  the  State  should  pay  interest  upon  it  at 
the  rate  of  six  per  cent  per  annum.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  State  still  remains 
a  debtor  to  the  fund,  but  pays  the  accumulating  interest  annually. 

Some  gain  is  therefore  scored  by  the  legislation  of  1835.  The  earnings  of  the 
school  fund  are  again  available  for  the  support  of  teachers  so  far  as  they  will  go.  They 
are  far  from  sufficient,  however,  to  maintain  a  system  of  public  schools,  and  the 
income  must  be  very  materially  augmented  by  subscription  or  tuition.  Before 
leaving  this  legislature  it  should  be  further  credited  with  a  repeal  of  the  section  pro- 
viding for  gratuitous  instruction  of  children  whose  parents  or  guardians  were  unable 
to  furnish  it  for  them.  One  does  not  linger  over  these  records  with  any  especial 
degree  of  State  pride. 

At  the  second  session  of  the  ninth  General  Assembly  the  existing  act  was  so 
amended  as  to  provide  for  a  semi-annual  distribution  of  the  county  and  township 
fund  instead  of  annuallv  as  before. 


40  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

In  1836,  under  the  leadership  of  President  Jackson,  the  government  was  fur- 
nished with  a  larger  revenue  than  was  necessary  for  the  administration  of  public 
affairs.  The  surplus  was  returned  to  the  States  in  1837  and  was  set  aside  as  a  school 
fund  to  be  known  as  "  The  Surplus  Revenue  Fund."  In  accordance  with  its  custom 
and  its  needs  Illinois  turned  the  fund  into  the  State  treasury  and  arranged  to  pay 
interest  on  it  at  the  rate  of  six  per  cent. 

The  year  of  grace  1841  witnessed  another  elaborate  effort  of  the  General 
Assembly  to  produce  a  school  law.  It  ended  with  a  law  of  one  hundred  and 
nine  sections.     The  enacting  clause  ran  as  follows : 

"Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  represented  in 
the  General  Assembly :  That  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  and  sustaining  common 
schools  throughout  the  State,  and  taking  care  of  and  using  the  resources  of  the 
State  held  for  purposes  of  education,  the  following  sections  and  provisions  shall  take 
effect  as  the  law  of  this  State  on  the  first  day  of  July  next." 

The  first  division  related  to  common  school  lands  —  their  protection  and  pres- 
ervation. These  lands  were  to  remain  under  the  superintendence  and  care  of  the 
county  commissioners.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  commissioners  to  appoint  three 
trustees  in  each  township  for  a  term  of  four  years.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  trustees 
to  appoint  a  treasurer  who  should  also  be  their  clerk.  It  was  their  further  duty  to 
be  the  legal  custodian  of  all  real  estate,  personal  property  or  money  belonging  to 
the  township.  All  moneys  coming  into  their  hands  were  to  be  paid  over  to  the  school 
commissioners  of  their  respective  counties,  to  be  applied  to  the  support  of  schools. 
All  school  lands  were  to  be  protected  against  trespass. 

The  second  and  third  divisions  provided  for  the  election  of  school  commissioners 
and  for  the  sale  of  school  lands.  A  school  commissioner  was  to  be  elected  in  each 
county  on  the  first  Monday  in  August  for  a  term  of  two  years.  He  was  to  give 
bond  in  a  sum  not  less  than  twelve  thousand  dollars.  His  duties,  as  specified  in 
some  thirty- two  sections,  were  to  sell  school  lands,  loan  school  funds  and  apply  the 
income  upon  township  funds  for  the  support  of  schools. 

The  fourth  division  applied  to  the  organization  of  schools  and  the  application  of 
interest.  All  income  from  township  funds  was  to  be  applied  to  the  support  and 
maintenance  of  common  schools  organized  and  kept  according  to  law. 

It  was  made  lawful  for  associations  of  inhabitants  to  acquire  land,  not  exceeding 
ten  acres,  to  build  schoolhouses  for  common  schools,  to  convey  the  same  to  the 
trustees  to  be  held  in  perpetuity  for  the  use  of  the  association. 

As  many  common  schools  could  be  organized  and  kept  in  operation  in  each  dis- 
trict as  the  inhabitants  desired,  and  each  teacher  was  entitled  to  an  equal  portion  of 
the  district  fund  according  to  the  time  and  number  of  scholars  taught. 

The  manner  of  managing  the  school  was  very  simple.  The  employers  of  the 
teacher  were  to  meet  within  ten  days  after  the  beginning  of  the  school  and  select 
three  of  their  number  as  trustees.  These  trustees  could  be  authorized  to  take  charge 
of  the  school.     It  was  necessary  to  have  a  new  set  each  year. 

It  was  necessary  for  the  teacher  to  keep  a  schedule  in  order  to  determine  the 
distribution  of  the  fund.  He  certified  to  his  schedule,  and  his  trustees  did  the  same. 
The  funds  were  paid  out  half  yearly  on  the  first  Mondays  of  January  and  July,  no 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  41 

schedule  reaching  back  more  than  six  months.  If  the  township  was  not  organized 
the  schedvile  went  to  the  school  commissioner,  who  paid  the  teacher.  The  employers 
of  the  teacher  determined  his  compensation  and  were  bound  to  pay  their  due  pro- 
portion of  the  same.  The  whole  process  was  very  simple,  but  it  was  not  a  free 
school. 

The  fifth  division  provided  for  the  incorporation  of  townships.  At  an  election 
called  and  held  by  the  trustees  of  school  lands  appointed  by  the  county  commis- 
sioners' court,  the  people  determined  the  question  of  incorporation.  If  the  decision 
were  affirmative,  five  trustees  were  elected  as  successors  of  the  trustees  of  school 
lands.  They  were  styled  "Trustees  of  Schools"  and  had  general  charge  of  the 
schools  of  the  township.  They  were  authorized  to  examine  teachers,  or  have  them 
examined,- and  to  grant  certificates  if  found  competent.  Such  certificates  were  neces- 
sary in  order  to  draw  public  money. 

The  common  school  fund  was  defined  as  in  the  earlier  laws.  The  interest  was 
apportioned  annually  among  the  counties,  by  the  auditor,  on  the  basis  of  the  number 
of  white  inhabitants  twenty  years  of  age  and  under".  Where  the  teachers  had  been 
paid  by  the  employers  the  money  was  held  for  their  use:  otherwise  the  money  was 
paid  to  the  teachers  by  the  school  trustees  or  the  county  commissioner.  Any 
excess  of  funds  was  added  to  the  principal. 

Where  districts  were  laid  off,  directors,  three  in  number,  were  elected  for  a  term 
of  two  years.  Their  duties  were  similar  to  those  of  present  directors  except  with 
regard  to  the  levying  of  taxes. 

This  law  is  mainly  interesting  for  what  it  omits.  Nowhere  is  th-ere  any  provision 
for  local  taxation.  We  have  seen  that  the  previous  laws  rendered  it  possible  to 
levy  local  taxes  where  the  community  was  so  disposed.  Even  that  possibility 
disappears  from  the  law  of  1841. 


42  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE   MOVEMENT   TERMINATING   IN   THE   FREE-SCHOOL 

LAW   OF   1855. 

WITH  the  growth  of  the  State,  and  especially  as  settlers  came  from  the  New 
England  and  Middle  States,  where  school  sentiment  was  strong  and 
where  schools  were  popular,  active  interest  in  public  education  began  to 
manifest  itself  here  and  there.  As  early  as  1833,  in  the  month  of  February,  an 
educational  convention  assembled  at  the  capital  of  the  State,  which  was  then  the 
modest  village  of  Vandalia.  This  is  regarded  as  the  pioneer  effort  of  its  kind.  It 
was  an  attempt  to  discover  existing  educational  conditions  and  to  improve  methods 
of  instruction,  to  awaken  public  interest  in  popular  education  and  to  secure  suitable 
legislation  looking  toward  the  organization  of  a  worthy  free-school  system. 

The  Sangamon  Journal,  of  February  22,  1834,  reports  a  meeting  for  the  promo- 
tion of  a  movement  to  secure  a  State  superintendent  of  public  instruction.  About 
the  same  time  the  eminent  Professor  J.  B.  Turner,  of  Jacksonville,  engaged  in  an 
active  campaign  in  the  interests  of  the  free-school  movement.  Smith's  "Student's 
History  of  Illinois"  furnished  interesting  information  which  its  author  has  collected 
from  various  sources  and  credit  for  which  is  acknowledged  herewith.  The  legis- 
lature was  to  meet  in  the  following  December,  and  a  few  zealous  friends  of  education 
were  making  extraordinary  efforts  to  secure  amendments  to  the  emasculated  school 
law.  For  this  purpose  another  educational  convention  was  planned  for  the  State 
capital,  which  was  to  meet  just  before  the  assembling  of  the  legislature.  Prominent 
among  these  workers  was  Rev  J.  M.  Peck,  the  editor  and  publisher  of  The  Pioneer 
and  Western  Baptist.  That  he  had  been  laboring  with  the  members  of  the  General 
Assembly  in  advance  of  the  coming  session  seems  to  be  indicated  by  his  statement 
that  during  the  campaign  most  of  the  candidates  had  expressed  themselves  as 
entirely  favorable  to  the  enactment  of  a  proper  law. 

The  second  meeting  of  the  educational  convention  was  held  in  Vandalia  just  after 
the  opening  of  the  session  of  the  legislature.  Hon.  Cyrus  Edwards,  brother  of  Ninan 
Edwards,  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  meeting,  and  the  secretary  was  no  less  a  per- 
sonage than  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  Mr.  Edwards  was  a  member  of  the  Senate  and  a 
considerable  number  of  the  legislators  participated  in  the  proceedings  of  the  meeting. 
An  address  to  the  people  and  a  memorial  to  the  General  Assembly  were  agreed  upon. 
Four  measures  were  discussed,  and  a  bill  embodying  them  was  prepared  and 
introduced  by  Hon.  W.  J.  Gatewood,  senator  from  Gallatin  county.  These  measures 
were  a  system  of  taxation,  a  method  of  securing  qualified  teachers,  a  scheme  for 
suitable  supervision  of  schools,  and  for  the  proper  distribution  of  school  funds. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  43 

There  were  reasons  for  anticipating  a  successful  outcome  to  the  campaign  for 
education  on  the  part  of  the  devoted  enthusiasts  who  had  been  giving  their  time  and 
effort  to  the  cause.  The  newly  elected  governor  was  the  same  Joseph  Duncan  who, 
as  a  member  of  the  State  senate,  had  introduced  the  bill  for  the  school  law  in  1825, 
and  had  worked  it  through  the  Assembly.  He  had  now  served  seven  years  in  Con- 
gress and  had  just  resigned  his  office  to  assume  the  duties  of  governor.  His  devotion 
to  his  official  cares  had  been  so  marked  that  he  had  not  come  home  to  conduct  his 
campaign,  but  had  trusted  to  the  assistance  of  the  press  and  the  postoffice,  thus 
furnishing  the  only  instance  in  the  history  of  the  State  of  a  candidate  for  that  office 
who  had  voluntarily  absented  himself  from  a  field  in  which  matters  of  such  personal 
pith  and  moment  were  at  stake.  He  had  very  recently  been  honored  by  an  act  of 
Congress,  "which  authorized  the  President  to  present  to  him  and  to  each  of  certain 
other  officers  a  sword,  "as  a  testimony  of  the  high  sense  entertained  by  Congress  of 
the  gallantry  and  good  conduct  displayed  in  the  brilliant  and  memorable  defense 
of  Fort  Stephenson,"  in  the  war  of  1812,  in  which  he  had  risen  to  the  rank  of  lieuten- 
ant although  a  very  young  man  for  such  a  responsibility.  When  elected  to  the  senate 
in  1824  he  was  a  major-general  in  the  Illinois  militia. 

A  majority  of  the  senate  were  old  members,  but  the  two  already  mentioned  were 
there  for  the  first  time.  The  new  members  of  the  house  included  a  few  men  who 
were  destined  to  prominence  in  the  subsequent  history  of  the  State,  while  there  was 
one  among  them  whom  the  Muse  of  History  was  to  place  among  the  immortals. 
Jesse  K.  Dubois  and  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Jr.,  are  familiar  names  to  those  who  have 
read  the  annals  of  Illinois,  while  Abraham  Lincoln's  fame  transcends  the  limits  of 
all  states  and  nations. 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  expressed  himself  upon  the  subject  of  education  two  years  and 
more  earlier,  in  a  communication  dated  "  New  Salem,  March,  1832,"  and  published 
in  the  Sangamon  Journal  on  the  fifteenth  of  the  same  month.     It  begins  as  follows: 

Fellow  Citizens:  Having  become  a  candidate  for  the  honorable  office  of  one  of  your  representatives 
in  the  next  General  Assembly  of  this  State,  in  accordance  with  an  established  custom  and  the  prin- 
ciples of  true  republicanism,  it  becomes  my  duty  to  make  known  to  you,  the  people  whom  I  propose 
to  represent,  my  sentiments  with  regard  to  local  affairs. 

After  declaring  himself  in  favor  of  opening  good  roads,  of  building  a  railroad 
from  Springfield  to  the  Illinois  river  at  a  cost  of  S290,800,  and  of  enacting  a  law 
setting  a  limit  to  usury,  he  adds : 

Upon  the  subject  of  education,  not  presuming  to  dictate  any  plan  or  system  respecting  it,  I  can 
only  say  that  I  view  it  as  the  most  important  subject  that  we  as  a  people  can  be  engaged  in.  That 
every  man  may  receive  at  least  a  moderate  education,  and  thereby  be  enabled  to  read  the  histories 
of  his  own  and  other  countries,  by  which  he  may  duly  appreciate  the  value  of  our  free  institutions, 
appears  to  be  an  object  of  vital  importance  on  this  account  alone,  to  say  nothing  of  the  advantages 
and  satisfaction  to  be  derived  from  being  able  to  read  the  Scriptures  and  other  works,  both  of  a 
religious  and  moral  nature,  for  ourselves.  For  my  part  I  desire  to  see  the  time  when  education,  and, 
by  its  means,  morality,  sobriety,  enterprise  and  industry,  shall  become  much  more  general  than  at 
present,  and  I  should  be  gratified  to  have  it  in  my  power  to  contribute  something  to  the  advance- 
ment of  any  measure  which  might  have  a  tendency  to  accelerate  the  happy  period. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  defeated  in  the  campaign  of  1832,  but  he  was  elected  in  1834, 
1836,  1838  and  1840.     The  chances  are  ten  to  one  that  he  was  present  at  the  Vandalia 


44  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

educational  meeting,  although  there  seems  to  be  no  record  of  the  event.  The  ninth 
General  Assembly  certainly  did  much  to  atone  for  the  folly  of  the  sixth,  but  it  did 
not  rise  to  the  occasion,  for  it  failed  to  provide  the  one-  essential  thing  —  a  system 
of  taxation  for  the  support  of  schools. 

The  bill  introduced  by  Senator  Gate  wood  had  certain  interesting  features.  It 
provided  for  a  real  public  school  system  and  included  in  its  scope  a  plan  for  a  Normal 
school  in  each  county.  Many  years  later  a  similar  law  was  passed,  but  only  three* 
counties  ever  availed  themselves  of  their  privilege  —  Peoria,  Bureau  and  Cook  — 
and  two  of  them  abandoned  the  project  entirely  after  a  few  years  and  the  other 
surrendered  its  school  to  the  city-  of  Chicago.  But  any  scheme  looking  to  an 
increase  in  taxation  was  doomed  at  its  inception.  The  portion  of  the  population 
especially  desirous  of  developing  the  school  came  for  the  most  part  from  the  east, 
and  the  antagonistic  element  from  the  south.  The  latter  was  the  stronger  and  was 
successful  for  many  years  more  in  maintaining  the  policy  of  conservatism. 

The  organization  of  "The  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,"  which  took  place  at 
Jacksonville,  in  September,  1836,  in  connection  with  the  commencement  exercises 
of  Illinois  College,  was  another  movement  toward  the  perfecting  of  a  propaganda 
to  forward  the  public  school  interests.  The  place  and  time  betray  the  presence  of 
Professor  Turner  and  his  ardent  zeal,  although  the  main  credit  is  assigned  to  Rev. 
John  F.  Brooks,  of  Springfield.  It  held  four  annual  meetings  and  then  gave  up  the 
ghost,  to  be  resurrected  some  twelve  years  later. 

Shortly  after  these  events  the  first  school  journal  made  its  appearance  under  the 
name  of  The  Common  School  Advocate.  Its  publishers  were  E.  T.  and  E.  Goudy, 
Jacksonville.  Its  columns  contained  early  suggestions  of  the  importance  of  electing 
a  State  superintendent  of  public  instruction. 

A  bill  to  make  the  office  of  county  superintendent  elective  was  introduced  into 
the  legislature  of  1839,  but  it  was  defeated,  as  was  a  bill  for  the  creation  of  the  office 
of  State  superintendent,  which  was  ridiculed  as  an  attempt  to  secure  a  schoolmaster- 
general.  The  attempt  to  secure  a  favorable  public  opinion  was  not  abandoned,  for 
in  1840,  in  Springfield,. "  The  Illinois  State  Education  Society"  was  organized  and  it 
petitioned  the  legislature  to  consider  again  the  creation  of  the  office  that  had  been 
laughed  out  of  court. 

In  1845  the  law  received  some  material  amendments.  It  was  a  real  advance 
upon  the  law  of  1841. 

1.  It  provides  for  a  vState  superintendent  of  common  schools,  although  he  is  only 
an  ex  officio  officer,  the  Secretary  of  State  being  authorized  to  act  in  that  capacity. 
Unsatisfactory  as  was  the  outcome  of  the  campaign  for  this  amendment  a  genuine 
advance  is  scored. 

2.  It  provides  for  the  election  in  every  county  of  the  State  of  a  school  commis- 
sioner who  shall  be  ex  officio  superintendent  of  common  schools  in  his  county.  One 
of  his  duties  is  the  examination  of  persons  desiring  to  teach  a  common  school  and  the 
granting  of  certificates  to  those  found  competent.  Such  certificates  were  necessary 
to  enable  one  to  draw  public  funds. 

*  The  school  at  Peoria  was  really  the  only  one  established  under  the  law. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  45 

3.  All  text-books  must  be  in  the  English  language,  which  must  be  the  language 
of  common  communication  in  the  schools. 

4.  Trustees  are  authorized  to  purchase  school  libraries  and  real  estate  for  school- 
houses. 

5.  On  the  first  Saturday  of  May  the  legal  voters  may  meet  together  and  deter- 
mine whether  they  will  levy  a  tax  for  the  support  of  schools,  for  the  building  and 
repairing  schoolhouses,  or  for  other  school  purposes.  If  two-thirds  vote  for  the  tax 
they  shall  agree  on  the  amount  to  be  raised,  not  exceeding  fifteen  cents  on  the  hun- 
dred dollars. 

Illinois  had  now  been  a  State  in  the  Union  for  twenty-seven  years,  yet  public 
sentiment  had  not  yet  developed  to  the  point  of  making  a  tax  for  common  schools 
compulsory.  A  good  start  had  been  made  in  1825,  but  the  succeeding  legislature 
repealed  nearly  all  of  its  good  features,  and  in  the  twenty  years  since  little  of  value 
had  been  accomplished. 

The  law  of  1845  required  on  the  part  of  the  teachers  a  knowledge  of  reading, 
writing,  arithmetic,  geography,  grammar  and  history  of  the  United  States.  It  was 
soon  discovered  that  these  requirements  were  far  too  high,  and  many  districts  were 
deprived  of  the  school  fund  because  they  could  not  procure  teachers  having  the 
legal  requirements.  In  1847  the  law  was  so  amended  as  to  permit  teachers  to 
indicate  which  of  these  subjects  they  regarded  themselves  qualified  to  teach  and  so 
undergo  examination  in  those  only.  Thus  early  in  the  development  of  the  school 
we  find  the  principle  of  specialization  beginning  to  appear,  but  from  necessity  rather 
than  from  choice.  The  requirement  for  a  two- thirds  vote  for  taxation  was  also 
modified  by  a  substitution  of  a  majority  of  all  of  the  voters  of  the  district.  But  this 
increased  the  difficulty,  for  all  measures  looking  to  taxation  could  now  be  defeated 
by  mere  absence  from  the  elections.  The  persistent  opposition  to  local  taxation 
seems  difficult  to  understand  in  the  light  of  our  modern  systemi. 

In  1849  the  former  qualifications  of  teachers  were  restored,  but  subject  to  the 
will  of  directors,  and  the  local  tax  w^as  limited  to  twenty-five  cents  on  the  hundred 
dollars,  while  incorporated  towns  were  allowed  to  levy  fifty.  In  1851  the  limit  was 
further  raised  to  one  dollar,  but  it  still  depended  upon  an  election,  and  although 
the  taxable  property  of  the  State  amounted  to  $100,000,000,  the  whole  amount 
of  local  tax  raised  in  1852  was  but  $51,000.  The  Secretary  of  State,  ex  officio 
State  Superintendent,  reported  that  in  no  case  had  the  possibilities  of  the  law  been 
utilized. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  efforts  of  educational  and  other  organizations  to 
affect  legislative  assemblies  in  the  interests  of  improved  schools.  These  movements 
were  headed  by  men  who  had  the  best  interests  of  the  State  at  heart.  Their  devotion 
to  the  reforms  that  they  were  struggling  to  promote  waB  thoroughly  disinterested. 
Among  the  most  conspicuous  was  John  S.  Wright.  For  fifteen  years  he  was  closely 
identified  with  the  movement  that  culminated  in  the  law  of  1855.  As  publisher  of 
The  Prairie  Farmer  he  had  the  readiest  access  to  the  farming  community  and  he  used 
his  opportunity  wisely.  The  valuable  amendments  to  the  school  law  already  noticed 
as  embodied  in  the  act  of  1845  were  made  possible  in  largest  part  through  his  in- 
fluence.    He  called  a  State  convention  of  school  people  who  met  in  Peoria  in  1844, 


46  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

and  who  issued  a  memorial  upon  the  subject  of  Common  School  Education.  A  copy 
is  in  possession  of  the  State  Department  of  Education,  and  it  is  of  greatly  added 
interest  because  it  contains  the  name  of  the  estimable  Dr.  Calvin  Gowdy,  a  member 
of  the  General  Assembly  and  later  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  State 
of  Illinois,  the  governing  body  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University.  He  was 
always  an  enthusiastic  advocate  of  popular  education  at  public  expense. 

This  memorial  is  worthy  of  careful  preservation  and  its  main  features  are  pre- 
sented herewith.  It  prays  the  legislature  to  so  modify  the  school  system  as  to 
provide  for  a  State  superintendent,  appointed  by  the  governor;  a  county  superin- 
tendent, at  first  appointed  by  the  county  commissioners  and  afterward  by  the  town- 
ship trustees ;  the  organization  of  the  townships  as  school  Units  with  a  board  of  three 
trustees,  elected,  by  the  people  and  made  supervisors  of  schools  under  the  direction 
of  the  county  superintendents ;  distribution  of  the  income  from  the  school  funds  to 
the  counties  on  the  basis  of  population;  the  placing  of  school  funds  in  the  hands  of 
the  county  superintendents ;  the  district  plan  now  in  use  with  its  directors,  and  espe- 
cially the  power  of  taxation  for  school  purposes. 

These  recommendations  are  interesting  as  showing  the  influences  that  were  at 
work  to  secure  the  school  law  of  1855. 

Following  the  recommendations  was  an  earnest  plea  for  their  enactment  into  a 
law.  Regarding  existing  conditions  the  memorial  says:  "Our  schools,  evidently, 
are  not  what  they  should  be.  There  is  a  listless  apathy  concerning  them,  more  to 
be  deprecated  than  fiery  opposition,  reigning  supreme  throughout  the  State,  We 
need  the  adoption  of  some  measures  that  shall  arouse  us  from  this  death-like  stupor, 
that  shall  infuse  vigor  into  the  frame  and  induce  to  healthy,  steady,  persevering 
action." 

Seven  pages  are  devoted  to  the  argument  for  the  State  superintendent.  It  is 
profitable  reading.  We  have  little  appreciation  of  the  labor  required. to  bring  an 
efficient  public- school  system  into  being.  That  there  was  strong  opposition  to  the 
office  appears  by  implication  in  every  paragraph  of  the  discussion. 

Realizing  the  wretched  condition  of  the  teaching  force  in  many  schools  the  memo- 
rialists urged  the  examination  and  licensing  of  teachers  to  be  lodged  in  the  hands 
of  the  county  superintendent.  The  argument  for  such  an  officer  was  as  cogent 
and  should  have  been  as  convincing  as  for  the  State  officer.  In  the  majority  of 
instances  the  examination  of  candidates  for  certificates  was  the  merest  form.  A 
verified  instance,  occurring  as  late  as  1862  and  coming  under  the  knowledge  of  the 
writer,  illustrates  the  thoroughness  (?)  of  the  method.  The  teacher  had  been  at 
work  for  some  time  without  a  certificate,  when  the  superintendent,  a  lawyer,  happened 
to  come  to  town  to  conduct  a  law  suit.  The  teacher  saw  his  opportunity  and  em- 
braced it.  "Look  me  in  the  eye,"  said  the  examiner.  "  Tell  me,  upon  your  honor 
as  a  man;  can  you  make  eggnog?"  The  candidate  was  equal  to  the  occasion. 
"Well,  Mr.  Superintendent,  I  never  done  it,  but  I've  saw  it  did."  "  My  friend," 
said  the  lawyer-superintendent,  "your  case  is  a  little  doubtful,  but  we'll  follow  the 
suggestion  of  the  law  and  give  you  the  advantage  of  the  doubt." 

The  memorial  strongly  advocated  the  election  of  a  township  supervisor.  If  the 
General  Assembly  halted  before  the  proposition  to  have  a  State  superintendent  and 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  47 

a  county  superintendent  it  is  easy  to  tell  the  fate  of  their  suggestion.     Their  argu- 
ment was  unanswerable  but  was,  for  Illinois,  a  century  ahead  of  time. 

The  memorial  cautiously  approached  the  essential  feature  of  any  free-school 
system.     A  quotation  will  reveal  the  current  opinion  of  the  time  with  regard  to  it: 

We  come  to  consider,  finally,  the  one  great  requisite  of  the  proposed  plan  —  taxation.  Each  of 
the  parts  is  considered  essential,  yet  they  are  but  machinery  to  work  this  result.  We  come  out  frankly 
and  boldly  and  acknowledge  the  whole  system  —  every  effort  is  intended  only  as  a  means  of  allure- 
ment to  draw  the  people  into  the  grasp  of  this  most  awful  monster  —  a  school  tax. 

But  start  not  back  in  alarm.  After  all  he  may  not  be  so  terrible  as  some  have  perhaps  imagined. 
Used  with  skill  and  judgment  and  no  other  power  can  accomplish  what  he  will;  no  other  can  work 
such  changes  in  your  common  schools,  and  it  is  in  vain  that  we  attempt  to  dispense  with  his  ser- 
vices. All  experience  throughout  the  Union  is  in  favor  of  his  employment.  We  do  not,  however, 
propose  coercing  any  to  employ  him  who  prefer  to  let  him  alone.  All  that  we  ask  is  to  give  those 
permission  to  use  him  who  feel  so  inclined;  and  others,  when  they  witness  his  subordination,  and 
power  to  work  for  the  cause  of  education,  will  doubtless  desire  themselves  to  try  his  services. 

The  memorial  then  pleads  for  such  an  amendment  of  the  law  as  will  permit 
school  units  to  pass  upon  the  question  of  taxation  by  a  popular  vote  and  impose 
taxes  if  a  majority  so  decide.  It  is  by  such  historical  material  that  the  opposition  to 
taxation  for  school  purposes  is  revealed  and  that  the  forty-years'  fight  for  the  prin- 
ciple is  disclosed  to  the  modern  reader. 

Enough  has  been  said  to  give  a  correct  impression  of  the  character  of  the  memo- 
rial. It  converted  the  governor  with  respect  to  one  of  its  contentions,  and  at  the 
next  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  it  was  enacted  that  the  Secretary  of  State 
should  be  ex  officio  superintendent  of  public  instruction.  Although  that  officer  was 
to  receive  no  extra  compensation  for  the  increased  duties  of  his  office  it  was  worth 
something  to  have  the  people  become  accustomed  to  the  name.  There  was  a  report 
concerning  the  condition  of  education  in  the  State,  and  its  revelations  did  some- 
thing toward  the  acceleration  of  the  development  of  a  public-school  sentiment.  It 
was  signed  by  John  S.  Wright,  of  Cook  county,  D.  J.  Pinkney,  of  Ogle  county,  and 
H.  M.  Wead,  of  Fulton  county. 

On  March  1,  1848,  Horace  S.  Cooley, .  Secretary  of  State  and  ex  officio  State 
Superintendent  of  Common  Schools,  issued  an  appeal  in  behalf  of  the  interests  that 
had  been  added  to  his  regular  duties.  It  was  little  enough  that  he  could  accomplish 
in  a.  matter  that  was  at  best  but  a  side  issue,  yet  he  endeavored  conscientiously  to 
give  an  impulse  to  the  movement  that  was  beginning  to  penetrate  the  consciousness 
of  the  public. 

His  appea,l  is  addressed  to  the  citizens  of  Illinois.  He  declares  that  "  It  is  an 
incentive  to  our  renewed  action  in  the  cause  of  common  schools,  to  know  that  we 
ma}^  with  just  pride,  confidently  anticipate,  as  the  results  of  our  well-directed 
efforts,  a  permanently  established  system  of  popular  education  in  our  State,  not 
to  be  exceeded  in  its  usefulness  by  that  of  any  State  in  the  Union,  and  that  a  growing 
public  interest  in  the  importance  of  a  properly  organized  system  of  schools  is  daily 
made  manifest.  The  people  in  different  portions  of  the  State  are  becoming  awakened 
to  the  manifold  duties  which  press  upon  them  in  the  advancement  of  this  cause; 
and  an  emulation,  each  to  exceed  the  other  in  the  establishment  and  perfection  of 


48  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

schools,  at  the  present  time  prevails,  which  is  destined  to  prove  irresistible  to  ever}"^ 
obstacle.  The  zeal  and  determination  of  our  citizens,  which  proclaim  that  at  no 
distant  day  our  magnificent  State  shall  be  second  to  no  one  in  this  respect,  justif}" 
the  conviction  that  no  individual  can  be  found  in  our  community,  who,  if  sensible 
of  his  ability,  will  withhold  his  personal  efforts,  or  decline  to  become  a  champion  in 
such  an  enterprise." 

When  we  realize  that  seven  years  were  yet  to  pass  before  the  General  Assembly 
could  muster  friends  enough  to  free  public  schools  to  secure  the  law  of  1855,  Mr. 
Cooley's  estimate  of  public  opinion  seems  rose-tinted. 

A  further  quotation  will  reveal  the  purpose  of  the  "appeal."  He  says:  "It  is 
not  improbable  that  many  of  our  citizens,  whose  efforts  are  due  to  the  public  in  the 
promotion  of  this  cause,  permit  themselves  to  remain  passive,  from  the  impression 
that  the  exertions  of  any  one  individual  can  be  of  no  particular  service ;  and  that  this 
delusion  permits  them  to  look  with  faith  and  admiration  upon  the  good  deeds  of 
others,  while  no  good  work  proceeds  from  themselves.  The  following  suggestions 
are  ventured  for  the  purpose  of  removing  this  fatal  fallacy  and  to  present  the  initia- 
tive to  personal,  individual  action;  and  to  urge  upon  all  persons  that  they  'Begjn  — 
begin  somewhere,'  and  without  delay,  in  their  efforts  to  establish  a  uniform  system 
of  public  instruction  in  our  State." 

Mr.  Cooley  had  already  issued  a  brief  circular  in  which  he  had  invited  such  per- 
sons as  were  interested  in  common  schools  to  assemble  in  the  various  counties  of 
the  State  for  purposes  of  consultation  with  him  and  for  a  free  interchange  of  opinion 
and  for  the  utilization  of  the  ideas  of  value  that  should  develop  in  these  conferences. 
As  might  be  expected  he  found  that  his  other  official  duties  did  not  permit  him  to 
carry  out  his  suggestion.  He  therefore  submitted  for  the  consideration  of  his  fellow 
citizens  certain  propositions,  in  the  hope  that  they  would  awaken  the  interest  and 
active  cooperation  of  the  people.  He  therefore  urged  most  earnestly  the  united 
effort  of  practical  men  everywhere  in  the  State  in  erecting  upon  a  permanent  basis 
a  plain,  practical  system  of  common  schools. 

He  declared  that  "the  great  fundamental  principle  of  this  action  should  be,  that 
our  schools  be  free  to  every  child  {native  or  adopted)  in  Illinois.  Free  as  the  genial 
showers  and  sunshine  of  heaven.  That  unrestrained  access  to  free  instruction  be 
the  mystic  influence  which  shall  cheer  the  present  and  succeeding  generations 
'upward  and  onward'  m  their  search  after  knowledge. 

"  Illinois  at  the  present  time,  in  the  establishment  of  her  system  of  schools,  is  far 
in  advance  of  any  of  the  States  at  a  similar  period  in  their  history.  But  the  advances 
which  other  States  have  made,  and  the  advance  which  they  must  yet  make  to  reach 
a  contemplated  perfection,  speaks  to  us  in  a  'prophet's  voice'  (which  should  banish 
all  apathy)  of  the  services  demanded  of  us  in  producing  the  ultimate  destiny  of 
common  schools  in  Illinois.''  The  fervor  of  Mr.  Cooley's  sentences  indicates  that 
his  heart  is  in  the  enterprise. 

He  submits  some  statistical  information  of  historical  interest.  In  1845  there  were 
about  384,000  persons  in  the  State  under  twenty  years  of  age,  and  consequently 
entitled  to  share  in  the  school  funds.  He  estimated  that  250,000  were  of  the  proper 
age  to  attend  school.     On  the  basis  of  forty  children  to  a  schoolhouse,  six  thousand. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  49 

two  hundred  and  fifty  teachers  in  six  thousand,  two  hundred  and  fifty  schoolhouses 
were  needed  to  furnish  the  needed  instruction.  From  his  estimate  it  must  be  in- 
ferred that  the  towns  were  few  in  number  and  that  the  graded-school  idea  had  not 
as  yet  had  much  of  a  development  anywhere,  with  the  possible  exception  of  the 
city  on  the  lake. 

The  report  of  the  previous  superintendent,  Thomas  Campbell,  the  first  superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction,  contained  returns  from  but  fifty-seven  of  the  counties, 
the  remaining  counties  neglecting  or  refusing  to  report.  From  these  counties  the 
statistics  for  the  rest  of  the  State  were  averaged.  On  this  showing  there  were  perhaps 
three-fifths  as  many  schools  as  wei;e  needed  to  accommodate  the  children.  But  in 
the  same  counties  there  were  but  thirteen  hundred  and  twenty-eight  schoolhouses. 
Applying  the  method  of  averages  as  above,  this  would  show  about  two  thousand  in 
the  entire  State.  From  the  reports  contained  in  county  histories,  and  these  reports 
are  presumably  accurate,  many  of  these  buildings  were  nothing  more  than  rude 
structures  of  the  cheapest  description.  Mr.  Cooley  assumes  that  there  were  about 
one-fourth  as  many  as  were  needed.  He  appeals  to  the  patriotism  and  pride  of  the 
people  to  free  themselves  from  so  disgraceful  a  condition  of  indifference  and  neglect. 

He  calls  attention  to  the  utter  inability  of  the  Secretary  of  State  to  discharge  in 
any  efficient  way  the  duties  of  superintendent  of  public  instruction  because  already 
loaded  down  by  the  duties  of  his  office.  The  salary  was  barely  what  is  now  paid  to 
a  stenographer,  yet  it  was  expected  that  he  could  discharge  the  duties  of  two  offices, 
either  one  of  which  merited  a  man  of  superior  abilities.  Respecting  the  duties  of 
the  superintendent  he  writes  as  follows:  "He  should  be  required  to  visit  every 
county  in  the  State  and  deliver  familiar  lectures,  and  furnish  instruction  relative  to 
the  application  of  our  school  law,  the  proper  organization  of  schools,  the  improve- 
ment in  schoolhouses,  the  classification  of  pupils,  and  qualifications  of  teachers.  He 
should  assist  in  the  proper  application  of  school  money  and  in  forming  associations 
of  teachers  and  the  friends  of  education  in  different  portions  of  the  State,  and  urge 
upon  them  frequent  meetings  in  contiguous  districts  and  counties;  he  should  render 
all  possible  assistance  to  teachers  and  school  officers  to  enable  them  to  discharge  their 
duties  with  efficiency,  and  receive  reports  from  county  officers  of  schools,  and  make 
his  reports  to  the  legislature,  which  should  be  virtually  a  report  to  the  people  of  the 
entire  State."  Who  will  say  that  Mr.  Cooley  did  not  have  a  very  definite  idea  as 
to  .the  possibilities  of  the  office  that  had  been  thrust  upon  him  as  a  side  issue,  and 
as  an  answer  to  the  appeals  of  the  educational  people  ? 

As  foreshadowing  the  prominence  of  women  as  teachers,  and  as  an  early  appear- 
ance of  the  movement  for  Normal  schools,  the  following  further  quotation  is 
interesting:  "We  have,  during  the  past  year,  been  favored  with  the  presence  .of  a 
number  of  excellent  and  well-educated  female  teachers,  who  were  sent  to  our  State 
under  the  patronage  of  a  society  in  another  State ;  and  we  have  noticed  with  pleasure 
that  these  teachers  have  been  properly  appreciated  by  our  community,  and  placed 
in  charge  of  well-filled  schools  and  have  successfully  discharged  their  duties  as 
teachers  with  fidelity,  efficiency  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  public.  At  a  time 
when  the  demand  for  qualified  instructors  is  increasing  in  our  State  (which  demand 
is  a  cheering  evidence  of  the  awakening  interest  of  our  people  to  the  subject  of  edu- 

4 


50  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

cation)  it  would  be  a  suicidal  policy  which  would  reject  the  proffered  services  of 
well-educated,  experienced  and  trustworthy  teachers.  Yet  I  am  impelled  by  a 
sense  of  justice  to  the  known  intelligence  and  peculiar  qualifications  of  the  citizens 
of  our  own  State  and  to  the  inestimable  opportunities  for  education  presented  in 
the  colleges,  seminaries  and  schools  of  Illinois,  to  repeat  my  former  suggestion  of 
the  importance  that  our  common  zeal  to  promote  this  cause  (of  popular  education) 
should  be  directed  to  the  proper  education  of  teachers  in  the  colleges,  seminaries 
and  schools  in  our  own  State.  That,  although  compelled  to  rely  upon  teachers  from 
abroad  for  present  purposes,  we  should  not  depend  upon  importations  from  other 
States  to  supply  our  future  demands.  Our  own  native-taught  teachers  are  adapted 
to  the  wants  and  peculiarities  of  our  western  institutions,  and  possess  peculiar 
qualifications  for  adopting  a  course  of  instruction  and  discipline  in  accordance  with 
the  known  wishes  of  the  community.  In  providing  systematic  measures  for  the 
promotion  of  the  intelligence  of  the  coming  generations  of  Illinois,  we  should  not 
be  unmindful  of  our  Paramount  duty  to  secure  the  thorough  qualification  of  our  own 
citizens,  male  and  female,  in  the  art  of  teaching. ' '  The  italics  used  in  the  foregoing 
quotation  are  supposed  to  express  the  emphasis  which  the  writer  desired  to  employ 
with  regard  to  this  particular  suggestion. 

Superintendent  Cooley  called  attention  to  the  section  of  the  school  law  directing 
him  to  recommend  the  most  approved  text-books,  maps,  charts  and  apparatus,  and 
urges  uniformity  in  their  use.     He  declared  that  he  had  found  this  more  embarrass- 
\  ing  than  any  other  act  connected  with  his  official  duties.     The  General  Assembly 

\  seems  to  have  appreciated  the  delicacy  of  the  task,  since  they  promptly  relieved  the 
office  of  that  duty,  out  of  the  kindness  of  their  hearts  and  the  possible  suggestion 
of  publishers  that  may  not  have  been  getting  their  fancied  share.  He  did  recom- 
mend those  prime  old  favorites,  however,  so  familiar  to  the  last  generation,  and 
that  now  decorate  the  curiosity-shop  corner  of  Normal  School  libraries  —  Mc- 
Giiffy's  readers,  Sanders'  spelling  book,  Butler's  grammars,  Mitchell's  geographies, 
Ray's  arithmetics  or  Emerson's,  and  Goodrich's  or  Grimshaw's  history  of  the  United 
States. 

On. January  12,  1849,  Superintendent,  or  rather.  Secretary  of  State  Cooley,  sub- 
mitted to  the  governor  the  annual  report  of  the  condition  of  schools  in  Illinois, 
About  three-fifths  of  the  counties  reported.  When  we  remember  that  there  was  no 
penalty  for  not  reporting,  and  that  several  of  the  officers  upon  whom  the  law  placed 
the  duty  of  collecting  statistics  received  no  compensation  of  any  kind  for  their  labors, 
the  showing  is  not  so  bad.  Because  of  the  neglect  of  so  many  county  superintendents 
to  report,  the  figures  given  for  the  whole  State  have  a  doubtful  value,  as  they  are 
estimates  upon  the  probable  conditions  as  inferred  from  the  reports  sent  in. 

No  other  columns  so  accurately  express  the  conditions  of  the  schools  as  those  set 
apart  for  the  averages  of  county  salaries.  Schuyler  has  the  distinction  of  leading  the 
list  in  the  salaries  paid  to  men  —  $30  —  while  Crawford,  Richland  and  St.  Clair 
touch  the  $20  mark,  for  women.  At  the  other  end  of  the  row  stand  Shelby,  with 
an  average  of  $10  for  men,  and  Cook  and  DeKalb  with  $6  for  women.  The  average 
for  the  fifty-eight  counties  reporting  is  $16.56  for  the  men,  and  $8.62  —  about  half 
as  much  —  for  the  women.     This  means  about  four  dollars  a  week  for  men  and  two 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  51 

for  women.  We  have  seen  that  Cook  county  paid  her  women  but  $6  a  month,  but 
she  graciously  did  a  httle  more  than  twice  as  well  for  the  men,  as  they  were  paid  $13. 

Sixty-one  counties  reported  1,937  schoolhouses,  barely  half  enough  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  children.  Hundreds  of  these  buildings  were  of  the  poorest 
quality,  not  even  affording  protection  from  severe  weather.  In  the  great  majority 
of  cases  the  furniture  was  of  the  rudest  character,  the  methods  of  heating  were 
barbaric,  and  the  only  method  of  ventilation  was  that  afforded  by  the  bad  work- 
manship of  the  builder  or  by  the  destructive  operations  of  the  elements.  Large 
numbers  of  them  were  mounted  up  on  posts  and  the  wind  had  free  passage  under 
the  floor  and  often  through  it.  The  wandering  swine  sought  shelter  in  these  hos- 
pitable quarters  and  mingled  their  complaining  voices  with  those  of  the  children  at 
their  a  b  c's  just  over  their  heads.  The  fleas,  that  manifest  so  extreme  a  fondness 
for  the  companionship  of  this  species  of  animal,  often  endeavored  to  improve  their 
opportunities  by  invading  the  schoolroom  and  adding  to  the  liveliness  of  pioneer 
experience.  When  an  old  settler  dwells  with  fond  remembrance  upon  the  delights 
of  "the  good  old  times,"  it  is  in  marked  evidence  that  human  nature  is  disposed  to 
forget  the  disagreeable  and  cling  to  the  agreeable  experiences  of  life. 

The  amount  raised  by  ad  valorem  taxes  shows  the  widest  variation.  Since  the 
tax  was  not  compulsory  there  were  counties  in  which  not  a  penny  of  revenue  was 
raised  in  that  way.  The  gross  amount  for  the  counties  reporting  was  less  than 
$25,000.  The  whole  number  of  pupils  enrolled  was  about  50,000  and  the  number 
of  teachers  reported  at  about  2,500. 

The  law  of  1845  helped  the  cause  significantly  by  providing  for  the  office  of  State 
Superintendent  of  Schools,  even  though  the  duties  were  added  to  those  of  an  already 
overburdened  State  officer,  for  there  was  now  a  voice  that  could  speak  with  authority, 
and  that  could  therefore  command  the  attention  of  the  people.  The  same  thing 
can  be  said  of  the  county  superintendency.  Among  the  whole  body  there  were  sure 
to  be  several  who  would  be  active  in  organizing  meetings,  in  contributing  articles 
to  the  press,  and  in  illustrating  in  their  own  counties  what  could  be  done  even  under 
such  unhappy  conditions.  They  served  to  swell  materially  the  sum  of  the  influences 
working  toward  the  coming  law. 

And  now  appears  upon  the  scene  the  Constitution  of  1848.  The  fact  that  it  was 
to  last  but  twenty- two  years  indicates  its  character.  It  was  a  most  interesting 
exhibition  of  an  attempt  to  incorporate  into  the  organic  law  of  a  great  State  a  most 
illiberal  and  parsimonious  policy.  It  was  conceived  in  a  spirit  of  ultra-conservatism 
and  apparently  with  an  eye  single  to  retrenchment.  It  shows  how  little  compre- 
hension the  convention  had  of  what  was  waiting  Illinois  in  the  way  of  development. 
In  the  attempt  to  reduce  current  expenses  to  the  lowest  living  possibility  it  overdid 
itself,  and  necessitated  the  most  original  and  ingenious  schemes  for  evading  the 
constitution  in  order  that  the  machinery  of  government  might  be  kept  in  motion. 
The  salary  of  the  Governor  was  fixed  at  $1,500;  of  the  judges  of  the  supreme  court 
at  $1,200,  and  that  of  circuit  judges  at  $1,000.  Think  of  the  State  Treasurer  and 
the  Secretary  of  State  being  obliged  to  subsist  on  $1,200  each  and  the  members  of  the 
General  Assembly  as  compensated  at  the  rate  of  $2  a  day  for  the  first  forty  days  and 
at  $1  a  day  thereafter.     Such  a  scheme  of  compensation  may  have  had  one  thing 


52  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

in  its  favor  —  it  reduced  the  sessions  of  the  Assembly  to  forty  days.  The  total 
per  diem  of  the  members  for  the  first  session  under  the  new  constitution  was  less 
than  $15,000,  and  this  included  the  mileage  also.  The  .possibilities  of  construction 
of  the  law  are  indicated  by  the  fact  that  the  same  body  under  the  same  organic  act 
voted  to  itself  for  the  session  of  1869  $206,181,  more  than  thirteen  times  as  much. 
The  number  of  constitutional  lawyers  must  have  had  a  remarkable  increase  in  the 
intervening  years. 

As  in  the  Constitution  of  1818,  there  was  no  reference  to  education.  The  word 
can  not  be  found  in  the  instrument.  There  was  a  Declaration  of  Rights,  containing 
twenty-six  sections,  but  one  will  search  in  vain  for  the  declaration  of  the  right  of  the 
children  to  be  educated  at  public  expense.  The  glowing  words  of  the  Ordinance  of 
1787  had  not  yet  awakened  an  echo  in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  But  important 
events  are  at  hand.  The  young  man  who  acted  as  secretary  at  the  first  educational 
meeting,  at  Vandalia,  in  1834,  has  become  the  most  conspicuous  political  figure  in 
Illinois.  The  following  year  he  was  a  member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  General 
Assembly.  Later  he  was  successively  Secretary  of  State,  an  associate  justice  of  the 
supreme  court  of  the  State,  twice  a  member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  National 
Congress  and  was  now  serving  his  first  term  as  United  States  Senator.  By  the 
most  skilful  management  he  had  succeeded  in  carrying  through  Congress  against 
the  bitterest  opposition  the  bill  for  the  granting  of  public  lands  to  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad.  The  generosity  of  the  nation  made  the  construction  of  this  road  possible 
and  made  Illinois  the  center  of  interest  to  a  large  number  of  highly  intelligent  and 
enterprising  men  in  the  Eastern  States.  They  sought  their  fortunes  in  the  new  Eldo- 
rado and  brought  with  them  their  advanced  ideas  with  regard  to  popular  education. 

Add  to  the  character  of  the  new  immigrants  the  influence  of  an  awakening  press 
that  is  always  so  potent  in  shaping  public  sentiment.  The  teachers  also  soon  had 
an  organ  in  the  field  that  gave  material  assistance  to  the  cause  —  The  Illinois  Teacher. 
It  was  ably  and  aggressively  edited,  and  furnished  a  center  of  influence  around  which 
school  men  could  gather  and  make  themselves  felt.  School  conventions  multiplied 
and  protested  against  the  shameful  inactivity  of  the  legislature.  The  election  of 
1852  resulted  in  the  selection  of  Joel  A.  Matteson  as  governor.  In  his  inaugural 
address  he  made  a  strong  plea  for  a  common  school  system  commensurate  with  the 
dignity  of  the  State.  But  taxation  was  a  hateful  word  to  large  numbers  of  the 
people.  To  deprive  one  of  any  part  of  his  estate,  even  by  law  and  for  the  purposes 
of  popular  education,  seemed  to  them  to  do  violence  to  the  principle  of  private 
property.  In  consequence,  the  legislature  of  1852  did  nothing.  Anticipating  an 
extra  session  in  1854,  a  teachers'  convention  met  at  Jersey ville,  in  which  several 
adjoining  counties  were  represented,  and  another  representing  the  whole  State  met 
in  Bloomington.  Their  utterances  were  scattered  broadcast  over  the  State.  They 
struck  a  responsive  chord  and  even  the  members  of  the  General  Assembly  were 
finally  aroused.  The  Governor  included  the  desired  measures  in  his  call  for  the  extra 
session,  and  in  February,  1854,  the  legislature  passed  the  bill  authorizing  the  separa- 
tion of  the  office  of  superintendent  of  public  instruction  from  that  of  Secretary  of 
State.  The  new  officer  was  directed  to  report  to  the  next  legislature  a  bill  which 
should  provide  for  the  education  of  all  of  the  children  of  the  State. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  53 

On  account  of  an  error  of  dates  in  the  bill  it  became  necessary  for  the  Governor 
to  appoint  a  superintendent  to  serve  until  the  next  general  election,  in  1856.  On 
the  fifteenth  of  March,  1854,  he  selected  for  the  position  Ninian  W.  Edwards,  a  son 
of  that  Ninian  Edwards  who  was  for  nine  years  territorial  governor  of  Illinois  and 
for  four  years  governor  of  the  State,  beginning  with  1826.  He  at  once  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  his  office  and  on  December  10  submitted  to  the  Governor  his  first 
report  as  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

This  report  is  replete  with  interesting  material.  The  school,  college  and  seminary 
fund  now  amounted  to  $951,504.07.  This  yielded  a  distributable  fund  of  $54,711.49, 
to  be  divided  among  the  counties  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  persons  under 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  The  income  from  the  county  and  township  fund  increased 
this  amount  to  a  total  of  about  $196,000  for  the  year  1853.  The  sum  raised  by  an 
ad  valorem  tax  for  the  same  year  in  ninety-seven  counties  was  something  less  than 
$43,000,  most  of  which  was  appropriated  to  schoolhouses,  sites,  furniture,  etc. 

Reports  were  received  from  only  seventy-nine  counties  with  regard  to  schools. 
In  these  counties  there  were  4,215  schools,  of  which  2,492  were  taught  by  males 
and  1,157  by  females.  The  remainder  were  taught  by  both.  The  average  compen- 
sation for  males  was  $25  and  of  females  $12.  One  hundred  and  thirty-six  thousand, 
three  hundred  and  seventy-one  children  attended  school,  which  was  about  one- third 
of  those  of  school  age.  The  average  number  of  months  of  school  was  six.  The 
total  amount  expended  for  schools  was  $308,385.52.  This  statistical  information 
is  followed  by  an  earnest  plea  for  the  adoption  of  the  bill  submitted  with  the  report, 
in  accordance  with  the  report  of  the  General  Assembly. 

The  following  are  the  main  provisions  of  the  bill  submitted  to  the  General 
Assembly,  for  its  consideration,  by  State  Superintendent  Edwards.  The  first  twelve 
sections  provided  for  the  election  of  a  State  superintendent  of  public  instruction  on 
the  first  Monday  of  November,  1856,  and  biennially  thereafter,  and  prescribed  the 
duties  of  his  office. 

The  next  thirteen  sections  related  to  the  election  and  duties  of  the  school  com- 
missioner, who  was  to  be  the  county  superintendent  of  schools  and  who  was  to  serve 
for  two  years.  The  only  change  of  importance  suggested  was  the  election  of  the 
school  commissioner  by  the  boards  of  education  in  the  county. 

Nineteen  sections  were  devoted  to  township  boards  of  education.  Quite  a  radical 
departure  was  here  suggested  from  the  existing  law.  It  was  proposed  to  constitute 
a  board  of  education  consisting  of  five  members  with  two-year  terms,  instead  of  three 
trustees  as  provided  by  the  existing  law.  The  following  duties  were  to  devolve 
upon  this  board: 

First.  They  shall  establish  a  sufficient  number  of  common  schools  for  the  educa- 
tion of  every  individual  person  over  the  age  of  five  and  under  the  age  of  twenty-one 
in  the  township,  and  shall  make  provision  for  continuing  such  schools  in  operation 
for  at  least  six  months,  and  longer  if  practicable. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  word  "white"  does  not  appear  in  this  section. 

Second.  Suitable  buildings  suitably  furnished,  and  supplied  with  fuel  are  pro- 
vided for.  These  were  to  be  subject  to  the  rules,  regulation  and  control  of  the 
county  convention  described  later. 


54  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Third.  They  shall  have  supervision  of  the  schools,  which  one  or  more  of  their 
number  must  visit  at  least  once  a  month,  the  result  of  the  visit  to  be  recorded. 

Fourth.  They  shall  appoint  all  teachers,  fix  the  amount  of  salaries,  and  may 
dismiss  them  for  proper  reasons;  they  shall  determine  the  course  of  study  and  may 
suspend  or  expel  disorderly  pupils. 

Fifth.  They  shall  have  the  power  to  establish  schools  of  different  grades  in  the 
township  and  assign  the  scholars  to  these  different  schools.  If  scholars  could  be 
more  conveniently  instructed  in  other  schools,  their  tuition  shall  be  paid  by  the 
township  but  shall  not  be  more  than  in  schools  of  the  same  grade  in  the  township. 

A  unique  feature  of  the  system  proposed  by  Superintendent  Edwards  was  a 
County  School  Convention  and  Teachers'  Institute.  It  was  to  consist  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  boards  of  education  of  the  several  townships  of  the  county,  and  was  to 
meet  at  the  county  seat  biennially  and  elect  some  person  of  literary  and  scientific 
acquirements  and  of  skill  in  the  art  of  teaching,  who  should  be  a  resident  and  legal 
voter  of  the  county,  as  school  commissioner  and  superintendent  of  schools  for  the 
county,  and  who  should  be  commissioned  by  the  Governor.  He  was  to  be  ex  officio 
president  of  the  convention. 

These  conventions  were  to  have  power  to  organize  in  their  respective  counties 
teachers'  institutes  for  the  instiTiction  and  improvement  of  teachers,  and  the  pro- 
motion of  the  common  schools  of  the  county.  They  were  to  constitute  a  general 
clearing  house  in  the  matter  of  relations  between  the  township  boards  of  education 
and  the  school  commissioners  and  they  were  to  have  the  power  to  appropriate  money 
to  carry  out  their  measures.  They  were  also  to  be  able  to  meet  at  other  times,  as 
they  might  see  fit,  as  well  as  in  their  biennial  assembly. 

They  were  also  to  be  authorized  to  appoint  two  competent  assistant  examiners 
to  aid  the  county  commissioner  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  examiner  of  candi- 
dates for  certificates,  and  were  also  to  be  permitted  to  prescribe  the  qualifications 
for  teachers  suitable  for  the  different  grades  of  schools  to  be  established,  and  the 
requisite  acquirements  of  each  grade  and  the  branches  of  learning  necessary  for  each 
teacher  of  such  grade  to  be  examined  in  and  to  be  qualified  properly  to  teach. 

For  the  support  of  schools  Superintendent  Edwards  proposed  a  direct  tax  of 
such  a  number  of  mills  on  each  dollar  as  the  legislature  might  direct,  which  should 
be  added  to  the  interest  on  the  existing  school  fund  and  should  be  distributed  to 
the  counties  on  the  basis  of  the  number  of  white  children  under  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  with  the  provision  that  one-tenth  of  one  mill  of  the  tax  should  be  expended  by 
the  State  Superintendent  for  books  and  apparatus  to  be  distributed  to  the  schools. 

For  the  supplementing  of  the  funds  as  above  provided  so  that  schools  shall  be 
supported  for  the  education  of  all  of  the  children,  each  township  board  was  to  be 
authorized  to  levy  a  sufficient  tax  to  meet  all  necessities. 

The  school  commissioners  were  to  be  compensated  by  a  percentage  of  the  money 
passing  through  their  hands.  Schools  for  persons  of  color  were  to  be  entitled  to  an 
amount  equal  to  that  collected  from  such  persons.  The  other  recommendations 
were  in  substance  the  same  as  in  the  existing  law. 

These  suggestions  were  a  radical  departure  from  the  law  then  in  force.  Some  of 
them  might  well  be  incorporated  into  the  present  law.     They  indicated  an  appre- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  55 

ciation  of  the  needs  of  the  schools  and  of  plans  that  would  work  their  very  material 
betterment. 

In  support  of  his  bill  Superintendent  Edwards  made  a  vigorous  and  effective 
argument.  He  declared  that  "  Government  is  bound,  solemnly  pledged,  to  look  to 
the  matter  of  education!  Our  children  have  a  right  to  demand  it  on  the  ground  of 
solemn  engagement ;  and  if  we  neglect  it  the  curses  of  future  ages  must  rest  upon  us. 
And  to  make  it  sure,  it  must  not  be  left  to  chance  nor  to  private  enterprise ;  it  must 
be  absolutely  secured  by  timely  and  judicious  legislation.  It  is  cheaper  to  sustain 
schools  than  poorhouses  and  courts  and  prisons. 

"  I  can  not  too  strongly  urge  the  importance  of  making  education  free,  alike  to 
the  rich  and  the  poor.  The  system  which  provides  for  the  education  only  of  the 
poor  is  necessarily  unsuccessful.  It  has  ever  been,  and  ever  will  be,  regarded  as  a 
part  of  the  pauper  system;  and  in  a  country  like  ours  few  will  consent  to  appear  on 
the  pauper  list. 

"  The  only  way  to  bring  in  the  children  of  the  poor  is  to  bring  them  in  on  the 
same  footing  and  on  terms  of  equality  with  those  of  the  rich.  Make  the  schoolroom 
just  as  free  and  as  much  common  property  as  our  public  highways  and  the  air  we 
breathe.  Let  the  poorest  child  feel  that  he  has  as  much  right  to  be  there  as  has  the 
child  of  the  millionaire,  and  that  the  only  distinction  known  is  that  of  merit,  and 
then  you  will  reach  the  poor,  while  no  injury  will  be  done  to  the  rich." 

Sentiments  of  this  character  are  now  regarded  as  a  matter  of  course.  Unfortu- 
nately they  were  not  so  regarded  at  the  time  they  were  written.  The  free  public 
school  is  now  so  firmly  entrenched  in  the  framework  of  the  social  order  that  it  is 
not  easy  to  appreciate  the  long  and  disheartening  battle  that  its  friends  were  obliged 
to  wage  before  victory  crowned  their  efforts. 

One  can  not  but  admire  the  high  intelligence  of  Superintendent  Edwards  as 
indicated  by  the  provisions  of  the  bill  which  he  submitted  to  the  legislature.  He 
recommended  certain  features  which  educational  reformers  have  persistently  attempt- 
ed to  have  introduced  into  our  school  law.  If  these  measures  had  only  met  the 
approval  of  our  legislators  in  1855,  Illinois  would  long  since  have  been  in  the  front 
rank  of  educational  States.  Unfortunately  some  of  the  follies  of  the  act  of  1825  were 
perpetuated  and  now  are  so  strongly  entrenched  in  our  school  system  as  to  make 
their  removal  well  nigh  impossible.  One  of  these  proposed  features  was  a  State 
tax  of  sufficient  magnitude  to  secure  to  all  counties  a  sum  sufficient,  with  what  it 
was  possible  to  add  by  local  taxation,  to  insure  good  schools  for  all  of  the  children. 

Another  provision  of  the  bill  was  an  efficient  system  of  supervision.  After  more 
than  fifty  years  we  have  not  yet  approximated  the  recommendations  of  Superin- 
tendent Edwards.  His  scheme  for  a  county  convention  of  which  the  county  com- 
missioner should  be  president  looked  toward  the  organization  of  a  body  of  professional 
teachers  through  the  work  of  the  convention  and  of  the  institutes  that  should  be 
managed  in  connection  therewith. 

He  also  proposed  to  make  the  township  the  unit  of  school  organization.  He 
realized  the  folly  of  the  multiplication  of  school  officers,  as  is  exhibited  in  the  present 
district  system.  More  printers'  ink  has  been  spent  in  denunciation  of  that  top- 
heavy  and  inefficient  relic  of  a  primitive  system  than  of  any  other  feature  in  our 


56  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

legislative  crazy-quilt  that  we  call  the  school  law.  There  are  counties  in  Illinois 
having  more  than  eight  hundred  school  officers.  Thus  far  every  effort  toward  the 
township  system  has  been  met  by  the  stern  disapproval  of  the  people.  What  but 
a  passion  for  office-holding  can  explain  the  stubborn  tenacity  with  which  we  cling 
to  the  district  system!  ' 

Although  there  was  no  provision  in  the  bill  looking  toward  a  Normal  school, 
Superintendent'  Edwards  sounded  the  key-note  of  a  chorus  in  which  the  educa- 
tional voices  of  Illinois  were  soon  to  join.  He  says:  "I  can  not  too  strongly  urge 
the  importance  of  a  State  Normal  School,  the  object  of  which  will  be  to  elevate  the 
profession  of  a  teacher  and  place  it  on  a  level  with  the  other  learned  professions. 
For  all  of  the  other  professions,  arts,  and  trades,  schools  have  been  established. 
Then  why  should  the  teaching  profession,  one  of  the  most  important  of  them  all, 
be  neglected?  In  this  Normal  school  I  propose  to  provide  for  a  practical  educa- 
tion, in  which  shall  be  included  not  only  what  is  included  in  a  common- school 
course,  but  a  practical  knowledge  of  the  sciences  in  their  application  to  the  ordinary 
pursuits  of  life.  Such  an  institution  should  be  located  on  a  tract  of  land  large 
enough  for  a  fair  application  of  the  science  of  agricultural  chemistry  and  vegetable 
physiology,  and  also  for  a  botanical  garden.  Such  an  institution,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  a  well-qualified  superintendent,  would  not  only  send  forth  a  host  of  efficient 
teachers  for  our  common  schools,  but  would  send  forth  a  flood  of  light  to  the 
people,  and  produce  the  most  happy  results  in  the  ordinary  pursuits  of  life.  To 
this  school  vast  numbers  of  pupils  might  be  transferred  by  the  various  township 
boards,  where  their  education  would  be  as  well  perfected  as  in  the  best  colleges,  and 
where  they  would  be  eminently  and  especially  fitted  for  the  noblest  of  professions — 
that  of  teachers  of  youth.'" 

Enough  has  been  said  to  indicate  the  ardor  and  faithfulness  with  which  Superin- 
tendent Edwards  discharged  the  duty  imposed  upon  him  by  the  General  Assembly. 
It  now  remains  to  show  the  result  of  his  labors  as  indicated  by  the  school  law  of 
1855  as  it  came  from  the  hands  of  the  legislature.  It  had  passed  the  Senate  with 
but  three  dissenting  votes.  In  the  House  it  was  once  defeated,  but  was  saved  by  a 
reconsideration  in  which  many  desirable  features  were  sacrificed  to  secure  its  final 
passage.  But  there  was  at  last  a  provision  for  a  State  tax  for  schools;  local  com- 
munities could  now  tax  themselves  at  their  pleasure,  and  a  free  school  was  provided 
for  every  district  and  for  six  months  in  every  year. 

The  first  eleven  sections  related  to  the  superintendent  of  public  instruction.  His 
election  was  on  the  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  November,  1856,  and  every 
two  years  thereafter.  He  gave  bond  to  the  amount  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 
He  was  to  keep  an  office  at  the  seat  of  government,  file  all  papers  properly,  pay  over 
all  money  that  came  into  his  hands,  counsel  and  advise  with  experienced  and  practi- 
cal school  teachers,  supervise  common  and  public  schools,  advise  county  commis- 
sioners, issue  circular  letters  from  time  to  time  containing  practical  advice  with 
regard  to  the  general  administration  of  educational  affairs,  visit  every  county  in 
the  State  at  least  once  during  his  term  of  office  and  deliver  a  public  lecture  to  the 
teachers  and  people  of  every  county.  In  addition  he  was  required  to  report  to  the 
Governor,  biennially,  elaborate  school  statistics;  to  make  rules  and  regulations  for 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  57 

carrying  into  effect  the  provisions  of  this  act,  and  interpret  the  law  for  the  county 
commissioners,  such  interpretation  to  be  final  imless  otherwise  directed  by  the 
legislature  or  reversed  by  a  court  of  competent  jurisdiction.  He  was  authorized  to 
direct  any  school  officer  to  withhold  funds  from  any  officer,  township  or  teacher  who 
should  fail  to  conform  to  the  requirements  of  the  law.  For  his  services  he  was  to 
receive  a  salary  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars  a  year  and  such  contingent  expenses  as 
were  necessary  for  the  management  of  his  office. 

Fourteen  sections  related  to  the  office  of  school  commissioner.  He  was  to  be 
elected  at  the  same  time  as  the  State  superintendent  and  for  the  vSame  term.  The 
following  is  a  brief  summary  of  his  duties :  Must  give  a  bond  of  not  less  than  twelve 
thousand  dollars;  must  keep  careful  accounts  with  common-school  lands  and  all 
loans  of  school  funds ;  he  shall  be  the  custodian  of  the  bonds  of  the  township  treasurers 
and  shall  turn  over  to  them  all  funds  and  papers  relative  to  the  township  schools; 
he  shall  apportion  the  distributable  funds  to  the  townships  and  fractional  townships 
on  the  basis  of  the  number  of  white  children  under  twenty-one  years  of  age  returned 
to  him;  he  shall  loan  all  funds  not  distributable,  shall  report  to  the  State  superin- 
tendent the  facts  needed  for  his  report,  shall  visit  and  supervise  schools,  examine 
candidates  for  teaching,  and  perform  certain  other  functions  for  the  securing  of 
reports  and  for  the  protection  of  the  school  funds.  The  compensation  of  the  commis- 
sioner was  three  per  cent  for  the  sale  of  school  lands,  two  per  cent  for  the  distribution 
of  funds,  and  two  dollars  a  day  for  visiting  schools  not  more  than  fifty  days  a  year. 

Each  congressional  township  was  established  a  township  for  school  purposes. 
Its  business  was  to  be  transacted  by  three  trustees,  elected  on  the  second  Monday 
of  January  biennially.  Their  duties  were  not  especially  different  from  those  of  the 
same  officers  under  the  present  law. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Superintendent  Edwards  warmly  recommended  the 
adoption  of  a  township  system  instead  of  a  district  system  of  organization.  The 
General  Assembly,  evidently,  could  not  be  induced  to  think  favorably  of  such  a 
scheme.  The  district  system  comes  as  near  affording  an  opportunity  for  office- 
holding  to  every  citizen  as  any  office-lover  could  devise.  It  was  saddled  upon 
Illinois  most  effectually  by  the  act  of  1855,  and  all  the  subsequent  struggles  for 
relief  from  its  ridiculous  conditions  have  been  unavailing.  Two  sections  were 
enough  to  accomplish  it.  They  made  it  the  duty  of  the  legal  voters  in  each  school 
district  to  elect,  biennially,  on  the  first  Monday  of  October,  three  directors.  They 
were  given  power  to  purchase  school  libraries,  and  it  was  their  duty  to  establish  a 
sufficient  number  of  common  schools  for  the  education  of  every  individual  person 
over  the  age  of  five  and  under  twenty-one  in  their  respective  districts.  They  were 
directed  to  make  the  necessary  provisions  for  continuing  such  schools  in  operation 
for  at  least  six  months,  in  each  year  and  longer  if  practicable.  "  They  shall  cause 
suitable  lots  of  ground  to  be  procured  and  suitable  buildings  to  be  erected,  purchased 
or  rented  for  schoolhouses,  shall  supply  the  same  with  furniture  and  fuel,  and  make 
all  other  provisions  relative  to  schools  which  they  may  deem  proper.  They  shall 
exercise  a  general  supervision  over  the  schools  of  their  respective  districts,  and  shall, 
by  one  or  more  of  their  number,  visit  every  school  in  the  district  at  least  once  a 
month,  and  shall  cause  the  result  of  such  visit  to  be  entered  on  the  records  of  the 


58  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

board."  They  were  authorized  to  appoint  teachers,  fix  salaries,  dismiss  for  cause, 
determine  the  course  of  study,  and  suspend  or  expel  pupils  for  cause.  They  were 
the  legal  custodians  of  all  books  bought  or  donated,  but  were  not  permitted  to  pay 
a  librarian. 

Teachers  were  to  be  equipped  with  certificates  that  were  good  for  two  years  and 
were  of  but  one  grade.  The  subjects  of  examination  were  spelling,  penmanship, 
reading  in  English,  arithmetic,  English  grammar,  modem  geography  and  the  history 
of  the  United  States.  Satisfactory  certificates  of  good  moral  character  were  required. 
Every  school  was  to  be  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  the  branches  of  an  English  edu- 
cation, although  foreign  languages  might  be  taught.  Teachers  were  required  to 
keep  and  return  schedules  as  in  the  earlier  laws. 

The  law  provided  for  a  township  treasurer  whose  duties  were  substantially  the 
same  as  under  the  present  law.  The  most  significant  changes  in  the  law  were  in 
sections  67,  69,  70  and  71.  The  first  of  these  sections  required  the  levying  of  a 
two-mill  tax  on  all  the  property  of  the  State,  to  be  collected  and  paid  into  the  treasury 
of  the  State  as  all  other  taxes  were  levied  and  collected  for  State  purposes.  The 
distributable  fund  now  consisted  of  the  proceeds  of  the  two-mill  tax,  six  per  cent 
interest  on  the  school,  college,  and  seminary  fund  and  on  the  surplus  revenue  fund, 
and  on  any  other  fund  that  has  been  or  may  be  received  from  the  United  States  by 
the  State  for  the  uses  of  common  schools. 

The  distribution  of  these  funds  was  to  be  made  by  the  State  Auditor  on  the  first 
Monday  of  January  in  each  year,  on  the  following  basis :  Two-thirds  of  the  two-mill 
tax  went  to  the  counties  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  white  children  under  twenty- 
one;  the  income  on  the  land  fund  was  distributed  on  the  same  basis;  the  remaining 
third  was  distributed  according  to  the  number  of  townships  and  parts  of  townships 
in  each  county. 

Section  70  required  the  levying  of  a  tax  for  an  amount  which,  added  to  the 
amount  otherwise  received,  should  keep  in  good  condition  and  operation  in  each 
township  a  sufficient  number  of  schools  to  accommodate  all  of  the  children  during 
the  ensuing  year. 

Section  71  authorized  the  levying  of  a  tax  for  the  erection  of  schoolhouses,  the 
purchasing  of  school  sites,  or  for  the  repairing  and  improving  of  the  same,  and  for 
procuring  furniture,  fuel,  and  school  libraries. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  word  "white"  still  adorns  the  statute  books.  Sec- 
tion 84  provided  that  in  townships  where  there  are  persons  of  color  the  board  of 
education  shall  allow  such  persons  a  portion  of  the  school  fund  equal  to  the  amount 
collected  from  such  persons  in  their  respective  townships.  Since  such  persons  were 
not  large  taxpayers  it  is  not  probable  that  any  considerable  sum  was  returned  to 
them.  Why  they  should  be  deprived  of  their  share  of  the  income  from  the  school 
fund  does  not  appear.  They  were  counted  in  the  enumeration  by  which  the  fund 
was  distributed  and  the  townships  received  the  benefits.  There  is  no  provision  in 
the  law  forbidding  their  attendance  at  any  common  school,  but  it  is  altogether  prob- 
able that  there  might  as  well  have  been. 

These  are  the  main,  new  provisions  of  the  school  law  of  1855.  It  finally  recognizees 
the  duty  of  the  State  to  provide  free  schools  for  all  white  children  within  its  limits. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  59 


CHAPTER  V. 
EARLY  TEACHERS  AND  EARLY  SCHOOLS. 

BEFORE  attempting  to  trace  further  the  development  of  the  school  law  let  us 
turn  to  the  beginnings  of  education  in  Illinois  and  pay  our  respects  to  the 
pioneer  teacher  and  the  pioneer  school.  Education  is  about  the  last  thing  to 
which  the  ordinary  historian  turns  his  attention.  The  events  of  the  school  are  so 
unobtrusive  and  commonplace  that  they  do  not  furnish  material  for  the  annalist. 
One  may  turn  the  pages  of  many  volumes  devoted  to  the  pioneer  life  of  a  people 
and  find  but  little  in  the  way  of  enlightenment  respecting  the  educational  methods 
and  facilities  of  the  times  of  which  they  treat.  Here  and  there,  in  the  report  of  a 
school-teacher  or  in  the  columns  of  a  long-suspended  newspaper,  in  the  reminiscences 
of  an  old  settler  or  the  accumulations  of  a  gatherer  of  antiquities,  an  interesting  and 
valuable  bit  of  information  may  disclose  itself  among  the  rubbish.  As  to  its  relia- 
bility there  is  no  method  of  determination.  If  it  should  happen  to  be  merely  the 
invention  of  some  gossipy  newsmonger  it  may  answer  its  purpose.  It  is  not  a  great 
matter  anyway. 

In  the  Illinois  School  Report  for  1883-4,  Dr.  Samuel  Willard,  a  most  charming 
chronicler,  published  a  brief  history  of  Early  Education  in  Illinois.  Dr.  Willard 
will  himself  be  the  subject  of  a  sketch  in  a  later  portion  of  this  history,  but  it  may 
be  said  of  him,  in  passing,  that  he  is  one  of  the  honored  veterans  of  the  brotherhood 
of  schoolmasters.  He  was  the  first  teacher  of  history  in  the  Illinois  State  Normal 
University,  and  when  Chicago  was  only  a  big,  blooming  village  on  the  lake  he  became 
the  teacher  of  the  same  subject  in  her  first  high  school. 

Dr.  Willard  was  a  diligent  searcher  after  facts,  and  his  high  repute  as  a  student 
of  history  is  a  voucher  for  the  accuracy  of  his  statements,  or,  perhaps  it  should  be 
said,  for  the  accuracy  of  his  report  of  what  he  was  able  to  discover  in  the  way  of  state- 
ments in  early  records.  Free  use  is  made  of  this  article  and  a  large  acknowledg- 
ment is  here  made.     Later  writers  have  made  free  use  of  his  material. 

One  John  Seeley  is  credited  with  the  honorable  distinction  of  having  taught  the 
first  American  school  in  Illinois.  The  scene  of  his  labors  was  in  Monroe  county. 
Smith's  "Student's  History  of  Illinois"  awards  the  honor  to  Samuel  J.  Seeley,  and 
locates  him  at  New  Design,  although  Dr.  Willard  is  cited  as  the  authority.  His 
schoolhouse  was  the  abandoned  cabin  of  some  restless  pioneer  and  the  date  was 
1783.  It  is  not  probable  that  the  news  of  the  peace  of  that  year  between  England 
and  the  colonies  penetrated  to  his  remote  home  in  time  to  instruct  his  pupils  about 
it  at  that  term  of  school.  His  successor  was  Francis  Clark,  the  following  year,  and, 
still  later,  an  Irishman  named  Halfpenny.     He  is  said  to  have  taught  for  many 


60  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

years,  engaging  in  the  milling  business  meanwhile.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know 
what  his  term  fees  were,  what  books  were  used  and  what  his  gross  per  diem  was. 

John  Doyle,  one  of  Clark's  army  of  conquest,  returned  to  the  scene  of  his  mili- 
tary glory  and  engaged  in  the  less  spectacular  employment  of  school- teaching.  It  is 
quite  possible,  however,  that  he  had  experiences  with  his  schools  that  reminded  him 
of  the  early  martial  happenings,  for  school-teaching  in  those  days  was  not  infre- 
quently a  strenuous  calling.  He  taught  school  for  several  years  in  the  last  decade 
of  the  eighteenth  century  in  Randolph  county.  One  can  easily  imagine  him 
recounting  to  his  flock  the  many  vicissitudes  of  the  historic  campaign  against  Kas- 
kaskia.  There  was  no  more  trying  march  in  the  entire  war  than  the  traversing  of 
that  inhospitable  wilderness  to  Kaskaskia  and  the  return  to  Vincennes.  The  next 
school  known  was  in  1812.  In  1816  a  Mr.  Davis,  an  old  sailor,  also  taught  in  the 
county.     There  is  also  a  record  of  a  school  near  Sparta  in  1821. 

"  Madison  county  had  its  first  school  on  the  edge  of  the  great  American  Bottom, 
in  1804.  The  teacher,  John  Bradbury,  is  said  to  have  been  '  faithful  but  not  learned. ' 
John  Atwater  opened  a  school  near  Edwardsville  in  1807.  He  came  from  Massa- 
chusetts and  gained  a  reputation  as  a  good  teacher.    Six  Mile  had  a  school  in  1805." 

John  Messenger  taught  a  school  in  1804  near  Shiloh,  in  St.  Clair  county.  He 
was  a  surveyor  by  profession  and  taught  only  an  evening  school.  He  was  the  man 
who  drew  the  map  of  Illinois,  known  as  Peck  and  Messenger's.  John  Bradley 
taught  a  school  in  the  same  county  near  or  at  Turkey  Hill.  The  first  schoolhouse  in 
the  county  was  built  at  Shiloh,  in  1811.  These  records  appear  in  the  county  his- 
tories and  are  presumably  accurate. 

In  those  days  the  schoolhouse.  like  the  settler's  house,  was  built  of  logs.  It 
is  not  probable  that  the  first  schools  were  housed  in  buildings  intended  for  their 
exclusive  use.  An  old  smokehouse  that  had  outlived  its  usefulness  for  the  purpose 
for  which  it  was  erected  occasionally  did  service.  The  absence  of  a  window  would 
be  something  of  a  drawback,  but  the  open  door  would  do  fairly  well.  A  corn-crib 
or  a  stable,  or  a  house  that  had  been  abandoned  because  it  would  no  longer  afford 
shelter  to  a  family,  was  better  than  nothing.  An  instance  is  recorded  of  a  school 
being  driven  out  of  a  former  dwelling  by  the  vermin  that  the  movers  had  not  taken 
with  them.  Any  building  not  otherwise  preempted  that  would  shut  out  the  severe 
weather  was  utilized  in  the  absence  of  a  schoolhouse.  The  courthouse,  when  not 
required  for  the  uses  of  the  magistrates,  was  sometimes  rented  to  the  school,  an 
instance  occurring  in  1833  when  the  sheriff  was  directed  by  the  County  Court  to 
turn  it  over  to  the  school  authorities  at  a  rental  of  50  cents  a  month. 

The  following  description,  by  no  means  strange  to  many  now  living,  will  illus- 
trate the  method  of  preparing  and  furnishing  a  schoolhouse  far  later  than  the  time 
that  Illinois  was  still  a  territory : 

For  the  first  schoolhouse  the  settlers  met  with  a  yoke  or  two  of  oxen,  Mth  axes,  a  saw  and  auger; 
no  other  tools  were  necessary,  although  a  tool  for  splitting  out  clapboards  was  desirable.  The  first 
settlements  were  never  in  the  open  prairies,  but  always  on  the  skirts  of  timber  land  or  in  the  woods ; 
the  schoolhouse  had  the  same  location.  Trees  were  cut  from  the  public  lands;  rough-trimmed  and 
unhewn  they  were  put  together  to  make  a  log  house,  generally  sixteen  feet  square;  a  hole  was  cut  on 
one  side  for  a  door ;  a  larger  hole  on  the  other  side  to  allow  the  building  an  out-door  chimney.     The 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  61 

roof  was  made  of  clapboards,  roughly  split  out,  which  were  held  in  place  by  "weight  poles,"  laid  on 
the  ends  of  the  clapboards  and  secured  by  pins  or  otherwise.  Three  or  four  days'  labor  might  be 
enough  to  do  all  of  this  and  to  add  the  chimney  and  the  furniture ;  the  walls  and  roof,  with  a  fairly 
numerous  company,  would  require  but  the  second  day.  Generally  such  a  house  had  not  an  atom 
of  iron  in  its  structure;  all  was  of  wood  and  stone.  We  read  of  one  made  of  gum  logs,  which  sent 
out  sprouts  and  twigs  after  it  was  built ;  of  another  that  was  used  without  door  or  window  or  "chinking." 

The  next  step  was  "chinking  and  daubing."  The  spaces  between  the  logs  were  filled  out  with 
chips  and  bits  of  wood ;  the  clay  or  surface  mud  was  daubed  upon  this  filling,  both  inside  and  outside, 
until  all  openings  were  closed,  and  light  and  weather  excluded.  Not  unfrequently  this  work  would 
be  done  by  pupils  and  teachers.  On  at  least  one  side  the  space  between  two  logs  would  be  left  open 
to  admit  light;  and  this  window  would  be  closed  with  greased  paper  to  exclude  the  rain  and  snow, 
or  a  plank  or  hewed  "puncheon"  might  be  hung  to  act  as  a  shutter.  Sometimes  a  few  small  panes  of 
glass  would  be  set  in  the  opening.  A  schoolhouse  in  Schuyler  county  in  1835  had  leather  flaps  for 
shutters.  It  is  noted  as  a  great  rarity  that  a  schoolhouse  in  Edwards  county  had  a  real  glass  window 
as  early  as  1824.  Sometimes  no  opening  was  left,  or  it  proved  insufficient,  and  part  of  the  roof  was 
left  movable  so  as  to  be  raised  on  dark  days.  The  door  was  made  of  clapboards  or  of  slabs  split  thin 
and  put  together  with  wooden  pins;  and  it  was  hung  on  wooden  hinges  that  creaked  distressingly. 
Generally  the  floor  was  the  natural  earth;  or  perhaps  a  layer  of  firmer  clay  was  laid  and  packed  down 
hard.  Sometimes  a  floor  of  puncheon  (logs  split  and  hewed  somewhat  smooth  on  the  inner  side) 
was  laid:  such  a  luxury  belonged  to  the  more  ambitious  houses.  One  old  man  remembers  such  a 
floor  in  the  schoolhouse  of  his  early  days,  set  up  so  far  from  the  ground  that  the  pigs  occupied  the 
under  space,  and,  as  he  humorously  says,  raised  sometim.es  a  racket  and  sometimes  the  floor. 

A  ceiling  under  the  roof  was  another  luxury.  If  miade,  more  clapboards  stretched  from  joist  to 
joist;  or,  at  least  in  one  case,  bark  from  the  linden  tree  was  used,  and  earth  was  spread  on  this  to 
keep  out  the  cold.  The  chimney  was  large,  six  feet  or  more  in  width,  set  outside  the  house;  it  was 
even  made  so  wide  as  to  occupy  all  of  one  end  of  the  house.  Sometimes  there  was  no  chimney;  a  hole 
was  left  in  the  roof  in  Greek  and  Roman  fashion,  and  a  board  was  provided  to  be  set  up  on  the  wind- 
ward side  of  the  opening,  and  shifted  from  side  to  side  as  the  wind  might  vary.  The  chimney  was 
built  of  small  poles,  and  topped  out  with  sticks,  split  to  the  size  of  an  inch  or  two  square,  laid  up  in 
log-house  fashion  and  chinked  in  with  mud.  Inside  a  liberal  bank  of  sod  was  laid  up  to  protect  its 
woodwork  from  the  fire;  with  great  labor,  oftentimes,  stone  was  procured  for  that  purpose.  We  read 
of  a  house  which  had  a  ceiling  with  a  chimney  starting  from  the  joists,  and  thus  built  inside  of  the 
house;  this  gave  access  to  three  sides  of  the  fire.  Stones  or  logs  were  used  for  andirons;  a  clapboard 
was  the  shovel;  tongs  there  were  none.  The  fire  must  be  kindled  with  flint,  steel  and  tinder,  or  coals 
must  be  brought  from  the  nearest  house.  Firewood  was  cut  four  feet  or  more  in  length,  and  was 
generally  green,  fresh  from  the  woods. 

If  a  schoolhouse  of  this  pattern  were  destroyed  by  fire,  the  men  of  the  community 
would  assemble  and  build  another  within  the  limit  of  two  or  three  days.  No  issue 
of  bonds  was  necessitated;  not  a  penny  would  be  spent.  Travelers  through  the 
South  may  discover  plenty  of  similar  schoolhouses  to-day. 

The  imagination  will  easily  supply  the  furniture  for  such  a  schoolhouse.  Split  a 
log  as  near  the  middle  as  possible ;  hew  off  the  splinters ;  bore  four  holes  at  the  proper 
angle  and  drive  in  the  legs ;  saw  off  to  suit  the  taste  of  the  teacher  —  not  the  pupils. 
When  writing — a  late  occupation  in  the  curriculum — was  on  the  program  a  desk  was 
needed.  Long  pegs  were  driven  into  the  walls  and  a  puncheon  was  supported  on 
them,  the  pupil  facing  the  wall.  A  sorry  wit  described  the  seats  set  in  front  of 
these  slab  desks  as  like  those  in  a  railway  car — "springy  and  reversible";  the  pupil 
did  the  springing  and  reversing. 

"There  were  no  blackboards,  of  course;  no  wall  maps;  generally  no  teachers' 
table  or  desk;  probably  he  had  a  split-bottom  chair,  entirely  of  oak.     A  pail  of 


62  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

water,  or  a  'piggin'  of  water,  with  a  gourd  instead  of  a  tumbler  or  mug,  was  an 
essential  part  of  the  furniture ;  it  was  a  reward  of  merit  to  be  permitted  to  go  to  the 
spring  or  well  to  fill  the  bucket  or  piggin." 

It  goes  without  saying  that  there  were  schools  during  all  of  these  seemingly 
sterile  years.  Doubtless  many  were  growing  up  in  illiteracy,  but  not  all  parents  were 
regardless  of  the  interests  of  their  children.  The  writer  knew  not  a  few  men,  of  con- 
siderable local  prominence,  in  the  early  fifties,  men  who  had  accumulated  property 
and  who  transacted  business  of  no  small  magnitude  as  stock  and  produce  farmers, 
who  signed  their  names  by  touching  the  end  of  a  penholder.  They  were  educated 
by  the  experiences  of  life,  but  they  knew  nothing  of  books.  There  had  been  no  school 
in  their  neighborhood  when  they  were  growing  up,  so  they  missed  the  kind  of  train- 
ing that  it  gives. 

Many  teachers  were  utterly  unfit  for  the  work  which  they  attempted.  It  was 
found  necessary  to  scale  down  the  legal  requirements  occasionally  or  else  to  ignore 
them  altogether  in  order  to  get  any  kind  of  a  teacher.  But  not  all  of  the  men  and 
women  that  came  into  the  wild  were  ignorant.  Once  in  a  while  immigrants  of 
excellent  scholarship  would  seek  their  fortunes  in  the  new  State  and  would  serve 
the  public  in  the  winter  as  teachers  of  the  children.  Surveyors  were  in  demand 
and  they  would  lay  aside  the  transit  and  the  chain  in  the  season  when  iheir  work 
was  of  necessity  at  a  standstill  and  would  try  their  hands  at  keeping  school.  One  of 
the  early  teachers  was  a  doctor  who  used  the  front  part  of  his  house  for  a  school- 
room. As  he  had  no  suitable  furniture  the  children  brought  their  own.  When 
his  professional  duties  were  in  demand  his  wife  divided  her  time  between  the  school- 
room and  the  kitchen.  It  was  not  uncommon  for  the  local  clergyman,  where  there 
was  one,  to  do  something  in  the  way  of  instruction. 

There  was  a  class  of  teachers,  not  yet  extinct,  who  farmed  in  the  summer  and 
taught  school  in  the  winter.  And  their  services  are  not  to  be  estimated  lightly. 
Many  of  them  did  good  work.  An  occasional  adventurer  turned  up,  who  may  have 
left  his  country  for  his  country's  good,  and  excited  some  little  surprise  by  his  superior 
scholarship  and  by  his  success  in  the  schoolroom.  One  teacher  in  Shelby  county 
was  the  postmaster  and  carried  his  mail  in  his  hat.  It  was  not  an  anticipation  of 
free  delivery,  for  people  got  their  mail  when  they  met  him  on  the  street  or  modestly 
knocked  at  the  schoolhouse  door  and  called  him  out.  A  farmer  in  Effingham  county 
cleaned  up  an  old  stable  and  installed  an  ambitious  lad  of  twelve  as  a  teacher  and 
advertised  the  merits  of  his  institution  as  a  sort  of  educational  emergency  hospital. 

The  use  of  intoxicants  was  so  common  that  it  was  not  a  very  unusual  event  for 
a  school  to  be  dismissed  for  a  day  on  accoimt  of  the  indisposition  ( ?)  of  the  teacher. 
Not  very  much  was  thought  of  such  occasional  lapses  at  a  time  when  whisky  was 
in  demand  for  every  secular  gathering.  It  must  have  been  counted  among  the 
mechanical  powers  for  it  was  regarded  as  indispensable  for  a  barn-raising.  Few 
farmers  attempted  to  harvest  their  small  grain  without  having  an  abundant  supply, 
and  a  common  question  by  a  harvest  hand  when  his  services  were  solicited  and  the 
per  diem  compensation  was  specified,  was,  "Do  you  furnish  whisky?"  The  writer 
remembers  a  most  devout  and  zealous  clergyman  whose  fondness  for  it  sometimes 
proved  to  be  a  painful  embarrassment  to  his  congregation,  because  of  his  non- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  63 

appearance  at  the  hour  set  for  divine  service.  He  was  freely  forgiven,  however. 
Under  such  conditions  of  the  social  conscience  the  teacher  might  occasionally  step 
aside  from  the  straight  and  narrow  path  of  strict  sobriety  and  yet  retain  the  public 
confidence.  It  is  said  that  the  second  school  in  the  State  was  a  failure  on  account 
of  the  drunkenness  of  the  teacher,  and  Dr.  Willard  quotes  the  story  of  a  St.  Clair 
county  teacher  whose  hobby  was  bookkeeping,  when  he  was  sober,  but  who  devoted 
himself  to  discipline  when  he  was  a  little  the  worse  for  his  cups,  and  who  then  regu- 
larly and  impartially  flogged  the  whole  school.  This  was  not  always  the  last  of  it, 
for  indignant  parents  sometimes  took  a  hand  in  the  proceedings  and  a  fist  fight  was 
the  result.  The  modern  statement  that  it  takes  an  "all-around"  man  for  a  school- 
teacher was  equally  true  in  the  times  now  under  consideration. 
•  The  standard  of  literary  qualifications  was  low.  Little  beyond  the  three  r's  was 
expected,  and  if  a  candidate  showed  proficiency  in  them  or  even  in  two  of  them  he 
was  very  welcome.  The  laws  quoted  indicate  the  method  of  selection.  A  teacher 
w^ho  was  asked  for  a  definition  of  orthography  replied  that  his  education  was  con- 
fined to  the  common  branches,  and  another  received  a  certificate  because  he  could 
spell  "phantasmagoria,"  a  puzzler  which  one  of  the  committee  had  been  saving  for 
a  supreme  occasion. 

As  quotations  from  the  session  laws  have  indicated,  these  early  schools  were 
usually  the  result  of  the  private  enterprise  of  the  teacher.  They  were  either  purely 
subscription  schools  or  were  paid  for  in  part  out  of  the  income  from  the  school  funds. 
A  rate  was  made  per  pupil  or  there  was  a  lump  price  for  the  teaching  of  a  specified 
number  for  a  specified  time.  The  rate  varied  from  one  dollar  to  two  dollars  and  a 
half  a  month.  Illustrations  of  the  lump  deal  are  found  in  contracts  that  were  made 
to  teach  forty  pupils  for  six  months  for  one  hundred  dollars.  "Boarding  round" 
was  a  familiar  feature  of  the  contract.  As  has  been  seen,  payment  was  often  made 
in  produce  at  the  market  price  and  this  was  strictly  according  to  the  statute.  A 
case  is  cited  from  Perry  county  in  which  the  teacher  agreed  to  receive  his  pay  in 
cattle,  mink  skins  and  fence  rails. 

"Father"  Roots,  of  Tamaroa,  of  whom  the  reader  will  hear  later,  furnishes  a 
sample  case  of  a  teacher's  contract  with  his  patrons: 

Articles  of  agreement,  drawn  this  25th  day  of  May,  1833,  between  Allen  Parlier,  of  the  County 
of  Washington,  and  the  State  of  Illinois,  of  the  one  part,  and  we,  the  undersigned,  of  said  county 
and  State,  witnesseth,  that  the  said  Parlier  binds  himself  to  teach  a  school  of  spelling,  reading,  writing 
and  the  foregoing  rules  of  arithmetic,  for  the  term  of  three  months,  for  $2  per  scholar  per  quarter 
for  three  months;  said  Parlier  further  binds  himself  to  keep  good  order  in  said  school,  will  teach  five 
days  in  each  week,  all  due  school  hours,  and  will  make  up  all  lost  time,  except  muster  days,  and  will 
set  up  with  twenty  scholars,  the  subscribers  to  furnish  a  comfortable  house,  with  all  conveniences 
appertaining  thereto,  the  school  to  commence  as  soon  as  the  house  is  fixed. 

N.  B. — Wheat,  pork,  hogs,  beeswax,  tallow,  deer  skins,  wool  and  young  cattle,  all  of  which  will 
be  taken  at  the  market  price,  delivered  at  my  house  at  the  expiration  of  said  school,  day  and  date 
above  written. 

(Subscribers'  names.)  •  Allen  Parlier. 

When  a  teacher  had  made  a  formal  contract  to  "  keep  good  order"  as  a  condition 
of  remuneration  it  will  be  seen  to  be  a  vital  feature  of  his  obligation.  If  he  should 
employ  rigorous  measures  in  order  to  carry  out  the  conditions  of  his  contract  it  will 


64  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

not  be  an  occasion  of  surprise.  Corporal  punishment  was  in  common  use  in  the 
home  and  its  employment  in  the  school  excited  no  opposition.  It  was  the  readiest 
means  of  securing  prompt  obedience  and  ordinarily  excited  little  ill  will  on  the  part 
of  either  the  parents  or  the  pupils. 

What  books  were  in  use  in  these  early  schools?  First  and  most  conspicuous  for 
the  beginners  was  the  blue  spelling-book  edited  by  Webster.  It  was  in  common 
use  within  the  period  covered  by  the  memory  of  the  writer  of  this  record.  It  is  not 
only  a  spelling-book  but  it  is  at  the  same  time  the  application  of  a  pedagogical  theory. 
There  are  few  people  who  have  crossed  the  three-score  line  who  have  not  had  a  prac- 
tical application  of  its  method.  It  began  with  the  alphabet,  which  every  pupil  was 
required  to  learn  as  a  condition  of  further  progress.  The  logic  of  the  situation  was 
simple  enough.  Words  are  made  of  letters;  how  can  one  hope  to  get  on  who  does 
not  know  them?  Therefore,  learn  the  letters.  The  alphabets  were  followed  by 
words  of  two  letters,  systematically  arranged.  The  first  consonant  was  suc- 
cessively combined  with  each  of  the  vowels,  thus:  ba,  be,  bi,  bo,  bu,  by.  The 
second  consonant  was  similarly  exploited  and  the  process  was  continued  until  the 
ground  was  thoroughly  covered.  Then  words  (?)  of  three  letters  were  introduced, 
as  bab,  beb,  bib,  bob,  and  so  following.  There  was  a  steady  progress  in  difficulty 
until  words  of  interminable  length,  like  immateriality,  and  indivisibility,  were  pre- 
sented. At  the  back  of  the  book  there  were  a  few  reading  lessons  with  a  moral 
content.  Millions  of  children  used  this  book.  Millions  of  men  and  women  have 
remembered  the  picture  of  the  boy  in  the  apple  tree  and  the  farmer's  method  of 
dislodging  him. 

Books  were  scarce  and  expensive.  A  few  books  sometimes  did  service  for  an 
entire  school.  The  New  Testament  was  often  made  to  serve  the  purposes  of  the 
reading  classes.  Near  the  close  of  the  preceding  century  Murray's  "  English  Reader" 
issued  from  the  press,  and  was  a  precious  inheritance  from  the  parents  or  grand- 
parents in  many  a  home.  A  few  books  had  been  prepared  for  home  perusal, 
such  as  the  "Pleasant  Companion,"  and  others  consisted  of  selections  especially 
intended  for  speaking.  These  furnished  material  for  Friday  afternoon  rhetoricals, 
a  very  profitable  but  not  very  popular  feature  of  the  weekly  program.  Who  has 
not  heard  or  read  the  little  poem  by  David  Everett,  beginning 

"You'd  scarce  expect  one  of  my  age 
To  speak  in  public  on  the  stage, 
But  if  by  chance  I  fall  below,  etc." 

It  has  put  words  into  the  mouth  of  many  a  beginner  in  the  divine  art  of  oratory  and 
has  furnished  an  apologetic  prelude  of  a  humorous  sort  to  the  effusions  of  hundreds 
of  mock-modest,  after-dinner  toast  responders.  Regular  readers  were  slow  in 
making  their  appearance,  the  Pierpont  series  coming  into  use  at  the  beginning  of 
the  second  third  of  the  century.  What  boy,  ordinarily  well  favored  in  the  matter 
of  parents,  did  not  read  and  read  again  the  "  Life  of  Washington"  and  the  "  Life  of 
Francis  Marion,'-'  by  dear  old,  gossipy  Parson  Weems?  He  was  the  originator  of 
the  "hatchet  story,"  and  although  the  critics  have  long  ago  discounted  his  historical 
accuracy  that  pleasing  invention  is  predestined  to  immortality  as  a  s}'mbol  of  the 
Father  of  his  Country. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  65 

Arithmetic  always  ranked  high  in  the  early  curriculum,  and  Pike's  seems  to  have 
been  the  pioneer.  It  enjoyed  something  of  the  same  preemption  of  the  field  that 
Ray's  did  later.  The  boy  who  had  ciphered  through  Ray's  Higher  enjoyed  some 
such  local  distinction  as  did  the  Greek  winner  in  the  Olympian  games  or  a  prize- 
winner in  a  Chinese  state  examination.  Few  cared  for  grammar,  yet  Kirkham  and 
Murray,  the  latter  in  priority  of  time,  had  their  disciples.  In  the  middle  fifties 
Smith  entered  the  field  as  a  competitor.  It  was  arranged  on  the  catechism  plan, 
supplying  ready-made  answers  to  the  printed  questions.  Some  of  the  readers  of 
these  pages  may  remember  the  ingenious  introduction  to  Case: 

Question.     When  a  horse  is  fat  we  say  he  is  in  a  good  case  and  when  he  is  lean  we  say  he  is  in  a 
bad  case;  what,  then,  is  case? 
Answer.      Case  is  condition. 

The  quotation  may  not  be  literally  correct,  but  the  deviation,  if  any,  is  not 
material. 

It  was  in  the  fifties  that  Mitchell's  geographies  appeared.  The  text  with  ques- 
tions was  a  modest  octavo  and  was  accompanied  by  a  large  atlas  containing  the  maps. 
A  striking  merit  (?)  of  this  publication  was  the  suggestive  hint  that  followed  the 
question.  Thus:  "What  gulf  lies  south  of  the  United  States?  Mo."  This  con- 
venient aid  to  the  teacher  and  inspiration  to  guessing  to  the  pupil  often  rendered  the 
atlas  a  superfluity.  How  many  times  we  youngsters  learned  our  lessons  on  the 
guessing  plan  and  left  the  needless  maps  to  their  merited  seclusion. 

The  venerable  Dr.  Willard  probably  contributes  a  little  of  his  own  experience  in 
his  description  of  the  efforts  to  master  the  difficult  art  of  writing.     He  says : 

Writing  was  a  difficult  attainment.  The  copy  books  were  made  up  at  home  from  the  unlined 
paper  which  was  the  only  style  in  market  then.  The  pupil  or  teacher  ruled  lines  as  needed,  with  a 
bit  of  lead  —  a  graphite  pencil  was  a  rare  possession.  The  pupil  was  well  furnished  with  a  straight- 
edged  strip  of  wood  for  a  ruler,  with  a  bit  of  lead  tied  to  one  end  with  a  string  —  the  lead  was  pounded 
to  an  edge  so  as  to  draw  a  line  with  it.  Copies  were  set  by  the  teacher.  The  ink  was  often  of  domestic 
manufacture,  made  from  copperas  and  the  galls  of  our  native  oaks.  To  prevent  loss  by  a  possible 
or  probable  upset,  cotton  was  stuffed  into  the  inkstand  to  keep  the  ink  absorbed.  The  steel  pen 
as  yet  was  not  —  the  goose  quill  was  in  universal  use.  The  teacher  must  make  the  pens  for  all  the 
writers,  and  mend  them  frequently,  for  the  points  wore  out  rapidly;  besides,  the  unskilled  pupils 
were  always  complaining,  "This  pen  scratches." 

It  is  not  difficult  to  infer  what  the  general  character  of  the  teachers  was  under 
.a  system  that  offered  so  little  in  the  way  of  compensation  and  that  cared  so  little 
as  to  the  condition  of  schoolhouses.  Here  and  there  were  excellent  teachers. 
Occasionally  a  log  schoolhouse  would  shelter  a  genuine  school.  The  memory  of  the 
writer  goes  back  to  the  early  fifties  and  recalls  with  pleasure  the  tuition  of  a  precise 
pedagogue,  "with  beard  of  formal  cut,"  and  with  other  marks  of  a  painstaking 
attention  to  details.  The  house  was  rude  enough  although  it  was  not  made  of  logs. 
It  sheltered  a  goodly  company  of  young  pioneers  who  did  not  fear  to  face  the  wintry 
gales  that  swept  across  the  bleak  prairies,  and  who  were  generally  intent  upon  the 
business  of  mastering  the  elements  of  an  English  education. 

But  such  teachers  were  most  decidedly  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule.  They 
were  fairly  remunerated  for  their  services,  as  remuneration  was  counted  in  those 

5 


66  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

davs.     Indeed,  there  are  several  hundred  men  teaching  in  similar  schools  to-day 
who  receive  but  little  more. 

From  a  book  of  Cass  county  sketches  the  following  description  of  an  early  school 
gives  an  idea  of  wha't  was  common  about  the  time  of  the  passage  of  the  free-school 
law,  in  1855: 

It  was  built  of  logs  and  the  chinks  between  the  logs  were  rudely  stopped  with  clay.  The  seats 
were  benches  without  backs  that  reached  the  length  or  width  of  the  room,  and  were  made  of  heavy 
slabs  with  holes  bored  in  each  end  for  legs,  that  protruded  more  or  less  above  the  top  of  the  seat. 
A  wide  board  that,  like  the  benches,  reached  the  length  or  width  of  the  room,  was  fixed  up  against 
the  wall  at  what  was  deemed  the  right  height,  and  with  the  proper  slant,  and  here  on  one  of  the  long 
benches,  managing  as  well  as  they  could  to  get  feet  and  legs  over  it  and  under  the  slanting  board, 
the  pupils  sat  to  write.  They  wrote  with  quill  pens,  and  the  teacher's  patience  as  well  as  the  metal 
and  condition  of  his  penknife  were  greatly  tried  in  keeping  these  pens  in  order. 

The  girls  in  pairs  took  turns  in  sweeping  the  floor  and  were  allowed  unrestricted  freedom  in  adorn- 
ing the  walls  with  boughs,  while  all  vied  with  one  another  in  beautifying  the  teacher's  desk  or  table 
with  violets,  sweet  williams,  hawk's  bills,  lady  slippers,  Dutchman's  breeches,  ferns  and  bluebells. 
As  in  my  memory  of  this  school  it  is  always  summer  so  it  is  always  afternoon,  and  the  scholars,  with 
faces  washed  clean  at  the  "branch,"  and  hair  made  smooth  with  "side  combs"  after  boisterous  play, 
are  swaying  to  and  fro  on  the  high  benches,  absorbed  in  their  spelling  lessons.  Two  freckle-faced 
boys  —  how  well  I  remember  them  —  are  on  the  floor  reciting  their  "  a  b  abs."  "  B-ah,  a-ah,  ba-ah ; 
c-ah,  a-ah,  ca-ah;  d-ah,  a-ah,  da-ah,"  the  sound  is  monotonous;  the  soft,  cool  air,  scented  with  flowers, 
is  irresistible,  and  one  little  girl  goes  fast  asleep  and  drops  her  spelling-book.  Startled  by  the  sound 
she  gathers  it  up  hastily,  receives  the  teacher's  chiding  meekly  and  with  a  shame-faced  air  begins 
to  study  her  lesson.  There  were  long  rows  of  spelling  classes,  and  much  strife  in  getting  head  marks; 
emulation  in  reading  and  in  quickness  in  answering  mental  arithmetic  problems. 

This  description  is  doubtless  tiTie  to  the  fact,  for  the  writer  vividly  recalls  simi- 
lar scenes.  Indeed,  not  every  community  was  so  well  equipped  as  this.  In  the  early 
fifties  there  were  many  hamlets,  homes  of  recent  immigrants,  not  supplied  with  any 
kind  of  schoolhouse.  Here  and  there  might  be  found  a  farmer's  wife  who  had  been 
favored  with  some  schooling  in  her  old  home  and  who  was  glad  to  accept  some 
tuition  pupils  in  her  new  home  although  the  quarters  might  be  cramped  a  bit.  She 
may  have  had  some  boys  and  girls  of  her  own  that  were  in  great  need  of  a  teacher, 
and  she  could  turn  an  honest  penny  by  taking  in  some  outsiders  while  she  did  her 
duty  by  her  own.  She  could  get  a  little  something  from  the  school  fund  as  well  as 
from  her  pupils,  and  anything  in  the  way  of  money  was  a  godsend  to  the  pioneers. 
There  are  memories  of  the  threatening  prairie  fires  in  the  fall  when  the  grass  was 
tall  and  dry  and  of  the  larger  boys  going  out  to  fight  it  with  counter  fires  and  thus 
to  keep  it  away  from  the  buildings  and  the  stacks  on  the  scattered  farms.  Perhaps 
there  was  something  that  compensated  for  the  poor  teaching.  Who  can  tell?  Cer- 
tainly the  teaching  was  poor  enough. 

And  once  in  a  while,  when  the  big  boys  came  in  for  a  little  schooling  in  the 
winter,  there  was  greater  need  o^  muscle  and  courage  than  of  scholastic  attainments. 
A  "rough  house"  was  not  an  unusual  incident,  especially  about  the  winter  holidays, 
when  it  was  expected  that  the  teacher  would  celebrate  the  occasion  by  proper  hos- 
pitality. Any  indisposition  in  that  direction  meant  a  lock-out  or  perhaps  a  throw- 
out.  Such  interesting  incidents  have  found  their  way  into  literature  along  with  the 
"loud  schools,"  but  they  are  as  suitable  for  sober  history,  for  the  real  events  were 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  67 

a  little  difficult  to  exaggerate  in  the  telling.  To  triumph  over  the  schoolmaster 
was  to  win  a  sort  of  distinction  in  the  community,  although  such  occurrences  were 
even  then  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule.  When  disorder  was  circumvented 
by  the  ingenuity  or  courage  or  strength  of  the  teacher  he  became  a  local  hero  and 
enjoyed  the  admiration  of  those  whom  he  had  defeated  no  less  than  that  of  the  rest 
of  the  community.  We  have  seen  that  the  ordinary  requirements  of  a  certificate 
were  of  necessity  toned  down  from  time  to  time,  and  that  the  halt,  lame  and  blind 
intellectually  were  able  to  receive  the  official  sanction  of  those  who  were  authorized 
to  give  them  letters  of  credit. 

A  further  quotation  from  Dr.  Willard  will  illustrate  the  not  uncommon  event  of 
barring  out  the  teacher  for  the  purpose  of  making  him  treat  the  school  at  Christmas 
time:  * 

A  few  days  before  Christmas,  the  teacher,  on  coming  to  the  schoolhouse,  finds  the  pupils  inside  in 
full  force;  but  admission  is  refused  to  him  unless  he  will  promise  to  treat  on  Christmas  day.  If  he 
tries  to  force  his  way  he  finds  the  door  effectually  barred.  A  small  boy  is  sent  as  an  envoy,  con- 
veying the  ultimatum  of  the  pupils.  The  teacher  has  probably  heard  already  preliminary  hints  that 
a  teacher  who  will  not  treat  is  mean ;  it  is  very  likely  that  he  has  found  such  a  notion  prevalent  among 
the  adults  of  the  community,  who  thus  support  the  rebels.  If  there  are  large  boys  in  the  school  whose 
strength  is  superior  to  his  he  may  as  well  give  up  — -a  struggle  would  only  emphasize  their  victory. 
But  the  teacher  often  tries  to  maintain  his  dignity  by  force  and  besieges  the  schoolhouse.  Perhaps 
he  goes  upon  the  roof  and  tries  to  get  in  from  above  by  descending  the  ample  chimney  or  tearing 
up  the  roof.  To  anticipate  this  move  the  besieged  have  a  good  fire  and  a  pile  of  straw  or  hay,  and 
meet  him  with  volumes  of  smoke  or  flame.  Sometimes,  if  the  teacher  is  bold  enough  to  go  down,  at 
the  risk  almost  of  life  itself,  he  may  succeed;  but  instead,  he  may  find  himself  but  a  Gulliver  among 
the  Lilliputians,  overpowered  by  numbers,  a  prisoner  and  bound  by  cords.  If  he  now  refuses  he  is 
taken  to  the  nearest  stream  or  pool  and  ducked  until  he  yields. 

Dr.  Willard  quotes  the  following  as  illustrations  of  the  method  of  treatment 
employed  in  reducing  the  unwilling  schoolmaster  to  terms : 

A  teacher  in  St.  Clair  county  resisted  until  he  was  carried  to  the  water's  edge,  when  he  capitulated. 

In  Champaign  county,  in  1838,  a  teacher  was  made  to  treat  to  whisky  and  molasses,  and  all  of 
the  boys  got  drunk. 

In  Schuyler  county,  in  1827,  two  boys  wallowed  the  teacher  in  the  snow  and  left  him  tied  because 
he  would  not  treat  to  whisky.  He  was  rescued  from  perishing  and  gave  a  New  Year's  treat  of  two 
gallons. 

A  queer  fellow  at  Turkey  Hill,  in  1825,  regularly  besieged  the  schoolhouse  for  a  week,  marching 
round  it  with  sword  belted  on  and  musket  on  shoulder;  but  this  Poliorcetes  finally  gave  cakes  and 
apples. 

In  Brown  county,  in  1844,  a  teacher  only  eighteen  years  old  determined  to  fight  it  out.  He  took 
a  stout  hoop  pole  and,  getting  in,  he  sternly  ordered  all  who  would  behave  to  go  to  one  side  of  the 
house.  All  obeyed  except  two  young  men  and  a  girl.  These  undertook  to  force  him  to  submit. 
None  helped  him  except  by  begging  these  to  let  him  alone.  The  girl  encouraged  the  young  men 
by  telling  them  that  the  teacher  ought  to  treat ;  there  was  a  law  that  he  should  treat ;  her  father  had 
many  a  teacher  treat.  They  undertook  to  take  him  over  a  hill  to  a  creek  a  half  a  mile  away.  He 
fought  them  as  long  as  he  could  and  whenever  he  recovered  strength  he  renewed  the  struggle.  At 
last  they  gave  up,  tired  out.  But  after  all,  he  thought  best  to  treat  on  Christmas  day  and  at  the 
cost  of  one  dollar  he  furnished  them  two  gallons  of  whisky  and  two  pounds  of  sugar. 

We  have  sketched  truthfully  the  early  schoolhouses  and  schools  of  Illinois.  But  as  the  immigra- 
tion from  the  South  and  especially  from  the  East  poured  in,  the  modes  of  Hfe  of  the  people  changed; 


68  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

then  the  earth  floor  and  the  slab  seat  and  puncheon  writing-desk  gave  way  to  oaken  boards  from 
the  sawmill.  The  ceilings  and  the  walls  ere  long  were  clothed  with  lath  and  plaster;  the  chimney 
of  brick  and  the  stove  superseded  the  huge  chimney  of  sticks;  glass  windows  admitted  light;  the 
frame  and  boarded  house  took  the  place  of  the  log  structure,  and  change  followed  change  until  the 
present  tasteful,  well-furnished  schoolhouse  caused  the  old  expedients  of  the  early  day  to  be  for- 
gotten. With  these  the  pupils  and  teachers  and  text-books  changed  in  equal  ratio.  The  barefooted 
boys  and  the  girls  clad  in  homespun  material  have  been  followed  by  well-shod  youths  in  the  fabrics 
of  the  power-looms  and  the  silk  factory ;  the  few  books  have  given  way  to  a  puzzling  profusion,  beauti- 
fully illustrated  and  printed  on  fine  paper;  the  goose  quill  is  unknown,  for  steel  or  gold  usurps  its 
ancient  function;  the  teacher  comes  from  Normal  or  high  school  or  from  college,  with  great  store  o^ 
knowledge,  to  take  his  place  in  a  system  of  classes  and  grading;  and  the  community  recognizes  his 
business  as  a  profession.  Only  by  the  historic  retrospect  can  the  vast  changes  come  before  us  as  the 
shifting  scenes  of  a  great  panorama,  in  which  Illinois,  twenty-third  in  rank,  advances  to  be  the  fourth 
State  in  the  Union. 

In  the  year  1831,  Mr.  J.  M.  Peck,  of  Rock  Spring,  Illinois,  published  a  small 
volume  which  he  christened  "A  Guide  for  Emigrants,  Containing  Sketches  of  Illi-. 
nois,  Missouri,  and  the  Adjacent  Parts."  The  population  of  the  State  was  then 
about  165,000.  The  author  treats  of  various  subjects,  his  information  having  been 
derived  chiefly  from  personal  observation  and  from  aid  derived  from  intelhgent 
gentlemen  residing  in  the  States.  Fifteen  pages  of  the  little  book  are  devoted  to 
education,  and  from  these  pages  the  following  extracts  are  made: 

Education  in  Illinois  is  still  in  its  infancy,  and  many  settlers  have  no  proper  view  of  its  necessity 
and  importance.  Many  adults,  especially  females,  are  unable  to  read  or 'write,  and  many  more,  who 
are  able  to  read  a  little,  can  not  readily  understand  what  they  attempt  to  read,  and  therefore  take 
no  pleasure  in  books  or  stxidy.  Common  schools  are  usually  taught  some  part  of  the  year  in  most 
of  the  settlements,  but  more  frequently  by  teachers  wholly  incompetent  to  the  task  than  otherwise. 
Some  are  decidedly  immoral,  especially  intemperate,  and  many  parents  have  not  felt  the  necessity 
of  having  teachers  of  unblemished  morals  and  correct  principles. 

In  1818-19  the  author  traveled  through  most  of  the  settlements  then  formed  in  Missouri  and 
made  it  an  especial  object  to  visit  and  inquire  into  the  character  of  the  schools  then  taught,  which 
was  done  by  a  visit  to  every  school,  or  an  inquiry  of  proper  persons  in  every  settlement  where  a  school 
had  been  taught  in  the  Territory.  According  to  my  judgment,  the  result  was,  that  one-third  of  the 
schools  were  public  nuisances  and  decidedly  injurious  to  the  children  from  the  immorality  and  incom- 
petency of  the  teachers.  One-third  did  about  as  much  harm  as  good,  and  the  remainder  were  of 
some  public  utility. 

It  is  presumed  that  the  sam^e  investigation  would  have  brought  forth  similar  results  in  Illinois. 
It  must  not  be  presumed  by  the  reader  that  this  is  now  the  state  of  things,  and  the  character  of  the 
schools  in  either  State.  The  character,  habits,  feelings  and  manners  of  the  population  are  undergoing 
rapid  changes  every  year;  and  the  influx  of  emigrants,  better  qualified  to  appreciate  good  schools,  is 
producing  a  rapid  change  in  common  education.  In  a  short  time  the  facilities  for  common  schools 
in  the  more  populous  portions  of  the  State,  and  even  for  an  academical  or  collegiate  course,  will  be 
equal  to  most  of  the  States  in  the  Union. 

The  author  alludes  to  the  effort  at  educational  legislation  in  1825  and  describes 
some  of  the  features  of  the  law:  He  attributes  its  brief  life  to  designing  and  selfish 
politicians,  who  "seized  hold  of  it  to  raise  popular  ferment." 

Many  good  common  schools  now  exist,  and  where  three  or  four  leading  families  in  a  settlement 
are  disposed  to  unite  and  exert  their  influence  in  favor  of  the  measure,  it  is  not  difficult  to  get  up  and 
sustain  a  good  English  school.  Qualified  teachers  are  becoming  more  numerous.  Some  young  men, 
natives  of  the  State,  have  received  an  education  that  will  enable  them  to  teach  with  facilitv  the  rudi- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  69 

ments  of  an  English  education.  Others  are  now  pursuing  studies  with  the  same  design.  Both  male 
and  female  are  emigrating  to  the  State,  with  the  view  of  teaching.  The  Sunday-school  System  is 
awakening  attention  to  that  of  common  schools,  and  eventually  in  aid  of  other  means,  will  change 
the  current  of  feeling  on  this  subject. 

Several  seminaries  and  institutions  of  a  higher  grade  than  mere  common  schools  are  in  success- 
ful operation,  and  promise  much  to  the  country. 

In  an  earlier  part  of  this  history  reference  was  made  to  the  action  of  the  first 
General  Assembly  in  granting  substantially  identical  charters  to  Madison  Academy, 
at  Edwardsville ;  Belleville  Academy,  at  Belleville,  and  Washington  Academy,  at 
Carlyle.  The  following  description  of  the  Belleville  Academy  indicates  the  character 
of  institutions  of  its  kind  in  the  early  times  in  Illinois. 

Belleville  Academy. — ^This  institution  is  a  select  boarding  school  for  boys,  under  the  manage- 
ment and  instruction  of  John  H.  Dennis,  Esq.,  a  liberally  educated  gentleman  from  Virginia,  and  well 
qualified  for  the  station.  The  pupils  are  limited  to  twenty-five,  one-third  of  which  are  from  the 
village  and  vicinity;  the  rest  boarders  from  a  distance,  chiefly  from  St.  Louis.  The  cost  of  boarding 
and  tuition  is  seventy-five  dollars  per  annum.  There  are  two  vacations  of  one  month  each  when  the 
pupils  return  to  their  friends.  It  is  altogether  a  private  institution.  The  various  branches  of  an 
English  education,  with  Latin,  Greek  and  mathematics,  are  taught  here.  This  academy  commenced 
in  1826. 

Rock  Spring  Seminary  is  located  in  the  same  county  at  the  residence  of  the  author,  eighteen 
miles  from  St.  Louis,  on  the  principal  stage  road  to  Vincennes,  entirely  in  the  country  and  intended 
in  its  original  plan  to  be  remote  from  the  habits  and  influence  of  a  village  population. 

The  buildings,  which  are  framed,  are  as  follows:  A  seminary,  which  consists  of  a  main  building 
twenty  by  thirty  feet,  two  stories,  with  wings  on  each  side  fourteen  feet  by  twelve,  and  forming  a 
front  of  forty-four  feet.  The  lower  story  of  the  main  building  is  a  public  hall  for  recitations  and 
school  exercises,  the  left  wing  for  the  library  and  teachers'  room,  and  the  upper  rooms  for  dormi- 
tories. There  was  also  a  boarding-house  with  proper  equipment  and  a  sufficient  number  of  cabins 
to  furnish  sleeping  apartments  for  the  students  that  could  not  be  accommodated  in  the  regular  dor- 
mitories. The  institution  was  the  owner  of  considerable  land,  but  at  the  time  of  the  author's  descrip- 
tion the  main  building  was  not  completed  and  the  infant  institution  was  experiencing  the  common 
fate  of  schools  of  its  kind  —  it  was  perpetually  on  the  edge  of  starvation. 

The  original  plan  of  the  institution  embraced  two  departments : 

L  A  high  school  conducted  on  the  plan  of  a  New  England  academy  and  with  the  modern 
improvements  in  education,  and  admitting  students  without  distinction  of  age  or  previous  study. 

2.  A  theological  department  designed  for  preachers  of  the  gospel,  of  any  age  or  requirements. 
The  fact  that  multitudes  of  professors  of  religion  in  the  western  country  became  preachers  of  the 
gospel  without  any  previous  literary  or  theological  knowledge,  and  who  will  continue  to  preach  in 
their  way  whether  sufficiently  qualified  or  not,  and  these  men,  with  all  of  their  errors  and  false  notions, 
•  will  gain  influence  over  the  uninformed  —  all  of  these  things  point  out  the  necessity  of  an  institution 
and  a  mode  of  study  that  will  accommodate  their  circumstances,  expand  their  minds,  and  thus  con- 
vince them  of  the  necessity  of  a  learned  ministry. 

The  seminary  was  gotten  up  partly  by  donations  obtained  in  the  Eastern  States  by  the  author  in 
1826,  and  partly  from  subscriptions  of  shares  from  individuals  in  Illinois  and  vicinity. 

This  school  opened  on  November  15,  1827.  It  had  about  fifty  students.  At 
the  time  of  the  writing  it  was  in  a  state  of  suspension,  but  the  author  was  hopeful 
of  another  lease  of  life. 

So  much  space  has  been  spared  for  this  little  school  because  it  was  typical.  The 
maintenance  of  such  educational  agencies  was  a  labor  of  love  and  involved  much 
of  the  sort  of  sacrifice  that  Pestalozzi  illustrated  in  his  philanthropic  experiment  at 


70  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Neuhof.  It  is  astonishing  to  discover  the  vitahty  of  many  of  these  early  schools. 
Usually  they  outlived  the  highest  expectations  of  their  warmest  friends  and  illus- 
trated the  sublime  faith  of  their  founders  in  the  efficacy  of  education  as  an  instru- 
mentality for  social  betterment. 

An  account  of  the  founding  of  Illinois  College  narrates  the  beginnings  of  that 
interesting  institution  and  will  appear  in  substance  on  later  pages. 

Vandalia  High  School  is  an  institution  gotten  up  by  the  enterprise  and  pubhc  spirit  of  the  citizens 
of  Vandaha.  It  is  taught  in  the  pubhc  meeting-house,  and  at  present  is  under  the  charge  of  Rev. 
WilHam  K.  Stewart,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  with  some  celebrity  as  a  teacher,  from  Kentucky. 
The  number  of  students  is  supposed  to  be  about  fifty. 

Individuals  of  the  Methodist  denomination  have  raised  funds  and  erected  buildings  at  Apple 
Creek,  in  Greene  county,  and  at  Lebanon,  in  St.  Clair  county,  but  they  have  never  been  finished 
so  as  to  organize  schools. 

If  the  author  had  written  later  he  would  have  had  more  to  say  about  the 
second  of  the  above  enterprises. 

Several  young  ladies  have  recently  opened  boarding  schools  for  females.  One  is  taught  in  Hills- 
borough, in  Montgomery  county ;  another  in  Carrollton,  Green  county.  At  Edwardsville  is  a  female 
academy,  designed  as  the  commencement  of  a  public  institution  and  managed  by  trustees.  It  is 
now  under  the  superintendence  of  Miss  Chapin,  aided  by  Miss  Hitchcock. 

These  glimpses  of  educational  beginnings  more  than  three-quarters  of  a  century 
ago  seem  extremely  primitive  and  simple.  But  education  is  the  same  process  where- 
ever  it  is  discovered  and  we  have  but  increased  the  facilities  for  its  accomplishment. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  71 


CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  PERMANENT  SCHOOL  FUNDS. 

IN  the  original  act  providing  for  the  survey  and  disposal  of  public  lands  there  was 
a  reservation  of  certain  portions  of  it  for  the  maintenance  of  public  education 
in  the  "States  containing  these  lands.  Such  a  gift  to  the  people  for  the  purpose 
of  aiding  them  in  bearing  the  expense  of  the  education  of  their  children  would  attract 
the  closest  attention  and,  in  consequence,  we  may  look  for  attempts  to  utilize  the 
cession  for  the  purposes  designated.  It  is  the  office  of  this  chapter  to  describe  the 
several  funds  of  a  permanent  character  that  have  come  into  being  with  the  circum- 
stances of  their  development  and  the  officers  that  were  successively  appointed  to 
manage  them.  Full  credit  is  here  given  to  W.  L.  Pillsbury  for  his  admirable  mono- 
graph on  this  subject.* 

There  are  seven  of  these  funds.     They  are  respectively: 

1.  The  Township  Fund. 

2.  The  Seminary  Fund. 

3.  The  School  Fund  Proper. 

4.  The  College  Fund. 

5.  The  Industrial  University  Fund. 

6.  The  Surplus  Revenue  Fund. 

7.  The  County  Funds. 

THE  TOWNSHIP  FUND. 

The  treaty  closing  the  War  of  the  Revolution  made  the  Mississippi  the  western 
boundary  of  the  new  nation.  It  was  the  fashion  of  the  original  colonies  to  lay  claim 
to  the  territory  lying  to  their  west  and  between  the  parallels  forming  their  northern 
and  southern  boundaries.  There  was  of  necessity  slight  knowledge  of  its  extent 
until  the  country  had  been  explored.  Far-seeing  members  of  Congress  did  not  fail 
to  appreciate  the  value  of  this  vast  domain  and  consequently  endeavored  to  have 
it  transferred  from  the  possession  of  the  colonies  to  the  ownership  of  the  nation, 
which  alone  could  provide  for  its  proper  government  and  determine  the  conditions 
under  which  new  States  could  be  organized  and  admitted  to  the  Union.  Virginia 
ceded  a  vast  region  to  the  general  government  in  1784,  a  region  equal  in  extent  to 
five  such  imperial  States  as  Illinois. 

In  1785  Congress  passed  "An  ordinance  for  ascertaining  the  mode  of  disposing 
of  the  lands  in  the  Western  Territory, ' '  and  thus  provided  for  the  township  method 
of  surveying  and  designating  lands.  In  this  ordinance  the  sixteenth  section  was 
reserved  for  the  maintenance  of  public  schools  in  the  several  townships.     This  action 

♦See  Illinois  School  Report,  1881-2. 


72  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

on  the  part  of  Congress  was  so  memorable  an  event  that  it  should  be  red-lettered  in 
the  educational  calendar  —  May  20,  1785.  All  subsequent  acts  for  the  distribution 
of  the  public  lands  have  followed  the  lead  of  this  celebrated  ordinance,  and  thus  the 
sixteenth  section  finds  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  educational  history  of  Illinois,  as 
well  as  in  that  of  several  other  States.  This  action  was  a  practical  application  of 
the  principle  contained  in  those  oft-quoted  words  of  the  immortal  Ordinance  of 
1787:  "Religion,  morality  and  knowledge  being  necessary  to  good  government  and 
the  happiness  of  mankind,  schools  and  the  means  of  education  shall  forever  be 
encouraged." 

With  the  formation  of  States  out  of  this  outlying  territory  the  disposition  of  the 
sixteenth  section  would  be  a  matter  that  would  of  necessity  arise  for  consideration, 
since  school  systems  are  maintained  by  the  States  and  not  by  the  general  govern- 
ment. In  the  enabling  act  of  1802,  authorizing  the  people  of  that  portion  of  the 
territory  of  Ohio  which  subsequently  became  the  State  to  prepare  to  enter  the 
Union  by  assuming  statehood,  the  sixteenth  section,  or  its  equivalent  if  it  were 
disposed  of,  was  offered  to  the  convention  for  its  acceptance  or  rejection,  with  the 
explicit  understanding  that,  if  accepted,  it  should  be  permanently  used  for  the 
maintenance  of  schools  within  the  township  of  which  it  was  a  part.  This  action 
was  all  that  was  needed  to  establish  a  precedent  that  was  followed  in  the  admission 
of  subsequent  States  until  the  admission  of  Michigan  as  noted  further  on.  The 
titles  to  these  lands  have  therefore  passed  with  their  survey  from  the  general  gov- 
ernment to  the  States.  The  original  idea  was  that  these  lands  were  not  to  be  sold 
by  the  States,  but  were  to  be  held  in  trust  by  proper  school  officials.  This  policy 
was  abandoned  in  1826  by  authorizing  Ohio  to  provide  for  their  sale.  If  the  original 
plan  could  have  been  adhered  to,  what  a  superb  endowment  would  have  accrued  to 
the  schools.  It  was  too  much  to  expect,  however,  and  in  consequence  the  fund 
yields  only  a  beggarly  part  of  what  would  otherwise  have  been  available  in  the 
way  of  rents. 

A  departure  from  the  plan  of  reserving  the  sixteenth  section  for  the  benefit  of 
the  residents  of  the  township  occurred  in  1836  with  the  admission  of  Michigan. 
In  that  case  the  section  was  "granted  to  the  State  for  the  use  of  schools."  This 
explains  the  superior  funds  in  some  of  the  newer  States,  for  this  precedent  became 
a  rule  of  action  in  the  case,  and  was  followed  in  all  of  the  subsequent  grants.  With 
the  admission  of  Oregon,  in  1848,  the  thirty-sixth  section  was  added  to  the  sixteenth, 
thus  doubling  the  national  gift  to  the  States  in  the  promotion  of  public  education. 
Wherever  these  sections  were  not  available  other  grants  were  made  to  take  their 
places.  Let  it  be  remembered  that  this  additional  section  is  in  a  way  a  gift  from 
Senator  Douglas  to  the  children  of  the  nation,  for  it  was  upon  his  motion  that  the 
change  was  made.  The  curious  may  discover  further  details  by  an  examination  of 
Mr.  Pillsbury's  article. 

It  is  with  the  congressional  grants  of  lands  in  Illinois,  however,  that  this  discus- 
sion is  mainly  concerned.  Congress  passed  the  enabling  act  looking  to  the  admission 
of  the  State  on  the  18th  of  April,  1818.  It  contained  a  tender  of  the  sixteenth  sec- 
tion or  its  equivalent  for  the  uses  of  the  people  of  the  township  for  the  maintenance 
of  schools,  and  upon  its  acceptance  by  the  convention  it  became  obligatory  upon 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  73 

the  general  government  to  grant  the  lands  or,  if  they  had  been  sold,  to  supply 
unsold  lands,  suitably  located,  to  take  their  place.  The  convention  accepted  the 
tender  on  the  26th  day  of  August,  1818. 

In  order  that  the  sixteenth  sections  should  yield  a  revenue  for  the  support  of 
schools  the  First  General  Assembly,  at  its  second  session,  made  provisions  for  renting 
them.  This  act  necessitated  the  selection  of  suitable  public  officers  for  the  perform- 
ance of  this  duty.  It  was  therefore  provided  that  the  county  commissioners,  the 
officials  who  managed  the  affairs  of  the  county  and  who  in  nearly  all  counties  were 
later  supplanted  by  boards  of  supervisors,  should  appoint  three  freeholders  in  each 
township  upon  whom  this  duty  should  devolve.  These  trustees  were  to  have  charge 
of  the  township  lands  and  were  to  divide  them  into  suitable  tracts,  according  to  the 
provisions  ^of  the  statute,  and  to  lease  them  to  tenants  upon  such  terms  as  could 
be  agreed  upon.  These  officers  were  to  appoint  a  clerk  and  a  treasurer.  The  trus- 
tees, with  their  clerk  and  treasurer,  continue  to  the  present,  although  in  the  mutations 
of  time  their  functions  have  radically  changed. 

But  all  of  these  preparatory  arrangements  were  of  no  avail  for  the  purposes  of 
revenue  if  the  tenants  failed  to  materialize,  and  such  a  condition  unfortunately  pre- 
vailed. It  was  stated  above  that  Ohio  was  permitted  by  the  act  of  1826  to  sell  her 
lands.  This  permission  was  in  response  to  a  memorial  from  the  General  Assembly 
of  that  State,  setting  forth  the  fact  that  land  was  too  easily  obtainable  by  purchase 
to  make  leasing  a  possibility  under  ordina,ry  circumstances,  and  that  where  it  could 
be  leased  at  all  it  was  only  to  those  who  were  too  shiftless  to  become  owners.  Little 
in  the  way  of  return  could  be  expected  from  the  lands  for  a  considerable  period 
except  by  direct  sale  and  by  putting  the  proceeds  out  at  interest.  The  argument 
was  sufficiently  convincing  to  induce  Congress  to  afford  the  desired  relief,  and  an 
act  was  passed  authorizing  the  sale  and  thus  removing  the  possibility  of  a  shadowed 
title. 

Similar  conditions  obtained  in  Illinois.  Anticipating  that  Congress  would  follow 
the  precedent  established  in  Ohio,  the  General  Assembly,  in  1829,  passed  an  act 
directing  the  Governor  to  make  public  announcement  of  this  action  as  soon  as  it 
should  occur,  and  further  provided  that  as  soon  as  the  proclamation  should  be  made 
the  county  commissioners  in  each  county  should  appoint  a  commissioner  and  an 
agent  who  should  proceed  to  sell  the  sixteenth  section.  Congress  failed  to  meet  the 
expectations  of  the  General  Assembly,  however,  and  two  years  later  it  was  determined 
to  proceed  without  the  congressional  authorization.  A  law  was  passed  directing 
the  county  commissioners  to  appoint  a  commissioner  to  sell  the  lands.  Some  safe- 
guards were  thrown  around  the  transaction.  Three-fourths  of  the  legal  voters  must 
petition  for  the  sale,  the  trustees  were  obliged  to  put  a  valuation  of  not  less  than  a 
dollar  and  a  quarter  an  acre  upon  it,  and  the  commissioner  could  then  proceed  to 
sell  it  at  public  sale,  but  not  for  a  less  amount  than  the  valuation.  As  some 
uneasiness  existed  with  respect  to  the  validity  of  the  title.  Congress  passed  an  act 
in  1842,  legalizing  past  sales  and  providing  for  the  future.  In  passing  it  is  worth 
remarking  that  the  commissioner  thus  provided  for  is  later  to  develop  into  the 
county  superintendent  of  schools,  the  most  important  school  official  mentioned  in 
the  school  law. 


74  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  curious  may  find  other  interesting  details  regarding  the  resulting  fund  in 
Mr.  Pillsbury's  article.  For  the  purposes  of  this  account  it  is  enough  to  say  that  the 
fund  we  are  considering  is  an  outcome  of  the  sale  of  the  sixteenth  section. 

The  number  of  acres  granted  was  in  round  numbers  a  million.  The  fund  has 
steadily  grown  with  the  sale  of  the  land  and  with  the  occasional  application  of  the 
accrued  interest  to  the  principal.  It  has  now  reached  more  than  nineteen  millions 
of  dollars.  The  entire  amount  distributed  for  the  support  of  schools  is  probably 
fully  double  that  amount. 

Although  the  conditions  for  lending  the  fund  were  carefully  specified,  there  was 
no  little  loss.  The  rate  first  designated  was  twelve  per  cent.  Loans  could  be  made 
on  personal  security,  but  for  not  more  than  one  hundred  dollars  nor  for  more  than 
one  year.  In  1831  the  law  permitted  associations  of  persons  to  borrow  not  to  exceed 
two  hundred  dollars  for  a  period  of  ten  years  for  the  purpose  of  building  school- 
houses.  Two  years  later  the  act  was  amended  so  as  to  require  that  the  association 
should  consist  of  not  less  than  five  persons,  of  whom  three  should  be  freeholders, 
and  that  they  should  bind  themselves  under  a  severe  penalty  to  build  within  a  year 
a  good  schoolhouse  and  maintain  a  school  for  at  least  three  months  in  the  year.  In 
1837  the  fund  passed  from  the  custody  of  the  commissioners  to  the  township  treas- 
urers. 

One  can  not  but  regret  that  the  people  did  not  manifest  a  greater  degree  of 
patience  and  self-denial  and  foresight  and  hold  these  lands  until  their  value  had 
materially  appreciated.  Undoubtedly  large  quantities  were  sold  to  residents  of  the 
townships  who  desired  to  purchase  them  at  a  low  price,  and  the  commissioners  sym- 
pathized with  them  more  than  with  the  children  who  thereby  suffered  consequent 
loss.  Indeed,  it  is  a  matter  of  common  knowledge  that  such  occurrences  were  not 
extremely  unusual.  The  proceeds  were  really  a  godsend  even  though  so  small  rela- 
tively, for  we  have  seen  how  grotesque  was  the  character  of  the  teacher's  compensa- 
tion in  the  early  pioneering  days. 

THR  SEMINARY  FUND. 

The  act  providing  for  the  grant  of  the  sixteenth  section  also  included  other  grants, 
among  which  was  an  entire  township,  to  be  designated  by  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  to  be  reserved  for  a  seminary  of  learning  and  to  be  vested  in  the  legislature 
of  the  State  for  that  specific  purpose.  The  fourth  paragraph  of  Section  6  of  the 
enabling  act,  making  a  tender  of  this  township,  mentions  a  township  previously 
reserved  for  the  same  purpose.  This  reserved  township  was  provided  for  by  an  act 
of  Congress  of  March  26,  1804,  which  directed  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  to 
locate  a  seminary  township  in  each  of  the  districts  in  which  land  offices  were  opened 
in  the  Indiana  territory.  As  these  offices  were  at  Detroit,  Vincennes,  and  Kaskaskia, 
respectively,  Michigan,  Indian^  and  Illinois  received  the  coveted  land. 

The  Illinois  township  was  located  in  Fayette  county,  in  the  southeastern  part  of 
the  State.  The  grant  made  in  the  enabling  act  vested  the  title  in  the  legislature, 
with  the  express  provision  that  it  was  not  to  be  diverted  from  the  original  purpose 
of  the  grant.  But  up  to  1823  this  township  had  not  been  located.  It  was  in  that 
year  that  the  memorial  quoted  in  Chapter  II.  was  presented  to  the  President  of  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  75 

United  States.  The  President  granted  the  prayer  of  the  petitioners  and  asked  that 
commissioners  be  appointed  to  make  the  selections.  It  appeared  that  the  selection 
of  the  Fayette  county  township  was  especially  unfortunate.  In  consequence,  the 
legislature  memorialized  Congress  in  1829  to  be  permitted  to  surrender  the  township 
and  select  in  its  stead  land  that  would  carry  out  the  purposes  of  the  original  grantors. 
It  was  declared,  to  be  of  no  value  as  it  was  located  in  a  swamp,  for  the  greater  part, 
and  the  remainder  was  impossible  of  cultivation.  This  memorial  was  also  respected, 
and  the  township  having  been  surrendered,  admirable  lands  were  selected  in  its 
place.  Here,  therefore,  were  forty-six  thousand  and  eighty  acres  of  land,  chosen 
by  persons  assumed  to  be  competent  to  get  the  best  possible  advantage  of  the  splen- 
did gift  and  all  to  be  devoted  to  the  maintenance  of  a  seminary  of  learning. 

And  now  there  must  be  written  the  account  of  the  folly  of  the  State  in  parting 
with  this  magnificent  domain.  If  nothing  worse  is  to  be  charged  to  those  who  man- 
aged the  transaction  appearances  were  of  such  a  character  as  at  least  to  excite  sus- 
picion. It  was  in  January,  1829,  that  the  legislature  enacted  a  law  requiring  the 
auditor  of  public  accounts  to  announce  that  the  seminary  lands  already  located  and 
not  under  lease  would  be  offered  at  public  sale,  the  only  limitation  being  that  the 
price  must  not  be  less  than  a  dollar  and  a  quarter  an  acre.  If  not  sold  publicly  they 
were  to  be  disposed  of  at  private  sale  or  they  were  to  be  subject  to  preemption.  A 
Board  of  Commissioners  of  the  Seminary  Fund,  consisting  of  the  Governor,  the 
Auditor,  and  the  Attorney- General,  was  provided  with  authority  to  invest  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  sale. 

As  a  possible  partial  extenuation  of  what  subsequently  occurred  it  should  be 
remembered  that  the  income  for  vState  purposes  was  very  small.  The  amount  of 
taxable  property  upon  which  revenues  could  be  raised  was  insufficient  to  furnish 
funds  to  carry  out  the  projects  then  at  the  front.  Doubtless  it  occurred  to  the 
wiseacres  that  if  these  lands  were  marketed  and  the  money  borrowed  by  the  needy 
State  some  of  their  perplexing  problems  would  find  a  solution.  At  any  rate  the 
legislature  authorized  the  Governor  to  make  such  a  disposition  of  the  proceeds,  and 
that  is  what  became  of  the  money.  The  State  was,  of  course,  a  safe  borrower  and 
might  be  depended  upon  to  pay  the  interest.  Two  years  later  the  legislature  passed 
another  act  authorizing  the  sale  of  any  other  selected  seminary  land  on  the  same 
conditions  as  above.  Thus  it  was  that  all  of  these  lands,  with  the  exception  of  four 
and  a  half  sections,  were  disposed  of  at  this  shamefully  low  rate.  The  sale  yielded 
only  $55,000. 

With  regard  to  this  sale,  Mr.  Pillsbury  writes:  "  The  lack  of  wisdom  shown  in  the 
sale  of  these  choice  lands  at  that  time  is  amazing.  The  sale  was  made  in  advance 
of  any  authority  of  Congress  to  sell,  at  a  time  and  in  a  way  to  make  sure  of  disposing 
of  them  at  a  low  price  and  before  there  was  any  seminary  of  learning  which  could 
be  made  a  beneficiary  of  the  fund.  Had  the  lands  been  kept  and  rented  until  1857, 
when  the  income  of  the  fund  was  first  put  to  a  legitimate  use,  they  would  doubtless 
have  sold  for  an  amount,  which,  with  the  accumulation  from  rents,  would  have  made 
a  fund  of  a  million  dollars  instead  of  the  beggarly  $59,838.72,- which  is  all  we  have 
to  show  as  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  43,200 -acres  of  superior  farming  lands.  That 
this  is  no  exaggera.tion  is  abundantly  proved  by  the  fact  that  the  four  and  a  half 


76  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

sections  given  to  the  Illinois  Agricultural  College  brought  $58,000  in  1861.  A 
number  of  the  State  officials  seem  to  have  taken  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to 
acquire  cheap  lands.  That  is  not  saying  that  they  were  responsible  for  the  costly 
error,  but  somebody  was  and  they  profited  by  it." 

This  Illinois  Agricultural  College  was  located  at  Irvington,  in  Washington  county. 
It  violated  the  conditions  of  the  appropriation  and  an  effort  was  made  to  recover 
the  fund,  but  little  came  of  it.  There  was  still  another  misfortune  that  came  to  this 
unfortunate  fund.  In  1835  the  commissioners  were  authorized  to  loan  the  interest 
to  the  school  fund  for  annual  distribution.  This  was  done,  with  a  slight  exception, 
for  more  than  twenty  years,  the  several  loans  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  seventy 
thousand  dollars  at  the  time  that  the  Normal  University  was  founded  and  made 
the  recipient  of  the  fund.  The  State  should  have  returned  this  amount  to  the  fund, 
but  never  did  so.     In  1908  the  seminary  fund  amounted  to  $59,838.72. 

THE  SCHOOL  FUND  PROPER. 

As  the  States  entered  the  Union  they  contained  more  or  less  government  land 
within  their  boundaries.  Since  Congress  is  composed  of  representatives  and  senators 
from  the  States,  and  since  these  men  are  quick  to  discover  opportunities  for  benefit- 
ing their  constituents,  we  may  look  for  legislation  appropriating  some  portions  of 
the  sale  of  these  lands  for  educational  or  other  purposes.  Certainly  nothing  could 
be  wiser  than  a  generous  gift  for  the  furthering  of  educational  enterprises,  and  it 
is  a  matter  of  regret,  when  the  heavy  burdens  of  modern  education  are  considered, 
that  a  materially  larger  portion  of  the  proceeds  were  not  set  aside  for  that  purpose. 

On  the  12th  of  December,  1820,  Congress  passed  an  act  directing  the  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury  to  pay  to  the  State  of  Illinois  three  per  cent  of  the  proceeds  of  the 
sale  of  such  public  lands  as  were  unsold  and  lying  within  the  State  on  the  first  day 
of  January,  1819.  This  fund  was  divided  into  two  parts.  Five-sixths  of  it  became 
a  common  school  fund  and  the  remaining  sixth  was  set  aside  as  a  college  fund.  As 
it  was  received  from  the  United  States  it  passed  into  the  control  of  the  commis- 
sioners of  the  school  fund,  previously  mentioned,  and  was  deposited  by  them  in 
the  State  Bank  to  be  used  by  the  government  and  to  draw  interest  at  the  rate  of 
six  per  cent.  In  1908  it  amounted  to  $613,362.96,  which  has  been  the  same  for  some 
thirty  years. 

This  fund  was  not  available  for  a  number  of  years  because  of  an  act  passed  in 
1829.  This  act  provided  that  the  Governor  should  borrow  the  school  fund  for  the 
State  and  pay  an  interest  charge  of  six  per  cent  for  it,  but  that  this  interest  should 
be  added  to  the  fund  and  thus  become  a  further  obligation  to  the  State.  Because 
of  this  withholding  of  the  income  from  the  schools  and  of  a  failure  to  make  an 
accounting  of  the  money  received,  the  government  declined  to  pass  over  the  accumu- 
lations for  several  years.  This  resulted  in  a  warm  controversy  between  the  Governor 
and  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  but  it  was  finally  settled  by  a  repeal  of  the 
accounting  requirement  and  the  payments  were  resumed,  and  were  continued  until 
1863,  when  the  lands  were  finally  disposed  of.  This  is  another  of  the  funds  which 
has  no  existence  as  a  fund  proper,  but  only  as  an  obligation  of  the  State  upon  which 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  77 

it  pays  its  annual  interest  of  six  per  cent.     This  necessitates  a  biennial  appropriation 
by  the  General  Assembly  to  meet  this  charge. 

THE  COLLEGE  FUND. 

The  origin  of  this  fund  is  explained  above.  It  has  received  fairer  treatment  than 
the  seminary  fund.  It  was  turned  into  the  State  treasury,  as  the  other  funds  were, 
to  meet  the  current  expenses  of  the  State  government.  The  members  of  the  General 
Assembly  had  the  impression  that  it  was  wiser  to  make  such  use  of  it  than  to  run 
the  hazard  of  displeasing  their  constituents  by  levying  a  sufficient  tax  to  take  care 
of  the  interests  of  the  State.  In  1857  the  interest  of  this  fund  was  appropriated 
to  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University.  In  1 86 1  the  institution  was  in  sore  straits 
as  the  original  gifts  had  not  been  sufficient  to  complete  its  building.  The  legislature 
therefore  came  to  its  relief  by  declaring  that  the  accrued  interest  up  to  1857  and 
unpaid  amounted  to  approximately  $100,000;  $65,000  of  this  amount  was  passed 
over  to  the  State  Board  of  Education  to  cancel  these  debts  and  the  remainder  was 
added  to  the  fund.  It  now  amounts  to  $156,613.32.  The  interest  on  this  and  on 
the  seminary  fund  is  divided  equally  between  the  two  Normal  Universities. 

ILLINOIS  INDUSTRIAL  UNIVERSITY  FUND. 

This  fund  amounts  to  $641,477.53.  It  originated  in  an  act  of  Congress  passed 
on  July  2,  1862.  This  act  provided  for  a  reservation  of  30,000  acres  of  land  for  every 
member  of  Congress,  in  each  of  the  States,  the  proceeds  to  be  devoted  to  the  support 
of  a  State  University.  These  lands  were  to  be  sold  when  in  the  judgment  of  the 
Boards  of  Trustees  it  was  deemed  wise. 

SURPLUS  REVENUE  FUND. 

In  1836  the  general  government  found  itself  with  more  money  than  was  neces- 
sary to  meet  its  obligations.  On  July  4  of  that  year  Congress  provided  that  all 
money  in  excess  of  five  millions  of  dollars  should  be  divided  into  four  installments 
and  loaned  to  the  several  States  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  congressmen,  with 
the  understanding  that  in  case  the  Government  should  subsequently  call  for  the  money 
it  should  be  repaid.  Three  payments  were  made  and  were  never  called  for.  The 
amount  deposited  with  the  States  aggregated  about  twenty-eight  millions  of  dollars. 
Of  this  Illinois  received  about  $478,000.  The  larger  part  of  this  amount  went  to 
the  school  fund  as  a  payment  of  the  amount  then  due  the  school,  college  and  seminary 
funds.  The  school  fund  was  thereby  increased  by  $335,592.32.  This,  according 
to  its  custom,  was  borrowed  by  the  State  with  the  promise  to  pay  the  customary 
rate  of  interest  for  its  use. 

THE  COUNTY  FUNDS. 

These  funds  arose  because  of  a  provision  in  an  act  passed  in  1835.  It  was  decreed 
that  if  the  distribution  to  any  county  exceeded  one-half  of  the  amount  due  to  pay 
the  teachers  of  that  county,  that  excess  should  be  reserved  as  a  county  fund,  not 
distributable,  but  to  be  put  at  interest  and  its  income  used  for  the  support  of  schools. 
This  fund  in  1908  amounted  to  $61,091.11.  The  aggregate  of  the  seven  funds  in 
the  year  last  named  was  $20,917,312.05. 


78  THE    EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


CHAPTER  VII. 
CONDITIONS  AS  SHOWN  BY  SUPERINTENDENTS'  REPORTS. 

BEFORE  following  further  the  development  of  the  school  law,  which  is  the 
thread  pursued  in  this  portion  of  the  history,  an  examination  of  the  reports 
of  the  State  superintendents  for  the  years  following  the  enactment  of  the 
law  of  1855  will  reveal  educational  conditions  and  especially  educational  ideals.  It 
is  interesting  to  note  that  Superintendent  Edwards  and  Superintendent  Powell, 
his  successor,  were  urging  some  of  the  reforms  that  have  not  yet  been  accomplished, 
and  for  which  our  latest  superintendents  have  organized  active  campaigns. 

Superintendent  Edwards '  transmitted  his  report  for  1855-6  to  the  Governor  on 
December  1,  1856.  He  begins  his  report  by  reiterating  his  oft-repeated  assertion 
that  "It  is  the  right  of  every  child  in  the  State,  whether  rich  or  poor,  to  have  an 
education  that  will  fit  him  to  discharge  most  usefully  the  duties  of  an  American 
citizen."  He  further  declares  that  his  observation  satisfies  him  that  the  people 
are  at  last  in  hearty  sympathy  with  his  contention.  Reports  were  received  from 
ninety-five  counties  and  they  reported  7,694  schools.  Male  teachers  received  an 
average  wage  of  $45.33  and  women  $27.10.  He  sharply  opposes  the  proposed  plan 
of  appropriating  the  interest  on  the  college  and  seminary  funds  for  the  support  of 
a  college  or  university,  and  for  two  reasons:  It  is  insufficient  to  support  such  an 
institution  and,  in  the  second  place,  it  is  needed  for  the  support  of  common  schools. 
His  attitude  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  the  movement  is  now  on  which  is  to  end 
a  year  later  in  the  passage  of  the  act  establishing  The  Illinois  State  Normal  Uni- 
versity.    That  interesting  and  eventful  agitation  must  have  a  place  for  itself. 

The  question  of  a  uniformity  of  text-books  appeared  at  the  opening  of  the  new 
educational  epoch.  The  law  required  the  superintendent  to  recommend  a  uniform 
system  of  text-books  and  to  urge  their  adoption  in  all  of  the  schools  of  the  State. 
He  had  made  contracts  with  several  publishers,  contingent  upon  their  acceptance 
by  the  legislature,  but  that  body  failed  to  ratify  them.  The  State  was  to  receive 
a  bonus  on  the  sale,  but  the  only  amount  realized  was  one  thousand  dollars  donated 
by  the  publishers  of  Webster's  Dictionaries,  which  was  to  go  toward  the  establish- 
ment of  a  State  Normal  School.  By  consulting  the  law  establishing  such  an  institu- 
tion it  will  be  seen  that  the  money  reached  its  proper  destination.  Superintendent 
Edwards  was  a  warm  advocate  of  State  uniformity  of  text-books,  and  made  an 
argument  in  favor  of  the  scheme.  He  recommended  district  uniformity  to  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  probably  assuming  that  a  larger  unit  would  not  be  approved.  It  is 
interesting  to  see  that  after  fifty-five  years  the  question  is  still  a  mooted  one. 

Several  amendments  to  the  new  school  law  were  suggested.  One  of  them  indi- 
cates the  advanced  position  of   Mr.  Edwards   with   regard   to    school    supervision. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  79 

Finding  that  the  compensation  of  county  commissioner  would  not  attract  talent 
that  would  be  able  to  accomplish  results  worth  considering,  he  proposed  that  a 
commissioner  should  be  elected  from  each  congressional  district  to  whom  should  be 
paid  a  salary  of  one  thousand  dollars  a  year.  Such  compensation,  he  conceived, 
would  attract  competent  men  who  would  be  willing  to  devote  their  entire  time  and 
effort  to  the  work  of  supervision,  and  that  thus  far  better  results  could  be  realized 
than  with  the  existing  arrangement. 

Again  Mr.  Edwards  returns  to  the  township  system  of  organization '  upon  which 
he  had  set  his  heart  in  the  original  bill.  It  would  seem  as  if  the  modem  advocates 
of  the  system  have  done  little  since  that  time  but  quote  the  arguments  here  pre- 
sented. They  are  a  round  dozen  in  number,  but,  like  all  subsequent  arguments  on 
that  contention,  they  fell  on  deaf  ears  when  presented  to  the  legislature. 

Mr.  Edwards  returns  also  to  the  subject  of  a  Normal  School,  and  urges  the 
wisdom  of  its  immediate  organization.  He  quotes  freely  frorii  the  opinion  of  experts 
with  regard  to  the  influence  of  the  State  Normal  School,  at  Bridgewater,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  declared  that  it  was  the  unanimous  or  quite  unanimous  opinion  of 
boards  of  education  and  school  committees  conversant  with  what  had  been  done, 
that  teachers  educated  in  Normal  schools  were  far  superior  to  any  other  teachers 
of  which  they  had  knowledge.  He  showed  the  failure  of  the  attempt  to  graft 
such  schools  upon  existing  academic  institutions  and  called  the  eminent  Horace 
Mann  to  testify  to  the  danger  of  expecting  teachers  in  such  institutions  to  perform 
a  double  duty. 

Mr.  Edwards  gave  warm  support  to  the  educational  magazine.  The  Illinois 
Teacher,  which  had  recently  been  established,  and  recommended  that  it  be  made 
the  official  organ  of  the  State  superintendent  through  which  he  could  make  public 
his  decisions  with  respect  to  school  questions  that  came  before  him  for  adjudi- 
cation. 

The  appendix  to  this  report  contains  reports  from  sixty- three  school  commis- 
sioners, in  which  they  write  more  or  less  freely  with  regard  to  the  operations  of  the 
new  law  in  their  respective  counties.  A  few  quotations  will  be  instructive.  They 
indicate  the  impression  which  the  law  is  creating  among  the  people  in  general. 

Various  amendments  to  the  new  law  are  proposed  and  urged  by  the  commis- 
sioners. Here  are  some  of  them:  There  are  grave  objections  to  the  method  of 
distributing  the  income  from  the  two-mill  tax.  Some  of  the  counties  that  pay  more 
than  they  receive  desire  to  have  the  law  so  amended  that  their  good  money,  wrung 
from  the  hands  of  honest  toil,  shall  not  go  to  other  and  less  favored  counties.  The 
conception  of  statehood  has  not  yet  counted  for  much  with  such  persons. 

The  idea  of  serving  the  public  without  pay  is  a  new  one  to  many  of  the  people, 
and  the  provision  of  the  law  denying  compensation  to  trustees  and  directors  is 
objected  to  in  some  quarters.  Similarly  the  limitation  of  free  tuition  to  pupils  under 
twenty-one  is  regarded  as  objectionable.  At  this  time  there  were  many  young  men 
and  young  women  who  had  been  obliged  to  forego  the  acquiring  of  an  education  for 
the  simple  fact  that  schools  were  not  accessible.  It  seemed  a  hardship  that  they 
should  not  be  able  to  take  advantage  of  their  own  contributions  to  the  school  fund, 
for  many  of  them  were  taxpayers.     Why  not  permit  persons  of  any  age  to  attend 


80  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

the  public  school,  whether  they  be  eighteen  or  eighty?  "Let  us  encourage  rather 
than  burden  so  commendable  a  spirit  and  disposition." 

That  the  policy  of  paying  all  of  the  expenses  of  the  schools  out  of  the  money 
raised  by  general  taxation  has  not  yet  been  fully  accepted  is  evident  from  a  propo- 
sition from  one  of  the  commissioners  to  reinstate  the  old  "rate  bill"  scheme.  It 
seems  that  some  progressive  districts  have  been  disposed  to  pay  "extravagant 
salaries ' '  and  thus  exceed  the  levy.  There  is  no  limitation  to  the  powers  of  directors 
in  this  matter  of  salaries,  while  there  is  to  the  power  of  levying  taxes.    . 

As  would  be  expected,  there  was  a  general  complaint  with  regard  to  the  qualifica- 
tions of  available  teachers.  The  great  majority  had  no  special  preparation  for  teach- 
ing and  the  scholarship  of  large  numbers  was  very  low.  The  commissioners  were 
directed  by  law  to  examine  candidates  in  certain  subjects,  and  in  some  localities 
teachers  were  secured  with  great  difficulties  who  could  meet  the  requirements  of  the 
statutes.  It  was  therefore  proposed  that  the  law  should  be  so  amended  as  to  have 
the  directors  indicate  to  the  commissioners  the  extent  of  scholarship  required,  and 
to  limit  the  examinations  for  the  certificates.  The  only  demand  in  some  of  the  coun- 
ties was  for  the  teaching  of  orthography,  reading,  writing  and  arithmetic.  Why 
should  such  localities  be  burdened  with  the  expense  of  employing  persons  whose 
educational  enterprise  had  led  them  to  explore  geography,  English  grammar  and 
history,  when  cheaper  teachers  could  meet  all  the  requirements  of  the  situation? 
The  injustice  of  such  a  law  was  apparent  as  soon  as  stated.  There  was  also  objection 
to  the  section  of  the  law  requiring  a  stated  term  of  school  in  order  to  secure  a  portion 
of  the  general  fund.  Why  not  distribute  the  fund  on  the  ratio  of  the  number  of 
months  taught,  and  the  localities  could  then  determine  for  themselves  how  much 
schooling  was  needed  for  their  children  ? 

Here  and  there  teachers'  institutes  are  appearing,  supported  sometimes  by  the 
communities  in  which  they  are  held.  An  occasional  commissioner  makes  an  argu- 
ment for  the  early  establishment  of  a  Normal  school.  One  of  the  commissioners 
makes  a  plea  for  the  introduction  of  the  monitorial  system  introduced  into  England 
from  the  continent  just  at  the  close  of  the  preceding  century.  The  scarcity  of  good 
teachers  is  an  ever  recurring  complaint,  and  many  suggestions  respecting  methods 
of  ameliorating  this  unfortunate  condition  appear  in  the  various  reports.  The  most 
interesting  of  all  of  these  reports  comes  from  St.  Clair  county,  the  commissioner 
being  no  less  a  man  than  George  Bunsen,  a  German  with  extended  scholarship  and 
an  experience  of  forty  years  in  the  schoolroom.  He  was  a  pupil  of  the  great  Swiss 
reformer,  Pestalozzi,  and  was  the  best-informed  school  man  then  engaged  in  public- 
school  work.  He  took  the  most  advanced  position  regarding  Normal  schools, 
declaring  that  they  are  absolutely  essential  to  the  success  of  the  movement  now 
going  through  its  beginnings.  He  declares  that  very  few  of  those  proposing  to  teach 
have  any  adequate  idea  of  how  to  proceed.  Their  only  method  is  to  start  the  pupil 
at  the  beginning  of  whatever  book  he  may  possess  and  insist  upon  a  verbatim  mem- 
orizing of  the  text.  He  says:  "We  need  teachers  by  profession  in  our  schools,  but 
not  farmers,  not  mechanics,  not  students  of  medicine  or  law,  nor  clerks  without  a  sit- 
uation, nor  ladies  that  have  no  other  aim  but  to  gain  a  set-up,  all  of  whom,  in  most 
cases,  are  the  teachers  of  our  youth  presently,  not  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  them, 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  81 

but  for  the  purpose  of  swallowing  the  two-mill  tax  paid  by  the  people  for  far  different 
purposes."  The  good  Doctor's  ideas  are  better  than  his  English.  We  shall  find  him 
on  the  first  Board  of  Education  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  presently,  and  one  of  the  men 
who  were  to  have  charge  of  the  Normal  school  for  which  he  made  so  admirable  a 
plea  in  his  report  to  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

Here  and  there  also  the  graded  school  begins  to  materialize.  Instead  of  ungraded 
schools  entirely  independent  of  each  other  there  are  springing  up,  in  towns  of  sufficient 
size  to  maintain  them,  central  schools  with  the  children  grouped  according  to  their 
ages  and  attainments.  The  high  school  is  as  yet  an  unknown  feature  of  the  system, 
but  it  is  in  the  not  distant  future. 

The  most  radical  suggestions  in  the  way  of  amendments  to  the  law,  from  the  com- 
missioners,, came  from  Wabash  county,  its  commissioner  being  William  M.  Harmon. 
He  urged  that  the  school  election  should  occur  at  the  time  of  the  general  election, 
in  November,  in  order  that  there  might  be  a  larger  vote.  His  scheme  was  to  have 
a  separate  ballot  box  for  the  votes  on  school  matters.  Like  a  number  of  others 
he  urged  the  abolition  of  the  absurd  district  system  and  the  substitution  of  a  town- 
ship system.  He  would  have  school  officers  paid  for  their  services,  if  not  by  direct 
compensation  at  least  by  exemption  from  some  of  the  social  burdens.  He  says: 
"We  have  too  many  school  officers,  so  many  that  none  of  them  attend  to  their 
business,  and,  in  fact,  but  few  of  them  know  what  their  business  is,  and  when  one 
does  know  he  leaves  it  for  another  to  attend  to."  He  proposed  that  the  commis- 
sioner of  schools  should  employ  all  of  the  teachers  of  the  county.  His  acquaintance 
with  the  teachers  and  his  knowledge  of  their  qualifications  he  regarded  as  fitting  him 
especially  for  that  duty.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  advocates  of  a  sort  of  com- 
pulsory attendance  law,  for  he  proposed  that  if  any  child  should  fail  to  attend  school 
for  forty  out  of  every  sixty  days  his  parents  should  forfeit  to  the  school  fund  the 
amount  which  the  tuition  of  the  child  has  cost  the  fund  for  the  time  of  his  attendance. 
These  are  voices  out  of  the  past  with  regard  to  the  working  of  the  law  of  1855 
for  the  year  after  it  had  gone  into  operation.  On  the  whole  it  is  warmly  commended, 
but  it  is  regarded  as  obscure  in  many  of  its  provisions,  and  extremely  deficient  when 
regarded  from  the  standpoint  of  an  excellent  school  system. 

Mr.  Edwards  retired  from  office  in  January,  1857.  He  was  the  first  of  a  long  line 
of  real  State  superintendents  and  must  be  accounted  as  one  of  the  most  efficient, 
although  he  had  never  been  a  teacher  nor  had  he  given  any  especial  attention  to 
school  matters  before  his  appointment.  He  was  a  Kentuckian  by  birth,  and  was  in 
the  later  forties  when  he  assumed  the  duties  of  the  office.  He  was  a  son  of  Ninian 
Edwards,  who  was  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  in  Kentucky  at  the 
time  that  the  Territory  of  Illinois  was  created  and  was  appointed  its  first  governor 
by  President  Madison.  He  was  brought  to  the  new  territory  when  only  a  few 
months  old.  He  was  educated  for  the  law  and  was  appointed  Attorney- General 
for  the  State  in  1834,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-five.  He  was  elected  to  the  legis- 
lature in  1836  and  served  in  the  House  and  Senate  for  sixteen  years,  and  was  also  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1847,  and  was  therefore  in  some  degree 
responsible  for  the  wretched  document  submitted  by  that  body  to  the  consideration 
of  the  voters  of  the  State.     The  best  expression  of  his  educational  theories  is  the 

6 


82  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

bill  that  he  submitted  to  the  legislature  of  1855  and  which  received  so  little  con- 
sideration from  that  body.  If  it  could  have  been  passed  substantially  as  it  came 
from  his  hands  education  in  Illinois  would  have  been  a  half  century  in  advance  of 
where  it  now  is  in  some  of  its  features. 

Mr.  Edwards  was  succeeded  by  William  H.  Powell.  On  December  15,  1858,  he 
submitted  his  first  report  to  the  Governor.  It  is  a  volume  of  more  than  400  pages, 
thus  exceeding  in  size  the  aggregate  of  all  of  the  preceding  reports  from  the  State 
Department  of  Education.  Events  of  extreme  importance  had  occurred  in  the  two 
years  of  Mr.  Powell's  occupancy  of  the  office,  hence  he  had  interesting  incidents  to 
record. 

In  1857  there  were,  in  round  numbers,  11,000  teachers.  The  succeeding  year 
adds  about  2,000  to  this  number.  Salaries  were  still  as  low  as  $5  a  month  for  women 
and  $9  for  men,  while  on  the  other  hand  they  had  risen  as  high  as  $150  for  men 
and  $54  for  women.  In  1858  this  upper  limit  had  risen  $50  for  men  and  $6  for 
women.  Graded  schools  are  coming  on  in  encouraging  numbers,  as  there  were  181 
in  1857  and  303  in  1858.  No  high  schools  are  separately  reported,  but  it  is  more 
than  probable  that  several  of  these  graded  schools  had  attained  a  high-school  grade 
at  the  top. 

Numerous  defects  in  the  school  law  have  appeared.  Their  number  was  so  great 
that  the  superintendent  was  constrained  to  advocate  its  total  repeal  and  the  enact- 
ment of  another.  Profiting  by  the  difficulties  in  securing  even  so  poor  a  law,  wiser 
counsels  prevailed  in  the  hope  that  the  obscurities  and  incongi*uities  would  result 
in  suitable  amendments.  Imagine  the  collisions  and  blunders  that  occurred  among 
the  thirty- five  thousand  officers  necessary  to  put  the  law  into  execution,  when  but 
a  small  number  of  that  vast  throng  had  any  adequate  conception  of  what  the  law 
really  was  and  of  how  it  should  be  put  into  successful  operation. 

The  superintendent  found  himself  without  money  to  employ  a  clerk.  He  adopted 
the  dangerous  plan  of  employing  one  at  his  own  expense,  trusting  to  a  subsequent 
legislature  to  reimburse,  him.  Only  $250  a  year  was  appropriated  to  cover  the  entire 
contingent  expense  of  the  office.  Under  such  discouraging  conditions  it  is  not 
strange  that  little  could  be  accomplished  in  the  way  of  awakening  the  people  to  a 
realization  of  the  value  of  education  and  of  inducing  such  legislation  as  would  put 
the  schools  upon  a  proper  footing.  Illinois  has  long  shown  a  strange  reluctance  to 
put  her  public-school  system  somewhere  near  the  front  of  the  great  progressive  move- 
ment in  popular  education.  This  modern  conservatism  is  a  direct  consequence  of 
the  unhappy  start  which  the  State  made  in  the  organization  of  its  system,  and  from 
1855  to  the  close  of  the  session  of  the  forty-seventh  General  Assembly  the  capital 
of  the  State  has  been  a  battle-ground  every  two  years  in  the  interests  of  a  better  law. 
But  the  changes  have  been  mainly  of  little  consequence  and  as  direct  result  Illinois 
now  lags  in  the  rear  of  a  score  of  States  in  the  effectiveness  of  her  school  system. 

The  private  schools  that  looked  with  such  suspicion  at  the  new  law  have  had 
their  worst  fears  realized.  Two-thirds  of  those  existing  two  years  before  have  gone 
out  of  existence  either  by  suspension  or  by  being  transformed  into  union  graded 
schools.  Thousands  of  such  schools  existed  when  the  new  law  went  into  effect. 
Indeed,  without  them  Illinois  would  have  presented  a  most  disheartening  spectacle. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  83 

Her  children  would  have  grown  up  without  education.  Happily,  the  heads  of  many 
of  these  institutions  were  warm  friends  of  the  public-school  movement  and  became 
its  energetic  propagandists.  Naturally  they  took  conspicuous  positions  in  the  new 
organizations. 

The  superintendent  reports  thirty-eight  institutes  as  having  been  held  in  the 
course  of  the  year  and  with  the  most  satisfactory  results.  So  warmly  interested 
were  the  teachers  of  the  State  in  the  maintenance  of  such  instrumentalities  for  their 
own  improvement  that  the  State  Teachers'  Association  assumed  the  responsibility 
of  maintaining  an  agent  in  the  field,  meeting  his  salary  and  expenses  by  direct 
appropriation  from  their  treasury,  never  too  full.  Of  his  services  Superintendent 
Powell  writes:  "  He  has  been  most  indefatigable  and  successful  in  his  labors.  Con- 
stantly on  -the  wing,  he  has  been  the  messenger  of  glad  tidings  to  all  parts  of  the 
State,  and  by  traveling  nights  and  laboring  days,  he  has  visited  fifty-six  counties, 
assisted  in  holding  nineteen  institutes,  and  delivered  no  less  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty- three  lectures."  This  energetic  and  tireless  missionary  was  Simeon  Wright, 
of  Whiteside  county.  He  subsequently  became  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  had  his  name  permanently  associated  with  the 
Illinois  State  Normal  University  by  its  adoption  by  one  of  the  literary  societies  of 
that  institution. 

As  was  to  be  expected,  there  was  an  immense  activity  in  the  building  of  school- 
houses.  In  the  two  years  embraced  by  vSuperintendent  Powell's  report  there  were 
more  than  twenty-four  hundred  schoolhouses  erected.  Respecting  them  the  report 
remarks:  "  Many  of  these  houses  take  the  place  of  the  old,  unsightly,  inhospitable 
log  pens,  which  once  'squatted'  about  in  the  obscure  corners  of  the.  highways. 
Although  an  improvement  upon  their  predecessors  a  large  majority  of  them  lack 
many  of  the  essential  characteristics  which  distinguish  the  schoolhouses  of  the  present 
day  from  those  which  had  an  existence  in  the  most  favored  portions  of  the  country  a 
quarter  of  a  century  since.  Many  of  them  are  seated  with  the  old,  inconvenient  and 
uncomely  pine  bench  of  the  last  century,  or  the  still  older  slab,  of  such  harrowing 
memories.  If  any  one  doubts  the  intimate  relation  between  a  good  schoolhouse  and 
a  good  school  let  him  enter  one  of  these  dilapidated  and  forlorn  specimens  of  bar- 
barity still  to  be  found  in  the  country  and  contemplate  its  gloomy  and  forbidding 
aspects;  let  him  note  the  open  crevices  between  the  logs,  the  rude  slab  seats,  slimy 
walls,  rough  and  filthy  floor,  if  floor  it  has  at  all,  and  after  he  has  carefully  observed 
all  of  these  let  him  turn  to  the  slovenly  and  unhappy  inmates  and  see  how  nearly 
their  looks  and  actions  correspond  with  surroundings;  how  exactly  their  recitations 
match  the  conditions  of  things." 

The  memory  of  the  writer  goes  "back  to  the  schoolhouses  of  central  Illinois  in 
the  year  1852.  The  frame  house  had  then  succeeded  the  log  cabiii,  but  the  backless 
bench  was  the  rule  for  most  of  the  schools.  A  shelf  was  fastened  to  the  wall  at  a 
slight  angle,  and  the  pupil,  upon  taking  his  seat,  deftly  turned  his  back  upon  the 
teacher  by  slipping  his  feet  over  the  bench  and  under  the  shelf.  Although  the 
arrangement  had  its  defects  it  was  not  without  certain  ameliorating  features.  A 
degree  of  solitude  was  secured  to  the  pupil  and  the  master  had  the  advantage  of 
keeping  the  boys  and  girls  under  surveillance  while  he  himself  was  on  their  blind  side. 


84  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

So  far  as  the  character  of  the  teaching  was  concerned  there  was  no  uniformity, 
for  here  and  there  were  men  of  education  and  good  breeding  who  were  getting  their 
start  in  a  new  country  by  serving  for  a  time  as  schoolmasters.  It  was  the  writer's 
good  fortune  to  be  a  pupil  of  such  a  man.  It  is  true  that  he  graduated  into  business 
only  to  be  a  defaulter  to  the  tune  of  some  thousands  of  dollars,  but  that  was  due  to 
his  evil  associations,  doubtless,  after  he  had  abandoned  the  moral  atmosphere  of 
the  school. 

This  report  is  memorable  for  the  vigorous  plea  made  by  the  superintendent  for  a 
more  adequate  supervision  of  the  schools.  He  quotes  eminent  and  abundant  author- 
ity, all  of  which  goes  to  show  the  "utter  futility  of  trying  to  operate  a  free-school 
system  without  proper  supervisory  agents."  Since  this  was  before  the  development 
of  our  modem  industrial  system  there  was  lacking  the  modem  object  lesson  in  con- 
stant and  intelligent  oversight  of  workers.  The  superintendent  was  without  clerical 
help  and  was  obliged  to  perform  the  menial  task  of  writing  all  of  his  official  letters 
with  his  own  hand.  Letters  poured  in  upon  him  from  all  parts  of  the  State  to  come 
and  assist  in  the  organization  of  schools,  to  untangle  the  complications  arising  from 
the  attempt  of  inefficient  officers  to  put  an  obscure  and  often  ambiguous  law  into 
effect,  and  to  win  over,  if  possible,  an  often  hostile  community  to  the  idea  of  estab- 
lishing and  maintaining  suitable  schools  for  their  young;  but  there  were  letters  to 
write  and  other  inconsequential  duties  to  be  performed  that  a  $40  clerk  was  abun- 
dantly equal  to,  but  to  the  wise  statesmen  under  the  dome  of  the  capitol  letter- 
writing  was  as  important  as  anything  else  so  far  as  the  schools  were  concerned. 

Enough  has  been  said  to  indicate  that  the  man  at  the  head  of  the  school  system 
understood  the  needs  of  the  situation.  He  saw  that  an  amendment  to  the  law 
which  should  provide  for  the  election  of  a  genuinely  competent  county  commis- 
sioner and  for  his  adequate  compensation  would  result  in  an  early  reform  of  the 
unfortunate  conditions  existing  in  nearly  all  parts  of  the  State.  His  ideal  is  not 
always  realized  even  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  a  full  half  century.  "  He  should 
be  at  once  an  acknowledged  gentleman,  a  practical  teacher  and  a  ripe  scholar.  A 
ready  public  speaker  and  a  good  writer,  he  should  have  had  experience  in  the  school- 
room and  among  men.  And  above  all,  he  should  have  love  for  the  undertaking, 
the  energy  to  succeed,  and  the  native  ability  and  tact  to  seize  hold  of  all  of  the  ele- 
ments at  his  control,  mould  them  at  his  will,  and  compel  success,  however  reluctant, 
to  crown  his  efforts." 

The  report  contains  the  first  vigorous  movement  toward  the  development  of 
school- district  libraries.  It  is  not  to  be  forgotten  that  the  State  was  heavily  in 
debt  and  was  making  strenuous  efforts  to  meet  its  obligations.  The  law  provided 
for  the  purchase  of  school  libraries  by  school  directors  and  for  the  payment  for  them 
out  of  funds  secured  by  general  taxation.  Superintendent  Powell  devised  a  scheme 
for  the  securing  of  the  libraries  through  their  voluntary  purchase  by  the  districts. 
He  seems  to  have  been  averse  to  the  employment  of  the  power  of  the  State,  offering 
the  over- worked  argument  that  a  thing  is  not  appreciated  unless  procured  through 
one's  own  effort.  He  selected  a  commission  of  competent  men  who  designated  four 
sets  of  books  in  which  there  were  no  duplicates,  each  to  cost  $50.  It  was  assumed 
that  any  district  could  afford  to  purchase  at  least  one  set,  while  the  well-to-do  dis- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  85 

tricts  could  easily  purchase  all.  With  so  simple  and  so  practical  an  arrangement 
it  was  believed  by  the  optimistic  official  that  at  least  ten  thousand  libraries  would 
be  in  operation  before  the  close  of  another  year.  It  goes  without  saying  that  his 
enthusiasm  distanced  the  actual  achievements  of  his  plan,  but  he  made  a  start  and 
his  efforts  were  not  wholly  without  results.  It  is  at  least  worth  knowing  that  the 
school  library  movement  is  about  as  old  as  the  school  law,  and  that  it  is  only  after 
an  approximate  half  century  of  agitation  that  even  our  present  moderate  success 
has  been  achieved. 

Another  topic  freely  discussed  by  Superintendent  Powell  is  the  union  graded 
schools.  To  advocate  their  adoption  was  to  antagonize  the  existing  academies.  He 
did  not  hesitate,  however,  to  "hew  to  the  line."  He  summarized  the  arguments 
advanced  by  the  private  schools  in  support  of  their  contention  that  it  was  impossible 
for  the  public  schools,  and  especially  the  rural  schools,  to  make  any  suitable  pro- 
vision for  the  education  of  the  older  pupils.  While  admitting  the  excellent  offices 
that  they  have  performed  in  the  education  of  the  people  he  does  not  hesitate  to 
characterize  them  as  greater  obstacles  to  the  progress  of  the  common  schools,  and, 
consequently,  to  the  general  education  of  the  children  of  the  people  than  all  other 
forces  combined.  He  declares  the  public  school  to  be  the  exemplification  of  the 
doctrine  of  republican  equality,  while  the  academy  is  in  the  nature  of  the  case  aristo- 
cratic and  exclusive.  Already  the  superiority  of  the  graded  school  had  served  to 
close  large  numbers  of  the  private  schools,  and  the  superintendent  entertained  the 
hope  that  the  good  work  of  extermination  might  continue  until  the  union  graded 
school  should  be  the  exclusive  occupant  of  the  educational  field. 

With  a  good  graded  school  in  every  village  it  is  not  altogether  easy  to  appreciate 
the  earnestness  of  the  plea  of  the  report.  It  seems  to  the  ordinary  reader  so  palpable 
a  necessity  of  a  good  school  system  that  an  elaborate  argument  for  its  adoption 
seems  a  waste  of  time  and  effort.  Let  it  be  remembered  by  the  student  of  to-day 
that  even  the  graded  school  is  a  recent  institution  and  came  to  its  own  only  through 
a  slow  period  of  evolution  and  because  of  the  earnest  endeavors  of  such  aggressive 
propagandists  as  the  writer  of  the  report  under  consideration. 

The  report  devotes  a  few  vigorous  and  unequivocal  pages  to  the  discussion  of  the 
question  of  Industrial  Education.  The  air  had  been  full  of  voices,  for  the  few  years 
last  past,  engaged  in  the  discussion  of  this  topic.  On  one  side  the  advocates  of  a 
Normal  school  and  on  the  other  the  friends  of  an  industrial  university  had  advanced 
their  arguments  and  rounded  up  their  followers.  .  The  Normal  school  men  had  won 
the  battle,  and  the  school  had  now  been  in  operation  for  more  than  a  year.  In  its 
proper  place  the  story  will  appear,  but  full  credit  should  be  given  to  this  retiring 
superintendent  for  the  impulse  which  he  gave  to  educational  movements  that  have 
meant  great  things  to  the  illustrious  commonwealth  which  he  was  trying  to  serve 
to  the  best  of  his  ability. 

In  closing  his  report  Superintendent  Powell  gives  a  summary  of  things  accom- 
plished within  the  period  covered  by  his  term  of  office.  It  will  throw  no  little  sun- 
shine upon  a  situation  that  is  represented  by  the  writers  of  the  time  as  being  in 
many  respects  exceedingly  disheartening. 

1.   The  establishment  of  a  State  Normal  University. 


86  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

2.  The  organization  of  a  system  of  school-district  Hbraries  and  the  introduction 
of  a  thousand  of  them  into  the  school  districts  of  the  State. 

3.  The  building  of  three  thousand  schoolhouses  in  the  various  school  districts  of 
the  State. 

4.  The  sustaining  of  free  schools  for  nearly  seven  months,  during  each  of  the 
school  years  of  1857  and  1858,  in  nearly  every  one  of  the  school  districts  of  the 
State. 

5.  The  organization  of  nearly  two  thousand  new  school  districts. 

6.  The  organization  of  over  fifty  institutes  in  the  various  counties. 

7.  The  conversion  of  over  two-thirds  of  the  private  academies  and  seminaries 
which  had  an  existence  at  the  beginning  of  this  period  into  public  graded  schools 
under  the  law. 

"8.  The  introduction  of  the  most  approved  school  furniture  and  apparatus  into  a 
considerable  number  of  the  schools. 

9.  The  awakening  and  building  up  of  an  all-powerful  and  constantly  increasing 
public  opinion,  in  all  portions  of  the  State  and  especially  the  southern,  in  favor  of 
public  education,  which  has  no  parallel  in  the  history  of  the  country. 

If  this  encouraging  enumeration  does  not  in  all  respects  tally  with  other  parts 
of  his  report  the  differences  may  be  explained  by  the  suggestion  that  one  does  not 
care  to  admit,  as  he  retires  from  office,  that  his  labors  have  been  in  vain.  That 
there  had  been  a  decided  improvement  does  not  admit  of  doubt.  That  school 
conditions  in  many  parts  of  the  State  were  still  in  a  most  deplorable  condition,  so 
far  as  school  appliances  and  school  teachers  were  concerned,  is  the  common  testimony 
of  many  who  contributed  to  the  report. 

With  the  close  of  the  administration  of  Superintendent  Powell  a  distinct  period 
in  our  educational  history  may  also  be  said  to  have  terminated  in  a  characteristic 
wa3^  There  is  to  be  an  intermediary  period  in  which  all  social  organizations  are  to 
be  greatly  disturbed,  for  the  war  is  near  at  hand,  but  a  free-school  law,  quite  worthy 
of  its  name,  is  on  the  statute  books  and  rapid  progress  is  now  inevitable.  More- 
over, Newton  Bateman  is  the  new  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  and  there 
is  to  be  a  substantial  continuity  of  tenure  in  the  office.  Before  leaving  this  stage  of 
our  educational  history  there  are  significant  achievements  whose  evolution  must  be 
recorded.  In  these  narrations  there  will  be  something  of  repetition,  of  necessity. 
It  will  only  serve  to  accent  events  that  are  worthy  of  repetition,  however. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  87 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FOUNDING   OF   THE   FIRST   NORMAL   SCHOOL   IN   THE 

MISSISSIPPI   VALLEY. 

THE  first  of  the  achievements  enumerated  by  Superintendent  Powell  was  the 
most  radically  significant  of  all.  There  is  no  better  place  to  tell  the  inter- 
esting story  than  at  this  point  in  the  narration  of  the  evolution  of  public 
education  in  Illinois.  It  illustrates  in  a  striking  way  the  value  to  a  commonwealth 
of  a  few  devoted  and  disinterested  men.  Although  something  more  than  a  half 
century  has  elapsed,  the  material  is  abundant  and  reliable  with  which  to  revive  that 
early  period  and  live  again  "in  the  thick  of  the  struggle.  And  it  must  be  accounted 
as  a  remarkable  accomplishment  when  the  conditions  then  existing  are  considered. 
The  law  of  1855  had  just  been  passed.  It  was  by  no  means  in  good  working  order. 
A  large  but  not  a  preponderating  part  of  the  population  had  not  yet  been  converted 
to  the  idea  of  the  public  school.  The  law  contained  so  many  defects  that  many  of 
its  friends  were  seriously  considering  the  advisability  of  repealing  it  in  its  entirety 
and  of  again  embarking  upon  the  uncertain  sea  of  legislative  possibilities.  That  at 
such  a  time  an  institution  of  a  kind  quite  new  to  American  experience  and  wholly 
unknown  to  the  very  large  majority  of  the  people  and  legislators  of  Illinois  should 
be  authorized  and  established  is  the  best  tribute  that  could  be  paid  to  a  group  of 
capable  and  heroic  men. 

It  will  be  recalled  that  in  the  chapter  on  the  Permanent  School  Funds  two  of 
the  seven  funds  are  designated  as  the  Seminary  Fund  and  the  College  Fund.  It 
will  further  be  remembered  that  the  lands  constituting  these  funds  were  disposed  of 
to  relieve  the  treasury  of  the  State  in  the  dire  extremity  in  which  it  found  itself 
because  its  revenues  were  inadequate  to  meet  its  current  expenses.  Although  the 
lands  were  gone  the  pledge  remained  that  the  interest  on  these  funds  should  be 
devoted  to  the  sacred  purpose  for  which  they  were  originally  intended. 

The  existence  of  this  obligation  of  the  State  was  a  matter  of  common  knowledge 
on  the  part  of  the  leading  educational  people.  There  was  not  a  single  struggling 
private  institution  of  higher  culture  in  the  State  but  dreamed  of  the  inexpressible 
relief  that  would  be  experienced  if  it  could  in  some  fashion  become  the  blessed 
recipient  of  the  coveted  interest.  A  cleavage  among  the  schoolmasters  left  on  one 
side  a  group  favorable  to  such  a  disposition  of  the  property  as  would  bring  relief  to 
the  existing  colleges,  and  on  the  other  side  a  larger  or  at  least  a  more  influential 
group  that  would  not  abide  such  an  abandonment  of  the  idea  of  a  State  institution  as 
would  be  implied  by  its  absorption  by  the  denominational  schools.  We  shall  dis- 
cover who  these  men  were  as  we  proceed. 


88  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

But  there  was  still  another  cleavage  in  one  of  these  two  parties  and  it  was  of  such 
a  character  as  to  jeopardize  the  plan  for  a  State  institution.  On  one  hand  there  was 
a  demand  for  an  industrial  university  in  which  there  should  be  a  coordinate  training 
of  hand  and  brain,  and  in  which  the  ideal  of  labor  and  learning,  happily  conjoined, 
should  be  realized.  That  there  were  prophets  in  those  days  can  be  more  easily 
appreciated  when  it  is  understood  that  the  time  under  consideration  was  more  than 
a  full  half-century  ago,  and  that  the  conception  so  warmly  espoused  and  so  per- 
sistently urged  is  only  now  becoming  one  of  the  accepted  axioms  of  modem  educa- 
tion. Opposed  to  this  group  was  another  with  whom  the  idea  of  a  Normal  school 
had  become  the  possible  solution  of  many  educational  difficulties.  It  has  been  seen 
that  this  suggestion  had  been  made  by  several  of  the  leading  educational  men. 
Massachusetts  had  made  a  start  at  Lexington  less  than  twenty  years  before.  She 
had  subseqtiently  added  others  to  that  single  institution.  Horace  Mann  had  become 
the  protagonist  of  the  Normal  school  movement.  His  splendid  abilities  and  his 
quenchless  ardor  had  fired  the  hearts  of  susceptible  leaders  everywhere.  He  was  at 
once  poet  and  prophet,  and  had  turned  his  back  upon  political  preferment  that  stood 
waiting  to  shower  honors  upon  him,  and  upon  business  success  with  its  glittering 
rewards  enticingly  displayed  before  him.  Others  had  caught  his  spirit,  and  some  of 
his  disciples  were  here  in  Illinois  and  were  working  as  ardently  for  the  establishing 
of  a  Normal  school  here  as  he  had  done  in  Massachusetts. 

Thus  far  there  has  been  no  other  annalist  that  compares  with  Mr.  W.  L.  Pillsbury 
in  the  thoroughness  with  which  he  has  treated  of  the  events  of  this  stirring  time. 
To  him  again  large  acknowledgment  is  made,  as  his  contribution  to  the  Report 
of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  for  the  years  1887-8  will  be  drawn  upon 
freely  for  material.  Any  reader  of  these  pages  who  desires  to  discover  a  fuller  state- 
ment than  space  will  here  permit  is  referred  to  that  admirable  article. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  an  Educational  Convention  that  met  at  Vandalia, 
then  the  capital  of  the  State,  in  1834,  in  the  month  of  December.  As  the  legis- 
lature was  to  meet  at  the  same  place  within  a  few  days  there  was  some  significance 
in  the  coincidence.  At  this  meeting  a  series  of  resolutions  was  adopted  in  which 
there  was  suggestion  to  the  effect  that  the  interest  on  the  College  and  Seminary 
Funds  could  be  wisely  used  in  training  teachers  for  the  public  schools  of  the  State. 
Some  two  months  later,  as  has  been  narrated  on  a  preceding  page,  Senator  William 
J.  Gatewood,  from  Gallatin  county,  introduced  a  bill  which  not  only  provided  for 
a  uniform  system  of  common  schools  throughout  the  State,  but  also  for  a  system 
of  county  seminaries,  whose  main  purpose  was  the  education  of  teachers.  The 
seminaries  were  to  be  supported  by  the  interest  on  these  two  interesting  funds. 
The  bill  failed  to  pass,  but  a  similar  bill,  in  the  last  particular,  was  more  successful 
many  years  later.  Senator  Gatewood  made  a  second  effort  to  secure  the  passage 
of  his  bill  two  years  later,  but  was  again  unsuccessful. 

In  1837,  Rev.  John  F.  Brooks,  of  whom  we  shall  hear  later  in  connection  with 
the  founding  of  Illinois  College,  attempted  the  management  of  a  school  for  teachers 
at  Waverly,  but  it  did  not  receive  sufficient  patronage  to  warrant  its  continuance, 
so  he  removed  it  to  Springfield  where  it  was  continued  in  a  modest  way  for  several 
years.     While  considerable  attention  was  paid  to  the  training  of  teachers,  or  rather, 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  89 

to  the  education  of  young  men  and  young  women  who  were  looking  toward  teaching, 
others  were  admitted  so  that  the  school  was  rather  an  academy  with  a  pedagogical 
inclination,  so  far  as  anything  was  known  of  pedagogy  in  those  early  days. 

In  one  of  the  publications  of  the  National  Bureau  of  Education  will  be  found  an 
interesting  account  of  the  Normal  school  ferment  in  New  England  from  the  early 
twenties  until  the  formation  of  the  Lexington  Normal  School,  in  1839.  Space  will 
not  permit  any  elaboration  of  that  effort  here,  so  it  must  suffice  to  say  that  the 
educational  leaders  of  Illinois  were  not  unaware  of  what  was  going  on  in  that 
portion  of  the  Union.  But  their  own  State  was  reaping  the  folly  of  the  internal 
improvement  craze,  and  there  was  no  hope  of  imitating  New  England. 

Mr.  Pillsbury  gives  credit  to  John  S.  Wright,  of  Chicago,  the  founder  of  The 
Prairie  Farmer,  for  agitating  the  Normal  school  question  as  early  as  1840.  There 
is  no  doubt  with  respect  to  his  attitude  in  1842,  for  he  then  published  an  editorial 
in  the  Union  Agriculturist  in  which  he  pleads  with  the  utmost  earnestness  for  the 
recognition  of  the  needs  of  the  schools  in  the  matter  of  an  improved  teaching  force, 
and  urges  upon  the  people  the  necessity  of  a  teachers'  seminary.  He  was  a  voice 
crying  in  the  wilderness,  however,  so  far  as  making  any  impression  upon  the  General 
Assembly  was  concerned. 

Mr.  Wright  was  a  tireless  worker  in  the  interests  of  popular  education,  and  in 
1844  he  called  an  educational  convention  that  met  in  Peoria.  Here  Rev.  D.  J. 
Pinckney,  of  Mount  Morris,  offered  a  resolution  which  was  adopted,  and  that  pro- 
posed the  New  York  plan  of  training  teachers,  as  the  Massachusetts  plan  of  a  separate 
institution  seemed  to  be  making  no  headway. 

Here  is  the  resolution: 

Resolved,  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  convention  the  interest  on  the  college  and  seminary  funds  in 
the  possession  of  the  State  ought  to  be  appHed  to  those  seminaries  in  the  State  that  will  establish  a 
teachers'  department,  to  be  distributed  according  to  the  number  of  teachers  instructed  and  rendered 
competent  for  the  discharge  of  a  teacher's  duty ;  reports  of  the  teachers  so  instructed  to  be  made  by 
the  principals  of  the  several  institutions. 

In  1847  the  matter  of  establishing  a  Normal  school  came  up  again,  and  this  time 
in  the  form  of  a  resolution  adopted  by  the  Senate.  The  committee  on  school  lands 
and  education  was  instructed  to  inquire  into  the  expediency  of  establishing  such  an 
institution,  to  be  maintained  by  the  income  from  the  College  and  Seminary  Funds 
and  also  from  the  School  Fund.     As  usual  nothing  came  of  it. 

The  Constitutional  Convention  of  1847  contained  one  man  who  was  devoted  to 
education.  He  had  received  his  inspiration  from  the  immortal  Pestalozzi,  whose 
school,  in  Switzerland,  he  had  attended,  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  himself  for 
the  work  of  teaching.  His  name  was  George  Bunsen.  Like  many  of  his  German 
compatriots  he  had  been  obliged  to  leave  his  native  country  because  of  his  pernicious 
activity  as  a  political  liberal.  He  had  been  a  teacher  for  several  years  and  continued 
in  the  same  calling  after  coming  to  this  country,  alternating  his  teaching  work  with 
agriculture.  Nothing  would  be  more  natural  than  that  he  should  most  cordially 
espouse  the  cause  of  the  Normal  school.  Nor  was  he  disposed  to  have  the  State 
engage  in  any  half-hearted  way  in  the  preparation  of  teachers.  He  introduced  into 
the  convention  a  series  of  resolutions  to  be  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Education. 


90  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

They  proposed  the  incorporation  into  the  organic  law  of  the  State  of  a  scheme  of 
professional  training  for  teachers.  This  plan,  in  brief,  was  as  follows:  The  State 
was  to  be  divided  into  a  number  of  school  districts,  at  the  center  of  each  of  which 
was  to  be  located  a  seminary  for  the  preparation  of  teachers.  The  head  of  the 
institution  was  to  be  selected  because  of  his  especial  fitness  for  the  position,  but  no 
clergyman  was  to  be  eligible.  Each  of  these  directors  was  to  be  the  superintendent 
of  schools  of  the  district  in  which  the  seminary  was  located.  In  addition  to  his 
duties  as  director  he  was  to  examine  all  teachers  desiring  employment  in  the  district 
and  to  supervise  the  management  of  all  schools.  He  was  to  be  supplied  with  a 
sufficient  number  of  assistants  to  make  his  scheme  practically  effective.  If  the  shade 
of  the  good  George  Bunsen  revisits  the  scenes  of  his  Illinois  experiences,  how  sincerely 
it  must  deplore  the  indifference  of  the  people  with  regard  to  the  professional  prepara- 
tion of  the  teachers  of  their  young.  It  is  a  notable  fact  that  the  Constitution  of 
1848  omitted  all  mention  of  education. 

The  idea  of  the  Normal  school  was  in  the  air,  however,  and  was  a  subject  of  fre- 
quent mention.  The  vSecretaries  of  state,  in  their  ex  officio  capacities  of  superin- 
tendents of  public  instruction,  made  mention  of  it  in  their  biennial  reports.  Teachers' 
conventions  adopted  resolutions  favoring  it,  and  in  1851,  Senator  Cloud,  of  Morgan 
county,  introduced  a  bill  so  unique  in  its  provisions  as  to  make  it  worthy  of  more 
than  passing  mention.  The  title  of  the  bill  was  as  follows:  "A  Bill  for  an  Act 
Organizing  a  State  University  for  the  Benefit  of  Popular  Education  and  for  Distrib- 
uting the  Income  of  the* College  and  Seminary  Fund."  It  provided  for  a  governing 
body  consisting  of  the  Governor,  the  Secretary  of  State  and  the  presidents  of  the 
colleges  complying  with  the  provisions  of  the  act.  They  were  to  constitute  "The 
Regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  Illinois."  An  examination  of  the  bill  dis- 
closes the  purpose  of  the  maker.  It  was  a  renewal  of  the  effort  to  divide  the  income 
from  the  two  funds  so  frequently  mentioned  among  the  colleges  of  the  State.  Each 
institution  eligible  to  participation  —  only  regularly  chartered  colleges  with  four- 
year  courses  and  at  least  a  president  and  two  additional  professors,  a  library  and 
apparatus  were  eligible  —  in  the  income  from  the  funds  must  instruct  gratuitously 
one  pupil  from  each  county  in  the  State,  or,  in  the  failure  of  such  pupils  to  apply 
for  instruction,  an  equal  number  may  be  received  from  anywhere.  Metes  and 
bounds  were  designated  so  that  the  participating  colleges  should  be  protected  and 
the  original  purpose  of  the  funds  protected.  The  "Regents"  were  to  perform  a 
function  similar  to  that  of  the  University  of  London.  They  were  to  have  general 
control  of  the  distribution  of  the  fund  and  were  also  to  have  authority  to  conduct 
examinations  and  grant  academic  degrees.  All  candidates  for  instruction  were  to 
give  an  approved  bond  obligating  them  to  teach  for  a  certain  time  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  State.  In  the  event  of  their  failure  to  fulfill  their  obligations  they 
were  to  pay  to  the  college  attended  a  specified  tuition  and  the  legal  rate  of  interest 
on  the  same  for  the  time  elapsing  since  leaving  the  school.  The  scheme  evidently 
had  been  carefully  elaborated,  but  it  failed  to  win  the  approval  of  the  lawmakers 
of  the  House,  although  it  passed  the  Senate. 

This  bill  was  evidently  under  examination  when  the  bill  that  was  finally  successful 
was  prepared.     The  resemblance  of  the  latter  to  the  former  in  certain  sections  is 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  91 

too  strong  to  admit  of  any  other  explanation.  It  served  to  keep  the  subject  before 
the  pubHc  mind,  and  thus  aided  in  the  formation  of  that  pubhc  opinion  which  six 
years  later  induced  the  legislature  to  take  definite  action. 

Mr.  Pillsbury  makes  note  of  an  interesting  fact  in  connection  with  this  bill.  He 
says:  "  Folded  in  the  bill  as  filed  in  the  office  of  Secretary  of  State  is  a  memorandum 
of  arguments  in  favor  of  the  measure,  written  out,  doubtless,  for  use  in  some  dis- 
cussion of  the  bill.  The  memorandum  is  of  value  as  showing  in  what  interest  the 
bill  was  prepared,  and  I  give  it  in  full." 

1.  The  cause  of  collegiate  education  has  a  right  to  this  fund. 

2.  It  is  the  first  effort  ever  made  to  qualify  and  send  out  a  suitable  number  of  teachers  for 
the  common  schools. 

3.  The  colleges  remunerate  the  State  actually  for  the  bestowment  by  the  education  of  its 
teachers. 

4.  The  teachers  remunerate  the  State  by  their  teaching. 

5.  The  colleges  of  the  State  are  satisfied  with  the  provisions  of  this  bill  and  their  abiUty  to 
benefit  the  cause  of  common-school  education  will  be  vastly  increased. 

6.  No  denominational  preferences  are  allowed  to  operate  for  or  against  the  equal  operation  of 
this  law. 

7.  The  University  will  ask  nothing  for  the  interest  of  past  years  of  this  fund,  but  only  the 
proper  appropriation  for  time  to  come. 

And  now  the  historic  struggle  to  get  possession  of  the  funds  assumed  a  new  phase. 
The  stalwart  Prof.  J.  B.  Turner,  of  Jacksonville,  attended  a  convention  of  teachers 
held  at  Granville  and  presented  to  that  body  a  plan  for  the  organization  of  a  State 
Industrial  University  to  be  supported  by  the  income  from  the  precious  funds.  He 
sharply  attacked  the  above  bill  presented  by  the  college  men  and  clearly  indicated 
the  inevitable  war  of  denominations  that  would  certainly  follow  such  a  disposition 
of  the  funds.  His  clear  vision  saw  in  the  scheme  only  failure  for  the  Normal-school 
idea.  It  would  be  the  attaching  of  "a  Normal  canoe  to  their  college  vessel"  and 
with  certain  disaster  to  the  canoe. 

An  Industrial  League  was  organized  to  further  the  interests  of  the  Turner  plan. 
It  coquetted  with  the  Normal  contingent  by  proposing  to  make  the  Normal  school 
a  department  of  the  university.  It  was  willing  to  use  the  Seminary  Fund  for  the 
immediate  establishment  of  that  department.  It  actively  engaged  in  the  propaganda 
for  the  two  succeeding  years  and  thus  aided  most  significantly  in  preparing  for  the 
final  event. 

In  1853  the  State  Teachers'  Institute,  the  forerunner  of  the  present  State  Teachers' 
Association,  was  organized.  This  was  a  memorable  event  in  Illinois  educational 
annals.  It  furnished  a  rallying  point  for  the  capable  men  who  were  shaping  affairs 
and  moving  irresistibly  to  great  consummations.  We  have  already  seen  how  they 
aided  in  getting  into  the  school  law  of  1855  the  provision  for  State  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction.  We  have  also  seen  something  of  their  contribution  toward 
the  passage  of  the  free-school  law.  We  are  now  to  see  how  they  accomplished  the 
third  of  their  projects,  the  establishing  of  the  State  Normal  School.  This  was  the 
measure  to  which  they  were  most  closely  related. 

Note  the  line-up :  The  college  men  are  willing  to  provide  professional  instruction 
in  return  for  the  possession  of  the  interest  on  the  funds.     The  university  advocates 


92  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

are  willing  to  make  a  strong  department  to  be  known  as  the  Normal  Department 
of  the  University.  The  Normal  school  contingent  will  consent  to  nothing  but  an 
independent  institution,  endowed  by  the  income  from  both  of  the  funds.  And  now 
the  new  association  comes  into  being.  At  first  the  common-school  teachers  had 
little  voice.  By  the  second  meeting,  which  was  held  in  Peoria  in  1854,  the  official 
complexion  had  materiall}^  changed,  for  a  few  men,  of  whom  we  shall  hear  later, 
men  of  tireless  energy  and  great  ability,  became  the  commanding  spirits  of  the 
convention.  Prominent  among  them  were  Newton  Bateman,  to  become  in  later 
years  a  great  State  superintendent ;  O.  C.  Blackmer,  afterward  to  be  a  conspicuous 
teacher  in  Chicago ;  Charles  E.  Hovey,  a  recent  importation  from  Massachusetts 
and  a  master  of  diplomacy;  and  the  inimitable  B.  G.  Roots,  to  be  known  from  one 
end  of  the  State  to  the  other  as  "  Father  Roots,  of  Egypt."  And  there  were  others; 
there  always  are.  At  this  meeting  there  was  an  unmistakable  indication  that  the 
tide  was  turning  toward  the  contention  of  the  Normal-school  group,  for  the  opposing 
propositions  were  voted  down. 

The  next  meeting  of  the  Institute  was  held  in  Springfield,  and  the  Normal-school 
sentiment  was  evidently  in  the  lead,  for  Mr.  Hovey  was  elected  president,  and  the 
university  movement  was  vigorously  opposed  on  the  plea  that  the  commanding 
themes  were  the  common  schools  and  the  Normal  schools.  There  was  also  a  new 
school  journal.  The  Illinois  Teacher,  and  Mr.  Hovey  was  the  editor.  There  was  a 
State  Board  of  Education,  a  creation  of  the  association,  and  its  members  were  pre- 
ponderatingly  Normal-school  men.  The  association  also  employed  a  State  Agent, 
one  Simeon  Wright,  and  he  was  of  the  same  sort.  And  Chicago  had  attached  a 
Normal  department  to  its  new  high  school  and  that  helped  the  cause.  The  man 
who  came  to  take  charge  of  it  was  a  Bridgewater  product,  Ira  Moore,  of  whom  we 
shall  hear  further.  A  year  later  the  City  of  Chicago  sought  a  superintendent  of 
schools  in  Massachusetts  and  returned  with  another  Normal-school  man,  William, 
H.  Wells,  the  principal  of  the  Westfield  Normal  School.  All  things  were  conspiring 
in  the  interests  of  the  Normal  school. 

Meanwhile  the  1856  meeting  of  the  association  was  coming  on.  It  was  held 
in  Chicago.  The  distinguished  Henry  Barnard,  of  Connecticut,  was  there  and 
declared  it  to  be  the  duty  of  the  State  to  provide  for  the  adequate  preparation  of  its 
teachers.  Mr.  Wells  discussed  teaching  as  a  scientific  procedure.  The  following 
resolution  was  introduced  and  vigorously  discussed: 

That  the  educational  interests  of  lUinois  demand  the  immediate  estabHshment  of  a  State  Normal 
School  for  the  education  of  teachers;  and,  in  the  language  of  the  Board  of  Education,  we  therefore 
recommend  an  appropriation  by  the  next  legislature  of  a  suflticient  sum  annually  for  the  next  five 
years  to  support  such  a  seminary  of  learning. 

Of  course  this  resolution  evoked  a  very  lively  discussion.  At  last  the  long  contest 
had  come  to  a  direct  issue.  The  passage  of  the  resolution  could  not  but  have  a 
profound  influence  upon  the  action  of  the  legislature,  for  the  men  who  were  engaged 
in  the  movement  were  influential  and  tireless.  Whatever  may  have  been  true  of 
the  chances  of  the  resolution  at  the  opening  of  the  debate,  there  was  no  question  of 
the  outcome  when  Newton  Bateman  arose  and  read  a  letter  written  a  few  days  before 
the  meeting  by  the  "noblest  Roman  of  them  all,"  Prof.  J.  B.  Turner.     He  had  been 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  93 

the  inspiration  of  the  Industrial  League.  He  had  clung  to  his  idea  of  coupling  the 
Normal  school  and  an  agricultural  school,  believing  that  the  latter  would  appeal  so 
profoundly  to  the  immediate  interests  of  the  people  as  to  secure  the  highest  success 
for  the  institution.  But  he  was  now  satisfied  that  the  Normal-school  people  had 
developed  the  wiser  plan,  and  after  stating  the  grounds  for  his  contention  he  closed 
with  the  following  statement: 

"It  is  high  time,  my  friends,  that  you  had  your  Normal  school,  whether  we  ever 
get  an  agricultural  department  to  it  or  not.  Let  us  all  take  hold  together  and 
obtain  it,  in  such  form  as  you  may,  on  the  whole,  think  best." 

When  Professor  Turner  came  over,  his  friends  followed.  The  Normal-school  fight 
was  practically  won,  so  far  as  the  educational  people  were  concerned.  As  Mr. 
Pillsbury  remarks,  in  his  interesting  description  of  the  memorable  struggle,  "  With- 
out this,  success  would  have  been  impossible.  The  concession  was  generous,  too, 
for  it  gave  over  to  the  Normal  school  not  only  the  Seminary  Fund,  to  which  it  could 
lay  a  good  claim,  but  the  College  Fund,  which  the  university  men  might  with  justice 
have  insisted  should  be  left  unappropriated  until  such  time  as  they  should  secure  a 
charter;  and  this  was  done  at  a  time  when,  as  yet,  it  was  not  clear  that  any  endow- 
ment could  be  secured  by  them  from  Congress."  The  association  at  once  appointed 
a  committee  to  secure  the  desired  legislation.  It  consisted  of  Simeon  Wright,  who 
had  been  acting  as  agent  for  the  association,  Charles  E.  Hovey,  who  had  been  brought 
out  from  Massachusetts  a  few  years  before  to  take  charge  of  a  private  school  in  Peoria, 
and  Daniel  Wilkins,  county  superintendent  of  schools  of  McLean  county.  These 
are  very  familiar  names  to  many  yet  living,  although  to  the  present  generation  they 
have  slight  significance. 

There  was  then  living,  in  the  town  of  Shelby ville,  a  lawyer  who  was  warmly 
interested  in  the  plans  of  the  schoolmasters.  His  name  was  S.  W.  Moulton.  He 
was  representing  his  district  in  the  lower  house  of  the  General  Assembly  and  agreed 
to  champion  the  bill  at  his  end  of  the  Capitol.  Two  years  before,  he  had  introduced 
the  bill  which  became  the  school  law  of  1855.  He  was  destined  to  be  connected 
with  the  governing  body  of  the  Normal  school  for  seventeen  years,  and  all  of  the 
time  as  president.  Capt.  J.  S.  Post,  of  Decatur,  took  charge  of  the  bill  in  the  Sen- 
ate. There  was  no  trouble  in  the  upper  house,  but  in  the  popular  branch  the  fight 
was  desperate.  The  measure  finally  won  with  only  a  single  vote  that  could  have 
been  spared.  One  of  the  members  of  the  House,  and  a  warm  friend  of  the  bill,  was 
Hon.  Shelby  M.  Cullom,  who  continues  to  represent  Illinois  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States  after  a  most  honorable  record  in  Congress  of  nearly  forty  years,  thirty- 
three  of  which  have  been  spent  in  the  upper  house.  He  is  one  of  the  few  survivors 
of  that  notable  group  who  honored  themselves  by  committing  the  State  to  the  policy 
of  educating  its  teachers.  Ninian  W.  Edwards,  the  retiring  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  and  William  H.  Powell,  the  incoming  Superintendent,  were  zealous 
workers  for  the  success  of  the  bill,  as  would  be  inferred  from  what  has  already  been 
cited  from  their  writings. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  a  State  Board  of  Education,  but  it  will  be  remembered 
that  it  was  the  creation  of  the  Teachers'  Association  and  not  of  a  legislative  statute. 
The  first  section  of  the  new  act  constituted  "  The  Board  of  Education  of  the  State 


94  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

of  Illinois"  as  the  governing  body  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University.  The 
title  is  a  formidable  one  and  has  sometimes  subjected  the  institution  to  embarrassing 
criticisms.  Several  gentlemen  had  to  do  with  the  drafting  of  the  bill,  but  the 
responsibility  for  the  name  of  the  institution  was  assumed  a  few  years  ago  b}^  a  resi- 
dent of  New  Jersey,  Dr.  Wilder  by  name,  who  happened  to  be  in  Illinois  at  the  time 
of  the  drawing  of  the  bill,  and  recommended  that  the  institution  be  called  a  Nor- 
mal University,  with  the  thought  that  the  name  might  be  of  service  at  some  future 
time  in  connection  with  possible  funds. 

Of  the  fifteen  members  of.  the  Board  not  one  now  survives.  Their  names  are 
familiar  to  but  few  of  the  schoolmasters  of  the  present,  yet  several  of  them  were 
conspicuous  in  their  time  in  political  and  legal  circles.  Simeon  Wright  was  a  well- 
known  teacher,  having  had  charge  of  a  private  school  at  the  village  of  Lee  Center, 
near  Amboy.  He  is  affectionately  remembered  by  venerable  residents  of  that  local- 
ity. His  name  designates  one  of  the  literary  societies  at  the  Normal  school  that 
he  labored  so  hard  to  bring  into  being.  He  died  in  the  early  seventies  and  was  buried 
at  Rock  Falls.  He  was  a  bom  "niixer, "  as  the  modem  phrase  goes,  and  rendered 
incalculable  service  to  the  cause  when  it  was  sorely  needed.  Ninian  W.  Edwards, 
the  first  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  has  received  frequent  mention  in  these 
pages.  He  was  a  member  of  the  board  for  two  years.  Daniel  Wilkins  was  a  clergy- 
man who  turned  schoolmaster  and  also  served  as  school  commissioner  for  McLean 
county.  He  is  gratefully  remembered  by  the  writer  of  these  pages,  who  received 
from  him  a  teacher's  certificate  to  teach  school  without  the  usual  formality  of  an 
examination,  all  of  which  was  some  forty-five  pleasant  years  ago.  Mention  has 
been  made  of  George  Bunsen,  who,  as  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1847,  attempted  to  secure  some  recognition  of  education  from  the  body  that  made 
so  signal  a  failure  in  its  attempt  to  produce  a  State  constitution.  He  was  the  best 
informed  member  of  the  board  in  educational  matters  and  took  the  warmest  interest 
in  the  work  of  the  school  after  it  had  begun  its  notable  career.  As  has  been  stated, 
he  was  a  pupil  of  Pestalozzi,  and  thus  links  this  institution  to  that  immortal  edu- 
cational reformer.  Flavel  Moseley  was  so  far  identified  with  education  as  to  be 
the  president  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  City  of  Chicago.  He  is  gratefully 
remembered  by  the  city,  as  one  of  the  schools  bears  his  name.  Barely  a  year  before, 
William  H.  Wells  had  been  called  from  the  principalship  of  the  Westfield  Normal 
School  in  Massachusetts,  to  take  charge  of  the  city  schools  of  Chicago.  He  was 
assumed  to  be  an  expert  in  that  slowly  developing  science  of  education  which  was 
beginning  to  be  talked  about  as  pedagogy.  He  is  well  remembered  by  those  who 
were  connected  with  the  school  in  its  early  history.  To  at  least  one  youth  he 
seemed  a  veritable  paragon  of  culture,  and  produced  an  impression  upon  his  mind 
that  almost  a  half  century  has  failed  to  dim.  The  intonation  of  his  voice,  the  sug- 
gestion of  semi-invalidism  or  of  delicate  health,  the  hint  of  the  scholar's  stoop,  the 
apt  quotation  from  Addison  as  if  he  had  been  repeating  the  remark  of  a  familiar 
friend  —  who  can  tell  what  great  events  in  a  human  life  may  be  determined  by  the 
casting  of  a  feather's  weight  into  a  balanced  scale?  Charles  E.  Hovey  was  another 
of  the  schoolmasters,  but  we  shall  hear  of  him  again. 

Of  the  remaining  eight  members  one  was  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  95 

tion,  who  was  a  member  ex  officio.  William  H.  Powell  held  the  position  at  that 
time.  Dr.  George  P.  Rex  resided  at  Perry,  Pike  county.  He  must  have  been  a 
teacher  at  some  earlier  period,  for  his  interest  in  the  institution  was  intense  and  led 
him  to  identify  himself  with  its  success  in  a  most  unequivocal  manner.  Of  John  J. 
Gillespie,  of  Jasper  county,  little  has  found  its  way  into  educational  annals.  The 
remaining  five  were  lawyers.  S.  W.  Moulton  has  already  received  mention.  He 
served  as  congressman-at-large  in  the  Thirty-ninth  Congress  and  for  two  subsequent 
terms  from  his  home  district.  He  was  a  familiar  figure  at  the  Normal  school  for 
many  years.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  attorneys  of  southern  Illinois,  as  his  prac- 
tice was  by  no  means  confined  to  his  own  immediate  neighborhood.  He  illustrated 
abundantly  the  admirable  service  that  one  outside  the  immediate  ranks  of  the 
professional  educational  folk  can  render  to  the  establishing  of  institutions  whose 
purpose  is  the  general  diffusion  of  knowledge.  We  shall  find  another  remarkable 
instance  of  the  same  sort  of  service  nearly  forty  years  later  when  the  new  Normal 
school  movement  was  on  in  Illinois.  John  R.  Eden,  of  Moultrie  county,  also  repre- 
sented his  district  in  Congress.  He  was  another  of  the  lawyer  people  who  had 
interests  outside  his  calling.  The  same  may  be  said  of  Wesley  Sloan,  of  Pope  county. 
He  must  have  done  missionary  work  in  his  community,  for  from  the  first  a  highway 
was  established  from  Golconda  to  the  school  and  the  grass  has  never  been  allowed 
to  grow  upon  it  from  that  day  to  this.  A.  R.  Shannon,  of  White  county,  served  a 
full  term  of  six  years,  but  was  not  subsequently  intimately  connected  with  the  school. 
C.  B.  Denio,  of  Galena,  must  have  been  of  material  service  in  securing  the  passage 
of  the  bill,  although  little  appears  in  the  accessible  accounts.  This  is  an  inference 
from  the  fact  that  he  was  an  influential  factor  in  determining  other  legislation.  He 
was  a  notable  wit,  being  the  chairman  of  the  "third  house"  in  subsequent  sessions 
of  the  legislatures.  This  extra-constitutional  chamber  will  be  recognized  as  the 
organized  lobby  which,  under  the  Constitution  of  1848,  did  not  encounter  the  limi- 
tations of  the  present  organic  law. 

These  were  the  men  who  were  to  usher  the  new  institution  into  life  by  determin- 
ing where  it  should  be  located  and  who  should  pilot  the  uncertain  venture  through 
the  precarious  years  of  its  infancy.  The  law  providing  for  the  establishing  of  the 
school  made  it  the  duty  of  the  board  to  invite  competing  bids  and  to  accept  the  most 
advantageous  one.  The  interest  of  the  university  and  seminary  fund,  or  such  portion 
as  might  be  found  necessary,  was  appropriated  for  the  support  of  the  school,  but 
not  a  penny  was  available  for  the  purchase  of  a  site  and  the  construction  of  a  suitable 
building.  It  is  evident  from  the  reading  of  the  law  that  not  only  was  it  expected 
that  the  equipment  would  be  furnished  through  the  desire  of  some  community  to 
possess  the  prize,  but  that  there  would  also  be  material  contribution  to  its  support 
from  the  same  source. 

When  the  occasion  calls  the  man  responds.  On  the  northern  edge  of  the  thriving 
village  of  Bloomington  lived  a  gentleman  who  concluded  that  a  State  Normal  Uni- 
versity would  be  a  suitable  adornment  for  the  suburb  which  he  had  recently  pro- 
jected. The  location  was  ideal.  It  was  near  the  central  meridian  of  the  State  and 
not  too  far  from  the  central  parallel  to  be  objectionable.  Its  place  in  the  heart  of 
the  com  belt  rendered  it  certain  that  it  would  always  be  surrounded  by  a  thrifty 


96  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

and  intelligent  population.  Moreover,  the  settlers  of  that  portion  of  the  State 
'were  in  the  main  immigrants  from  the  New  England  and  Middle  States,  with  a 
sprinkling  of  very  well-to-do  folk  from  Kentucky.  They  generally  believed  in 
education  and  might  be  expected  to  respond  generously  when  the  call  for  substantial 
inducements  should  be  made.  The  gentleman  himself  was  of  Quaker  forbears.  His 
name  was  Jesse  W.  Fell.  He  was  easily  the  best  man  in  Central  Illinois  to  under- 
take the  enterprise.  He  had  been  a  law  partner  of  Judge  David  Davis  and  was  the 
personal  friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  It  was  to  him  that  Mr.  Lincoln  addressed  the 
autobiographical  letter  that  was  used  in  the  memorable  campaign  of  1858.  Add  to 
these  qualifications  the  qualities  of  head  and  heart  that  had  won  the  warm  esteem 
and  complete  confidence  of  all  who.  knew  him  or  knew  of  him,  an  energy  that  was 
as  tireless  as  fate  and  a  liberality  that  seemed  at  times  almost  prodigal,  and  you 
have  the  ideal  leader  for  such  an  occasion. 

Bloomington,  therefore,  became  an  exceedingly  active  bidder  for  the  institution. 
The  towns  of  Washington,  in  Tazewell  county,  and  Batavia,  in  Kane  county,  entered 
the  field  with  offers  of  twenty  and  forty-five  thousand  dollars  respectively.  Little 
could  be  expected  from  towns  of  such  limited  resources,  but  when  Peoria  announced 
her  determination  to  carry  off  the  prize  Mr.  Fell  and  his  friends  were  genuinely 
alarmed.  Enthusiasm  was  at  fever  heat  in  the  latter  city.  Public  meetings  were 
held  for  the  purpose  of  arousing  a  spirit  of  intense  rivalry  and  for  appealing  to  local 
pride.  Mr.  Fell  was  not  well  known  in  the  city,  so  he  ventured  to  attend  some  of 
the  gatherings  and  by  the  exercise  of  the  shrewdness  which  was  one  of  his  marked 
characteristics  he  ascertained  a  fairly  approximate  idea  of  the  amount  of  the  city's 
offer.  Meanwhile  Bloomington  had  been  quietly  visited  by  a  Peoria  representative 
who  had  learned  from  an  indiscreet  insider  the  length  of  the  local  purse.  Deter- 
mined to  be  safe  beyond  the  possibility  of  failure  Mr.  Fell  secured  a  large  addition 
to  the  amount  that  was  generally  understood  as  ready  for  the  contest,  and  when 
the  board  held  the  meeting  for  receiving  the  proposals  it  was  found  that  Bloomington 
was  more  than  sixty  thousand  dollars  in  advance  of  its  chief  competitor.  The 
county  of  McLean  was  the  possessor  of  a  large  tract  of  "  swamp  "  land  and  the  county 
commissioners  determined  to  offer  it  as  its  part  of  the  subscription.  As  a  matter 
of  fact  McLean  county  never  had  an  acre  of  genuine  swamp  land  within  its  boundary. 
There  were  numerous  ponds  that  consisted  of  slight  depressions  in  the  prairies  and 
which  were  filled  by  the  spring  rains.  As  the  only  method  of  drainage  was  by  evap- 
oration they  presented  the  appearance  of  valueless  areas  akin  to  the  real  swamps 
of  other  States.  If  the  institution  could  have  retained  this  splendid  domain  it  would 
have  had  a  superb  endowment.  The  valuation  placed  upon  it  by  the  donors 
excited  some  opposition,  but  Bloomington  was  so  far  in  the  lead  that  the  board 
would  not  consider  the  objections  to  the  bid  and  at  the  meeting  for  the  determina- 
tion of  location  that  city  was  awarded  the  prize. 

Before  dismissing  this  important  incident  in  the  history  of  the  school  it  should 
be  added  that  there  was  a  string  attached  to  the  decision  of  the  board.  McLean 
county's  land  subscription  was  counted  at  seventy  thousand  dollars.  Fearing  that 
land  values  had  been  exaggerated  the  Bloomington  bidders  were  required  to  make  a 
bond  equal  to  the  amount  of  the  valuation,  the  condition  being  that  the  bond  should 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  97 

be  void  if  the  amount  should  be  reaUzed  on  the  land  within  ninety  days.  In  the 
event  of  failure  the  Peoria  bid  was  to  be  accepted.  But  nothing  could  dampen  the 
ardor  of  Mr.  Fell  and  his  friends.  It  goes  without  saying  that  he  was  the  moving 
spirit  and  fed  the  enthusiasm  of  his  coworkers  out  of  his  abundant  store.  Mr. 
Lincoln  drew  up  the  bond  and  Mr.  Fell  secured  the  signers,  so  all  went  merry  as  a 
marriage  bell.  Mr.  Fell's  subscription  was  the  largest  on  the  list,  amounting  to 
about  eleven  thousand  dollars.  He  was  not  a  wealthy  man,  but  it  was  probable 
that  he  would  derive  material  benefit  from  the  increase  of  value  in  his  holdings. 
Doubtless  that  possibility  had  weight  with  him ;  but  he  was  first  of  all  an  enthusiast 
for  popular  education.  He  was  never  so  happy  as  when  engaged  in  some  enterprise 
that  promised  advantage  to  society. 

One  of  the  donors  contributed  forty  acres  of  land  that  came  near  being  a  fatal 
gift.  It  was  his  original  idea  to  have  it  used  for  an  agricultural  experiment  station 
and  the  probabilities  are  that  he  so  indicated  on  the  subscription  paper.  The  three 
words,  "including  agricultural  chemistry,"  occurring  in  Section  4  of  the  law,  give 
color  to  the  contention  that  such  an  idea  was  in  the  minds  of  the  persons  who  drew 
the  bill.  In  the  fear  that  the  board  would  not  consider  a  subscription  paper,  bonds 
for  warranty  deeds  were  executed  by  all  donors  of  land  and  the  condition  was  over- 
looked. Adversity  overtaking  the  gift-maker  he  undertook  the  recovery  of  his  gift 
after  nearly  a  score  of  years  had  passed.  It  was  his  contention  that  the  conditions 
of  his  subscription  had  never  been  carried  out,  as  the  institution  had  not  developed 
an  agricultural  department.  In  1873  he  applied  to  the  Board  of  Education  for  a 
re-deeding  of  his  land  and  was  refused,  as  there  was  no  record  of  a  conditional  gift. 
When  he  drew  his  bond  he  was  too  anxious  to  secure  the  location  of  the  institution 
to  remember  his  modifying  qualification,  for  he  was  the  possessor  of  other  lands  and 
realized  the  signal  advantages  that  would  come  to  him  if  a  State  institution  should 
be  established  in  their  immediate  vicinity.  The  expected  appreciation  of  value 
came  as  a  matter  of  course,  but  he  proved  to  be  unequal  to  prosperity.  He  pursued 
his  case  with  a  degree  of  energy  that  would  have  won  competency  if  applied  to  any 
ordinary  business.  Many  prominent  people  were  disposed  to  aid  him,  some  of  them 
believing  that  he  had  a  just  cause  and  others  sympathizing  with  his  rnisfortunes. 
He  carried  his  case  into  the  courts,  but  they  ruled  against  him.  He  appealed  to  the 
General  Assembly  and  in  1883  that  body  passed  a  joint  resolution  directing  the 
board  to  re-deed  the  land.  This  it  declined  to  do,  figuratively  snapping  its  fingers 
in  the  face  of  that  august  body.  The  succeeding  legislature  placed  a  rider  on  the 
appropriation  bill  and  said  in  effect,  "  No  deed,  no  money. "  Wiser  counsel  prevailed, 
however ;  the  rider  was  removed  and  the  bill  passed. 

Defeated  in  this  direction  the  contestant  got  his  case  into  the  Supreme  Court,  and 
in  1887  that  tribunal  declared  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University  to  be  a  private 
institution.  Again  the  board  was  petitioned  to  restore  the  land,  and  again  the 
petitioner  met  with  a  refusal,  on  the  ground  that  the  members  of  the  board  would 
render  themselves  liable  for  the  performance  of  such  an  act  in  the  absence  of  a  court 
decree.  Despairing  of  success  by  any  other  means  the  petitioner  determined  to 
enjoin  the  State  Treasurer  from  paying  any  moneys  to  the  institution,  on  the  ground 
of  its  private  character. 

7- 


98  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

As  the  reader  may  imagine,  these  were  days  of  anxiety  for  the  managers  of  the 
institution,  as  the  writer  well  understands  for  he  was  its  president.  The  case  seemed 
to  be  without  a  parallel.'  Was  the  Normal  school,  which  had  come  into  being  through 
such  great  tribulation,  to  be  snuffed  out  as  a  result  of  one  man's  financial  disasters 
and  the  sympathy  of  friends  prominent  and  influential  in  the  community?  There 
was,  withal,  a  good  degree  of  confidence  in  the  idea  that  the  Supreme  Court  would 
find  a  way  to  save  an  institution  that  had  accomplished  so  much  for  the  common- 
wealth and  that  had  become  so  thoroughly  entrenched  in  the  regard  of  the  people. 
Before  the  decision  of  the  court  was  finall}^  rendered,  a  highh'  consolatory  suggestion 
was  made  to  the  head  of  the  institution  by  one  who  was  in  a  position  to  know  some- 
thing of  the  probabilities  in  the  case.  It  was  to  the  effect  that  the  Supreme  Court 
was  not  likely  to  destroy  one  of  the  great  educational  agencies  which  the  State  had 
fostered  for  so  many  years.  The  decision  appeared  soon  after  and  fully  settled  the 
status  of  the  institution  in  the  following  language : 

"  Normal  schools  are  public  institutions  which  the  State  has  a  right  to  establish 
and  maintain.  The  purpose  of  their  establishment  is  to  advance  the  public-school 
system  and  create  a  body  of  teachers  better  qualified  for  the  purpose  of  carrying 
out  the  policy  of  the  State  with  reference  to  free  schools." 

This  was  the  end  of  the  famous  "  Bakewell  Case"  which  for  almost  twenty  years 
threatened  the  permanenc}^  of  the  institution. 

The  location  of  the  institution  having  been  accomplished  at  the  Springfield  meet- 
ing of  the  board  on  May  5,  following  the  passage  of  the  bill,  there  remained  the 
necessity  of  electing  a  president  and  preparing  for  an  immediate  beginning  of  a 
building.  The  former  duty  was  delayed"  until  June  23.  This  meeting  was  held 
in  Bloomington  and  resulted  in  the  selection  of  Charles  E.  Hovey,  who  was  elected 
by  a  majorit}'  of  one  over  William  F.  Phelps,  of  New  Jersey.  Mr.  Hovey  entered 
at  once  upon  the  duties  of  his  office. 

The  building  committee  soon  secured  plans  for  the  building  and  the  contract  was 
let  and  the  work  begun  so  that  the  comer-stone  was  laid  September  29.  The  site 
was  out  on  the  open  prairie,  a  little  more  than  two  miles  north  of  the  Bloomington 
courthouse.  The  passer-by  who  admires  the  charming  campus  of  to-day  can  have 
little  conception  of  the  barrenness  of  that  treeless  plain  on  that  memorable  da>'  more 
than  a  half  centruy  ago.  The  writer  of  these  lines  had  on  several  occasions  in  his 
early  boyhood  ridden  across  the  unattractive  prairie,  its  only  inhabitants  being 
a  scurrying  wolf,  or  grazing  deer,  or  a  flock  of  wild  fowl  in  which  the  country  abounded. 
The  possibilities  of  an  educational  institution  crowded  with  young  men  and  young 
women  seemed  too  remote  a  thought  to  be  entertained  in  connection  with  such  a 
scene. 

Desirous  of  making  as  rapid  headway  as  possible  in  the  development  of  a  school, 
a  few  rooms  in  the  upper  story  of  a  small  building  in  Bloomington,  knowoi  as  Major's 
Hall,  were  rented,  and  on  the  fifth  of  October  the  long  expected  school  opened  its 
doors  to  students.  Six  young  men  and  thirteen  young  women  presented  themselves 
and  were  received  by  the  principal  and  Mr.  Ira  Moore,  the  recent  head  of  the  Chicago' 
Normal  School.  The  only  other  member  of  the  faculty  was  Miss  Mary  Brooks,  of 
Brimfield,  Illinois,  who  had  been  selected  as  teacher  of  a  model  school  in  which  were 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  99 

to  be  exemplified  the  new  methods  of  instructing  children.  The  school  grew  apace 
and  before  the  end  of  the  year  eighty-eight  students  were  enrolled. 

'Twere  long  to  tell  of  the  manifold  misfortunes  that  came  to  the  new  enterprise. 
It  was  alone  in  the  Mississippi  valley.  Only  nineteen  years  had  passed  since  "  Father" 
Pierce  had  met  his  three  students  at  the  beginning  of  the  first  American  Normal 
school,  at  Lexington,  Massachusetts.  The  people  knew  little  of  its  plans  and  purposes. 
The  financial  panic  of  1857  came  on  like  a  devastating  tempest  and  threatened  to 
wipe  out  all  of  the  pledges  of  financial  aid  upon  which  the  board  depended  for  the 
construction  of  the  building.  Three  years  of  struggle  against  difficulties  that  often 
seemed  overwhelming  were  to  pass  before  the  school  could  leave  its  cramped  quarters 
in  Bloomington  and  move  to  the  commodious  structure  that  had  been  waiting  to 
receive  them.  A  class  was  now  ready  to  graduate,  and  with  joyful  hearts  and  abound- 
ing enthusiasm  they  went  out  to  the  unfinished  building  and  celebrated  their  first 
commencement,  near  the  end  of  June,  1860. 

Through  those  troublous  years  one  dauntless  spirit  held  his  way  through  storm 
and  sunshine.  He  seemed  exhaustless  in  fertility  of  resource.  When  there  was  no 
money  in  sight  he  followed  the  trail  of  men  who  had  money,  until  they  yielded  to 
his  solicitations.  He  hesitated  at  no  personal  responsibility,  took  all  the  chances 
that  promised  any  furthering  of  the  project  that  was  nearest  his  heart,  spent  sleep- 
less nights,  saw  many  days  without  a  ray  of  sunshine,  but  at  last  his  great  task  was 
done.  He  knew  that  whatever  of  debts  had  accumulated  would  eventually  be  paid 
by  the  State  rather  than  to  see  the  enterprise  fail,  and  his  confidence  was  not  mis- 
placed. All  who  still  survive  those  days  of  educational  pioneering,  and  who  are 
informed  with  regard  to  the  conditions  that  prevailed,  unite  in  the  common 
opinion  that  without  the  leadership  of  Charles  E.  Hovey  the  Normal  school  would 
have  waited  long  before  it  became  a  reality  in  Illinois. 

Notwithstanding  the  tremendous  energy  that  Mr.  Hovey  had  put  into  the  found- 
ing and  starting  of  the  Normal  school  and  the  erection  of  its  permanent  home  out 
on  the  treeless  prairie  of  North  Bloomington,  he  did  not  remain  long  with  the  school. 
In  its  fourth  year  the  war  was  on.  The  young  men  were  drilling  on  the  campus 
and  a  martial  spirit  pervaded  the  institution.  It  looked  as  if  the  years  of  struggle 
to  secure  the  long-expected  teachers'  college  had  been  quite  profitless,  for  it  was 
now  threatened  with  complete  disintegration.  Mr.  Hovey  finally  promised  the 
young  men  that  if  they  would  hold  the  school  together  until  the  end  of  the  year 
they  would  all  go  together  in  the  same  regiment.  With  this  understanding,  studies 
were  resumed  and  the  ordinary  routine  continued  with  such  calmness  as  was  pos- 
sible when  every  breeze  brought  to  the  ears  of  the  students  the  clamor  of  the  noisy 
drums,  as  regiment  after  regiment  went  cheering  by  on  its  way  to  the  front.  The 
second  commencement  was  held,  the  Board  of  Education  made  arrangements  for 
an  acting  principal  for  the  presumably  brief  period  that  Mr.  Hovey  would  be  absent, 
and  the  sometime  principal  and  a  large  group  of  the  boys  donned  the  blue  and  marched 
off  to  the  South.  As  he  did  not  return  to  the  school,  the  interruption  being  longer 
than  was  anticipated,  and  as  we  shall  part  company  with  him  here,  it  is  fitting  that 
something  more  should  be  known  of  this  brilliant  and  tireless  man  who  was  for  a 
few  years  a  striking  figure  in  the  educational  activities  of  Illinois. 


100  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Charles  Edward  Hovey  was  born  in  the  town  of  Thetford,  Vermont,  on  the  26th 
day  of  April,  1827.  He  was  one  of  eleven  children,  four  of  whom  were  girls.  They 
were  a  wiry,  long-lived  race,  with  no  end  of  endurance  and  pluck.  At  the  age  of 
seven  he  was  sent  to  the  public  school,  a  couple  of  miles  away,  and  was  soon  made 
acquainted  with  the  "fragrant  birch."  His  father  was  a  farmer  and  he  alternated 
the  labors  of  the  farm  with  an  occasional  term  of  school  until  he  was  fifteen,  when  he 
began  his  career  as  a  teacher. 

He  was  soon  at  the  head  of  the  village  school  with  a  salar}^  of  $20  a  month,  and 
began  to  believe  in  himself  and  in  the  future.  His  second  effort  was  less  successful 
than  the  first,  however,  and  while  waiting  for  destiny  to  show  her  hand  he  "took  to 
the  woods"  and  became  a  lumberman.  But  the  love  of  culture  pursued  him  into 
the  solitudes,  and  in  1848  he  bade  farewell  to  the  logging  camp  and  entered  Dart- 
mouth College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1852,  supporting  himself  throughout  his 
whole  course  by  teaching  school. 

With  the  long-coveted  diploma  in  his  hands  the  great  question  of  choosing  a  pro- 
fession could  no  longer  be  deferred.  Like  many  before  him  and  since,  he  became  a 
teacher  without  intending  it.  He  drifted  down  to  Framingham,  Massachusetts, 
and  became  the  principal  of  the  academy  and  high  school.  In  a  brief  autobiography 
he  describes  the  "Preceptress"  as  a  paragon  of  grace  and  beauty.  After  an 
acquaintance  of  almost  a  half  century  with  her  the  writer  finds  himself  in  full 
accord  with  that  sentiment- 

In  1854  an  association  of  leading  citizens  of  Peoria,  Illinois,  determined  to  estab- 
lish a  school  for  boys  and  young  men  in  their  growing  city.  They  invited  him  to 
come  west  and  take  charge  of  their  new  enterprise.  Accompanied  by  the  "Pre- 
ceptress" he  arrived  in  Peoria  late  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year.  His  coming 
was  well-timed.  We  have  seen  how  he  was  soon  to  be  in  the  thick  of  the  fight  for 
all  good  things  in  the  way  of  public  education. 

The  dominating  sentiment  of  the  town  was  essentially  southern,  whicH  is  but 
another  way  of  saying  that  there  was  little  sentiment  favorable  to  public  schools. 
The  newcomer  had  imported  his  New  England  ideas  on  that  subject,  along  with  his 
other  belongings,  and  was  not  slow  in  giving  them  an  airing.  The  result  was  to  set 
the  conservatives  buzzing  about  his  ears  like  angry  hornets  whose  nests  had  been 
disturbed.  The  story  were  long  to  tell.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  the  sleepy  town 
awoke  one  morning  to  a  genuine  sensation.  The  pestilent  fellow  from  New  England, 
along  with  a  few  other  pestilent  fellows  of  his  ilk,  had  concocted  a  conspiracy  and 
actually  succeeded  in  securing  the  passage  of  an  act  by  the  General  Assembly  which 
amended  the  city  charter  and  left  the  chivalry  in  a  condition  of  helpless  paralysis, 
like  Braddock's  unfortunate  army,  of  which  the  genial  Autocrat  sings  — 

"******     Done  so  brown, 
Left  without  a  scalp  to  its  crown." 

And  this  was  really  the  beginning  of  the  great  public-school  system,  of  which, 
with  her  big  distilleries,  Peoria  is  so  proud.  So  it,  was  that  the  private  schools  came 
to  a  happy  death  and  lived  again  in  the  new  public  common  schools,  with  the  pesti- 
lent fellow  as  the  principal  of  the  high  school  and  superintendent  of  the  system. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  101 

We  have  already  heard  of  that  "fund,"  that  snug  and  substantial  "fund"  at  the 
disposal  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  how  the  schoolmasters  and  the  college  people 
had  wind  of  it  and  how  they  were  waiting  with  such  patience  as  they  could  command 
until  the  time  was  ripe  for  picking  it.  We  have  seen  how  it  was  that  with  the  assis- 
tance of  Hovey  and  Turner  and  Bateman  and  the  rest  of  the  shrewd  fellows  in 
the  public-school  party,  the  Normal  University  finally  succeeded  in  pocketing  it,  but 
not  much  has  been  said  of  Mr.  Hovey 's  part  in  the  proceedings. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  it  was  in  1854  that  the  Teachers'  Association  met  in 
Peoria.  It  was  his  introduction  to  the  Illinois  schoolmasters.  Guessing  as  to  the 
crowd  into  which  his  sympathies  would  take  him  would  be  an  easy  matter.  He 
went  to  the  Normal  contingent,  as  we  have  seen,  and  he  went  with  all  of  his  heart. 
He  was  a  very  large  reenforcement.  As  has  been  said  of  him,  he  was  tireless,  how 
tireless  only  those  who  knew  him  can  understand.  But  he  was  as  resourceful  as  he 
was  tireless,  and  he  was  pluck  to  the  backbone.  It  soon  became  apparent  that  an 
organ  was  needed,  so  the  Illinois  Teacher  was  launched  upon  the  uncertain  sea  of 
educational  journalism.  Hovey  took  hold  of  the  enterprise  and  assumed  the  editorial 
and  business  management.  The  "Preceptress"  handled  the  subscription  list  and 
personally  mailed  the  magazines.  In  a  single  year  the  list  ran  up  to  fifteen  hundred 
and  a  year  later  to  two  thousand. 

But  the  editor  had  larger  fish  to  fry,  and  left  the  Teacher  to  other  hands  after 
the  second  year.  He  had  made  good  use  of  his  opportunity.  He  had  found  an 
•audience  and  had  kept  the  Normal  school  idea  before  the  people.  We  have  seen 
how  Professor  Turner  and  his  followers  came  into  the  Normal  camp  and  how  the 
fight  was  thus  won,  and,  later,  how  the  legislature  passed  the  Normal  bill,  how  the 
board  located  the  institution  at  Normal  after  Jesse  Fell  had  beaten  all  other  com- 
petitors, and  how  Charles  E.  Hovey  was  elected  to  the  principalship  of  the  school. 

Pages  would  be  necessary  to  describe  adequately  the  misfortunes  that  were 
encountered  in  the  erection  of  the  building.  The  cornerstone  was  laid  on  the  29th 
of  September  following  the  passage  of  the  bill.  It  was  accompanied  with  imposing 
ceremonies.  A  cannie  Scot,  one  Robert  Bums  by  name,  has  remarked  shrewdly 
something  about  the  possibility  of  a  slip  'twixt  the  cup  and  the  lip.  Laying  comer- 
stones  is  the  merest  holiday  matter.  Building  hundred- thousand- dollar  buildings 
on  doubtful  subscriptions  and  in  times  of  financial  disaster  is  another  matter.  Three 
years  were  to  pass  before  the  structure  should  be  completed.  If  the  readers  of  these 
pages  care  to  know  how  it  was  done  without  money  let  them  look  into  the  History 
of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University. 

And  now  to  return  to  Mr.  Hovey 's  retirement  from  the  school.  He  determined 
to  do  a  bit  of  reconnoitering  on  his  own  account.  Accompanied  by  Mr.  Fell  he 
went  to  Washington  City  and  arrived  there  just  as  alarming  rumors  began  to  reach 
the  city  from  the  Virginia  side  of  the  river.  By  dint  of  strategy  and  pluck  they 
ran  the  guard  and  reached  Alexandria  in  time  to  mount  a  train  that  was  rushing 
reenforcements  to  the  front.  They  had  not  gone  far  before  they  concluded  that 
there  was  a  genuine  war  on,  for  they  soon  met  the  retreating  troops  on  their  way 
from  Bull  Run  to  the  Washington  camps  that  they  had  so  recently  left. 

In  consequence  of  what  he  saw  that  day  he  made  up  his  mind  that  he  was  more 


V  iiy?  y''  '^'^  '^  HU'B.    -EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

urgently  needed  as  a  soldier  than  as  a  schoolmaster,  so  he  returned  to  Normal  and 
began  the  work  of  raising  a  regiment.  This  was  soon  accomplished,  and  it  was  so 
largely  composed  of  Normal  students  and  teachers  that  it  was  known  as  the  "Normal" 
Regiment.  It  marched  away  to  the  front  to  render  notable  service  to  the  nation 
and  closed  the  career  of  Mr.  Hovey  as  a  teacher.  The  same  qualities  that  he 
exhibited  in  putting  the  Normal  school  upon  a  jjermanent  foundation  won  for  him 
rapid  promotion,  so  that  he  was  soon  wearing  the  stars  of  a  general.  He  was  con- 
nected with  the  schools  of  Illinois  less  than  a  half-score  of  years,  yet  so  vigorous  and 
successful  were  his  efforts  that  no  history  of  its  educational  development  would  be 
complete  that  omitted  his  contribution. 

Upon  his  retirement  from  the  army  he  removed  to  Washington  City,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  the  law  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  in  Novem- 
ber, 1897,  and  lies  in  the  National  Cemetery  near  the  old  Lee  mansion. 

Associates  of  President  Hovey. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  presence  of  Ira  E.  Moore,  on  the  opening  of  the 
Normal  school  in  1857.  He  continued  as  a  teacher  until  he  entered  the  army  in 
the  thirty- third  regiment  with  Mr.  Hovey.  As  Mr.  Hovey 's  time  was  mainly 
occupied  in  the  erection  of  the  school  building  out  on  the  prairies  to  the  north  the 
management  of  the  institution  on  its  educational  side  devolved  mainly  upon  Mr. 
Moore.  He  was  a  teacher  of  extraordinary  rigor  and  clearness,  and  the  reputation 
for  unusually  thorough  instruction  that  attached  to  the  school  for  many  years  was 
due  in  no  small  measure  to  the  impulse  in  that  direction  that  he  gave  in  the  four 
years  that  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  department  of  mathematics. 

Upon  his  return  from  the  army  he  went  west  and  subsequently  became  the  presi- 
dent of  the  State  Normal  School,  at  Los  Angeles,  California,  where  he  remained 
until  near  the  close  of  his  life. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  second  year  of  the  school,  Edwin  C.  Hewett,  a  graduate 
of  the  State  Normal  School  at  Bridgewater,  Massachusetts,  was  elected  to  the 
chair  of  geography  and  history.  Others  were  to  come  from  the  same  institution 
and  were  to  bring  the  spirit  of  Nicholas  Tillinghast,  the  principal  of  that  school,  to 
the  new  West.  Mr.  Hewett  was  connected  with  the  school  for  thirty-two  years, 
succeeding  to  the  presidency  in  January,  1876. 

When  Mr.  Hewett  cam.e  to  Illinois  little  attention  had  been  paid  to  anything 
approaching  a  definite  method  of  instruction  in  the  subject  of  geography.  His  ideas 
were  extraordinarily  clear  and  he  was  quite  as  exacting  in  his  demands  as  Mr.  Moore. 
It  is  probable  that  he  did  more  to  improve  the  character  of  the  instruction  in  that 
subject  than  any  other  of  the  early  teachers.  He  produced  a  profound  impression 
upon  his  pupils,  and  wherever  they  went  they  became  the  active  exponents  of  his 
ideas.     We  shall  have  occasion  to  refer  to  him  again. 

Another  of  the  early  teachers  was  Leander  H.  Potter.  He  was  a  man  of  liberal 
scholarship,  of  so  retiring  a  manner  that  it  approached  shyness,  but  w^as  so  accom- 
plished in  the  department  of  English  for  which  he  was  engaged  that  his  success  was 
notable.  He  entered  the  army  with  Mr.  Hovey  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant- 
colonel.     At  the  close  of  the  war  he  resumed  teaching  and  later  was  elected  to  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  103 

presidency  of  the  Soldiers'  College,  at  Fulton,  where  he  remained  for  several  years, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1879,  was  professor  of  literature  in  Knox  College. 

For  the  first  three  years  there  was  no  head  to  the  department  of  natural  science, 
the  work  in  the  several  subjects  being  distributed  among  the  teachers.  In  1858 
Joseph  Addison  Sewall,  a  State-of-Maine  man,  was  selected  for  the  position  with 
the  understanding  that  he  might  devote  two  years  to  preparation.  This  he  did  at 
Harvard  College  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  position  in  the  fall  of  1860. 
Dr.  Sewall  remained  with  the  school  for  eighteen  years,  becoming  president  of  the 
University  of  Colorado  in  1878.  He  has  for  some  years  been  a  resident  of  Denver. 
As  an  original  thinker  he  was  preeminent  in  the  early  faculty.  His  lectures  on 
scientific  and  allied  subjects  materially  strengthened  the  young  institution  in  the 
confidence  of  the  people  of  the  State. 

Dr.  Samuel  Willard,  from  whose  article  on  "Early  Education  in  Illinois"  liberal 
quotations  have  been  made,  was  also  a  member  of  the  faculty  for  a  time,  having 
charge  of  the  classes  in  history.  Dr.  Willard  went  from  Normal  to  Chicago,  where 
he  was  teacher  of  history  in  the  old  high  school  for  many  years.  He  is  still  a  resident 
of  that  city. 

Of  course  there  were  others  that  had  a  part  in  the  first  four  years  of  the  life  of  the 
institution.  Happily  two  histories  of  the  school  have  appeared,  and  there  has  been 
an  earnest  effort  to  do  justice  to  all  of  the  pioneers. 

With  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Hovey,  the  first  distinct  period  in  the  life  of  the 
Normal  University  closes,  although  many  of  the  problems  remained  unsolved  and 
passed  over  into  the  next  administration.  But  it  was  now  established  and  there 
was  slight  danger  that  it  would  be  discontinued.  It  is  to  pass  into  other  hands  and 
experience  great  changes.  The  narration  of  the  main  events  in  the  three  subsequent 
periods  in  the  life  of  the  school  may  be  left  to  later  pages. 


104  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  FREE-SCHOOL 
SYSTEM  OF  ILLINOIS. 

THE  free-school  law  of  Illinois,  in  force  July  1,  1911,  provides  for  the  following 
school  officers: 
1.  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  4.   Township  Treasurer. 

2.  County  Superintendent  of  Schools.  5.  School  Directors. 

3.  Trustees  of  Schools.  6.  Boards  of  Education. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  set  over  against  this  showing  the  features  of  the  school 
law  of  1855  and  trace  the  developments  of  the  various  offices.  Something  of  repe- 
tition will  of  necessity  appear,  but  the  convenience  of  reference  will  be  a  sufficient 
excuse  for  such  a  treatment. 

1.  The  election  of  a  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  with  duties  speci- 
fically prescribed  by  statute  and  with  a  salary  of  $1,500  a  year. 

2.  ,  The  election  of  a  School  Commissioner  with  duties  prescribed  by  law.  He  was 
to  receive  for  his  services  three  per  cent  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  school  lands, 
two  per  cent  of  the  amount  distributed  to  township  treasurers,  $1  each  for  the  exam- 
ining of  teachers  and  the  granting  of  certificates,  and  $2  a  day  for  visiting  schools. 

3.  The  school  district  was  made  the  territorial  unit  with  its  three  directors. 

4.  Directors  were  empowered  to  establish  school  libraries. 

5.  It  was  made  imperative  upon  the  directors  to  establish  a  sufficient  number  of 
schools  for  the  education  of  all  persons  between  the  ages  of  five  and  twenty-one, 
to  keep  such  schools  in  session  at  least  six  months  in  the  year  and  longer  if  possible, 
and  to  visit  each  school  in  the  district  by  at  least  one  of  their  number  every  month. 

6.  Their  relations  were  substantially  the  same  to  teachers  as  at  present,  except 
in  the  matter  of  visitation. 

7.  Teachers  were  required  to  hold  certificates  from  the  Commissioner  of  Schools. 

8.  Provision  was  made  for  the  election  of  a  county  treasurer. 

9.  The  law  provided  for  the  collection  of  a  two-mill  tax  levied  on  all  of  the  prop- 
erty of  the  State  and  distributed  on  the  same  basis  as  other  funds  for  school  purposes. 

10.  Levying  of  taxes  for  the  support  of  schools  and  for  the  building  of  school- 
houses,  etc. 

11.  The  word  "  white  "  was  retained  in  the  school  law,  but  a  section  provided  that 
all  taxes  collected  for  school  purposes  from  colored  persons  should  be  relumed  to 
them  upon  application  for  the  same. 

For  convenience  of  reference  the  historical  development  of  these  administrative 
instrumentalities  is  presented  under  appropriate  captions. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  105 

1.  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

No  provision  was  made  for  such  an  office  in  the  early  school  laws.  It  goes  without 
saying  that  its  necessity  would  appear  to  enlightened  school  men  early  in  the  devel- 
opment of  a  school  system.  It  must  be  remembered  that  Illinois,  unlike  the  States 
that  have  been  admitted  to  the  Union  within  the  last  half  century,  did  not  have  a 
rich  mine  of  precedents  to  explore  in  working  out  her  scheme  of  popular  education. 
New  England  had  handled  the  problem  with  vigor,  liberality  and  skill,  but  her 
example  had  little  influence  upon  our  communities.  The  students  of  her  efforts 
endeavored  to  inspire  our  people  with  her  spirit  and  enterprise,  but  a  depressing 
conservatism  possessed  the  masses  and  it  was  a  disheartening  task.  A  large  part 
of  the  early  settlers  were  from  a  portion  of  the  country  that  was  not  disposed  to 
take  kindly  to  the  leadership  of  Massachusetts  and  her  sisters. 

That  such  an  office  had  been  suggested  quite  early  in  the  history  of  the  State  is 
highly  probable,  for  Mr.  George  Churchill,  of  Madison  county,  introduced  a  bill, 
in  the  legislative  session  of  1838-9,  for  the  election  of  such  an  officer,  but  it  got  no 
farther  than  the  committee  to  which  it  was  referred.  This  is  by  no  means  the  only 
instance  in  which  Madison  county  men  were  identified  with  plans  that  promised 
educational  progress  long  before  the  enactment  of  the  law  of  1855. 

At  the  special  session  of  the  legislature  held  in  1839-40,  Senator  Richard  B.  Ser- 
vant, from  Randolph  county,  made  a  second  effort  to  provide  such  an  officer.  The 
bill  seems  to  have  excited  warm  discussion,  but  it  was  received  with  ridicule  rather 
than  with  favor,  one  Senator  opposing  it  on  the  grounds  of  expense.  Mr.  Pillsbury 
quotes  him  as  saying:  "Gentlemen  appeared  to  think  that  the  appointment  of  a 
schoolmaster-general  and  his  traveling  about  the  country  would  educate  our  chil- 
dren as  if  by  magic.  What  could  the  superintendent  learn  of  the  wants  and  condi- 
tions of  the  schools  more  than  is  known  by  the  representatives  of  the  people?  He 
was  for  such  a  system  of  common-school  education  as  would  diffuse  its  blessings  over 
the  State.  In  this  respect  he  yielded  to  none."  The  friends  of  the  measure  were 
willing  to  reduce  the  salary  of  the  office  to  $1,000  in  order  to  meet  the  objection 
raised  by  the  watch-dogs  of  the  treasury,  but  it  was  of  no  avail.  It  was  opposed 
from  another  quarter  by  the  assertion  that  at  least  nine  such  officers  were  needed, 
one  for  each  •  judicial  district,  and  that  one  would  be  a  waste  of  funds.  The  bill 
made  no  progress,  but  fourteen  senators  registered  their  votes  as  favorable  to  the 
measure,  and  that  was  at  least  a  promise  for  the  future. 

On  January  13,  1841,  a  memorial  prepared  by  a  committee  of  the  Illinois  State 
Education  Society  was  presented  to  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  General 
Assembly.     It  submits  the  following  petition  and  suggestions : 

Let  a  superintendent  of  common  schools  be  appointed  —  a  man  of  talents  and  yet  a  laborious 
and  self-denying  man ;  one  who  would  go  out  into  all  the  dark  corners,  as  well  as  bright  spots  of  the 
State,  and  labor  day  in  and  day  out  for  the  improvement  of  our  common  schools.  Such  a  man  would 
be  of  great  use,  not  only  in  awakening  the  public  to  the  importance  of  education,  but  for  the  col- 
lection of  facts  for  the  information  of  your  honorable  body  and  the  people.  He  would  associate  with 
all  classes  of  the  community,  from  the  cabin  to  the  mansion  —  from  the  humble  teacher  of  the  humblest 
school  to  the  most  learned  professor  —  and  advise  you  of  their  feelings  and  views.  He  would  note 
the  practical  operation  of  the  system,  and  suggest  for  your  consideration  where  it  could  be  improved. 


106  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

He  would  (a  matter  of  no  mean  moment  to  the  success  of  common-school  education)  do  much  toward 
bringing  about  a  steady  and  uniform  administration  of  the  law. 

Your  memorialists  would  also  suggest  that,  as  a  matter  of  economy,  a  man  of  established  virtue — - 
of  much  experience ;  one  who  is  familiar  with  the  habits  and  feelings  of  our  people ;  a  man  whose  mind 
is  well  disciplined — -should  be  placed  at  the  head  of  this  department.  The  interests  involved  are 
so  various,  so  momentous,  that  the  best  mind  in  the  State  should  be  set  to  watch  over  them.  Should 
the  right  sort  of  man  be  selected,  and  paid  out  of  the  general  school  fund,  he  will  save  to  the  general 
and  township  funds,  by  looking  after  their  interests  (aside  from  all  other  benefits  resulting  from  his 
labors)  a  sum  at  least  equal  to  his  salary. 

Your  memorialists  would  also  suggest,  that  if  any  regard  is  due  to  the  example  and  experience 
of  other  States,  who  have  found  a  superintendent  necessary  to  the  success  of  their  efforts  in  behalf 
of  common-school  education,  you  are  strongly  urged  thereby  to  appoint  a  superintendent  for  the 
State  of  Illinois. 

This  memorial  was  signed  by  twelve  members  of  the  committee. 

One  of  the  signers  merits  far  more  than  a  passing  mention,  not  only  in  connection 
with  the  topic  under  consideration  but  also  with  regard  to  the  whole  popular  edu- 
cation movement.  He  and  the  others  were  predestined  to  disappointment  at  this 
time,  for  the  'legislature  refused  to  incorporate  the  reform  into  the  School  Law 
of  1841,  which  repealed  all  previous  laws  and  created  a  new  act  of  one  hundred  and 
nine  sections.  John  S.  Wright,  however,  did  not  despair.  He  was  a  Massachusetts 
man  who  had  come  to  Chicago,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  in  1849.  Mr.  Pillsbury  is 
authority  for  the  statement  of  Hon.  John  D.  Caton,  eminent  in  the  early  history 
of  the  State,  that  "as  he  looked  back  over  the  past  and  noted  the  successive  steps 
in  the  progress  made  in  Illinois  and  the  neighboring  States  during  the  past  fifty 
years,  he  without  hesitation  gave  John  S.  Wright  the  credit  of  seeing  more  clearly 
than  any  one  else  he  had  known,  the  possibilities  of  this  part  of  the  country  and  just 
what  measures  must  be  taken  and  how,  to  make  these  possibilities  realities."  We- 
shall  hear  of  him  again  in  connection  with  other  projects  for  the  promotion  of 
education. 

In  the  following  year  Mr.  Wright  again  became  active  in  urging  the  State  Super- 
intendent movement.  In  the  March,  1842,  edition  of  the  Union  Agriculturist  he 
declared  editorially  that  "  Two  things  we  consider  absolutely  necessary  to  create 
a  system  of  common-school  instruction  adequate  to  the  needs  of  our  State  —  the 
appointment  of  a  competent  superintendent  and  the  establishment  of  a  teachers' 
seminary.  • 

"  The  appointment  of  a  superintendent  —  this  is  the  first  step  to  be  taken.  The 
members  of  the  legislature  have  not  the  means  of  learning  and  they  can  not  learn 
the  wants  of  the  State  for  educational  purposes  without  employing  a  competent 
agent,  who,  by  traveling  throughout  the  State,  will  acquire  facts  and  data  upon 
which  the  legislature  could  act  understandingly.  Such  a  man  would  not  merely 
visit  the  towns  and  villages  where  he  would  receive  sumptuous  entertainment  and 
have  the  pleasure  of  addressing  large  audiences,  but  he  would  go  into  the  sparse 
settlements,  and  by  mingling  with  the  farmers  and  obtaining  their  views  learn  what 
the  people  require.  He  would  address  public  meetings,  organize  societies  auxiliary 
to  the  Illinois  Education  Society,  and  awaken  a  deep  interest  in  the  subject  wher- 
ever he  went." 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  107 

In  the  November  aition  of  the  same  paper  Mr.  Wright  continues  an  editorial 
discussion  of  the  same  opic.  The  editorial  is  headed,  "A  Superintendent  of  Com- 
mon Schools."  It  is  to  long  to  be  transferred  bodily  to  these  columns  but  may  be 
found  in  full  in  the  Ilhiois  School  Report  of  1885-86.  The  purpose  of  the  editorial 
was  to  secure  the  circiation  of  a  petition  to  the  General  Assembly  to  so  amend 
the  School  Law  at  its  oming  session  as  to  provide  for  a  State  Superintendent  of 
Schools.  The  main  ofects  of  the  existing  law  are  dwelt  upon  and  the  great 
advantages  of  such  an  fficer  are  clearly  and  vigorously  presented. 

These  petitions  foud  their  way  in  considerable  numbers  to  the  members  of  the 
General  Assembly,  but  with  the  usual  result.  In  explanation  of  the  failure  of  the 
measure,  Mr.  Pillsburv says :  "It  was  a  bad  time  to  secure  any  legislation  looking 
to  the  expenditure  of  aoney,  for  the  people  had  not  recovered  from  the  financial 
revulsion  of  1837,  and'.he  State  was  on  the  verge  of  bankruptcy  from  the  complete 
collapse  of  its  giganticschemes  of  internal  improvements.  The  State  was  without 
means  to  pay  its  curreit  expenses  and  meet  interest  accrued  on  its  enormous  bonded 
debt  of  over  $15,000,00.  Its  warrants  were  not  worth  more  than  fifty  cents  on 
the  dollar.  The  Govenor,  in  a  message,  said  that  candles  worth  cash  thirty-seven 
and  a  half  cents  a  pond  cost  the  State  one  dollar  in  its  paper,  and  other  things  in 
proportion.  One  count;  petitioned  to  be  relieved  from  the  payment  of  taxes  on  the 
ground  that  all  of  the  money  in  the  county  would  not  suffice  to  pay  them." 

Whatever  may  havtbeen  true  of  others,  Mr.  Wright  did  not  give  up  the  battle. 
He  was  the  editor  of  'he  Prairie  Farmer,  an  agricultural  paper  that  had  the  field 
quite  to  itself  in  the  foties  and  the  fifties,  and  he  made  it  a  voice  for  those  who  were 
endeavoring  to  build  ^  school  system  in  those  early  days.  In  the  May  number, 
1844,  he  proposed  an  Educational  Convention  to  be  held  in  October  and  with  a 
preference  for  Peoria  a^its  meeting  place.  The  convention  was  held  and  continued 
its  sessions  for  three  dys.  A  report  of  the  meeting  may  be  found  in  the  volume 
from  which  the  preceding  quotation  was  made.  The  first  paragraph  of  the  report 
suggesting  amendment  to- the  school  law  runs  as  follows: 

The  Cominon  School  Onvention,  convened  at  Peoria,  October  9,  after  due  deliberation,  offered 
the  following  system  as  arandatory  to  our  common-school  laws: 

1.  That  there  be  one-general  State  Superintendent  appointed  by  the  Governor,  who  shall  have 
a  liberal  salary,  to  be  paid  )ut  of  the  State  treasury,  who  shall  visit  all  of  the  counties  of  the  State, 
so  far  as  practicable,  addres  the  people  on  the  subject  of  common  schools,  confer  with  the  county 
superintendents  as  to  the  hst  mode  to  be  adopted,  and  learn  from  them  the  condition  of  the  schools 
within  their  respective  couties  and  report  the  result  of  his  labors  to  the  next  General  Assembly, 
and  suggest  such  amendmcts  and  alterations  as  he  may  deem  necessary  to  perfect  a  general  system 
of  common  schools. 

This  memorial  conained  several  other  items  of  interest  which  will  come  up  in 
their  appropriate  connction.  It  was  written  in  full  by  Mr.  Wright,  the  secretary 
of  the  convention,  wb  presented  it  to  the  legislative  committees  and  gave  the 
arguments  for  the  addition  of  its  recommendations.  The  document  was  received 
with  sincere  respect  aud  it  was  ordered  that  5,000  copies  be  printed  for  the  use 
of  the  members  and  foithe  information  of  the  public.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
Mr.  Wright  had  sugges^d,  as  one  of  the  powers  of  the  contemplated  official,  the  grant- 


108  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

ing  of  State  certificates  to  teachers.  Indeed,  he  seems  to  have  anticipated  a  large 
share  of  the  reforms  that  the  last  half  century  has  succeeded  in  accomplishing. 

A  bill  was  introduced  containing  the  suggestions  of  the  memorial,  but  it  shared 
the  common  fate  of  reform  measures.  Many  of  the  features  recommended  were 
eliminated  by  successive  amendments.  One  thing  was  accomplished,  however,  for 
a  bill  making  the  Secretary  of  State  ex  officio  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 
ran  the  gauntlet  and  received  the  approval  of  the  Governor. 

The  office  of  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  was  created  by  an  act 
entitled,  "An  act  to  establish  and  maintain  common  schools,"  and  was  approved 
February  26,  1845.  The  fifth  section  of  this  act  made  it  the  duty  of  the  officer  to 
report  to  the  Governor,  on  or  before  the  fifteenth  day  of  December,  1846,  the  con- 
dition of  common  schools  in  the  several  counties  of  the  State ;  the  number  of  scholars 
in  each  county ;  the  number  taught  by  males,  and  by  females ;  the  number  of  scholars 
in  attendance  and  the  number  in  the  county  under  twenty  years  of  age ;  the  amount 
of  township  funds;  the  amount  annually  expended  for  schools;  the  amount  raised 
by  an  ad  valorem  tax;  the  number  of  schoolhouses,  together  with  such  other  infor- 
mation and  suggestions  as  he  may  deem  important,  in  relation  to  the  school  laws, 
and  the  means  of  promoting  common-school  education  throughout  the  State. 

First  Ex  Officio  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

The  honorable  Secretary  of  State  in  1845  was  Thompson  Campbell,  hence  upon 
him  devolved  the  honor  and  responsibility  of  the  first  ex  officio  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  The  first  report  from  the  new  office 
reached  its  destination  in  due  time  and  was  by  the  Governor  transmitted  to  the 
"Speaker  of  the  Senate  "  on  the  twenty-fifst  day  of  January,  1847.  Five  thousand 
copies  were  ordered  printed. 

In  securing  material  for  his  report  Mr.  Campbell  addressed  a  circular  to  each  of 
the  school  commissioners,  soliciting  the  information  to  be  embodied  in  his  report. 
It  is  an  interesting  comment  on  the  conditions  of  the  times  that  he  was  unable  to 
receive  replies  from  forty-five  of  them.  His  information,  therefore,  was  far  from 
complete.  The  duties  of  the  office  of  Secretary  of  State  were  enough  to  occupy  his 
entire  attention  and  it  was  with  regret  that  he  attempted  to  add  to  his  burdens  those 
of  the  new  office.  He  had  little  time  to  follow  up  the  delinquent  commissioners  and 
wrest  from  them  the  statistics  for  which  the  law  called.  The  following  summary 
will  be  found  instructive : 

In  the  fifty-seven  counties  reporting  there  were  1,592  schools,  46,814  scholars, 
155,715  persons  under  twenty  years  of  age,  1,328  schoolhouses,  and  1,535  teachers, 
of  whom  484  were  females.  The  amount  raised  by  taxation  is  $8,763,  and  the  average 
of  the  teachers'  wages  was  $12.90.  A  little  start  had  been  made  at  district  libraries 
as  twenty-one  were  reported.  Of  the  amount  raised  by  taxation  $5,204  came  from 
Cook  county.  To  point  a  moral  the  report  says:  "And  what  has  been  the  result? 
Their  schools  are  in  a  most  flourishing  condition.  They  have  erected  large  and 
elegant  schoolhouses,  procured  competent  and  accomplished  teachers,  and  have 
2,095  children  in  daily  attendance  at  these  nurseries  of  learning."  Let  us  indulge 
the  hope  that  the  salaries  averaged  more  than  $12.90. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  109 

It  is  useless  to  dwell  upon  these  statistics.  They  tell  their  own  story.  Illinois 
had  been  a  State  for  nearly  thirty  years,  yet  she  had  made  only  a  small  beginning 
in  the  direction  of  popular  education. 

Reference  has  been  made,  on  a  previous  page,  to  the  changes  in  the  law  by  the 
amendments  of  1845.  Under  the  discussion  of  the  topic.  The  Certification  of 
Teachers,  the  growth  of  requirements  will  be  exhibited.  Mr.  Campbell  was 
appealed  to  by  countless  correspondents  in  various  parts  of  the  State  in  behalf  of 
the  poor  teachers  whose  lack  of  requirements  doomed  them  to  retirement,  but  he 
urged  upon  the  examining  authorities  the  necessity  of  adhering  strictly  to  the  letter 
of  the  law. 

Under  the  Constitution  of  1818  the  Secretary  of  State  was  appointed  by  the 
governor.  -His  term  did  not  of  necessity  expire  with  that  of  the  governor  who 
appointed  him.  Lyman  Trumbull  was  acting  in  that  capacity  when  Governor 
Ford  assumed  office.  After  three  months  of  service  together,  radical  differences 
of  opinion  arose  between  them  and  Governor  Ford  removed  the  Secretary  and 
nominated  Thompson  Campbell  as  his  successor.  The  Senate  at  first  refused  to 
confirm  the  appointment,  but  wiser  counsels  subsequently  prevailed  and  Mr.  Camp- 
bell became  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  in  due  time  the  first  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction.  He  resigned  his  office  on  December  23,  1846.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1847,  from  Jo  Daviess  county,  and  engaged 
in  so  violent  a  debate  with  his  colleague  from  the  same  county  that  a  challenge  to 
a  duel  resulted.  Their  differences  were  to  be  adjusted  on  the  field  of  honor  some- 
where in  the  neighborhood  of  St.  Louis,  but  the  police  got  wind  of  the  threatened 
encounter  and  opportunely  interfered.  He  represented  his  district  in  the  thirty- 
second  Congress,  but  seems  to  have  occupied  no  other  positions  of  importance. 

Second  Ex  Officio  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

The  second  ex  officio  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  was  Horace  S.  Cooley, 
who  was  appointed  to  succeed  Mr.  Campbell,  December  23,  1846,  as  Secretary  of 
State.  He  was  the  first  incumbent  of  the  office  under  the  Constitution  of  1848, 
which  provided  for  the  election  of  that  officer.  He  died  April  2,  1850,  thus  holding 
the  office  of  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  for  more  than  three  years.  He 
was  succeeded  by  David  L.  Gregg,  of  Cook  county. 

In  an  earlier  chapter  the  events  of  his  administration  have  been  given  with 
some  fullness.  His  report  was  submitted  to  the  Governor  in  December,  1848.  He 
prepared  as  an  appendix  to  his  report  "An  Appeal  in  Behalf  of  Common  Schools," 
but  the  manuscript  was  mislaid  by  the  public  printer  and  was  not  discovered  until 
three  months  later.     It  appears,  therefore,  as  a  separate  publication. 

Third  Ex  Officio  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

The  third  ex  officio  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  was  David  L.  Gregg, 
who  served  in  that  capacity  for  something  less  than  two  years.  Mr.  Gregg  had  been 
a  member  of  the  thirteenth  General  Assembly  and  was  reelected  to  the  fourteenth. 
He  was  a  member  of  the   Constitutional   Convention  of  1847  and  a  presidential 


no  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

elector  in  1852.  His  report  was  submitted  to  the  Governor  on  January  10,  1853.  It 
was  very  brief,  consisting  of  an  inconsequential  introduction  written  by  himself,  a 
few  pages  of  statistical  information,  and  a  number  of  valuable  reports  from  the 
county  superintendents.  He  had  a  suggestion  with  regard  to  the  interest  on  the 
College  and  Seminary  Fund  which  undoubtedly  met  the  approval  of  the  college 
men,  for  he  recommended  that  a  portion  of  it  should  go  to  their  institutions  and 
the  rest  of  it  to  the  preparation  of  teachers.  He  discouraged  the  amending  of  the 
school  law,  yet  advised  such  a  change  as  should  give  greater  compensation  to  county 
superintendents  and  would  permit  a  majority  of  those  voting  to  determine  the 
amount  of  tax  to  be  levied  for  school  purposes,  instead  of  the  requirement  that  a 
majority  of  the  voters  of  the  district  must  so  express  their  desire.  He  reported  the 
average  wages  of  male  teachers  as  $20.59  and  of  female  teachers  as  $11:07.  There 
were  still  1,568  log  schoolhouses  against  925  frame,  137  brick  and  thirty-seven  stone. 
There  were  106  schoolhouses  with  more  than  one  room  and  108  school  libraries. 
This  discouraging  exhibit  was  from  but  seventy-four  counties.  A  fuller  report  might 
have  presented  a  more  cheering  outlook. 

Fourth  Ex  Officio  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

The  fourth  ex  officio  Superintendent  of  Public  Instiniction  was  Alexander  Starne. 
He  first  appears  in  Illinois  history  as  a  member  of  the  thirteenth  General  Assembly, 
from  Pike  county.  He  was  returned  to  the  House  in  the  fourteenth  and  after  six- 
teen years  was  elected  to  the  Senate  in  1870  and  reelected  to  the  same  position  four 
years  later.  In  1852  he  was  elected  Secretary  of  State  and  was  serving  as  ex  officio 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  when  the  law  was  changed.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  constitutional  convention  of  1870.  He  was  elected  State  Treasurer  in  1862 
and  was  recognized  as  a  man  of  prominence  in  his  party.     He  died  in  1882. 

In  the  fall  of  1853,  three  men,  who  were  the  first  to  move  in  the  organization  of 
the  State  Teachers'  Association,  went  to  Springfield  to  ask  Mr.  Starne;  in  his  capacity 
of  State  Superintendent,  to  call  an  educational  convention.  This  he  declined  to 
do,  but  consented  to  act  with  leading  educational  men  in  doing  so.  In  consequence 
his  name  heads  the  list  of  signers  issuing  the  call.  The  convention  met,  pursuant 
to  the  call,  on  December  26,  1853.  One  of  the  resolutions  reported  for  discussion 
by  the  committee  on  business  ran  as  follows:  "  That  the  convention  recommend  to 
the  legislature  the  creation  of  an  office  of  State  Superintendent  of  Common  Schools, 
with  a  sufficient  salary  to  secure  the  undivided  energies  of  a  man  in  all  respects  com- 
petent for  said  office." 

The  convention  resolved  to  appoint  a  committee  to  memorialize  the  legislature 
to  pass  acts  carrying  this  and  other  reforms  into  operation.  The  committee  con- 
sisted of  D.  C.  Ferguson,  of  Chicago;  C.  C.  Bonney,  of  Peoria;  Lucius  Loring,  of 
Lacon;  Prof.  W.  Goodfellow,  of  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University;  W.  H.  Powell, 
of  La  Salle  Institute. 

It  is  not  known  how  much  this  committee  had  to  do  with  legislation  on  the  subject 
here  considered,  but  Governor  Matteson  included  school  legislation  among  the 
topics  authorized  for  consideration  in  a  call  for  a  special  session  of  the  legislature 
to  convene  on  February  9,  1854.     He  laid  great  emphasis  upon  the  necessity  of 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  111 

early  legislation  in  that  direction,  and  thus  not  only  afforded  an  opportunity  for 
such  action  but  made  a  place  for  it  in  the  minds  of  the  members  by  his  sympathetic 
attitude. 

Hon.  Samuel  W.  Moulton,  of  Shelby  county,  was  chairman  of  the  House  commit- 
tee to  whom  the  proposition  respecting  the  State  Superintendent  was  referred.  He 
had  demonstrated  his  interest  in  popular  education  and  was  to  identify  himself 
with  the  Normal-school  movement  by  becoming  its  champion  in  the  House  three 
years  later  and  by  acting  as  president  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  State  of 
Illinois  for  many  years.  He  reported  a  bill  creating  the  desired  office  and  it  passed 
the  House  by  a  vote  of  forty  to  eleven  and  the  Senate  by  a  vote  of  sixteen  to  five. 
While  the  matter  was  pending  in  the  upper  house,  the  zealous  John  S.  Wright,  on 
the  24th  of  February,  1854,  sent  "To  the  Honorable  the  President  and  the  Senators 
of  the  State  of  Illinois ' '  a  communication  which  was  most  respectfully  received  and 
laid  before  the  Senate.     It  ran  as  follows: 

A  meeting  of  the  friends  of  education  was  held  in  Chicago  on  the  21st  inst.,  to  consider  the 
recommendation  of  his  Excellency  the  Governor,  to  create  the  office  of  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  when  the  following  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted: 

Resolved,  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  meeting,  the  cause  of  popular  education  in  this  State  requires 
the  appointment  of  an  efficient  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  with  a  salary  sufficiently  liberal 
to  command  the  services  of  a  gentleman  of  the  highest  talent  and  experience ;  and  that  this  meeting 
petition  the  legislature  of  this  State  to  create  such  an  office  at  the  present  session,  independent  of  any 
other  office  or  place. 

Resolved,  That  the  rapid  improvement  of  schools  in  those  States  where  efficient  and  faithful 
Superintendents  of  Public  Schools  have  been  employed  proves  beyond  question  the  advantage  and 
necessity  of  such  employment. 

The.  undersigned  had  the  honor  to  be  deputed  to  present  the  resolutions  to  the  legislature  and 
urge  the  necessity  of  this  office,  but  he  finds  with  deep  gratification  that  any  effort  on  his  part  is 
unnecessary.  The  action  of  the  House  of  Representatives  — ■  having  yesterday  passed  the  bill  creat- 
ing the  office,  with  only  eleven  dissenting  votes  —  strongly  indicates  the  concurrence  of  the  legis- 
lature in  the  earnest  appeal  of  the  Executive  in  behalf  of  this  office;  and  instead  of  outside  effort 
being  required  to  secure  the  adoption  of  the  measure,  the  frieinds  of  education  have  only  to  congratu- 
late themselves  that  at  length  a  legislature  is  convened  that  sees  the  necessity  of  doing  something 
more  than  has  hitherto  been  attempted  to  forward  the  great  interests  of  educating  the  people,  and 
that  the  first  step  in  the  onward  march  of  reform  is  to  get  a  wise,  judicious,  competent  head  to  our 
system  of  public  instruction,  having  no  other  duties  to  distract  his  attention  and  divide  his  efforts. 

May  we  not  hope  that  the  Senate  will  do  even  better  than  the  House  and  pass  this  bill  without 
even  one  dissenting  vote? 

I  would  respectfully  suggest  that  the  salary  ($1,500)  without  traveling  expenses  is  not  what  such 
an  officer  ought  to  be  paid;  but  probably  to  attempt  an  amendment  at  this  late  day  would  not  be 
expedient.  The  friends  of  education  will  supply  any  deficiency  in  the  salary  till  the  legislature  shall 
again  convene,  when  any  necessary  alteration  can  be  made. 

In  conclusion,  I  can  not  forbear  to  express  the  deep,  fervent  thanks  with  which  the  adoption  of  this 
measure  will  be  hailed  by  the  earnest,  devoted  friends  of  education  throughout  the  State.  It  is 
justly  regarded  —  more  than  any  one  object  presented  for  your  consideration  — -  as  the  measure  of  the 
session,  and  without  the  slightest  hesitation  or  doubt  will  I  pledge  the  united,  efficient  cooperation  of 
the  friends  of  education  in  the  support  of  the  superintendent  in  the  discharge  of  his  high,  respon- 
sible duties. 

God  grant  that  a  brighter  day  is  to  dawn  upon  us  —  that  such  a  system  of  education  may  be 
speedil)^  devised,  adopted  and  enforced  as  shall  give  to  every  child  within  our  borders,  be  he  high 


112  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

or  low,  rich  or  poor,  the  same  equal  and  sufficient  advantages  to  obtain  a  good  education,  and  qualify 
him  to  discharge  any  duties  in  life,  however  exalted  they  may  be. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be  Your  most  obedient  servant, 

John  S.  Wright. 

What  recompense  shall  a  people  return  to  one  who  devotes  himself  thus  disinter- 
estedly for  years  to  their  welfare  ?  How  can  the  historian  give  him  that  recognition 
that  will  preserve  his  name  from  the  quick  forgetfulness  of  the  years?  Let  the  chil- 
dren learn  of  his  long  service  in  their  behalf  and  pass  his  name  along  to  the  new 
generation  as  that  of  one  who  merits  the  endless  gratitude  of  a  great  people. 

Seven  days  later  the  Senate  passed  the  bill  with  the  vote  given  above.  And  at 
last  the  goal  is  won.  The  schools  have  their  superintendent.  And  what  have  the 
successive  occupants  of  that  high  office  not  done  in  the  promotion  of  the  cause  they 
were  elected  to  serve?  Realization  has  far  outrun  expectation  and  the  progress  of 
education  is  mainly  exhibited  by  a  narration  of  the  reforms  which  they  have  brought 
to  pass. 

By  an  error  in  the  law  it  was  provided  that  the  Superintendent  should  be  elected 
at  the  general  election  in  1855  and  every  two  years  thereafter.  Was  this  an  error 
of  an  engrossing  clerk?  There  was  no  general  election  in  1855.  It  also  provided 
that  the  Governor  should  appoint  a  fit  man  to  hold  the  office  until  the  election.  The 
duties  of  the  office  have  not  radically  changed  from  that  day  to  this,  but  the  first 
incumbent  was  to  recommend  the  most  approved  text-books,  maps,  charts  and 
apparatus,  and  to  urge  uniformity  in  the  use  of  the  same ;  and  it  was  made  his  duty 
to  report  a  bill  for  a  school  law,  as  is  shown  on  another  page. 

The  First  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

The  Governor  selected  as  the  first  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 
Hon.  Ninian  W.  Edwards,  a  brief  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere. 

He  faithfully  obeyed  his  instruction  with  regard  to  the  preparation  of  a  bill  for 
a  school  law.  He  was  far  in  advance  of  his  time  on  educational  lines,  as  may  clearly 
be  seen  by  a  perusal  of  what  he  submitted  to  the  consideration  of  the  General 
Assembly.  Had  that  honorable  body  seen  fit  to  enact  his  bill  into  a  law  Illinois 
would  have  had  a  statute  in  many  particulars  superior  to  what  now  ambiguously 
adorns  the  pages  of  her  statute  book. 

Because  of  the  error  in  the  law  his  appointment  held  until  the  general  election  of 
1856  and  enabled  him  to  hold  the  office  until  his  successor  was  chosen  and  qualified. 
He  engaged  in  the  exercise  of  his  duties  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm  and  industry. 
He  studied  existing  systems  and  combined  the  best  features  that  he  could  find  in 
all  of  them  in  his  draft  of  the  proposed  law.  This  done,  he  visited  all  of  the  counties 
in  the  State  and  instructed'  the  people  with  regard  to  its  provisions,  and  urged  them 
to  press  its  advantages  upon  the  attention  of  the  lawmakers.  The  bill  is  given  in 
full  on  an  earlier  page.  The  Teachers'  Institute  being  in  session  in  Peoria  he 
appeared  before  it  and  explained  what  he  had  done  for  the  consideration  of  the 
General  Assembly.  The  Institute  appointed  a  committee,  consisting  of  Bronson 
Murray,  C.  C.  Bonney  and  Simeon  Wright,  to  go  over  the  measure  and  pass  judg- 
ment upon  it  in  the  interests  of  the  organization. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  113 

The  bill  met  with  almost  unanimous  approval  in  the  Senate ;  there  were  but  three 
votes  against  it.  It  was  less  fortunate  in  the  House,  where  it  was  at  first  defeated, 
but  was  saved  by  a  reconsideration  and  by  the  sacrifice  of  some  of  its  most  valuable 
features,  notably  the  section  making  the  township  the  territorial  unit  instead  of  the 
district.  One  can  but  speculate  upon  what  might  have  been  accomplished  in  all 
of  these  intervening  years  but  for  the  defeat  of  that  single  section.  The  district 
system  then  fastened  upon  the  people  has  withstood  all  of  the  cannonading  that 
has  been  directed  against  it  for  a  full  half-century  and  is  to-day,  seemingly,  as  far 
from  deserved  death  as  ever. 

This  great  protagonist  of  educational  reform  was  astounded  by  what  he  found  in 
his  campaign  for  the  new  law.  Existing  conditions  were  anything  but  encouraging. 
There  was  nothing  approaching  a  unanimous  sentiment  in  favor  of  the  free-school 
system,  the  opposition  being  very  bitter  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State.  But 
the  method  of  collecting  and  distributing  the  State  tax  settled  the  matter  in  its 
favor.  Property  was  to  pay  the  bills,  and  the  distribution  was  made  on  such  a 
basis  as  to  favor  the  poorer  counties.  Two- thirds  of  the  income  went  to  the  coimties 
in  proportion  to  the  number  of  minors  and  the  remaining  third  on  the  area  of  the 
school  units.  Thus  the  enemies  of  the  measure  were  the  greatest  gainers.  Cook 
county  was  the  richest  of  the  counties  because  of  the  city  within  its  borders.  It 
paid  in  the  first  year  more  than  sixty  thousand  dollars  and  received  back  less  than 
half  that  amount.  The  other  thirty  thousand  went  to  the  poorer  counties,  which 
received  far  more  than  they  contributed.  The  two-mill  provision  was  always 
popular  in  the  sparsely  settled  districts  and  correspondingly  unpopular  in  the  centers 
of  population. 

Second  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

The  second  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  was  William  H.  Powell,  of  La 
Salle  county.  He  was  nominated  for  the  office  in  1856  by  the  delegates  of  the  new 
Republican  party  and  was  duly  elected  the  following  November.  The  term  was 
but  two  years  —  a  grave  mistake  which  was  soon  to  be  corrected.  So  brief  a  tenure 
was  fatal  to  any  superior  success,  as  one  was  no  sooner  beginning  to  be  at  home  in 
his  position  than  he  was  called  upon  to  fight  for  his  official  life. 

Some  of  the  historians  have  confounded  William  H.  Powell,  of  La  Salle  county, 
and  William  B.  Powell,  at  one  time  a  resident  of  La  Salle  county  but  later  a  resident 
of  Kane  county,  where  he  was  for  several  years  superintendent  of  the  schools  of 
Aurora.  Mr.  W.  B.  Powell  was  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  State  Superintendent 
in  1874,  being  the  nominee  of  the  Republican  party.  That  was  a  year  of  political 
upheavals  and  Mr.  Powell  went  down  to  defeat  with  his  party.  He  was  a  candidate 
for  the  nomination  four  years  later,  but  was  defeated  in  the  convention.  His  prom- 
inence in  connection  with  this  office  accounts  for  the  historical  error.  Mr.  Powell 
was  called  from  Aurora  to  the  superintendency  of  the  schools  of  Washington  City, 
where  he  remained  for  several  years  and  attained  a  most  enviable  repute.  He  will 
appear  elsewhere  in  these  chronicles. 

W.  H.  Powell  had  been  active  in  the  promotion  of  the  cause  of  education.  His 
name  appears  in  the  early  reports  of  teachers'  meetings,  especially  in  connection 


114  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

with  the  State  Teachers'  Institute.  He  was  elected  president  at  the  Peoria  meeting, 
in  1854.  At  the  Springfield  meeting  the  following  year,  the  Institute  determined 
to  express  its  preference  for  first  and  second  choice  of  a  candidate  for  the  office  of 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  Within  a  few  months  the  political  parties 
would  have  their  men  in  the  field  soliciting  the  votes  of  the  people.  It  was  an  effort 
to  eliminate  the  political  feature  in  the  selection  of  a  man  for  an  educational  office. 
It  was  thought  that  neither  party  would  care  to  run  the  risk  of  defeat  by  the  nom- 
ination of  a  man  who  should  be  unacceptable  to  the  school  people.  W.  H.  Powell, 
Newton  Bateman,  Ninian  W.  Edwards  and  Prof.  J.  B.  Turner  were  nominated  as 
candidates  for  the  ballots  of  the  Institute.  Mr.  Edwards  and  Professor  Turner 
declined  to  be  considered.  When  the  ballots  were  counted  it  was  found  that  Mr. 
Powell  had  received  twenty-four;  Mr.  Bateman,  seventeen;  Dr.  Cutcheon,  of  Peoria, 
four;  Simeon  Wright,  two;  Rev.  J.  Blanchard,  of  Knox  county,  three;  Rev.  J.  F. 
Brooks,  four.  Dr.  Cutcheon  does  not  again  appear  in  educational  history.  Mr. 
Brooks  was  a  zealous  worker  for  education,  but  only  incidentally.  Simeon  Wright 
was  a  most  useful  and  most  skilful  worker  with  men  and  receives  merited  mention 
elsewhere.  Mr.  Blanchard  will  again  appear  as  a  college  president.  Dr.  Bateman 's 
name  was  to  become  a  household  word. 

An  attempt  was  made  to  nominate  Mr.  Powell  for  first  choice  by  acclamation, 
but  it  was  unsuccessful,  Mr.  Bateman  receiving  thirty-four  votes  to  his  twenty-six. 
When  it  is  remembered  that  Mr.  Powell  was  nominated  by  one  of  the  great  political 
parties  and  elected  by  the  people  it  will  be  seen  that  what  the  teachers  in  their 
Institute  had  to  say  about  the  matter  counted  for  something  so  far  as  their  second 
choice  was  concerned. 

Under  another  caption  will  be  found  a  discussion  of  the  administration  and 
reports  of  Mr.  Powell. 

Third  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction, 

The  third  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  was  Newton  Bateman.  In  1855, 
the  Teachers'  Institute  held  its  annual  session  at  Springfield.  Mr.  Bateman  was 
at  that  time  principal  of  the  West  Side  Union  School  at  Jacksonville,  and  was  also 
the  county  superintendent  for  Morgan  county.  He  was  present  at  this  session  of 
the  Institute  and  came  to  the  front  by  natural  gravitation.  The  record  says  that 
he  "  delivered  an  instructive  and  interesting  address  upon  the  subject  of  popular 
fallacies  in  teaching."  He  made  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  School  Govern- 
ment, for  which  he  received  the  cordial  thanks  of  the  Institute.  It  is  thus  seen 
that  he  was  already  prominent  among  the  school  people.  He  was  now  thirty-three 
years  of  age  and  at  the  threshold  of  his  notable  career.  A  friend  who  knew  him 
intimately  thus  writes  to  Mr.  Pillsbury  about  him:  "  Newton  Bateman  came  to  the 
office  as  the  second  elected  superintendent  while  the  office  was  yet  a  new  one,  and 
it  was  his  lot  to  shape  its  work  so  far  as  it  was  not  shaped  by  law.  He  had  the  great 
advantage  of  enjoying  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  the  teachers  of  Illinois,  and 
^  this  he  never  lost.  His  work  was  partly  official,  i.  e.,  what  by  law  falls  to  the  office; 
but  I  think  his  reports  and  discussions  of  educational  questions,  his  addresses  to  the 
people  and  teachers,  his  work  with  the  legislature  to  secure  amendments  to  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  115 

law  from  time  to  time  and  to  prevent  unwise  tampering  with  it  —  these  held  the 
public  confidence  and  did  great  good.  He  had  good  judgment  on  questions  brought 
officially  before  him;  he  was  judicial  and  judicious.  He  has  been  called  the  Horace 
Mann  of  the  West;  but  he  was  less  original  than  Mann  and  less  a  warrior;  he  had 
less  opposition.  His  work  was  a  steady,  judicious  pressure  upon  public  opinion, 
and  upon  the  character  and  work  of  teachers  to  elevate  and  inspire  both.  He  was 
no  politician;  he  was  able  to  carry  his  points  in  legislation  by  their  considerate 
reasonableness,  and  not  by  urgency  or  balancing  of  interests.  He  felt  deeply  on 
all  subjects ;  during  the  war  he  bore  the  burden  of  every  battle  as  if  his  own  brother 
and  children  were  wounded  and  slain.  So  he  carried  his  sympathy,  his  feelings, 
his  sense  of  justice  into  all  his  vast  correspondence." 

Newton  Bateman  was  bom  at  Fairfield,  New  Jersey,  on  July  27,  1822.  He  was 
descended  from  English  and  Scotch  ancestors  and  bore  in  his  person  and  his  char- 
acter the  marks  of  both.  His  parents  came  to  Illinois  in  1833,  and  the  boy  of  eleven 
began  the  life  of  a  western  pioneer.  He  early  developed  a  love  for  learning 
and  through  his  own  efforts  won  his  education,  graduating  from  Illinois  College 
in  1843. 

The  original  idea  of  his  alma  mater  was  the  preparation  of  young  men  for  the 
Christian  ministry,  and  his  susceptible  nature  ardently  responded  to  the  influences 
that  environed  him.  Immediately  after  graduation  he  entered  Lane  Theological 
Seminary,  where  he  remained  for  one  year.  Finding  his  health  unequal  to  the  task 
of  completing  his  course  he  gave  up  his  ambition  and  spent  a  year  in  travel.  In 
1845  he  became  a  teacher,  engaging  as  instructor  in  an  English  and  classical  school 
in  St.  Louis.  He  had  found  his  life-work,  and  henceforward  devoted  himself  to  it 
without  interruption,  for  the  rest  of  his  working  life.  Without  the  laying  on  of 
hands  and  of  clerical  anointing  he  was  to  become  a  preacher,  a  lay  preacher  of  per- 
sonal and  national  righteousness,  until  the  end.  His  early  predilection  strongly 
marked  his  attitude  toward  all  questions  and  even  gave  a  certain  character  to  his 
dress,  for  he  could  easily  have  been  mistaken  by  his  appearance  for  a  clergyman. 
He  was  short  of  stature,  with  a  large,  well-shaped  head,  a  stout  frame  and  a  sensitive 
and  sympathetic  face.  Occasional  excerpts  from  his  reports  will  indicate  his  fond- 
ness for  the  themes  that  engaged  his  eloquent  pen.  He  was  widely  known  as  an 
orator  of  unusual  power  and  was  recognized  as  an  educational  leader  of  national 
repute. 

From  1847  to  1851  he  was  professor  of  mathematics  in  St.  Charles  College,  Mis- 
souri. In  the  latter  year  he  returned  to  Jacksonville  and  became  the  principal  of 
the  West  Side  Union  School.  He  remained  there  for  seven  years;  during  the  last 
four  he  added  to  his  regular  duties  those  of  county  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Morgan  county.  In  1858  he  was  nominated  and  elected  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  assumed  the  duties  of  that  office  in  January, 
1859.  He  was  soon  thrown  into  intimate  personal  relations  with  Abraham  Lincoln 
and  enjoyed  the  warm  friendship  of  the  great  Emancipator.  A  completer  biography 
will  be  found  on  a  later  page. 

His  first  report  is  a  small  volume  of  132  pages.  It  was  submitted  to  Governor 
Wood  on  the  15th  day  of  December,  1860.     The  country  was  aflame  with  excite- 


116  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

ment  and  the  trying  years,  the  pitiful  years,  the  heroic  years,  were  immediately 
before  the  unhappy  country. 

As  Mr.  Bateman  was  now  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his  responsible  office  he 
deemed  it  wise  to  lay  down  the  fundamental  principles  out  of  which  systems  of 
public  insti*uction  at  state  expense  and  under  state  and  local  control  emerge,  and  to 
judge  of  existing  instrumentalities  from  the  standpoint  which  they  afford.  He 
says:  "These  principles  are:  The  just  moral  claim  of  every  child  in  the  common- 
wealth to  an  education  commensurate  with  the  importance  and  dignity  of  his  obliga- 
tions and  duties  as  an  upright  and  loyal  citizen ;  the  corresponding  obligation  of  the 
State  to  make  adequate  provision  for  such  an  education  for  all ;  the  inseparable  rela- 
tion of  universal  intelligence  and  probity  to  the  strength  and  perpetuity  of  a  repub- 
lican government. 

"Recognizing  the  truth  and  validity  of  these  principles  and  the  duty  of  incor- 
porating them  more  fully  into  the  permanent  educational  policy  of  the  State,  the 
General  Assembly,  in  February,  1855,  passed  '  An  Act  to  Establish  and  Maintain  a 
System  of  Free  Schools.'  This  was  the  first  strictly  free-school  law  ever  adopted  in 
the  State,  and  although  amended  in  1857  and  1859,  most  of  its  essential  provisions 
remain  unchanged. 

"  Notwithstanding  acknowledged  imperfections,  the  educational  interests  have 
advanced  and  are  now  advancing,  under  the  beneficent  provisions  of  this  act,  with 
a  steadiness  and  rapidity  scarcely  anticipated  by  the  most  sanguine  of  its  friends, 
and  which  may  challenge  comparison  with  the  progress  achieved  in  any  other  State 
within  the  same  number  of  years." 

The  statistical  information  is  extremely  interesting  to  the  student  of  social  prog- 
ress. The  number  of  schools  is  increasing  at  the  rate  of  approximately  800  a  year. 
The  number  of  male  teachers  exceeds  the  number  of  female  teachers  by  about 
2,000.  That  condition  of  things  will  soon  suffer  radical  change,  for  the  bugles  will 
call  the  young  men  of  the  country  to  the  tented  field  and  the  women  will  take  their 
places  in  the  school. 

The  highest  monthly  wage  for  a  man  in  1860  was  $180  and  for  a  woman  was  $75. 
Set  over  against  these  figures  $8  and  $4,  respectively,  as  the  minimum  wages.  It  is 
evident  that  the  high  figures  represent  isolated  cases,  as  the  average  monthly  wage 
for  men  in  1859  was  but  $29.42  and  the  following  year  was  60  cents  less,  while  for 
women  they  were  $19.20  in  1859  and  but  $18.80  in  1860.  These  exhibits  hardly 
sustain  Superintendent  Bateman 's  optimistic  note  of  progress.  County  institutes 
were  held  in  forty-four  counties,  indicating  that  this  agency  for  the  preparation  of 
teachers  was  coming  into  use. 

The  period  from  1856  to  1860  was  marked  by  extreme  financial  depression.  The 
effect  upon  the  schools  is  indicated  by  the  reduction  of  the  average  monthly  wages 
of  male  teachers  from  $45.33  to  $28.82  and  of  female  teachers  from  $27.10  to  $18.80. 
Teachers'  salaries  are  among  the  first  to  drop  in  times  of  financial  stress  and  among 
the  latest  to  respond  to  the  return  of  prosperity. 

The  new  school  law  was  on  trial  and  was  undergoing  no  little  adverse  criticism. 
Superintendent  Bateman  was  satisfied,  after  carefully  canvassing  the  situation,  that 
this  was  not  due  to  the  unwillingness  of  the  people  to  assume  the  burden  of  taxation. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  llV 

but  to  a  misapprehension  of  the  law  and  of  the  duties  incumbent  upon  the  school 
officials.  He  therefore  began  a  systematic  course  of  instruction  through  circulars 
and  through  the  Illinois  Teacher,  and  also  through  the  assistance  of  the  public  press. 
As  an  immediate  consequence  complaints  diminished  in  number  and  in  vigor, 
although  there  was  a  strong  sentiment  in  favor  of  the  repeal  of  the  law  and  of  the 
enactment  of  a  new  and  quite  radically  different  law.  The  more  conservative 
element  prevailed,  however,  and  adopted  a  policy  of  successive  amendments  as  time 
should  reveal  the  wiser  course  to  be  pursued.  It  was  clear  that  the  people  of  the 
State  must  learn  by  experience  how  to  conduct  the  splendid  enterprise  which  they 
had  undertaken. 

Superintendent  Bateman  attacked  the  situation  at  its  most  vulnerable  point. 
The  law  of  1855  had  not  made  school  visitation  obligatory  upon  the  commissioners. 
He  recommended  such  a  requirement,  realizing  that  supervision  of  an  intelligent 
character  is  indispensable  to  the  efficiency  of  school  systems.  As  an  entering  wedge 
he  advocated  a  compensation  of  not  more  than  $3  a  day  for  not  more  than  one 
hundred  days  in  any  one  year.  He  made  an  unanswerable  argument  in  favor  of 
his  suggestion ;  but  of  all  conservative  bodies,  educational  officials  are  usually  most 
conservative.  The  reform  was  sure  to  come  in  its  own  time,  but  at  the  expense  of 
thousands  of  children.  Many  of  the  commissioners  were  engaged  in  other  occu- 
pations of  necessity  and  had  slight  interest  in  education.  If  they  had  chosen  to 
visit  schools  they  would  have  been  but  blind  leaders  of  the  blind.  Their  interest 
ended  with  the  securing  of  the  commissions  arising  from  the  sale  of  school  lands 
and  from  the  distribution  of  the  school  funds.  There  were  notable  exceptions  here 
and  there,  but  the  emoluments  of  the  office  were  insufficient  to  attract  in  any  con- 
siderable numbers  genuine  educational  leaders.  As  we  shall  see,  it  was  to  be  a 
long  and  persistent  struggle,  a  battle  lasting  for  a  full  half  century,  before  the  county 
superintendent,  the  successor  of  the  school  commissioner,  was  to  receive  such  com- 
pensation as  to  attract  to  the  office  in  encouraging  numbers  a  superior  class  of  edu- 
cational men  and  women. 

He  also  recommended  the  making  of  the  minimum  school  age  six  years  instead  of 
five.     Many  thousands  of  children  under  six  were  reported  as  enrolled  in  the  schools. 

With  regard  to  certification  he  recommended  a  system  including  two  county 
certificates  of  first  and  second  grade,  respectively,  good  for  two  years  and  one  year, 
and  a  distinct  certificate  good  for  six  months  in  a  given  district  only,  and  a  State 
certificate  to  be  issued  by  a  State  Board  of  Examiners.  The  General  Assembly 
approved  the  suggestion  respecting  the  county  certificates,  as  will  be  seen  later. 
Other  minor  amendments  were  also  suggested,  but  they  were  not  of  sufficient 
importance  to  claim  especial  mention. 

The  General  Assembly  made  some  advantageous  changes  in  the  school  law  in  the 
session  of  1859.  Instead  of  electing  three  directors  annually  the  tenure  was  changed 
to  three  years  with  the  election  of  one  each  year,  thus  making  the  board  a  contin- 
uous body.  As  the  method  has  now  been  in  vogue  for  more  than  half  a  century, 
and  as  all  attempts  to  change  from  a  district, to  a  township  system  have  been  unsuc- 
cessful, it  is  a  fair  conclusion  that  the  people  are  wedded  beyond  the  hope  of  divorce 
to  this  absurd  and  outgrown  scheme. 


118  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  superintendent  discussed  exhaustively  the  question  of  teachers'  institutes. 
If  the  topic  had  not  long  since  passed  beyond  the  realm  of  debate  and  become  one 
of  the  established  features  of  school  administration,  a  summary  of  his  arguments 
would  be  suitable  for  these  pages.  It  was  to  be  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century 
before  the  reform  for  which  he  pleaded  was  to  be  accomplished,  but  it  was  to  come 
in  its  own  time  and  through  the  energetic  administration  of  a  later  superintendent. 

Several  pages  of  the  report  are  devoted  to  the  subject  of  primary  instruction.  It 
is  an  interesting  commentary  on  the  lack  of  books  for  teachers,  that  a  public  docu- 
ment of  this  character  should  be  obliged  to  serve  the  purposes  of  a  treatise  on  the 
methods  of  the  elementary  school.  Side-lights  of  this  sort  indicate  the  primitive 
condition  of  public  education  fifty  years  ago.  It  is  doubtless  true  that  Superin- 
tendent Bateman  realized  the  necessity  of  dealing  with  these  seeming  common- 
places, in  the  absence  of  suitable  publications  that  he  could  commend  to  teachers. 
He  seemed  not  only  burdened  with  the  duties  of  an  administrative  officer  but  also 
with  the  added  obligation  of  furnishing  pedagogical  treatises  for  the  use  of  the 
immediate  teachers  of  the  young.  It  was  not  far  from  this  time  that  the  pioneer 
volume  for  the  teacher,  "  Page's  Theory  and  Practice  of  Teaching,"  made  its  appear- 
ance and  thus  became  the  honored  forerunner  of  those  almost  countless  volumes 
that  crowd  the  libraries  of  the  modem  progressive  teacher. 

For  the  improvement  of  the  physical  conditions  of  the  school,  Mr.  Bateman  pub- 
lished an  admirable  chapter  on  School  Architecture.  That  it  was  a  timely  publica- 
tion is  demonstrated  by  a  single  illustration  out  of  many  that  are  available:  "The 
furniture  of  a  certain  schoolhouse  consisted  of  a  square,  pine  table,  roughly  con- 
structed, for  the  teacher;  desks  of  the  same  material,  not  planed,  eight  feet  long, 
with  slabs  of  the  same  length  for  seats,  supported  by  rough  sticks  driven  into  auger 
holes  and  protruding  an  inch  above  the  slabs,  for  the  jDUpils.  The  rest  of  the  equip- 
ment corresponded  in  style  and  finish.  Upon  these  fixtures,  fit  only  for  kindling 
wood,  and  worth  less  than  $5,  there  were  cut,  carved,  marked  and  scratched,  the 
likenesses  of  things  in  the  heavens  above,  the  earth  beneath,  and  in  the  waters  under 
the  earth."  The  stock  argument  used  by  directors  in  opposing  anything  in  the 
way  of  improvement  was  the  statement  that  the  pupils  would  treat  anything  superior 
to  this  style  of  equipment  in  the  same  ruthless  fashion,  hence  it  would  be  an  exhibi- 
tion of  the  sheerest  folly  to  subject  a  district  to  such  unnecessary  and  unwise 
expenditure.  He  considered  exhaustively  the  whole  question  of  schoolhouse  con- 
struction and  equipment  and  the  discussion  may  profitably  be  reread  to-day, 
although  a  half  century  of  progress  has  intervened  with  its  remarkable  develop- 
ment of  hygienic  knowledge.  It  should  be  remembered  that  these  utterances  of 
Superintendent  Bateman  were  among  the  earliest  pleas  for  the  recognition  of  scien- 
tific principles  in  the  construction  and  furnishing  of  schoolhouses,  as  well  as  for  the 
artistic  treatment  of  school  grounds. 

A  full  third  of  the  report  was  devoted  to  the  State  Normal  University,  which  had 
now  been  in  operation  three  years  and  had  already  made  a  strong  impression  upon 
the  teaching  force  of  the  State.  To  this  subject  the  writer  gave  himself  with  more 
than  his  accustomed  enthusiasm.  To  that  institution  he  looked  with  the  fondest 
hopes.     He  treated  the  whole  subject  of  the  professional  preparation  of  the  teacher 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  119 

with  the  vigor  and  eloquence  which  characterized  the  entire  report.  A  quotation 
will  furnish  the  reader  with  the  generous  method  which  he  employed  in  dealing  with 
educational  themes:  "Did  the  Central  Railroad  Company  entrust  the  survey  of 
its  lines,  the  description  of  its  graceful  curves,  the  adjustment  of  its  numerous 
grades,  to  a  mere  novice ;  did  a  carpenter's  apprentice  throw  that  splendid  bridge 
across  the  Illinois  at  La  Salle?  Who  poised  that  miracle  of  strength  and  beauty 
above  Niagara's  'Hell  of  waters'?  Was  the  achievement  of  the  suspension  bridge 
a  mere  lucky  hit,  a  first  attempt  of  the  illustrious  Roebling,  or  was  it  the  great  frui- 
tion of  his  life,  after  years  of  profound  study,  repeated  experiments  and  many  fail- 
ures? Did  the  Crystal  Palace  at  Sydenham  spring  at  once,  resplendent  in  its  airy 
beauty  and  faultless  proportions,  from  the  hand  of  Paxton,  or  did  it  lie  in  his  mind, 
a  beautiful,  dream,  a  '  palace  of  the  soul, '  long  before  it  rose,  a  poem  of  glass  and  iron, 
to  challenge  the  admiration  of  Britain  and  the  world?  Who  can  tell  the  tough  prob- 
lems in  mechanics,  in  the  strength  of  materials,  in  the  laws  of  architecture  which 
he  was  compelled  to  toil  through;  or  the  miniature  palaces  that  were  reared  and 
crushed  in  despair,  before  the  bright  creation  was  complete  ?  Was  a  man  ever  born 
a  sailor;  was  the  quarter-deck  ever  gained  in  a  step;  does  the  muscle  necessary  to 
haul  upon  the  halliards  or  pull  the  royal  imply  the  seamanship  necessary  to  lay  the 
ship  on  her  course  and  rectify  her  longitude  by  an  astral  or  a  solar  observation? 
Would  you  trust  your  life  or  your  merchandise  for  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  to 
a  freshly  shipped  deck  hand,  or  to  a  veteran  who  had  gained  the  captaincy  by  having 
passed  through  every  grade  of  the  service,  whose  courage  had  been  tried  in  many 
a  storm,  and  whose  knowledge  of  nautical  astronomy  had  been  proved  by  bringing 
his  vessel  safely  to  her  moorings  a  hundred  times? 

"What  accomplished  farmer  would  risk  the  care  of  his  herds  and  horses,  or  the 
tillage  of  his  broad  acres,  to  one  ignorant  of  stock,  unable  to  distinguish  the  properties 
of  soils,  ignorant  of  all  rules  of  practical  husbandry,  incapable,  it  may  be,  as  the 
governor  of  a  certain  western  State,  of  distinguishing  a  field  of  wheat  from  a  field 
of  oats?  Do  not  all  of  these  things  require  long,  patient,  progressive  instruction, 
discipline  and  experience  ?  If  you  wished  the  portrait  of  some  illustrious  statesman, 
some  cherished  benefactor  or  friend,  to  speak  to  you  from  the  living  canvas  as  only 
the  works  of  genius  can,  would  you  give  the  commission  to  a  house  and  sign  painter, 
a  mere  pretender  to  the  divine  art?  Would  you  have  the  crude  production  of 
inexperience  or  mediocrity  at  any  price  ? 

"  Now  in  all  of  these  pursuits  the  absolute  necessity  of  preparation,  of  earnest, 
well-directed  study,  of  special  professional  training,  of  express  knowledge,  both 
scientific  and  practical,  is  unhesitatingly  admitted.  No  one  pretends  to  doubt  or 
question  it.  The  same  principle,  the  same  conditions  of  success,  the  same  immutable 
necessity  of  express  preparation,  undoubtedly  apply  to  the  science  and  art  of  teach- 
ing. Is  it  reasonable,  then,  to  deny  in  the  latter  case  what  is  affirmed  in  the  former? 
Is  it  logical  to  admit  the  legitimacy  of  a  conclusion  under  given  conditions  in  one 
case,  and  reject  the  same  conclusion  under  precisely  similar  conditions  in  another 
case  ?  But  it  is  said  that  the  instances  cited  are  not  parallel  —  that  I  have  misled 
the  mind  by  plausible  but  false  analogies?  Is  it  said  that  the  enterprises  alluded 
to  are  more  difficult,  more  complicated  than  that  of  teaching,  and  hence  that  a  less 


120  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

amount  of  previous  training  is  required  in  the  latter  case  than  in  the  former?  Or 
is  it  insisted  that  the  consequences  of  ignorance  and  failure  are  more  disastrous  in 
the  former  pursuits  than  in  the  latter,  and  therefore  the  motives  to  experience  and 
skill  on  the  part  of  engineers,  mariners  and  farmers  are  weightier  than  in  the  case  of 
teaching?  If  this  be  so,  it  is  indeed  a  valid  argument  against  our  position.  But  is 
it  so? 

"Is  it  more  difficult  to  survey  the  path  of  a  railroad  than  to  map  out  a  life?  Is 
there  not  a  more  fearful  whirlpool  into  which  the  young  may  plunge  than  that 
which  boils  beneath  the  Suspension  Bridge?  Is  the  moral  mechanism  which  spans 
the  abyss  of  vice  and  crime  with  the  solid  arch  of  truth  and  virtue  less  complicated 
than  that  required  to  stretch  the  iron  rail  securely  across  the  watery  gulf?  Is  it 
more  difficult  to  guide  the  ship  across  the  sea,  amid  surfs  and  breakers  and  foam- 
crowned  billows,  than  it  is  to  guide  the  wayward,  ardent  nature  of  a  child  on  its  event- 
ful voyage  across  the  sea  of  life?  Does  it  require  a  profounder  analysis,  a  nobler 
husbandry,  to  know  when  and  how  to  drop  the  seed  of  com  and  wheat  into  the 
shower-softened  fallows  of  a  literal  soil,  and  rear  the  waving  grain  to  its  maturity 
of  golden  beauty,  than  it  does  to  sow  invisible  seed  in  the  moral  garden  of  the  heart 
and  conscience,  and  train  the  plants  of  knowledge,  truth  and  love  to  a  fruitage  of 
more  than  earthly  beauty  and  glory  ?  Is  the  former  harvest  richer  and  better  than 
the  latter?  Did  painter  or  sculptor  ever  receive  such  a  commission  as  that 
entrusted  to  the  teacher  ?  Does  he  not  trace  lines  upon  imperishable  tablets  —  is 
not  his  limning  upon  immortal  canvas?  Is  it  not  true  that  his  work,  be  it  good  or 
bad,  will  survive  when  the  stars  have  fallen  and  the  sun  is  wrapped  in  eternal 
eclipse?" 

This  somewhat  extended  quotation  has  been  made  for  the  purpose  of  exhibiting 
Mr.  Bateman's  method  of  arousing  in  the  minds  of  his  readers  a  favorable  con- 
sideration of  his  contentions.  In  the  reports  of  no  other  superintedent  in  the  suc- 
cession from  his  time  to  the  present  shall  we  discover  its  literary  parallel.  Rather 
florid  and  over-abounding  in  rhetorical  figures,  it  must  be  conceded,  but  well  adapted 
to  secure  a  reading  and  to  the  disarming  of  opposition.  It  must  be  admitted  that  he 
was  stronger  with  the  pen  than  in  the  immediate  and  personal  contact  with  mem- 
bers of  the  General  Assembly  in  the  committee  rooms  of  the  capitol,  where  legis- 
lative bills  were  to  be  hammered  into  shape  and  where  opponents  of  a  more  liberal 
and  efficient  school  law  were  to  be  silenced  by  the  fearless  and  tireless  work  of  an 
aggressive  protagonist. 

The  remainder  of  the  volume  is  principally  occupied  by  the  report  of  Principal 
Charles  E.  Hovey,  of  the  Normal  School.  He  discusses  the  organization  of  the 
school,  the  course  of  study,  the  internal  management,  and  displays  as  clearly  as  a 
verbal  description  can  present  such  matters,  the  work  which  the  institution  is 
endeavoring  to  perform. 

The  Fourth  Biennial  Report  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 
was  submitted  to  the  Governor  the  15th  day  of  December,  1862.  It  covered  the 
two  years  beginning  October  1,  1860.  When  the  preceding  report  appeared  the 
result  of  the  quadrennial  presidential  election  was  known,  and,  as  has  been  stated, 
the  country  was  aflame  with  excitement.     And  now  the  country  was  in  the  second 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  121 

year  of  the  dreadful  Civil  War.  Many  disasters  had  attended  the  armies  of  the 
North.  Republican  institutions  were  trembling  in  the  balance,  as  the  crucial  test 
proceeded  to  its  happy  or  fateful  conclusion.  Meanwhile  the  children  were  growing 
and  their  education  was  an  imperative  duty.  On  October,  1861,  there  were  fewer 
schoolhouses  reported  than  in  the  previous  year,  which  indicates  that  some  of  them 
had  been  destroyed  or  abandoned,  or  that  some  of  the  county  superintendents  had 
failed  to  report.  The  number  of  male  teachers  had  fallen  off  only  one  hundred  and 
twenty,  while  in  1862  there  were  fewer  than  in  1859,  notwithstanding  the  increase 
in  population  and  in  the  consequent  number  of  schools.  Salaries  continued  to 
decrease  and  there  was  everywhere  indication  of  an  arrest  in  the  development  of 
our  institutional  life. 

Four  hundred  graded  schools  are  reported  for  1862,  but  Superintendent  Bateman 
questions  the  accuracy  of  the  report.  He  says:  ''We  have  graded  schools  which 
in  their  principles  of  classification,  courses  of  study,  ability  of  teachers  and  thorough- 
ness of  instruction  are  not  surpassed  by  those  of  any  other  State  within  my  knowl- 
edge, and  I  have  visited  several  of  the  best  graded  and  high  schools  in  each  of  the 
principal  cities  of  the  Union.  But  that  we  have  four  hundred  such  schools  is  more 
than  truth  will  warrant  us  in  assuring  ourselves.  It  is  probable  that,  except  in  our 
cities  and  larger  towns,  very  crude  ideas  are  entertained  by  many  school  officers 
and  even  by  teachers  as  to  what  a  graded  school  is,  and  hence  that  not  a  few  schools 
are  reported  of  that  class  which  have  no  claims  at  all  to  be  so  designated."  It 
appears  that  in  many  instances  schools  employing  more  than  one  teacher  were  so 
designated,  although  the  pupils  were  divided  among  the  teachers  on  the  basis  of 
numbers  and  not  at  all  on  the  basis  of  advancement. 

In  order  that  officials  might  henceforward  understand  the  nature  of  a  graded 
school  a  careful  definition  was  presented  and  its  application  illustrated.  Moreover, 
an  elaborate  argument,  presenting  the  advantages  of  such  a  school  over  the  primi- 
tive, ungraded  school,  was  furnished  and  serves  in  a  striking  way  to  show  the  slight 
advance  beyond  the  ideas  of  two  centuries  ago  that  had  been  made  in  many  localities 
fifty  years  ago.  These  features  of  the  report  are  dwelt  upon  to  exhibit  the  work 
that  Mr.  Bateman  found  it  necessary  to  do  and  also  to  show  the  sincere  and  skilful 
way  in  which  he  devoted  himself  to  the  task.  The  previous  superintendents  had 
either  failed  to  realize  existing  conditions  or  had  been  unprepared  to  deal  with  them 
after  the  method  of  a  wise  schoolmaster. 

The  General  Assembly  of  1861  amended  the  law  for  certification,  providing  for 
three  county  certificates,  as  recommended  by  the  superintendent  in  his  third  annual 
report.  The  act  of  1855  provided  for  only  one  grade  of  certificate,  which  was  valid 
for  two  years  in  the  county  in  which  it  was  issued.  No  distinction  was  made  between 
the  experienced  scholar  and  the  novice.  Regarding  such  a  system  as  unjust  and 
injurious,  the  educational  sentiment  of  the  State  agitated  the  subject  so  vigorously 
that  the  legislature  responded  with  three  certificates,  a  first  grade  valid  for  two 
years,  a  second  grade  valid  for  one  year,  and  a  third  grade  valid  in  a  given  district 
for  six  months. 

The  examinations  for  the  three  certificates  were  upon  identical  subjects — spelling, 
reading,  arithmetic,  grammar,  penmanship,  modem  geography  and  history  of  the 


122  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

United  States.  The  grade  of  the  certificate  was  determined  by  the  relative  degree 
of  excellence  of  the  candidate's  examination.  The  superintendent  formulated  a 
basis  for  the  determination  of  the  grade  and  pleaded,  with  his  accustomed  earnest- 
ness, for  a  conscientious  discharge  of  the  duties  imposed  upon  the  examiners. 

A  second  recommendation  of  the  superintendent  was  also  embodied  in  the  law. 
He  was  authorized  to  grant  life  certificates,  valid  throughout  the  State,  under  con- 
ditions substantially  determined  by  himself.  He  was  authorized,  at  his  option,  to 
assume  the  whole  responsibility  of  the  examination  personally  or  to  appoint  a  com- 
mittee for  that  purpose.  He  chose  the  latter  method  and  the  precedent  thus  estab- 
lished has  usually  been  followed  since. 

The  first  examination  under  this  provision  of  the  law  was  held  at  the  State  Normal 
University,  on  the  2d  and  3d  of  July,  1861,  at  which  five  teachers  passed  successfully. 
The  second  examination  was  held  at  the  high-school  building,  at  Bloomington,  on 
the  24th  and  25th  of  December,  1861,  at  which  eighteen  were  successful.  The  third 
was  held  in  the  high-school  building,  in  Springfield,  on  the  6th  and  7th  of  August, 
1862,  at  which  nineteen  diplomas  were  granted.  The  superintendent  ruled  that 
Normal  graduates  of  assured  success  as  teachers  were  eligible  for  certificates  and 
he,  therefore,  awarded  nine  at  the  end  of  this  first  series  of  examinations.  This 
policy  was  discontinued  after  a  few  years,  for  reasons  best  known  to  himself  but 
without  sufficient  warrant  in  fact.  It  should  have  been  continued,  as  there  was  no 
statutory  provision  against  it  and  as  its  legality  was  not  questioned.  Detailed  des- 
criptions of  these  first  examinations  may  be  found  in  the  report  under  consideration 
by  the  educational  antiquarian,  should  he  care  to  avail  himself  of  them. 

The  pertinacity  with  which  State  superintendents  followed  up  the  discussion  of 
teachers'  institutes  should  have  been  more  successful  in  achieving  substantial 
results.  The  seventy-first  section  of  the  school  law  authorized  county  courts  and 
boards  of  supervisors  to  make  appropriations  for  their  support,  but  public  sentiment 
was  not  yet  aroused  to  the  point  of  securing  action  on  the  part  of  these  bodies  except 
in  comparatively  few  counties.  In  general  it  may  be  said  that  where  there  were 
energetic  school  commissioners  all  of  the  privileges  of  the  law  were  utilized.  Where 
there  were  not,  but  little  was  accomplished  beyond  what  a  low  public  opinion  seemed 
to  be  satisfied  with.  Superintendent  Bateman  formulated  a  plan  for  their  organiza- 
tion and  maintenance,  but  we  shall  be  obliged  to  wait  until  the  days  of  Henry  Raab 
and  his  remarkable  assistant,  William  L.  Pillsbury,  before  we  shall  be  able  to  chron- 
icle much  in  the  way  of  substantial  success.  The  scheme  here  referred  to  recom- 
mended a  State  appropriation  of  $2,000  per  annum  as  an  institute  fund.  All  insti- 
tutes were  to  be  held  under  the  direction  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 
if  they  were  to  participate  in  the  appropriation.  No  institute  was  to  be  held  officially 
except  upon  the  application  of  at  least  twenty-five  acting  teachers  of  a  county,  made 
to  the  superintendent  through  the  commissioner  of  schools  of  the  county.  Upon 
the  receipt  of  such  an  application  it  was  to  become  the  duty  of  the  superintendent 
to  call,  organize  and  conduct  the  institute  either  in  person  or  by  proxy.  Each  person 
appointed  and  employed  in  the  conduct  of  the  institute  was  to  receive  as  compen- 
sation the  sum  of  $2  a  day  and  all  necessary  traveling  expenses.  All  bills  were  to 
be  properly  certified  and  sent  to  the  superintendent.  No  institute  was  to  continue 
for  less  than  five  days. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  123 

Some  of  the  remaining  features  of  this  report  were :  A  strong  plea  for  making  the 
office  of  school  commissioner  of  some  educational  value;  another  careful  discussion 
of  the  township  system;  a  recommendation  that  trustees  be  elected  one  each  year; 
a  plea  for  allowing  teachers  pay  for  the  time  spent  in  attending  institutes ;  a  vigorous 
commendation  of  the  Illinois  Teacher;  an  urgent  appeal  for  additional  sinews  of 
war  for  the  office  of  the  State  Superintendent.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the 
entire  appropriation  for  the  office  was  $2,400,  the  superintendent's  salary  being 
only  $1,500  and  that  of  a  clerk  $750. 

There  is  an  essay  on  "  The  School  and  the  State,"  meriting  a  place  in  permanent 
educational  literature,  and  another  on  "  Moral  Education"  which  is  worth  studying 
for  additional  light  on  our  present  problems. 

The  voice  of  the  people  called  the  Democrats  into  power  in  1862  and  Mr.  Bateman 
was  succeeded  by  John  P.  Brooks.  He  was  soon  to  return,  however,  and  we  shall 
hear  much  of  him  for  several  succeeding  terms. 

Fourth  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

Mr,  Brooks  served  a  single  term  of  two  years.  His  report  covered  the  third  and 
fourth  years  of  the  War.  As  would  be  expected,  the  unhappy  struggle  in  which  the 
nation  was  engaged  told  sharply  upon  all  educational  interests.  Thousands  of  young 
men  were  missing  their  only  opportunity  to  acquire  a  literary  education,  but  they 
were  undergoing  an  experience  that  would  be  of  priceless  value  to  them  and  to  the 
nation. 

The  number  of  male  teachers  in  1864  was  approximately  one  thousand  less  than 
in  1862.  The  women  had  come  to  take  their  places,  their  number  having  increased 
more  than  two  thousand  in  the  same  period.  It  is  quite  possible  that  the  educational 
revolution  for  which  the  war  was  mainly  responsible  in  the  early  sixties  would  have 
occurred  within  the  next  score  of  years  without  so  grave  a  cause,  but  it  is  certainly 
to  be  deplored  that  the  male  teachers  threaten  to  become  an  extinct  species. 

The  wages  of  the  men  had  increased  $5  a  month  in  the  two  years  and  those  of  the 
women  $3.  Thirty  dollars  was  now  the  average  for  the  men  and  $19  for  the  women. 
In  certain  localities  there  was  a  strong  prejudice  against  the  employment  of  women. 
Especially  was  this  true  in  the  counties  of  southern  Illinois,  in  which  the  population 
was  largely  German,  The  necessities  of  the  situation,  however,  were  producing  a 
change  in  sentiment  which  could  not  have  been  accomplished  in  any  other  way. 
The  men  were  at  the  front  and  were  not  available.  If  there  were  to  be  schools  the 
women  must  do  the  teaching,  or  at  least  a  large  part  of  it. 

The  enormous  expenses  incurred  in  carrying  on  the  war  had  the  logical  effect  of 
inducing  economy  in  public  expenditures  where  it  was  possible,  yet  the  State  was 
prosperous  because  of  the  high  prices  of  farm  products  when  estimated  in  the 
depreciated  currency  of  the  time.  Com  sold  at  a  dollar  a  bushel  and  a  dollar  was 
a  dollar  when  it  came  to  the  payment  of  debts  incurred  before  the  war.  The  '  'green- 
back" was  the  only  circulating  medium,  as  the  precious  metals  became  matters  of 
merchandise,  whether  coined  into  money  or  not,  and  their  prices  were  quoted  along 
with  other  objects  of  exchange. 

A  study  of  these  old  reports  reveals  the  points  of  especial  inefficiency  in  the  school 


124  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

law  and  the  efforts  that  were  making  to  improve  existing  conditions.  There  was 
one  point  upon  which  all  leaders  of  educational  thought  and  practice  were  agreed. 
It  was  obvious  that  little  could  be  done  in  the  way  of  improvement  in  the  teaching 
of  the  children  without  a  more  efficient  system  of  supervision.  In  consequence  the 
reports  were  filled  with  discussions  of  methods  of  increasing  the  efficiency  of  the  school 
commissioners.  Following  the  lines  established  by  his  predecessors,  Superintendent 
Brooks  argued  the  question  from  every  possible  angle.  One  must  conclude  that 
educational  reforms  come  with  the  greatest  difficulty.  These  men  talked  against 
the  north  wind,  for  more  than  twenty  years  were  still  to  pass  before  there  was  to  be 
much  in  the  way  of  relief. 

Conventions  of  county  superintendents  are  now  familiar  gatherings.  Superin- 
tendent Brooks  did  a  piece  of  pioneer  work  when  he  succeeded  in  getting  twelve  of 
the  one  hundred  and  two  commissioners  together  on  October  1,  1863,  at  Blooming- 
ton.  He  was  so  much  encouraged  with  even  this  humble  beginning  that  he  called 
a  second  convention  in  Springfield  on  the  29th  of  December  of  the  same  year.  Forty 
were  present  and  the  discussions  were  of  the  most  practical  character.  This  conven- 
tion recommended  several  amendments  to  the  school  law,  the  first  of  which  was 
the  changing  of  the  name  of  the  county  commissioner  of  schools  to  that  of  the  county 
superintendent  of  schools.  Provision  was  made  for  perpetuating  the  body  as  a  State 
organization.  Two  men  were  selected  as  a  committee  to  prepare  a  constitution. 
Their  names  were  to  become  household  words  in  educational  circles.  They  were 
Daniel  Wilkins,  of  McLean,  and  John  F.  Eberhart,  of  Cook. 

As  a  further  indication  of  what  the  school  people  were  thinking  about,  the  pro- 
gram of  the  State  Teachers'  Association  is  interesting.  The  tenth  annual  meeting 
was  held  at  Springfield  in  December,  1863.  Here  are  some  of  the  topics  that  were 
discussed:  Compulsory  attendance  legislation;  an  agricultural  college;  State  teachers' 
institutes;  an  extension  of  the  term  of  office  of  the  school  commissioners  to  four 
years;  the  management  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University.  The  following 
resolution  shows  that  the  hearts  of  the  teachers  were  beating  to  the  music  of  the 
Union : 

That  as  the  hands  of  traitors  are  still  raised  for  the  destruction  of  this,  the  best  of  governments, 
we  feel  it  our  duty  to  renew  our  expression  of  unswerving  fidelity  to  our  country,  and  pledge  an 
unconditional  support  to  every  efficient  means  for  the  suppression  of  this  unholy  rebellion ;  that  we 
will  endeavor  to  instil  into  the  minds  of  the  rising  generation  a  deeper  love  of  freedom  and  of  repub- 
lican institutions,  and  a  spirit  of  patriotism  which  will  prompt  them,  if  need  be,  cheerfully  to  lay 
down  their  lives  in  defense  of  their  country. 

On  the  subject  of  State  Institutes  the  resolutions  recommended  an  elaborate 
organization.  They  proposed  a  system  of  institutes  under  the  auspices  of  the  State 
Normal  University,  to  be  held  in  each  and  every  county  in  the  State.  The  plan 
contemplated  the  separation  of  the  State  into  three  districts  of  thirty-four  counties 
each,  to  be  known  as  State  institute  districts.  The  institutes  in  each  district  were 
to  be  conducted  by  a  superintendent  of  institutes,  assisted  by  such  members  of  the 
Normal  classes  as  might  be  designated  by  the  principal  of  the  State  Normal  Uni- 
versity, and  such  other  persons  as  by  their  experience  should  be  competent  to  give 
instruction. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  125 

Institutes  were  to  be  held  in  each  county  of  the  State  at  such  times  as  should  be 
decided  upon  by  the  Board  of  Managers  in  cooperation  with  the  school  commissioners. 

The  Board  of  Managers  was  to  consist  of  the  faculty  of  the  Normal  University 
and  three  superintendents  of  institutes  to  be  appointed  by  the  State  Board  of 
Education. 

The  county  commissioner  was  to  be  the  president  of  the  institute  in  his  own 
county,  although  the  institute  might  elect  at  its  option.  He  was  authorized  and 
required  to  give  notice  of  the  institute  in  the  county  papers  and  by  circulars  sent  to 
each  town  in  the  county  and  also  to  provide  a  suitable  place  to  hold  the  institute. 

The  course  of  instruction  and  the  statistics  of  each  institute  were  to  be  reported 
by  the  superintendent  to  the  principal  of  the  Normal  University,  and  by  the  school 
commissioner  to  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  Teachers  were  to  be 
permitted  to  close  their  schools  during  the  sessions  of  the  institute  and  they  were  to 
receive  their  pay  as  if  their  schools  were  in  regular  session,  provided  they  attended 
the  meetings. 

A  committee  of  five  was  to  be  appointed  to  elaborate  the  details  of  this  plan  and 
to  embody  its  provisions  in  the  form  of  a  bill  to  be  introduced  into  the  next  General 
Assembly. 

This  elaborate  plan  came  to  little  or  nothing  in  the  way  of  practical  results.  Its 
discussion  assisted  in  keeping  alive  a  warm  interest  in  the  institute  question,  and 
in  that  way  served  a  useful  purpose,  perhaps. 

It  was  further  resolved  by  the  Association  that  the  term  of  office  of  the  commis- 
sioner of  schools  should  be  doubled.  We  shall  soon  see  that  very  desirable  reform 
accomplished.     But  to  return  to  the  report  of  the  superintendent. 

Generous  space  is  given  to  the  Normal  University.  Unstinted  praise  was 
bestowed  upon  its  management.  The  ordinary  reader  might  conclude  that  the 
report  expressed  the  general  sentiment  of  the  people  respecting  the  institution. 
The  conditions  in  that  respect,  however,  were  far  from  satisfactory.  On  the  part 
of  a  considerable  portion  of  the  older  teachers  and  school  officers  and,  as  well,  of 
the  legislators,  there  was  a  deep-seated  prejudice  against  the  whole  scheme  for  the 
professional  training  of  teachers.  Unfortunately  this  sentiment  was  shared  by  a 
majority  of  the  college  and  university  men.  The  existence  or  possibility  of  a 
science  of  education  and  of  a  consequent  art  of  teaching  was  flatly  denied.  Pres- 
ident Edwards  and  his  devoted  associates  at  Normal  were  obliged  to  endure,  with 
such  philosophy  as  they  could  command,  misrepresentation,  abuse  and  ridicule  in 
what  they  felt  should  be  the  house  of  their  friends.  The  present  generation  can 
have  slight  conception  of  the  heroic  struggle  through  which  the  Normal  schools  won 
their  way  to  their  present  universal  recognition. 

In  the  chapter  devoted  to  the  University  of  Illinois  will  be  found  an  account  of 
the  early  movements  to  secure  vocational  education  for  the  industrial  element  in 
our  population.  Superintendent  Brooks  made  a  strong  plea  for  the  establishment 
of  a  State  Industrial  University  in  the  report  under  consideration.  The  argument 
was  unanswerable  and  exhibits  the  character  of  the  appeals  that  thinking  men  were 
making  to  the  public  in  the  interests  of  working  men  and  women.  Education  had 
been  the  privilege  of   the  few.     The  subjects  of   instruction  were   chosen  for  the 


126  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

preparation  of  those  who  sought  the  professions.  The  old  curriculum  still  possessed 
the  schools.  The  voices  that  now  begin  to  be  heard  are  those  of  that  spirited  van- 
guard who  had  the  vision  to  recognize  the  educational  necessities  of  the  new  epoch. 

The  movement  had  received  a  tremendous  impulse  through  the  Congressional 
Act,  passed  July  2,  1862.  Notwithstanding  the  engrossing  character  of  the  war,  far- 
seeing  men  had  recognized  the  supreme  use  to  which  a  generous  part  of  the  landed 
possessions  of  the  general  government  should  be  devoted.  By  this  historic  act  each 
loyal  State  received  a  donation  of  30,000  acres  of  land,  or  its  equivalent  in  scrip,  for 
each  senator  and  representative  in  Congress,  according  to  the  census  of  1860.  To 
avail  itself  of  this  magnificent  gift  it  was  necessary  for  the  State  to  provide  a  college 
for  the  benefit  of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts.  In  what  other  way  could  the 
public  lands  so  efficiently  promote  the  welfare  of  the  nation  as  to  furnish  foundations 
for  institutions  of  learning?  The  proceeds  of  their  sale  thus  became  a  fund  in  per- 
petuity whose  interest  should  forever  be  devoted  to  the  development  of  those  spiritual 
qualities  which  alone  make  a  people  great. 

The  share  of  Illinois  amounted  to  480,000  acres.  Under  the  conditions  of  the 
law  it  devolved  upon  the  State  to  restore  any  portion  of  the  derived  fund  that 
through  accident  or  contingency  should  be  diminished  or  lost. 

With  regard  to  the  part  played  by  Illinois  in  the  inauguration  of  this  unsurpassed 
enterprise.  Superintendent  Brooks  writes:  "It  is  a  source  of  just  pride  and  con- 
gratulation that  the  first  efficient  impulse  given  to  public  opinion  upon  the  subject 
of  national  industrial  education  originated  in  our  own  noble  State.  To  Illinois 
belongs  the  high  honor  of  inaugurating  this  beneficent  social  enterprise  and  of  making 
the  first  organized  movement  toward  the  amelioration  of  the  producing  classes,  by 
proposing  means  for  the  specific  and  higher  education  of  the  toiling  masses  of  the 
nation.  The  earliest  published  record  of  organized  effort  for  purposes  of  industrial 
elevation  in  the  United  States,  so  far  as  is  now  known,  are  those  of.  the  convention 
of  1851,  which  was  held  in  the  town  of  Granville,  Putnam  county,  in  this  State." 
Further  details  of  this  epochal  convention  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  referred 
to  above. 

Another  topic  alluded  to  by  Superintendent  Brooks  gives  additional  value  to  his 
interesting  volume.  He  appeals  to  the  patriotic  and  philanthropic  impulses  of  the 
people  in  the  interests  of  a  State  Orphan  School.  The  smoke  of  the  cannon  had 
not  yet  disappeared  from  the  fields  of  strife  and  the  end  was  not  clearly  in  sight, 
but  the  children  of  the  fallen  heroes  were  everywhere  reminders  of  the  sacrifice  which 
the  State  was  making  in  helping  to  preserve  the  integrity  of  the  nation.  Their 
helplessness  made  an  irresistible  appeal  to  the  gratitude  of  the  commonwealth. 
Only  a  few  years  were  to  pass  before  a  generously  supported  institution  was  to 
embody  the  suggestions  of  this  discussion  and  rescue  from  the  unhappy  fate  of 
ignorance  thousands  of  those  dependent  wards  of  the  nation. 

Superintendent  Bateman  Again. 

In  the  fall  of  1864  Newton  Bateman  was  recalled  to  the  office  of  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction.  Illinois  returned  to  her  former  political  alignment  under 
the  leadership  of  her  illustrious  son,  then  at  the  head  of  the  nation.     Superintend- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  127 

ent  Bateman's  report,  issued  two  years  later,  throws  much  hght  upon  existing  con- 
ditions. 

A  large  part  of  the  report  was  written  by  himself.  It  was  submitted  to  the  Gov- 
ernor on  the  15th  day  of  December,  1866.  It  is  marked  throughout  by  the  trium- 
phant spirit  of  a  victor.  Four  years  had  passed  since  his  last  report.  He  pictures 
the  contrast  between  that  despairing  time  and  the  present  with  its  abundant  prom- 
ises of  peace  and  prosperity?  He  says:  "It  is  again  my  privilege  to  speak  to  the 
people  of  Illinois,  through  their  representatives  in  the  General  Assembly,  upon  the 
great  themes  of  popular  education.  How  changed  the  scene;  how  diiferent  the 
circumstances  of  the  country!  Treason,  at  least  armed  and  insurgent  treason,  is 
dead.  The  great  slave-empire  that  was  to  rise  upon  the  ruins  of  the  republic  is 
itself  in  ruihs,  its  legions  vanquished,  its  banners  in  the  dust,  its  hopes  perished,  its 
chieftain  in  prison  awaiting  the  outraged  majesty  of  the  law,  and  if  suffered  to  live 
still  doomed  to  scorn  and  to  the  infamy  of  baffled  and  defeated  treason.  The  vast 
armies  of  the  Union  have  quietly  dissolved  their  organizations,  returning  their 
muskets  to  the  arsenals  of  the  government,  or  exchanging  the  honored  '  blue '  of  the 
soldier  for  the  garb  of  the  citizen ;  and  a  million  brave  men,  who  were  but  yesterday 
in  the  tented  field,  the  invincible  avengers  of  the  nation,  are  to-day  engaged  in  peace- 
ful pursuits,  as  modest  and  unassuming  as  if  they  had  not  filled  Christendom  with 
wonder  and  inaugurated  the  Heroic  Age  of  American  History." 

His  observations  upon  the  educational  aspects  of  the  war  should  have  at  least  a 
small  place  in  these  pages.  He  sees  "  the  vitalizing  power  of  popular  education 
upon  the  national  armies  in  times  of  war.  Never  before  were  such  vast  armies 
assembled  of  whom  so  large  a  portion  could  read  and  write,  while  the  number  of  well- 
educated  and  even  liberally  educated  men  in  the  Union  armies  was  entirely  without 
precedent."  He  submits  many  statistics  showing  the  ardency  with  which  the  stu- 
dents in  the  colleges  abandoned  their  benches  and  their  books  and  followed  the 
bugles  and  the  drums,  and  deduces  his  arguments  for  the  necessity  of  the  school  in 
order  that  the  heart  and  the  brain  may  be  trained  to  meet  the  supreme  exigencies 
of  national  life. 

These  facts  are  related  to  the  history  of  education  only  in  so  far  as  they  seem  to 
demonstrate  the  effectiveness  of  the  educated  man  as  against  the  uneducated. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  there  was  marked  activity  in  the  erection  of  new  school- 
houses,  especially  in  the  villages  and  towns.  Communities  vied  with  each  other 
in  the  character  of  these  structures.  In  1866,  1,122  buildings  were  erected  and  at 
an  average  cost  of  $1,357.  Many  $10,000  houses  gave  evidence  of  the  new  enthu- 
siasm for  popular  education,  and  even  $40,000  was  not  an  extraordinary  expenditure. 
It  is  to  be  remembered  that  $500  would  build  then  what  would  now  cost  three  or 
four  times  as  much.  The  prices  of  products  had  been  high  through  the  war,  the 
returns  from  the  farms  had  been  generous,  and  liberal  expenditures  were  not  unusual 
along  the  lines  where  public  sentiment  had  been  developed.  In  not  a  few  cases  a 
spirit  of  extravagance  was  manifested  and  mortgages  were  assumed  that  became 
burdensome  in  the  soberer  years  that  were  to  follow. 

The  General  Assembly  of  1865  made  some  important  changes  in  the  school  law. 
Notably,  the  school  commissioner  becomes  the  county  superintendent  of  schools 


128  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

with  a  four-year  tenure  of  office  and  some  slight  increase  in  his  compensation.  The 
change  of  name  was  significant  and  marks  an  advance.  When  the  office  was  created 
its  duties  related  especially  to  the  public  lands.  The  people  were  so  impressed  with 
their  endowment  that  all  other  considerations  assumed  minor  significance.  The 
commissioners  had  little  to  do  with  education  of  the  children.  Later  the  crying 
need  of  supervision  to  be  exercised  in  controlling  certification  and  the  management 
of  schools  resulted  in  an  extension  of  the  functions  of  the  commissioner.  Now  that 
the  school  lands  were  mainly  disposed  of  the  office  took  on  a  new  meaning.  County 
superintendents  were  required  among  other  duties  to  visit  each  of  the  schools  in 
their  counties  at  least  once  each  year  and  to  be  real  supervisors  so  far  as  their  ability 
would  permit.  They  were  made  the  official  advisers  and  constant  assistants  of  the 
school  officers  and  teachers  of  their  counties  and  were  to  encourage  the  formation 
and  assist  in  the  management  of  county  teachers'  institutes,  and  labor  in  every 
practicable  way  to  elevate  the  standard  of  teaching  and  to  improve  the  condition 
of  the  common  schools  of  their  counties.  Their  compensation  was  increased  by  an 
allowance  of  $3  a  day  for  any  number  of  days  not  exceeding  two  hundred  in  any 
one  year.  This  secured  a  salary  of  at  least  $600  and  the  percentage  for  the  sale  of 
school  lands  and  for  the  distribution  of  revenues.  Further,  county  courts  and  boards 
of  supervisors  were  authorized  to  make  additional  appropriations  to  county  super- 
intendents for  their  services,  if  deemed  advisable,,  and  they  were  also  permitted  to 
make  appropriations  for  the  support  of  teachers'  institutes. 

A  new  classification  of  certificates  was  provided  as  the  number  was  reduced  from 
three  to  two,  the  first  grade  being  good  for  two  years  and  the  second  grade  for  one. 
Qualifications  for  certificates  were  not  specified  further  than  to  declare  that  the  can- 
didates must  be  competent  to  teach  the  subjects  named  in  the  law  of  1855.  Exam- 
inations were  to  be  held  quarterly  in  such  parts  of  the  county  as  would  be  most 
convenient  for  applicants  and  no  fee  was  to  be  charged  for  a  certificate. 

Two  important  changes  were  made  in  the  sections  of  the  law  relating  to  the  State 
Superintendent.  The  term  was  changed  from  two  years  to  four  and  the  salary  of 
the  office  was  changed  from  $1,500  to  $2,500. 

It  has  been  seen  with  what  reluctance  the  school  law  was  so  amended  as  to  make 
local  taxation  for  the  support  of  schools  mandatory.  In  those  early  days  the  col- 
lector of  taxes  seems  to  have  been  the  least  welcome  of  visitors.  Indeed,  the  times 
were  anything  but  prosperous,  and  the  raising  of  sufficient  money  to  meet  the 
demands  of  that  strenuous  officer  was  often  a  matter  of  no  small  moment.  The 
law  of  1855  has  now  been  so  amended  as  to  permit  no  one  to  vote  at  any  district 
election  for  the  raising  of  money  who  has  not  resided  in  the  district  for  at  least 
thirty  days  preceding  the  election,  nor  unless  he  shall  have  paid  a  tax  in  that  dis- 
trict the  preceding  year,  or  shall  have  been  assessed  in  the  district  the  year  in  which 
the  election  is  held.  There  were  other  changes  of  more  or  less  importance,  but  they 
will  appear  under  their  appropriate  headings. 

Notwithstanding  the  provision  of  the  law  with  respect  to  school  visitation,  twenty- 
six  per  cent  of  the  schools  were  un visited  in  1866.  Inadequate  compensation  and 
lack  of  interest  on  the  part  of  the  county  superintendents  and  other  officers  explains 
this  unfortunate  condition.     Indeed,  there  was  a  strong  disposition  in  some  quarters 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  129 

to  abolish  the  office.  Superintendent  Bateman  felt  it  necessary  to  make  a  vigorous 
argument  against  such  a  possibility.  He  contrasted  their  treatment  with  that  of 
the  other  county  officers,  and  appealed,  with  all  of  the  earnestness  at  his  command, 
for  greater  consideration  for  the  children  whose  interests  are  so  dependent  upon 
good  supervision.  Progress  must  of  necessity  be  slow  in  an  unlearned  generation, 
since  it  has  but  few  who  are  able  to  appreciate  the  value  of  an  education. 

The  General  Assembly  had  not  yet  made  any  adequate  provision  for  the  traveling 
expenses  of  the  superintendent  nor  had  it  provided  him  a  deputy.  Mr.  Bateman 
now  directed  his  batteries  upon  that  body  for  relief.  His  previous  appeals  seem  to 
have  accomplished  encouraging  results.  It  is  a  sad  commentary  upon  public  senti- 
ment that  a  considerable  part  of  a  biennial  report  is  found  to  be  occupied  with  efforts 
to  secure  the  pitiful  sum  needed  to  put  a  State  department  on  its  feet. 

The  college  is  an  inheritance  from  a  remote  past.  It  had  existed  for  the  few. 
The  public  school,  at  the  time  under  consideration,  was  a  late  product  of  democracy. 
Between  its  highest  grade  and  the  college  was  a  gulf  that  had  been  bridged  by  the 
academy  —  a  private  institution  and  also  for  the  few.  The  public  high  school  was 
in  the  early  stages  of  its  development.  In  consequence  of  these  conditions  many 
college  men  were  not  as  active  in  promoting  the  interests  of  the  public  schools  as 
would  be  expected.  Mr.  Bateman  recognized  this  fact  and  devoted  a  dozen  pages 
of  his  report  to  a  discussion  of  the  "Relation  of  Colleges  to  Public  Schools."  Such 
an  article  throws  a  light  upon  the  situation  that  could  be  obtained  elsewhere  with 
difficulty.  The  high  school  was  obliged  to  encounter  the  hot  opposition  of  many 
private  academies  and  other  institutions  of  about  the  same  grade,  that  were  mas- 
querading under  the  name  and  charter  of  "  Colleges." 

Superintendent  Bateman 's  treatment  of  these  institutions  may  be  illustrated  by 
quoting  a  single  paragraph  from  this  discussion: 

I  remark,  therefore,  that  it  is  not  the  province  of  pubUc  schools  to  confer  the  higher  and  severer 
culture  of  universities  and  colleges;  they  can  not  do  it;  they  should  not  attempt  it;  it  is  absurd.  The 
moment  that  a  college  complains  of  the  damaging  rivalry  of  public  schools,  either  that  college  should 
be  deprived  of  its  charter,  as  unfit  to  wear  the  honored  name,  or  that  public  school  should  be  forced 
back  into  its  appropriate  sphere.  High  schools  are  a  legitimate  and  most  valuable  part  of  every 
good  public-school  system,  and  if  there  are  any  colleges,  not  to  say  universities,  that  find  themselves 
unable  to  compete  with  such  public  high  schools,  let  them  perish  by  the  competition ;  the  cause  neither 
of  learning  nor  of  truth  or  honesty,  will  suffer  by  the  catastrophe.  Such  so-called  colleges  are  pre- 
tentious cheats.  The  curriculums  of  all  public  high  schools  should  end,  and  nearly  all  do  end,  sub- 
stantially where  the  true  college  course  begins.  It  is  not  colleges,  therefore,  but  second-rate  high 
schools,  preposterously  called  colleges,  that  cry  out  against  the  monopoly  of  the  higher  depart- 
ments of  the  public- school  system.  To  real  colleges,  sitting  serene  and  calm  upon  the  upper  heights 
of  learning,  the  mothers  of  severest  culture  and  profoundest  philosophy,  the  idea  of  jealousy  toward 
the  public  high  schools,  of  whatsoever  department  or  grade,  may  provoke  a  smile  but  nothing  more. 
They,  on  the  contrary,  thank  God  for  the  millions  thus  brought  into  the  outer  courts  of  the  beautiful 
temple  of  knowledge,  knowing  that  the  number  of  those  that  will  there  be  fitted  to  approach  the  inner 
sanctuary  will  be  vastly  multiplied. 

He  defines  the  place  of  the  college  as  carefully  and  as  accurately  as  he  has  that 
of  the  public  school,  and  shows  clearly  what  it  may  expect  from  a  large  growth  of 
public  schools.     He  declares  that  the  lower  schools  must  really  draw  their  life  and 


130  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

inspiration  from  these  higher  institutions  that  deal  with  the  real  material  of  educa- 
tion. He  refers  to  the  noble  history  which  is  their  priceless  treasure  and  vividly 
portrays  the  immeasurable  influence  of  the  Christian  college.  He  makes  clear  the 
case  of  the  Normal  school,  whose  establishment  has  aroused  the  quick  fears  of  some 
of  the  college  men,  and  shows  wherein  such  an  institution  makes  for  the  especial 
advantage  of  the  college  instead  of  becoming  a  dangerous  competitor.  The  possi- 
bilities of  the  coming  years,  under  the  new  order  established  by  the  results  of  the 
war,  entrance  him  and  he  endeavors  to  inspire  his  readers  with  the  vision  that  is 
disclosed  to  him.  The  old  order  is  gone,  never  to  be  restored.  "Restore  all  things 
as  they  were,  the  constitution  as  it  was,  the  government  as  our  fathers  made  it! 
Turn  back  the  sun  upon  the  dial  of  Ahaz !  Roll  the  waves  of  Lethe  over  all  the  bloody 
past!  When  the  maiden  forgets  her  slain  lover;  when  the  widow  remembers  not 
her  dead  husband,  and  orphan  children  revere  not  the  name  of  father;  when  white- 
haired  parents  think  no  more  of  the  noble  boy  who  went  forth  with  their  blessing, 
but  came  not  back;  when  vacant  places  in  the  household  shall  be  filled  by  the  lost 
ones  again,  and  the  familiar  step  shall  tell  of  the  dear  one's  coming,  and  the  loving 
tones  shall  fall  once  more  upon  the  ear,  and  hands  that  are  dust  shall  again  be  clasped 
and  fleshless  arms  be  stretched  forth  in  love  as  of  old. ' ' 

These  quotations  may  assist  in  understanding  the  means  that  the  eloquent  and 
emotional  leader  employed  to  advance  the  cause  for  which  he  stood  — -  the  harmoniz- 
ing of  all  the  parties  engaged  in  the  education  of  the  children  of  the  people  and 
rallying  them  around  the  common  free  school. 

A  second  extended  essay  in  the  same  report  is  entitled  "  The  American  Idea  of 
Popular  Education."  Its  purpose  is  the  education  of  the  public  that  stands  behind 
the  common  school  and  upon  whose  conceptions  of  its  function  it  must  rely.  He 
who  reads  these  essays  and  wonders  at  the  method  of  treatment  fails  to  appreciate 
the  task  which  Mr.  Bateman  had  set  for  himself,  and  fails  as  well  to  understand  the 
far  cry  from  the  public-school  sentiment  of  to-day  to  the  popular  estimate  in  which 
they  were  held  nearly  a  half  century  ago.  The  writer  of  these  lines  was  then  a 
young  man  and  well  recalls  those  early  days  and  the  struggles  of  the  educational 
leaders,  and  especially  remembers  this  ardent  advocate  of  universal  education. 

In  the  report  under  consideration  appears  an  effort  on  the  part  of  President 
Edwards,  of  the  Normal  University,  to  ascertain  the  condition  of  public  sentiment 
respecting  the  work  of  the  institution  under  his  charge.  Realizing  the  necessity  of 
a  vigorous  campaign  against  the  opponents  of  professional  training  for  teachers,  he 
addressed  a  circular  letter  to  a  number  of  prominent  educational  men,  asking  for  an 
expression  of  opinion  respecting  the  success  of  the  graduates  and  also  for  a  statement 
of  the  repute  in  which  the  school  was  held  by  the  communities  with  which  they 
were  familiar.     The  effort  and  the  results  throw  further  lights  upon  the  times. 

These  letters  were  addressed  to  county  superintendents  and  to  the  leading  town 
and  city  superintendents,  and  also  to  prominent  professional  men  whose  familiarity 
with  public  affairs  gave  them  a  rare  opportunity  to  understand  public  opinion.  The 
letter  bears  date  October  29,  1866.  The  school  had  now  been  in  operation  for  nine 
years,  four  of  which  were  under  the  new  administration.  Responses  were  received 
from  fourteen  county  superintendents,  eight  town  and  city  superintendents,  and 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  131 

eighteen  others  who  were  variously  members  of  school  boards,  lawyers,  physicians, 
clergymen  and  business  men.  They  were  fairly  distributed  over  the  State  but 
were  quite  exceptional  in  that  they  were  generally  prominent.  The  replies  are 
characterized  by  candor.  The  great  majority  indicate  that  the  graduates  and  under- 
graduates are  doing  well  and  that  the  school  is  winning  a  growing  appreciation.  A 
few  failures  are  noted,  especially  in  government  and  in  lack  of  the  culture  that  is 
usually  found  in  the  college  graduate.  Up  to  this  time  the  practice  school  had  been 
limited  in  size  and  in  supervision  so  that  there  was  slight  opportunity  for  the  students 
to  engage  in  actual  teaching.  Moreover,  the  qualifications  for  admission  were  very 
low,  most  of  the  students  having  had  little  or  nothing  beyond  the  eighth  grade  of 
rural  schools.  This  expression  of  confidence  was  immensely  encouraging  to  the 
faithful  workers  in  the  Normal  school. 

The  change  of  tenure  of  the  superintendent  from  two  years  to  four,  by  the  law 
of  1865,  brought  the  election  midway  between  the  national  elections.  To  some 
extent  this  separated  it  from  a  purely  political  contest  and  made  an  election  in  some 
fair  degree  a  reward  of  merit.  Mr.  Bateman  was  renominated  by  acclamation  and 
was  elected  in  the  following  November.  On  December,  1868,  he  published  the 
Seventh  Biennial  Report  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  which  was  the 
fourth  that  he  contributed  to  the  official  literature  of  education  in  Illinois. 

Here  are  some  of  the  interesting  statistics : 

The  whole  number  of  graded  schools  reported  in  1867  was  only  565  and  the 
increase  in  1868  was  but  sixty-nine.  The  contrast  of  that  period  with  this  is  striking. 
These  schools  constituted  but  five  per  cent  of  the  whole  number  in  the  former  year 
and  but  six  per  cent  in  the  latter.  Even  this  number  is  more  likely  to  be  too  large 
than  too  small  on  account  of  the  disposition  to  make  a  good  showing.  It  is  thus 
seen  that  the  ungraded  school  is  still  occupying  the  field,  or  at  least  ninety-five  per 
cent  of  it.  The  number  of  private  schools  shows  a  steady  decrease  while  their 
attendance  shows  a  marked  increase.  In  1865,  742  such  schools  were  reported, 
while  in  1868  the  number  had  been  reduced  to  584.  The  attendance  meanwhile 
had  increased  from  22,000  to  37,000,  showing  the  law  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest 
to  be  energetically  doing  its  beneficent  work.  The  number  of  schoolhouses  increases 
about  700  a  year,  and  at  an  average  cost  of  about  $3,500.  This  indicates  a  large 
increase  in  recent  years  in  the  number  of  superior  buildings.  Let  it  not  be  forgotten 
that  this  fine  result  is  all  accomplished  through  local  taxation  and  by  a  vote  of  the 
people.  Assuredly  the  common  school  is  growing  in  popular  favor.  Some  of  the 
old  houses  are  still  in  use,  however,  "pictures  of  filth,  and  squalor,  and  dampness, 
and  low  ceilings  (some  of  them  under  six  feet),  and  horrible  atmosphere,  and  general 
discomfort,  dilapidation  and  ruin,  from  which  one  is  almost  tempted  to  turn  to  the 
calendar  to.  see  in  what  year  of  the  world  such  things  can  be."  Suitable  methods 
of  heating  and  ventilation  are  urged  upon  the  attention  of  school  officers,  showing 
that  the  crusade  for  the  same  ends  so  energetically  on  in  the  year  1911  was  stren- 
uously urged  more  than  twoscore  years  ago.  It  is  of  passing  interest  to  note  that 
there  was  an  average  daily  attendance  of  about  250,000,  with  an  average  of  some- 
thing more  than  twenty-four  to  the  school,  in  1867,  and  an  average  daily  attendance 
of  20,000  more  in  1868,  with  an  average  of  more  than  twenty-five  to  the  school. 


132  THE    EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Now  that  the  war  is  over  the  men  seem  to  be  coming  back  into  the  schools.  18G6 
shows  an  increase  of  about  600  over  1865,  and  1867  and  1868  show  a  larger  increase 
over  their  immediate  predecessors.  The  number  of  women,  meanwhile,  diminishes. 
The  wages  of  male  teachers  fell  off  in  1867,  but  in  1868  reached  an  average  of  $42.40, 
the  highest  point  thus  far  attained.  The  wages  of  women  show  a  more  marked 
advance,  moving  from  $24.96,  in  1865,  to  $32.80  in  1868. 

The  report  of  1869-70  closes  the  period  under  the  Constitution  of  1848,  an  organic 
act  so  inadequate  to  the  needs  of  a  superior  people  that  there  were  none  to  regret 
its  abandonment.  It  ushers  in  the  new  period  with  the  Constitution  of  1870  as  the 
fundamental  law  of  the  land. 

While  Article  VIII  is  distinctively  the  educational  article  it  is  by  no  means  the 
only  part  of  the  constitution  bearing  upon  popular  education.  The  "Bill  of  Rights," 
Article  2,  Section  3,  removes  the  whole  question  of  religious  faith  from  the  conditions 
of  certification.  At  the  same  time  it  protects  the  schools  against  the  presence  of 
immoral  teachers. 

"  The  General  Assembly  shall  not  pass  local  or  special  laws,  providing  for  the 
management  of  common  schools."     Art.  4,  Sec.  22. 

Section  V  provides  for  the  election  of  a  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion. The  office  is  thus  removed  from  the  possibility  of  discontinuance  by  the 
General  Assembly. 

Other  articles  and  sections  cover  all  of  the  multitudinous  points  involved  in  eligi- 
bility to  office,  right  of  suffrage,  reports,  etc. 

Article  VIII  marks  a  distinct  epoch  in  the  educational  history  of  the  State  in  that 
it  provides  that  the  advantages  of  the  schools  are  to  be  enjoyed  by  all  of  the  children 
of  the  State.  No  longer  are  the  poor  prisoners  of  fate  who  wear  a  black  skin  to  be 
denied  the  opportunity  of  entering  into  the  common  heritage  of  culture. 

The  proviso  that  no  part  of  any  public  fund  shall  be  used  for  the  support  of  sec- 
tarian schools  is  another  of  the  advanced  positions  assumed  by  the  fundamental 
law.  Illinois  derived  great  profit  from  the  "extraordinary  and  startling  spectacle" 
exhibited  in  another  State,  where  large  sums  of  money,  belonging  alike  to  all  of  the 
people,  were  diverted  to  the  uses  of  particular  sects. 

Another  section  protects  the  public,  or  is  devised  for  that  purpose,  against  the 
possible  participation  of  school  officials  in  the  profits  accruing  to  the  sellers  of  com- 
modities purchased  by  school  authorities. 

The  document  is  so  easy  of  access  that  further  description  of  its  provisions 
need  not  be  given  here.  It  is  enough  that  the  constitutional  convention  gave  to 
Illinois  an  organic  act  conceived  in  the  spirit  of  broad  statesmanship  and  disinter- 
ested patriotism.  After  forty  years  little  need  has  been  found  for  any  material 
amendments. 

The  report  of  1871-72  is  of  especial  value  historically  because  it  records  the 
changes  made  in  the  school  law  by  the  twenty-seventh  General  Assembly,  a  leg- 
islature that  gave  more  careful  attention  to  the  needs  of  the  common  schools  than 
any  of  its  predecessors.  The  law  of  1865  was  an  advance  upon  preceding  legisla- 
tion, but  the  law  of  1872  was  in  the  nature  of  a  careful  revision,  although  it  left 
much  for  its  successors  in  office.     There  were  fourteen  modifications  of  the  exist- 


THE    EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  133 

ing  law  and  sixteen  additions  of  importance.  Several  of  these  will  appear  again 
under  other  headings,  but  it  is  deemed  advisable  to  tabulate  them  here  for  con- 
venience of  reference. 

1.  Apportionment  of  Funds. 

Under  the  old  law  the  auditor  had  one  basis  of  distribution  to  the  counties — one-third  in  pro- 
portion to  territorial  area  and  two-thirds  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  persons  under  twenty  years 
of  age ;  the  county  superintendents  had  another  basis  of  distribution  to  the  townships  —  one-third 
in  proportion  to  territorial  area  and  two-thirds  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  persons  under  twenty- 
one  years  of  age;  and  the  township  trustees  had  a  still  different  method  of  distribution  to  the  dis- 
tricts —  one-half  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  persons  under  twenty-one  and  the  other  half  in 
proportion  to  the  number  of  pupils  reported  as  in  attendance  on  the  schedules  of  the  teachers.  Under 
the  new  law  the  method  is  the  same  for  all  —  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  persons  under  twenty-one 
years  of  age."    Under  the  old  law  one  must  be  white  to  be  counted;  now  all  are  counted. 

2.  Visitation  of  Schools. 

Visitation  is  no  longer  obligatory  unless  directed  by  the  county  board. 

3.  School  Elections. 

Election  day  is  changed  from  Monday  to  Saturday.  All  special  limitations  upon  voters  when 
levying  of  taxes  is  involved  are  removed.     Evidently  the  public  purse  strings  are  loosening. 

4.  Tenure  and  Residence  of  Township  Treasurers. 

Changed  from  two  years  to  one.      Must  be  residents  of  their  respective  townships. 

5.  Altering  District  Boundaries. 

Takes  such  power  from  trustees  and  leaves  it  to  a  vote  of  the  people. 

6.  Use  of  Schoolhouses. 

Empowers  directors  to  permit  use  of  schoolhouses  for  certain  purposes. 

7.  Custody  of  District  Funds. 

Puts  them  into  the  hands  of  the  township  treasurers. 

8.  District  School  Tax. 

The  power  of  directors  was  unlimited  in  the  levying  of  a  tax  for  the  support  of  chools.  They 
are  now  limited  to  two  per  cent. 

9.  District  Bonds. 

Districts  could  make  an  annual  bond  issue  of  five  per  cent  of  the  property  of  the  district,  if 
they  so  voted.  Now  the  aggregated  bonded  indebtedness  must  not  exceed  five  per  cent  of  the 
taxable  property  of  the  district. 

10.  Duration  of  Schools. 

Old  law  —  a  six  months  school  or  no  share  of  the  public  funds.  New  law  —  six  changed  to 
five,  but  directors  may  extend  school  to  nine  months  without  a  vote  of  the  district.  Tax  for  sup- 
port, however,  must  not  exceed  two  per  cent. 

11.  Payment  of  Schedules. 

Monthly  or  ten  per  cent  interest  under  certain  conditions. 

12.  The  School  Month. 

Changed  from  calendar  month,  excluding  Saturdays,  Sundays  and  lawful  holidays,  to  twenty- 
two  days  actually  taught. 

13.  Holidays. 

"Teachers  shall  not  be  required  to  teach  on  legal  hoHdays,  Thanksgiving  or  fast  days  appointed 
by  State  or  National  authority." 

14.  Compensation  of  School  Officers. 

The  compensation  of  county  superintendents  had  finally  reached  $5  a  day  for  official  services 
actually  rendered,  in  addition  to  three  per  cent  of  the  proceeds  of  land  sales  and  two  per  cent  of 
the  amount  distributed,  paid  out  or  loaned.  The  amended  law  says  their  compensation  shall  be 
fixed  by  law,  and  the  Fees  and  Salaries  Act  retained  the  commissions  and  allowed  them  $4  a  day 
for  all  other  duties  and  left  the  number  of  days  to  the  county  board.     In  Cook  the  $4  was  doubled. 


134  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

There  are  minor  changes  in  addition  to  these  but  they  need  not  be  enumerated. 
All  of  these  are  in  the  right  direction. 
And  now  for  the  new  provisions : 

1.  Consolidation  of  Fractional  Townships. 

A  provision  enabling  weak  townships  to  unite  with  other  townships  and  thus  to  be  made  able 
to  support  schools  and  reduce  the  number  of  school  officers. 

2.  Delivery  of  Poll  Book. 

Officers  who  neglect  to  file  the  proper  evidence  of  an  election  and  thus  hazard  the  existence  of 
schools  are  to  be  punished. 

3.  Deduction  of  Debts. 

A  provision  requiring  districts  that  are  in  debt  to  provide  for  their  legal  obligations  when 
united  to  other  districts. 

4.  Township  High  Schools. 

A  most  admirable  addition  to  the  law,  the  conditions  being  substantially  the  same  as  in  the 
present  law. 

5.  Statistics  of  Illiteracy. 

Directors  must  report  the  number  and  names  of  illiterates  above  the  age  of  twelve  and  under 
twenty-one.     The  purpose,  is  obvious. 

6.  Financial  Statement  of  Directors. 

Must  make  a  detailed  written  report  to  voters  on  election  day  and  must  transmit  a  copy  of  same 
within  five  days  to  township  treasurer. 

7.  Statement  of  Uncollected  Taxes. 

Must  be  given  to  township  treasurer  by  directors  if  he  requires  it. 

8.  Special  Powers  and  Duties  of  Directors. 

Must  prescribe  branches  of  study,  text-books  and  apparatus  to  be  used,  and  must  enforce  uni- 
formity of  text-books;  must  not  permit  text-books  to  be  changed  oftener  than  once  in  four  years. 
May  suspend  or  expel  incorrigibles  and  no  action  shall  lie  against  them.  May  provide  that  children 
shall  not  be  confined  in  school  more  than  four  hours  daily. 

9.  New  Branches. 

This  addition  to  the  law  marks  a  new  departure.  It  came  about  through  the  natute-study 
propaganda  that  had  been  going  on  for  some  years. 

Elements  of  natural  sciences,  physiology  and  laws  of  health  added  to  examination  for  certificate. 
On  request  of  directors  these  subjects  may  be  omitted  from  requirements  in  special  cases.  Vocal 
music  and  drawing  may  be  taught  if  prescribed  by  directors  or  requested  by  vote  of  district. 

10.  Loaning  District  Funds. 

If  district  acquires  surplus  fund,  directors  may  request  treasurer  to  loan  same  under  terms 
prescribed  in  other  cases. 

11.  Removal  of  Delinquent  Directors. 

County  superintendent  may  remove  them  and  order  a  new  election. 

12.  Perversion  of  School  Funds. 

Appropriation  of  public  funds  to  schools  under  sectarian  control  emphatically  forbidden. 

13.  Traffic  in  School  Books. 

Teachers  and  school  officers  forbidden  to  have  any  pecuniary  interest  in  any  appliances  used 
in  the  schools  under  their  charge. 

14.  Election  of  Boards  of  Education. 

Towns  of  not  less  than  two  thousand  and  not  under  special  acts  may  elect  Boards  of  Educa- 
tion consisting  of  six  members  and  three  for  each  additional  ten  thousand. 

15.  Reorganization  under  the  General  School  Law. 

Schools  under  special  laws  may  reorganize  under  the  free-school  law. 

16.  Schools  in  the  City  of  Chicago. 

As  the  Constitution  of  1870  prohibits  special  acts  and  as  Chicago  needed  privileges  pecuHar  to 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  135 

herself  the  desired  results  were  reached  by  enacting  a  law  applicable  to  cities  having  more  than  one 
hundred  thousand  population. 

The  superintendent  discusses  these  various  changes  with  the  probabihties  of  their 
service  to  the  schools.  His  discussion  of  the  "Effects  on  Teachers"  of  the  intro- 
duction of  the  new  subjects  is  more  than  a  passing  argument,  it  is  a  bit  of  htera- 
ure  on  the  influence  of  a  widening  intelligence  on  the  teacher's  influence  upon  his 
pupils.  The  "Effect  upon  Pupils"  of  the  nature  work  in  elementary  schools  is  as 
well  a  timely  plea  for  the  present  as  for  the  time  in  which  it  was  written. 

Hidden  in  these  old  reports  are  discussions  that  ought  to  be  again  brought  to 
the  light.  "Mind,  in  the  Arts  and  Industries,"  "Reading,  as  a  Life  Force,"  "Latent 
Forces,"  answers  to  "Strictures  and  Criticisms,"  "  Testimony"  as  to  the  inefficiency 
of  the  schools  —  gathered  from  intelligent  parents  —  suggest  the  topics  with  which 
he  dealt  with  great  discrimination  and  attractiveness.  In  such  articles  as  "What 
Should  be  Accomplished?"  "What  is  Accomplished?"  and  "How  Can  More  be 
Accomplished?"  he  defines  the  scope  of  the  school  for  teachers  and  patrons.  He 
submits  illustrative  lessons  in  the  elements  of  the  natural  sciences,  supplies  simple 
pedagogical  principles  and  guiding  suggestions  of  the  most  practical  character  and 
thus  converts  an  official  document  into  a  volume  of  invaluable  information  and  sug- 
gestions for  guidance  along  lines  for  which  few  books  then  offered  help. 

Compulsory  attendance  laws  are  now  regarded  as  a  matter  of  course.  He  who 
should  attempt  to  secure  their  repeal  would  find  himself  without  substantial  support. 
The  public  has  come  to  the  conclusion  that  if  one  man's  money  can  be  taken  from 
him  by  law  to  educate  another  man's  child  the  same  authority  should  see  to  it  that 
the  child  shall  meet  the  money.  This  is  an  "advanced  view,"  a  position  that  was 
offensive  to  many  even  a  decade  ago.  In  1872  a  compulsory  attendance  law  was 
an  impossibility.  But  Mr.  Bateman  was  on  the  skirmish  line  all  of  the  time  and  in 
the  report  under  consideration  devotes  nearly  thirty  pages  to  an  elaborate  argument 
in  support  of  such  a  law.  By  suggesting  seemingly  radical  policies  he  familiarized 
the  public  mind  with  them  and  in  process  of  time  the  novelty  of  the  idea  wore  off 
and  the  reform  was  accomplished. 

On  December  15,  1874,  Mr.  Bateman  submitted  to  the  Governor  the  Tenth 
Biennial  Report  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  which  was  at  the 
same  time  his  seventh  and  last.  Sixteen  years  before  he  had  assumed  the  office 
and  had  held  it  continuously  except  in  1863-64.  A  few  statistics  will  serve  to  indi- 
cate the  development  of  the  educational  enterprise  within  the  limits  of  his  official 
service. 

The  population  of  the  State  had  increased  about  1,300,000. 

The  number  of  pupils  enrolled  had  increased  210,000. 

The  number  of  teachers  had  increased  8,000. 

The  lowest  monthly  wages  paid  to  female  teachers  had  increased  from  $5  to  $9  and  the  highest 
from  $60  to  $211.11.  The  corresponding  figures  for  male  teachers  are  from  $10  to  $15  and  from 
$200  to  $330. 

The  amount  raised  by  local  taxation  had  increased  from  about  a  half  million  to  more  than  five 
and  a  half  millions  —  eleven  times  as  much. 

The  average  compensation  of  male  teachers  had  increased  from  less  than  $30  to  more  than 
and  of  women  from  less  than  $20  to  more  than  $33. 


136  THE    EDUCATIONAL    HISTORY     OF    ILLINOIS 

The  average  compensation  of  county  superintendents  had  nearly  doubled,  but  was  now  only  $626. 
The  total  amount  expended  for  common-school  education  had  increased  from  a  little  less  than 
five  millions  to  more  than  nine  millions. 

On  pages  238-9  of  this  valuable  and  compendious  report  may  be  found  an 
exhibit  of  the  progress  of  the  common  schools  in  several  leading  particulars  during 
the  last  sixteen  years,  in  a  table  of  comparative  statistics  under  twenty-five  captions. 

It  was  in  this  biennium,  the  act  being  approved  May  3,  1873,  that  an  annual 
appropriation  of  $1,000,000  was  substituted  for  the  two-mill  tax  provided  by  the 
law  of  1855.  In  1873  this  amount  exceeded  the  income  from  the  two-mill  tax  by 
$10,000,  but  within  a  few  years  the  tax  would  have  amounted  to  several  times  the 
appropriation. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Mr.  Bateman  biennially  paid  his  respects  to  the  dis- 
trict system  as  opposed  to  a  township  system.  In  his  last  report  he  fires  a  parting 
shot  at  that  absurdity,  but  it  was  of  no  avail.  It  is  entrenched  in  the  hearts  and 
traditions  of  the  people  and  if  it  should  be  disturbed  "the  country's  done  for." 

His  personal  contributions  to  this  report  close  with  an  essay  on  "  The  Coming 
Teacher."  It  bears  the  unmistakable  marks  of  his  method,  beginning,  "Through 
costly  experiments,  splendid  failures,  and  baffled  hopes,  we  make  our  way  toward 
the  Augustan  age.  .  .  .  .  In  the  rapt  visions  that  come  to  me  —  as  they 
come  to  all  —  I  sometimes  seem  to  see  the  apocalyptic  gates  swing  open,  and  far 
down  the  aisles  of  the  future,  brightly  revealed  in  the  soft,  clear  light,  there  stands 
the  incarnate  idea  of  the  coming  Teacher."  "Health  ....  Goodness  .  . 
Intellect     ....     Learning     .     .     .     .  Common  Sense     ....     Imagination 

.  .  .  Personal  Presence  ....  In  the  words  with  which  I  closed  my 
first  report,  fourteen  years  ago:  'In  the  name  of  the  living  God  it  must  be  pro- 
claimed that  licentiousness  shall  be  the  liberty  —  violence  and  chicanery  shall  be 
the  law  —  superstition  and  craft  shall  be  the  religion  —  and  the  self- destructive 
indulgence  of  all  sensual  and  unhallowed  passions  shall  be  the  only  happiness  of 
that  people  who  neglect  the  education  of  their  children.'  " 

Mr.  Bateman  retired  from  the  office  which  he  had  filled  with  such  distinction  to 
become  the  president  of  Knox  College,  where  he  spent  the  remaining  years  of  his 
working  life,  loved  and  honored  by  a  grateful  people  whom  he  had  served  with  such 
fidelity  and  ability. 

In  the  Twenty-second  Biennial  Report  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion is  a  memorial  address,  delivered  by  Dr.  Samuel  Willard  at  the  meeting  of  the 
State  Teachers'  Association  following  the  death  of  Dr.  Bateman.  It  is  a  source  of 
regret  that  it  can  not  be  transferred  bodily  to  these  pages. 

"  Dr.  Bateman,  of  English  ancestry,  was  born  in  Bridgeton,  county  seat  of  a 
southern  county  of  New  Jersey,  July  27,  1822,  and  was  a  little  over  seventy  years 
old  at  his  death  October  21,  1897. 

"  'Saturday's  child  must  work  for  his  living,'  says  an  old  rhyme;  and  so  this 
Saturday's  boy  entered  a  life  of  toil;  toil  at  first  from  stern  necessity;  toil  imposed 
later  by  the  spirit  within  that  made  him  a  helper  of  men  and  found  scant  room  for 
idleness. 

"  Of  the  boyhood  in  New  Jersey  I  never  heard  Mr.  Bateman  speak.     His  father. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  137 

Bergen  Bateman,  was  a  weaver  by  trade;  a  trade  that  grew  less  and  less  profitable 
as  modern  manufactories  sprang  up.  When  the  boy  was  in  his  eleventh  year  Mr. 
Bergen  Bateman  fell  into  the  great  current  of  migration  that  was  flowing  westward 
and  that  promised  new  openings  for  business  and  enterprise.  He  came  to  Illinois 
in  1833  and  landed  at  Meredosia,  on  the  Illinois  river,  with  five  children  and  the  corpse 
of  his  wife,  dead  of  the  new  pestilence,  Asiatic  cholera.  Our  Newton  Bateman  was 
the  youngest  of  the  five. 

"  The  family  suffered  the  hard  grind  of  poverty  for  many  years.  Little  Newton, 
small  for  his  age  —  he  never  grew  tall,  dwarfed,  probably,  by  the  privation  that 
hedged  in  his  youth  —  little  Newton  became  an  errand  boy  in  the  family  of  an 
eminent  jurist  and  judge  then  living  in  Jacksonville. 

"  It  was  there  that  a  great  ambition  lodged  in  the  boy.  The  judge  had  a  pretty 
daughter,  sweet  and  lovely  in  temper.  A  passion  of  boyish  love  determined  him  to 
make  such  place  that  he  might  ask  her  hand  on  equal  terms.  He  would  go  to  the 
college  then  rising  on  the  hill  west  of  the  town ;  he  would  enter  a  profession  and  then — 

"  To  that  ambition,  to  that  passion,  I  may  say,  we  are  indebted  for  the  Newton 
Bateman  we  have  known.  That  hope  carried  him  through  a  struggle  of  twelve  years. 
He  did  not  marry  her  at  last.  It  is  no  derogation  of  the  young  lady  that  I  say  he 
did  better,  and  so  did  she;  each  found  a  more  suitable  partner;  there  are  adaptations 
aside  from  individual  worth.     In  speaking  of  these  four  I  speak  of  the  dead. 

"  Of  the  youthful  days  that  followed  I  can  say  little.  They  were  heavy  years  to 
him.  He  once  told  me  of  spending  cold  days  of  winter  at  cutting  wood  with  but  a 
pone  of  corn  bread  for  his  noonday  meal.  But  the  beautiful  maiden  and  the  deter- 
mination to  be  more  than  a  woodchopper  were  never  out  of  his  thoughts;  these 
sustained  him. 

"To  the  preparatory  school  connected  with  the  college  he  went,  and  entered 
Illinois  College  as  a  freshman  in  1839. 

"  Illinois  College  was  the  first  in  the  State  to  form  regular  classes  and  have  a 
graduation.  Our  great  war  governor,  Richard  Yates,  was  of  the  first  class,  grad- 
uating in  1835.  Bateman  entered  its  ninth  class  and  graduated  in  1843.  His  class 
numbered  ten,  most  of  whom  have  shown  remarkable  vitality ;  fifty-four  years  after 
their  graduation  day  six  of  the  ten  were  living;  five  of  us  still  survive,  at  ages  rang- 
ing from  seventy-four  to  seventy-nine.  And  the  class  proved  above  average  for 
ability  and  influence. 

* '  How  did  we  live  in  college  in  those  days  ?  Classes  were  small ;  as  there  were  no 
high  schools  or  academies  in  those  days,  the  colleges  had  preparatory  departments; 
but  all  told  the  pupils  then  at  Illinois  hardly  numbered  seventy.  Few  were  from 
wealthy  families ;  many  found  it  hard  to  get  along.  Many  boarded  themselves ; 
that  is,  they  purchased  food  which  they  cooked  and  prepared  in  their  own  rooms. 
Bread  we  bought;  other  things  we  learned  to  make  ourselves.  We  had  only  the 
ordinary  heating  stoves  of  sixty  years  ago;  on  or  in  these  we  fried  or  broiled  meat; 
boiled  or  fried  eggs,  or  scrambled  eggs,  if  skilful  enough;  we  made  mush;  baked 
potatoes  or  apples ;  and  in  our  simple  fare  we  had  healthful  food  at  little  cost.  During 
his  preparatory  years,  on  one  occasion,  when  funds  were  scanty,  for  two  successive 
weeks,  Bateman  and  his  roommate,  who  was  afterward  Dr.  Augustus  F.  Hand,  of 


138  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Morris,  Illinois,  lived  at  a  cost  of  12J  cents  a  week  for  each  of  them.  Their  sole 
food  was  com-meal  mush  of  their  own  making,  eaten  without  butter,  milk,  syrup, 
molasses,  or  any  other  trimming  or  relish.  I  think  this  experience  was  not  repeated. 
Such  was  the  sturdy  perseverance  and  independence  with  which  many  a  youth 
gained  his  diploma  in  those  days.  When  Bateman  and  I  were  roommates,  as  we  were 
in  our  junior  and  senior  years,  I  lived  week  after  week  at  a  food  cost  of  62 J  cents; 
and  he  spent  no  more  than  I.  We  were  glad  to  pick  up  any  odd  job  to  earn  a  little. 
I  remember  a  student  who  was  afterward  a  major  in  our  patriot  army  and  a  member 
of  Congress  who  was  mortar- mixer  and  hodcarrier  for  the  plasterers  one  summer. 

'*For  light  we  could  not  afford  candles  (this  was  before  the  days  of  coal  oil);  we 
made  a  strong  light  with  a  lamp  of  Greek  style,  lacking  beauty  of  form,  to  wit:  a 
saucer  of  lard,  with  a  wick  made  of  a  twisted  rag  projecting  over  its  edge.  Such 
were  our  Diogenes-like  economies.  But  when  Bateman 's  son  and  mine  went  to 
college  there  was  quite  a  different  story. 

"  Bateman,  while  in  college,  was  subject  occasionally  to  fits  of  discouragement 
and  almost  of  despondency;  but  these  were  short,  for  he  was  constitutionally  and 
on  conviction  and  principle,  courageous,  cheerful  and  optimistic.  Of  all  the  class 
he  had  the  greatest  sense  of  humor,  and  the  keenest  appreciation  and  enjoyment 
of  pure  fun.  He  enjoyed  good  solid  nonsense,  like  the  verses  of  Edwin  Lear  or 
'The  Adventures  of  Alice  in  Wonderland.'  Perhaps  no  other  man  apprehends 
rationality  so  thoroughly  as  the  man  who  also  sees  its  contrast,  the  sham  ration- 
ality of  nonsense,  and  appreciates  mirthfully,  the  difference.  The  lack  of  such 
appreciation  of  the  ridiculous  leaves  man  a  prey  to  practical  absurdities. 

"Bateman  never  wrote  serious  poems,  but  he  often  produced  comic  verses.  He 
did  not  try  to  be  the  wag  of  his  class;  his  fun  was  spontaneous,  bubbling  out  of  a 
joyous  heart;  his  laughs  were  the  heartiest;  he  rejoiced  in  existence.  His  classmate, 
Thomas  K.  Beecher,  responding  to  my  announcement  of  his  death,  writes,  '  He 
always  has  been  and  will  be  "  Newt  Bateman,"  dear  old  boy  that  he  was  and  is.' 
Looking  at  his  subsequent  life  I  see  that  this  exuberance  of  the  comic  was  a  relief 
to  his  supersensitive  nature,  and  lightened  many  a  load  which  those  of  sterner  mold 
would  have  carried  with  clenched  teeth  and  knitted  brow. 

"In  the  last  year  of  our  course  a  class  in  Latin  of  the  preparatory  department 
was  assigned  to  Bateman  for  instruction,  and  thus  he  began  his  true  career.  Grad- 
uating in  June,  1843,  he  planned  to  enter  the  ministry  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
of  which  he  was  a  member.  He  went  to  Lane  Seminary.  But  lack  of  money  caused 
him  to  leave  the  school  and  take  a  book  agency,  an  occupation  less  common  than 
now.  He  sold  Lyman's  Historical  Charts,  in  map  form,  then  a  new  work.  He 
traveled  in  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Pennsylvania  and  other  States  to  the  east,  meeting 
the  usual  rebuffs  and  occasional  successes  of  such  agents.  He  could  afterward  make 
fun  of  encounters  that  then  were  bitter  enough.  He  came  once  to  the  verge  of 
absolute  beggary,  when  some  one  sent  him  relief  anonymously.  In  the  fall  of  1845 
he  had  gathered  a  private  school  in  what  was  then  the  northern  part  of  St.  Louis; 
and  there  I  found  him,  jolly  after  the  fashion  of  Mark  Tapley,  making  the  best  of  a 
life  of  care  and  narrow  means.  But  he  was  making  reputation;  and  in  1847  he  was 
elected  Professor  of  Mathematics  in  the  University  of  Missouri,  at  Columbia. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  139 

"At  this  time  Mr.  Bateman  was  walking  along  that  dangerous  ledge  where  many 
fall.  The  flowery  path  of  dissipation  temptingly  invited  him.  His  vivacity,  wit, 
social  spirit,  and  other  attractive  qualities  made  him  welcome  everywhere,  and 
especially  to  those  of  his  own  age,  some  of  whom  were  associates  whom  a  better 
acquaintance  did  not  find  worthy.  Again  love  and  honor  saved  him  from  these 
baleful  companions.  Soon  after  he  was  appointed  professor  he  married  Sarah 
'Da3^ton,  of  Jacksonville;  not  his  boyish  first  fancy,  but  one  whose  sweetness,  dignity 
and  intelligence  commended  her  to  his  manly  judgment  of  love.  She  drew  him  gently 
away  from  dangerous  associates  before  they  had  tainted  him. 

"In  1861,  the  west  district  of  Jacksonville  established  a  free  school  and  called 
him  to  its  head.  Henceforth  he  was  felt  as  a  power  there  and  at  meetings  of  teachers. 
He  became  a  school  commissioner  of  Morgan  county.  He  threw  himself  zealously 
into  the  movement  which  founded  the  State  Normal  at  Bloomington,  the  agricul- 
tural and  industrial  college  which  is  now  the  University  of  Illinois,  at  Champaign, 
and  into  the  work  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association.  This  body  made  him  vice- 
president,  for  1855,  and  editor  of  one  number  of  the  Illinois  Teacher,  a  paper  which 
they  then  founded  by  appointing  monthly  editors.  He  was  made  sole  editor  for 
1858. 

"  In  the  summer  of  that  year  he  was,  contrary  to  his  own  wish,  made  the  Repub- 
lican candidate  for  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  and  elected  in  Novem- 
ber. He  did  not  wish  the  nomination,  because  of  his  friendship  for  his  predecessor, 
Mr.  W.  H.  Powell,  and  because  he  had  just  accepted  the  principalship  of  the  Jack- 
sonville Female  Academy,  so  that  he  felt  that  it  would  be  unfair  to  its  trustees  and 
teachers  if  he  should  seek  the  office.  Emphatically,  the  office  sought  the  man.  I 
was  his  confidant  in  this  matter  ^nd  speak  with  full  knowledge.  Another  reason 
was  that  on  May  16,  1857,  death  had  suddenly  taken  from  his  arms  his  dearly  beloved 
wife,  mother  of  his  onl}>  son  and  of  a  daughter.  All  his  ambition  fled  away;  and 
despite  the  native  elasticity  of  his  spirit,  this  stroke  wounded  him  so  deeply  that 
I  saw  no  ripple  of  a  smile  upon  his  face  for  a  year.  In  January,  1859,  he  took  his 
■place  as  State  Superintendent. 

"  In  the  later  years  of  his  superintendency  he  had,  several  offers  of- college  places; 
he  advised  with  me  on. each,  but  said  'no,'  till  the  presidency  of  Knox  College  was 
offered  him;  that  he  accepted.  What  his  work  there  was  for  eighteen  laborious 
years  I  have  not  time  to  tell.  The  college  had  needed  for  a  long  time  just  such  a 
man.  At  once  it  began  to  rise.  Money  came  in  for  its  upbuilding.  Students 
flocked  in,  summoned  by  the  magic  of  his  name  and  fame ;  the  standard  of  education 
rose;  young  men  who  came  under  the  charm  of  his  influence  told  of  the  new  power 
they  had  felt.  While  doing  this  work  for  his  college,  he  was  for  several  years  an 
active  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Health.  He  was  in  demand  for  addresses  here 
and  there.  He  answered  all  calls  to  the  full  extent  of  his  strength.  Meanwhile 
his  home  grew  solitary.  His  second  wife,  Annie  Tyler,  married  in  1859,  died  in 
1877;  his  four  daughters  married  and  left  him;  only  an  orphan  niece  remained  with 
him  to  the  end. 

"  But  all  of  the  time  there  was  creeping  upon  him  that  fatal  disease  of  the  heart 
that  ended  his  sweet  life.     In  1893,  on  the  anniversary  of  his  graduation  flfty  years 


140  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

before,  he  gave  his  office  into  the  hands  of  his  successor,  gladly  laying  down  a  burden 
that  was  becoming  too  heavy.  Holding  the  position  of  professor  emeritus,  he  taught 
only  a  single  class.  He  also  edited  a  work  on  the  history  of  Illinois  which  was  just 
completed  at  his  demise.  Finally  the  occasional  spasms  of  distress  became  a  constant 
and  increasing  misery  that  culminated  October  21,  1897,  in  the  final  relief. 

"  Dr.  Bateman  was  exceedingly  tender,  sympathetic  and  loving.  The  strokes 
of  bereavement  seemed  to  fall  crushingly  upon  him.  The  loss  of  his  son  Clifford, 
a  bright  young  professor  in  Columbia  College,  nearly  overpowered  him.  During 
the  war  he  felt  for  days  and  weeks  the  agonies  of  every  slaughterous  battle.  I  am 
of  the  opinion  that  such  sensitiveness  may  have  disturbed  the  function  of  the  heart 
and  laid  the  foundation  of  the  final  ailment.  His  attachments  to  his  friends  were 
exceedingly  loyal  and  strong. 

"While  his  pupils  of  the  district  school  and  of  the  college  will  long  remember  the 
clear- minded  and  gentle  teacher,  stem  only  in  necessity,  Dr.  Bateman 's  greatest 
inflvience,  like  that  of  Horace  Mann,  to  whom  he  was  often  compared,  was  in  those 
eloquent  reports  which  set  up  ideals  and  stirred  the  hearts  of  those  who  read  them 
to  a  new  purpose  and  a  new  hope.  His  decisions  on  the  school  law,  gathered  in  a 
volume,  made  a  text-book  for  school  officers;  but  his  appeals  to  teachers  and  to  the 
people  were  not  law,  but  gospel,  the  revelation  of  new  and  better  ways,  with  encour- 
agement to  walk  therein;  the  incitation  to  a  perpetual  ascent.  Like  the  angel  in 
the  Apocalypse,  he  was  saying,  'Come  up  hither  and  I  will  show  thee.'  This 
influence  passed  the  bounds  of  Illinois  and  is  still  spreading.  We  may  say  of  it 
as  Tennyson  says  in  the  Bugle  Song,  speaking  of  the  long  echoes  of  the  bugle  tones, 

"  '  O,  love,  they  die,  in  yon  rich  sky ; 
They  faint  on  hill,  or  field,  or  river; 
Our  echoes  roll  from  soul  to  soul. 
And  grow  forever  and  forever.'  " 

Fifth  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

■  This  is  not  the  place  to  discuss  with  any  fulness  the  political  movements  of  the 
times.  Educational  mterests  are  sometimes  affected  by  them,  however,  and  to  that 
degree  they  force  themselves  upon  the  attention  of  the  chronicler  of  the  evolution 
of  the  school. 

In  1874,  what  is  known  as  "The  Granger  Movement"  in  Illinois  reached  its 
culminating  point.  The  Grange,  or  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  is  a  secret  society, 
organized  in  1869,  in  the  interests  of  farmers.  It  had  enjoyed  deserved  popularity 
and  the  number  of  the  Granges  rapidly  increased.  The  depressed  state  of  agricul- 
ture was  attributed  in  no  small  degree  to  the  "exorbitant"  rates  charged  by  the  rail- 
roads for  the  transportation  of  the  products  of  the  farm  to  the  markets  of  the  world. 
Although  there  was  no  thought  of  political  purposes  in  the  minds  of  the  founders 
of  the  organization,  the  idea  was  insistently  pressed  by  certain  of  the  leaders  that 
the  only  possible  relief  for  the  oppressed  classes  was  through  friendly  legislation, 
which  involved,  of  necessity,  the  idea  of  legislation  hostile  to  the  railway  monopolists. 
The  notion  spread  like  wildfire.     It  was  aided  by  certain  politicians,  especially  those 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  141 

of  the  minority  party,  who  saw,  or  thought  they  saw,  their  opportunity  in  this 
"uprising  of  the  common  people."  "The  IlHnois  State  Independent  Reform" 
party  was  organized  and  many  from  the  old  parties  flocked  to  its  standards. 

As  a  consequence,  there  were  three  nominating  conventions  in  the  summer  of 
1874 — the  two  old  parties  and  the  new  put  their  tickets  in  the  field.  The  Repub- 
lican convention  nominated  for  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  William  B. 
Powell,  Superintendent  of  Schools  of  the  city  of  Aurora.  The  new  party  placed 
in  nomination  for  that  office  Samuel  M.  Etter,  of  Bloomington,  a  teacher  of  con- 
siderable experience.  When  the  Democratic  convention  was  held  Mr.  Etter  induced 
the  delegates  to  ratify  the  nomination  of  the  Independents,  and  he  was  elected  in 
the  following  November. 

Mr.  Powell,  a  brother  of  the  distinguished  Major  Powell  of  canyon  exploration 
fame,  had  many  of  the  qualities  of  his  more  celebrated  relative.  He  was  ardently 
devoted  to  his  calling  and  easily  ranked  among  the  foremost  educational  men  of  the 
State.  As  has  been  said  on  a  previous  page,  his  repute  as  an  educator  was  sufficient 
to  win  for  him  the  superintendency  of  the  schools  of  Washington  City. 

Mr.  Etter  had  been  superintendent  of  two  or  three  of  the  smaller  cities  of  the 
State,  but  he  had  no  such  professional  standing  as  his  competitor.  Notwithstanding 
his  handicap,  if  it  really  counted  for  anything,  he  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  over 
30,000,  showing  that  placing  the  election  of  State  Superintendent  midway  between 
the  national  elections  with  the  thought  that  it  might  lessen  the  political  tension 
was  a  vain  hope.  Mr.  Etter  was  duly  installed  in  office  at  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1875. 

The  Eleventh  Biennial  Report  of  the  Department  of  Education  was  transmitted 
to  the  Governor  on  December  15,  1876.  It  abounds  in  valuable  statistical  material 
and  in  instructive  information  from  the  heads  of  the  various  State  institutions. 
The  contributions  of  the  Superintendent  are  meager  in  amount  and  insignificant  in 
merit.  It  is  quite  possible  that  the  more  urgent  need  had  passed  for  the  peculiar 
work  which  Dr.  Bateman  so  loved  to  do  and  performed  with  such  rare  skill.  How- 
ever that  may  be,  the  new  officer's  talent  did  not  lie  in  that  direction.  The  volume 
is  a  tribute  to  his  industry  and  editorial  discrimination.  Frequent  references  will 
of  necessity  be  made  to  it  under  other  headings. 

Among  the  most  interesting  tables  of  the  report  are  those  showing  the  compen- 
sation of  county  superintendents.  It  varies  from  $218,  in  Johnson,  to  $2,500,  in 
Cook.  Twenty-one  counties  pay  the  superintendent  $1,000  or  more.  Nine  exceed 
$1,200,  and  Hancock,  McLean  and  Whiteside  exceed  $1,500.  Forty  pay  $500  or 
less  and  eight  less  than  $300.     The  reform  moves  slowly. 

In  1876  the  historic  Centennial  Exposition  was  held  in  Philadelphia.  Superin- 
tendent Etter  was  alive  to  the  opportunity  thus  afforded  the  schools  to  show  to  the 
nation  at  large  and  to  foreign  countries  what  Illinois  was  attempting  to  do  in  the 
education  of  her  children.  In  no  way  can  a  State  more  successfully  invite  superior 
immigrants  than  by  demonstrating  that  she  possesses  an  excellent  educational 
system.  The  following  condensation  of  Superintendent  Etter 's  history  of  the  action 
of  the  education  department  will  indicate  what  was  done. 

It  was  evident  that  whatever  was  undertaken  would  depend  upon  the  enterprise 


142  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORYOF     ILLINOIS 

of  the  educational  people.  The  General  Assembly  had  taken  action  in  the  premises, 
but  there  were  no  funds  in  sight  with  which  to  carry  on  the  enterprise.  A  joint 
resolution  had  been  adopted  by  the  legislature  on  January  30,  1874,  authorizing 
the  Governor  to  appoint  a  "State  Board  of  Managers"  to  represent  the  interests  of 
the  State  at  the  International  Exhibition,  but  had  attached  to  the  resolution  this 
interesting  qualification:  "Provided,  That  said  Board  of  Managers  shall  not  incur 
any  expenses,  personal  or  otherwise,  on  behalf  of  the  State."  On  the  8th  of  April, 
1875,  a  bill  was  approved  making  an  appropriation  of  $10,000  for  the  uses  of  the 
Board,  but  requiring  the  niembers  to  act  without  compensation. 

In  October,  1875,  Superintendent  Etter  made  application  to  the  Board  for  the 
sum  of  $1,000  to  defray  at  least  a  part  of  the  expenses  necessary  for  the  preparation 
of  an  educational  exhibit,  but  he  was  informed  that  no  funds  were  available  for  such 
a  purpose.  In  this  dilemma  there  was  but  one  thing  to  do;  the  State  Department  of 
Education  was  obliged  to  take  upon  itself  the  task  of  devising  plans  for  something 
in  the  way  of  a  showing.  It  would  have  been  a  serious  reproach  upon  the  State  to 
permit  such  an  opportunity  to  pass  without  recognition.  As  there  was  no  legal 
authority  by.  which  State  funds  could  be  used  it  was  clear  that  the  sinews  of  war 
must  come  from  some  other  source. 

At  this  distance  and  in  the  light  of  what  was  done  at  the  subsequent  International 
Expositions,  it  is  difficult  to  understand  the  strange  apathy  with  which  the  State 
regarded  its  duties.  Reflections  upon  its  lack  of  action  are  unprofitable,  but  it  is 
a  source  of  congratulation  that  the  action  of  Superintendent  Etter  and  the  leading 
educational  men  saved  the  reputation  of  the  State  in  some  fair  degree. 

Early  in  November  Mr.  Etter  issued  a  circular  letter  to  a  number  of  men  prom- 
inent in  educational  circles,  inviting  them  to  a  conference  in  Chicago.  The  meeting 
was  well  attended.  It  was  clear  that  the  needed  funds  must  be  secured  through 
voluntary  donations  and  that  there  must  be  a  representation  that  would  be  a  credit 
to  the  State.  A  committee  on  finance,  consisting  of  President  Allyn,  of  the  Southern 
Normal  School,  Superintendent  Powell,  of  Aurora,  and  Superintendent  Sarah  E. 
Raymond,  of  Bloomington,.  was  appointed,  which  unanimously  recommended  that 
a  fund  of  $10,000  be  raised;  that  nothing  be  asked  from  the  Centennial  Commission; 
that  an  appeal  be  made  to  the  county  superintendents  and  other  friends  of  educa- 
tion, and  that  the  details  of  raising  the  money  be  left  to  a  committee  consisting  of 
Superintendent  Etter,  President  Gregory,  of  the  State  University,  and  President 
Edwards,  of  the  Normal  Universit}^ 

A  committee,  of  which  Assistant  Superintendent  Duane  Doty,  of  Chicago,  was 
chairman,  reported  a  general  scheme  for  the  exhibit.  The  details  may  be  found  on 
pages  381-2,  of  the  Eleventh  Annual  Report.  Six  committees  were  appointed  to 
take  charge  of  the  several  departments.  The  members  of  these  committees  were  all 
prominently  identified  with  the  education  of  the  time.  The  list  is  worthy  of  pres- 
ervation.    It  is  as  follows : 

History  of  Private  Schools  —  President  Gregory,  of  the  University  of  Illinois; 
President  Sturtevant,  Illinois  College;  President  J.  W.  Locke,  McKendree  College. 

History  of  Public  Schools  —  Superintendent  Etter;  President  Standish,  of 
Lombard  University;  Prof.  Samuel  Willard,  of  the  Chicago  High  School. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  143 

Appliances  —  First  Group,  President  Allyn,  of  the  Southern  Illinois  State 
Normal  University ;  County  Superintendent  Wells,  of  Ogle  county  —  so  long  identified 
with  his  official  position  that  he  was  everywhere  known  as  "Wells,  of  Ogle";  Prof. 
D.  B.  Parkinson,  of  the  Southern  Normal  School. 

Appliances  —  Second  Group,  Superintendent  Powell,  Aurora;  Assistant  Super- 
intendent Doty,  Chicago ;  Prof.  Edwin  C.  Hewett,  of  the  State  Normal  University. 

Results  —  First  Section,  Superintendent  J.  L.  Pickard,  Chicago;  E.  C.  Delano, 
Principal  of  the  City  Normal  School,  Chicago;  D.  S.  Wentworth,  Principal  of  the 
Cook  County  Normal  School. 

Results  —  Second  Division,  Superintendent  Sarah  E.  Raymond,  Bloomington; 
Professor  Thomas,  State  Entomologist,  Carbondale;  S.  A.  Forbes,  Curator  State 
Museum,  Normal. 

The  committee  for  the  raising  of  the  funds  soon  issued  its  appeal,  offering  several 
suggestions  as  to  the  method  of  securing  the  necessary  money.  It  was  accompanied 
by  an  additional  appeal  from  the  State  Department  of  Education. 

'Twere  long  to  tell  of  the  arduous  labors  of  the  diligent  workers  having  this 
worthy  project  in  hand.  It  is  well  record.ed  in  the  report  under  consideration.  It 
must  suffice  for  our  purposes  to  note  that  the  school  people  raised  nearly  $5,000; 
that  the  indefatigable  Principal  White,  of  the  Peoria  County  Normal  School,  prepared 
all  of  the  articles  sent  for  shipment,  arranged  them  after  their  arrival  at  Philadelphia, 
and  took  charge  of  the  exhibit  during  the  Exposition.  Who  besides  him  would  have 
undertaken  so  arduous  and  so  unremunerative  a  task!  But  he  knew  no  law  but 
that  of  faithful  service  to  the  public.  Respecting  the  character  of  the  exhibit  Prin- 
cipal White  wrote  as  follows  in  a  private  letter:  "In  its  character  the  exhibit  is 
creditable  to  the  teachers  of  the  State.  As  a  presentation  of  work  actually  done  by 
pupils"  and  students,  it  is  not  surpassed  in  its  completeness  and  excellence  when  taken 
as  a  whole.  In  a  single  feature,  others  are  superior,  as  Massachusetts  in  art.  No 
State  has,  by  any  means,  so  good  an  exhibit  of  its  higher  educational  work  as  is 
made  by  our  Industrial  University,  and  I  think  that  the  work  of  the  ungraded  schools 
of  the  country  districts  is  not  represented  by  any  so  fully  as  by  several  of  our  county 
superintendents . " 

It  is  enough  that  the  efforts  of  the  school  people,  led  by  the  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  won  the  warm  praise  of  many  discerning  educators  among  our 
own  people  and  also  from  the  other  side  of  the  sea.  Principal  White  submitted 
a  report  of  what  had  been  accomplished,  at  the  meeting  of  the  State  Teachers' 
Association,  in  December.  Ten  tons  of  material  were  shipped.  It  was  in  place 
and  about  ready  for  inspection  when  the  Exposition  opened.  The  writer  of  these 
lines  remembers  the  pride  with  which  he  examined  it.  Mr.  White  offered  interest- 
ing suggestions  as  to  the  value  of  the  exhibit  and  it  is  clear  that  the  effort  was 
wisely  imdertaken  and  successfully  executed. 

The  Executive  Committee  supplemented  the  report  of  Mr.  White  by  giving  a 
detailed  statement  of  the  receipts  and  expenditures,  Hon.  S.  M.  Cullom  having 
acted  in  the  capacity  of  treasurer.  The  committee  raised  $4,652.14  and  carried 
out  its  plans  by  an  expenditure  of  $3,573.78,  leaving  a  balance  of  $1,078.36  which 
was  turned  over  to  the  Association.     Congratulations  were  certainly  in  order  for 


144  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

those  who  had  so  signally  succeeded.  It  is  due  to  Mr.  White  that  a  brief  extract 
from  the  report  of  the  Executive  Committee  should  find  a  place  in  these  pages : 

"  The  Committee  secured  the  services  of  S.  H.  White,  of  the  Peoria  County 
Normal  School,  as  its  agent  to  superintend  the  shipment  and  arrange  the  exhibit 
in  Philadelphia.  The  energy,  fidelity  and  ability  with  which  Mr.  White  executed 
this  important  trust  can  not  be  too  highly  commended  to  the  Association.  Few  men 
could  have  been  found  so  well  qualified  for  the  position,  or  who  would  have  executed 
the  work  with  such  energy  and  economy.  He  left  his  place  in  the  Peoria  County 
Normal  School  in  charge  of  another,  to  whom  he  paid  $225,  which  we  believe  should 
be  refunded  to  him  by  the  Association.  We  therefore  recommend  that  the  committee 
be  instructed  to  pay  him  a  sum  sufficient  to  reimburse  him  for  the  money  thus  paid 
to  his  substitute  during  his  absence."  There  will  be  occasion  to  refer  to  the  educa- 
tional work  of  this  most  admirable  and  faithful  man,  who  was  known  only  to  be 
loved  and  revered. 

The  Constitution  of  1870  killed  the  pernicious  practice  of  passing  special  acts 
by  the  General  Assembly.  Before  that  prohibition  it  was  possible  for  any  community 
to  get  what  it  might  desire  in  the  way  of  a  charter  for  school  or  other  purposes.  Even 
individuals  found  it  practicable  to  secure  exclusive  privileges  by  smuggling  bills  into 
the  " omnibus"  and  thus  having  them  passed  with  many  others  on  a  single  vote.  A 
case  occurring  in  McLean  county  illustrates  the  loose  methods  then  in  vogue.  A  man 
actually  succeeded  in  getting  a  bill  through  the  legislature  and  up  to  Governor 
Oglesby,  which  gave  him  the  exclusive  privilege  of  manufacturing  cheese  in  McLean 
county.  The  watchful  executive  did  not  approve  bills  on  the  "omnibus"  plan  and 
vetoed  the  measure  in  a  historic  message:  "I  see  no  more  reason  for  giving  one 
man  the  exclusive  privilege  of  making  cheese  in  McLean  county  than  for  giving 
the  same  man  the  exclusive  privilege  of  eating  cheese  in  McLean  county. ' '  In  con- 
sequence of  the  free  rein  granted  by  the  constitution  towns  ever3rwhere  had  secured 
special  charters.  Superintendent  Etter  named  seventy-one  that  regarded  themselves 
as  quite  above  the  scope  of  the  school  law.  Confusion  worse  confounded  resulted 
from  such  a  condition.  He  therefore  recommended  the  repeal  of  all  such  charters. 
The  provisions  of  the  law  of  1872  with  regard  to  towns  and  cities  finally  won  most  of 
these  communities  over  to  an  abandonment  of  the  special  acts  and  to  a  reorganiza- 
tion under  the  general  law. 

The  Twelfth  Biennial  Report,  and  the  last  by  Superintendent  Etter,  consists  of 
the  statistical  exhibits  required  by  law,  the  reports  of  the  heads  of  the  State  institu- 
tions and  little  besides.  By  an  odd  oversight  the  reports  of  the  county  superinten- 
dents were  omitted  —  an  error  which  the  Superintendent  specifically  declares  himself 
not  responsible  for. 

The  Sixth  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

The  political  agitation  that  carried  Mr.  Etter  into  office  in  1874  had  assumed  a 
somewhat  different  aspect  four  years  later.  The  independent  element  had  become 
a  "greenback"  party  and  had  thus  lost  the  support  of  a  considerable  contingent 
that  formerly  joined  it.  It  was  no  longer  possible  for  it  to  secure  the  ratification 
of  any  of  its  candidates  by  the  minority  party.     In  consequence  there  were  three 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  145 

sets  of  candidates  in  the  field.  The  "  Greenbackers  "  nominated  Mr.  Frank  H.  Hall 
for  the  office  of  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  We  shall  hear  of  him  later. 
He  won  a  proud  place  in  the  esteem  of  the  people  and  died  greatly  lamented.  The 
Democratic  convention  renominated  Mr,  Etter  and  the  Republicans  selected  Mr. 
James  P.  Slade,  after  a  warm  and  very  close  contest  between  him  and  Mr.  Powell, 
whom  Mr.  Etter  had  defeated  four  years  before.  There  was  at  least  a  seeming 
injustice  in  defeating  Mr.  Powell,  for  he  had  made  a  brilliant  campaign  under  most 
trying  circumstances  four  years  before,  and  the  equities  seemed  to  demand  that  he 
should  have  another  chance  under  clearer  skies.  The  political  disturbances  had 
quite  subsided  and  the  mass  of  voters  had  returned  to  their  old  allegiance,  so  that 
Mr.  Slade  was  elected  by  a  round  30,000,  about  the  majority  that  Mr.  Etter  had 
secured  four  years  before.      Mr.  Hall  received  about  65,000  votes. 

Mr.  Slade  was  born  in  Albany  county.  New  York,  on  February  9,  1837.  He 
was  the  son  of  a  farmer  and  his  early  life  was  spent  in  that  capacity.  When  he  was 
nineteen  his  parents  removed  to  Belleville  where  he  soon  became  connected  with 
the  public  schools,  and"  was  elected  county  superintendent  of  schools.  Mr.  Slade 
was  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  but  was  in  no  sense  an  educational  leader.  His 
absolute  sincerity  and  disinterested  devotion  to  the  cause  of  education,  however, 
won  for  him  the  warm  support  of  the  educational  men  of  the  State. 

The  Thirteenth  Biennial  Report  was  handed  to  the  Governor  on  the  1st  day  of 
November,  1880,  and  covered  the  fractional  year  beginning  October  1,  1878,  and  end- 
ing June  30,  1879,  and  for  the  new  year  beginning  July  1,  1879.  The  legislature 
had  wisely  changed  the  ending  of  the  school  year  from  September  30  to  June  30. 

The  appropriations  for  the  State  office  had  so  far  increased  as  to  permit  the 
superintendent  to  employ  a  competent  person  as  an  assistant.  Mr;  Slade  had  the 
wisdom  to  select  one  of  the  most  thoroughly  capable  and  scholarly  men  ever  connected 
with  the  office.  William  L.  Pillsbury  was  a  Harvard  man  of  high  rank  who  had 
come  west  in  1863  to  take  the  principalship  of  the  Normal  University  High  School. 
He  held  that  position  for  seven  years,  winning  for  the  school  a  most  enviable  repu- 
tation. He  was  discovered  by  the  business  people  and  dragged  out  of  teaching  and 
into  money-making,  but  his  old  interests  gained  the  ascendancy  and  he  returned 
to  educational  work.  His  name  is  a  familiar  one  to  the  readers  of  these  pages  and 
we  shall  hear  more  of  it. 

With  Mr.  Slade  and  Mr.  Pillsbury  in  the  education  rooms  of  the  State  Depart- 
ment excellent  results  were  confidently  expected.  The  report  rises  at  once  to  the 
plane  with  which  the  public  had  been  familiar  in  the  days  of  Newton  Bateman. 

To  keep  run  of  the  nature  of  the  development  of  the  State  a  brief  space  is  again 
allotted  to  comparative  statistics. 

Twenty-five  years  have  now  passed  since  the  enactment  of  the  school  law  of 
1855.  The  population  is  two-and-a-half  times  what  it  then  was.  The  total  number 
of  persons  under  twenty-one  years  of  age  is  six  times  what  it  then  was.  There  was 
no  enumeration  of  persons  between  six  and  twenty-one  —  the  new  school  age  —  at 
the  former  date,  but  it  is  now  double  what  it  was  in  1860.  The  enrolment  is  more 
than  four  times  as  great.  The  number  of  school  districts  is  something  less  than 
twice  as  great.     The  number  of  public  schools  is  nearly  three  times  as  great.     There 

10 


146  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

was  no  enumeration  of  graded  schools  at  the  former  date,  but  the  report  of  1860 
gives  about  300.  It  will  be  remembered  that  this  number  is  very  unreliable  because 
of  the  loose  conception  of  the  character  of  a  genuine  graded  school.  The  number 
reported  in  1880  is  more  than  a  thousand.  There  were  no  public  high  schools  in 
1855;  now  there  are  one  hundred  and  ten.  Then  there  were  approximately  three 
thousand  male  teachers  and  nine-tenths  as  many  female  teachers;  now  there  are 
nearly  nine  thousand  male  teachers  and  about  forty-five  hundred  more  female 
teachers.  Then  the  highest  monthly  wages  were  $110  and  $40  respectively,  and  the 
lowest  $10  and  $4,  the  average  being  $29.16  for  males  and  $16.43  for  females;  now  the 
figures  run  as  follows:  $235,  $165;  $10,  $10;  $41.92,  $31.80.  The  change  is  not  so 
great  as  the  development  of  the  State  in  other  respects  would  seem  to  warrant,  but 
it  is  encouraging.  There  were  no  figures  for  private  schools  in  1855,  but  in  1860 
about  six  hundred  were  reported  with  an  enrolment  of  about  twenty-nine  thousand ; 
in  1880,  there  were  only  seventy  more,  but  the  enrolment  has  increased  to  something 
over  sixty  thousand.  The  total  expenditures  for  the  teachers,  in  1855,  were  a  little 
less  than  $245,000;  in  1880,  a  little  more  than  $2,500,000.  The  other  expenditures 
for  the  former  date  were  $28,743,  and  for  the  latter,  $7,531,941.75;  here  are  the 
unequivocal  marks  of  great  progress. 

We  have  seen  that  there  were  marked  changes  in  the  school  law  in  1872.  Dr. 
Bateman  and  Superintendent  Etter  had  suggested  needed  changes,  but  little  came 
of  it  until  1879,  when  their  recommendations  began  to  bear  fruit.  The  most 
important  changes  were: 

1.  The  statistical  year  was  made  to  end  July  1  instead  of  October  1.  By 
this  arrangement  the  county  superintendents  found  it  possible  to  get  their  reports 
to  the  State  Superintendent  in  time  for  him  to  furnish  the  General  Assembly 
information  upon  which  it  could  act. 

2.  It  had  been  the  duty  of  the  township  trustees  to  examine  the  books  of  the 
township  treasurers,  but  it  is  easy  to  understand  their  negligence  in  this  respect. 
It  is  probable  that  the  large  majority  of  these  officials  had  no  knowledge  of  book- 
keeping, and  many  of  those  who  had  were  disposed  to  trust  their  neighbor,  the 
treasurer,  with  the  whole  matter.  Losses  were  frequent  and  grave  in  consequence. 
It  was  now  made  the  duty  of  the  county  superintendent  to  examine  the  books 
annually.  Presumably  that  officer  is  competent  and  will  attend  to  the  matter. 
The  change  in  the  law  was  greatly  needed  and  was  a  genuine  reform.  Mr.  Slade 
is  authority  for  the  statement  that  a  saving  of  half  of  the  entire  expense  of  the 
county  superintendency  for  the  year  1879-80  had  been  made  in  that  time  by  this 
new  requirement. 

3.  Official  business  shall  no  longer  be  transacted  except  at  a  regular  or  legally 
called  meeting  of  the  boards  of  directors. 

4.  A  number  of  changes  were  made  in  the  matter  of  district  boundaries. 

5.  The  month  of  "twenty- two  days  actually  taught"  was  very  unsatisfactory; 
so  the  law  was  changed,  making  the  calendar  month  the  legal  month  when  no  other 
was  specified  in  the  contract. 

Superintendent  Slade  followed  the  precedent,  now  hallowed  by  custom,  of  making 
the  regular  biennial  appeal  to  the  General  Assembly  in  behalf  of  the  county  super- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  147 

intendency.     In  no  other  way  could  the  reforms  that  had  been  accomphshed  be 
brought  about,  and  we  are  to  see  that,  finally,  after  decenniums  of  advice,  this  office 
is  to  be  put  into  good  shape,  thus  justifying  the  effort  made  to  secure  such  a  result. 
Superintendent  Slade  clearly  shows  how  it  will  be  impossible  to  carry  out  the  law 
unless  these  indispensable  officers  shall  be  more  adequately  compensated. 

The  graded  schools  have  now  been  in  operation  long  enough  to  demonstrate  their 
superiority  over  the  ungraded  schools  and  a  discussion  of  the  reasons  for  this  obvious 
difference  is  one  of  the  best  features  of  this  report.  It  is  seen  that  the  former  are 
in  session  longer  annually  than  the  latter,  that  their  buildings  are  better,  that  they 
have  much  better  teachers,  that  the  changes  are  far  less  frequent,  that  there  is  a 
uniformity  of  text-books  and  a  course  of  study.  The  development  of  the  graded 
schools  creates  a  leverage  for  the  improvement  of  rural  schools,  and  the  county 
superintendents  as  well  as  the  State  Superintendent  are  making  energetic  use  of 
it.  In  consequence  there  will  be  evolved  a  system  of  grading  country  schools,  whose 
history  will  be  given  in  its  proper  place.  Mr.  Slade  strongly  enforces  the  main 
necessity  of  the  situation,  however,  in  his  discussion  of  the  necessity  of  good  teachers. 
All  other  considerations  sink  into  relative  insignificance  when  compared  with  this 
fundamental  need  of  the  schools.  This  position  leads  him  to  a  thorough  discussion 
of  the  professional  preparation  of  teachers  and  of  the  great  need  of  additional  Normal 
schools.  This  is  the  first  note  of  that  rising  demand  which  is  to  accumulate  force 
until,  fifteen  years  later,  two  new  State  Normal  schools  are  to  be  provided  for. 

It  is  not  easy  at  this  time,  when  several  of  the  States  of  the  Union  have  a  round 
dozen  of  these  institutions,  to  understand  the  intensity  of  the  fight  for  the  realization 
of  the  hope  here  expressed.  The  suggestion  was  regarded  as  extremely  radical  and 
met  with  little  encouragement  from  many  of  the  educational  men  and  women.  The 
existing  Normal  schools  manifested  no  especial  warmth  in  seconding  the  motion. 
It  was  evident  that  the  number  of  trained  teachers  produced  annually  was  strikingly 
inadequate  to  the  needs  of  the  State,  yet  it  was  argued  that  if  the  existing  schools 
were  not  over  full  they  would  suffer  if  competing  institutions  were  established.  It 
was  a  bold  stroke  on  the  part  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  and  was 
fully  warranted  by  the  existing  conditions.  Henceforward  the  subject  was  in  the 
minds  of  the  people.  It  will  appear  at  teachers'  gatherings  and  the  propaganda  will 
quietly  extend  its  influence  in  all  directions  until  the  end  is  won. 

Another  feature  of  the  report  is  a  forcible  discussion  of  the  question  of  super- 
vision, which  leads  immediately  to  the  need  of  more  efficient  county  superintendents. 
And  here  is  suggested  the  advisability  of  a  legal  prescription  of  qualifications  for  the 
county  superin tendency.  The  idea  was  admittedly  an  excellent  one,  but  was  regarded 
as  an  academic  rather  than  a  practical  plea,  and  to  this  day  nothing  has  come  of  it. 
It  is  one  of  the  deferred  reforms  which  will  inevitably  be  accomplished  in  its  own 
time. 

Still  another  instructive  discussion  is  that  of  Teachers'  Institutes.  An  examina- 
tion of  the  reports  for  eleven  years  reveals  the  fact  that  for  that  period  less  than 
three-fourths  of  the  counties  held  annual  institutes,  and  the  average  period  was 
about  four  and  a  half  days.  Less  than  one-third  of  the  teachers  attended  these 
meetings.      The  institutes  differed  greatly  in  size   and   quality,  in   general  being 


148  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

smaller  and  poorer  where  the  need  was  the  greatest.  Perhaps  it  would  be  as  well 
to  invert  the  order  of  statement  and  remark  that  where  there  were  good  institutes 
that  were  well  attended  there  were  also  good  schools.  Superintendent  Slade 
repeats  the  recommendations  of  Dr.  Bateman  and  urges  their  adoption. 

One  hundred  and  ten  high  schools  are  reported  for  1880.  The  number  is  smaller 
than  that  reported  the  previous  year.  On  the  surface  it  would  seem  that  the  high 
schools  were  not  holding  their  own.  The  apparent  decrease  is  due  to  a  more  rigorous 
system  of  reporting.  Six  township  high  schools  have  been  organized.  These  schools 
will  receive  full  attention  under  another  heading. 

In  the  fourteenth  biennial  report  of  the  superintendent  the  whole  subject  of 
school  text-books  is  carefully  gone  over  in  a  discussion  of  some  twenty  pages. 
Superintendent  Slade  announces  himself  as  thoroughly  favorable  to  free  text- 
books.    This  is  another  of  his  advanced  positions. 

The  matter  of  additional  Normal  schools,  so  forcibly  stated  in  his  preceding 
report,  is  again  under  discussion.  In  the  two  years  intervening  he  had  canvassed 
the  subject  in  various  parts  of  the  State  and  found  a  sentiment  highly  favorable  to 
such  an  addition  to  the  facilities  for  the  professional  preparation  of  teachers.  It  is 
interesting  and  instructive  to  follow  in  these  succeeding  bienniums  the  quiet  but 
steady  growth  of  sentiments  favorable  to  policies  which  at  the  time  of  their  promul- 
gation were  regarded  as  unwise  because  of  their  radical  character. 

The  number  of  high  schools  increased  thirty-two  in  the  two  years  since  the  last 
report. 

An  interesting  case  arose  in  Belleville  at  this  time.  German  was  taught  in  the 
public  schools  and  suit  was  brought  against  the  Board  of  Education,  in  that  an 
injunction  was  sought  restraining  the  Board  from  expending  public  funds  for  the 
education  of  the  children  in  a  foreign  language.  Mr.  Justice  Scott  delivered  the 
opinion  of  the  court  in  which  the  subject  is  gone  over  in  a  most  instructive  way. 
It  may  be  found  in  full  in  the  report  under  discussion.  The  Board -was  fully  sus- 
tained and  the  case,  in  consequence,  settled  the  whole  matter  of  the  power  of  Boards 
of  Education  in  such  cases. 

Mr.  Pillsbury  contributed  to  the  report,  among  other  things,  a  "Sketch  of  the 
Permanent  School  Funds  of  Illinois."  This  article  is  the  source  from  which  the 
chapter  on  that  subject  in  this  history  was  obtained. 

Before  leaving  this  volume  attention  should  be  called  to  the  most  valuable 
reports  from  the  State  educational  institutions.  Over  two  hundred  pages  are 
given  to  the  institution  for  the  education  of  deaf  mutes,  in  which  the  subject  is 
illuminatingly  discussed  by  a  large  number  of  experts.  Those  desiring  informa- 
tion on  the  early  methods  employed  in  teaching  feeble-minded  children  will  find  the 
contribution  from  the  head  of  the  institution  devoted  to  that  work  extremely 
valuable. 

In  harmony  with  a  well-established  custom,  Mr.  Slade  sought  a  renomination 
at  the  hands  of  the  party  that  had  elected  him.  Unexpectedly  a  man  became  a 
candidate  who  had  never  been  associated  in  any  prominent  way  with  educational 
affairs,  having  been  a  teacher  for  a  brief  period  only  and  in  an  entirely  inconsequential 
way.     It  was  clear  that  the  politicians  were  after  the  office.     The  State  seemed  to 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  149 

be  so  safely  Republican  that  a  nomination  was  regarded,  in  political  circles,  as 
equivalent  to  an  election.  Moreover,  what  is  a  schoolmaster  —  a  masculine  nursery 
maid,  a  mere  wielder  of  the  birch  and  manipulator  of  the  spelling  book  —  that  men 
who  are  the  masters  of  states  should  take  account  of  him  when  it  comes  to  the  deter- 
mination of  who  shall  hold  the  places  of  trust  and  responsibility ! 

Charles  T.  Strattan,  of  Jefferson  county,  was  a  member  of  the  thirty-second 
General  Assembly.  He  is  mentioned  by  Moses,  the  historian  of  Illinois,  as  among 
those  whose  voices  were  frequently  heard  in  the  determination  of  affairs.  Having 
had  some  official  experience  he  aspired  to  the  highest  office  in  the  ranks  of  education. 
He  was  a  genial  and  fairly  capable  man  and  far  outstripped  the  modest  Mr.  Slade 
in  all  the  arts  of  the  politician.  He  made  an  active  and  successful  campaign  and  won 
the  nomination  by  a  small  margin.  But  the  very  observing  Mr.  Bums  once  called 
attention  to  the  distance  between  the  cup  and  the  lip  and  the  possibilities  of  a  failure 
to  make  proper  connections.  Mr.  Burns  was  an  authority  in  the  matter  of  "cups" 
and  his  remark  should  have  been  more  instructive  to  the  politicians. 

The  Democrats  held  their  convention  on  September  7,  apd  put  in  nomination 
for  the  office  of  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  Henry  Raab,  for  many  years 
at  the  head  of  the  Belleville  schools.  Mr.  Raab  was  a  highly  reputable  schoolman, 
a  German  and  personally  very  popular  wherever  known.  The  Greenbackers  also 
put  a  ticket  in  the  field,  renominating  Mr.  Frank  Hall.  The  Prohibitionists  also 
nominated  a  candidate  in  the  person  of  Elizabeth  B.  Brown. 

When  the  votes  were  counted  Mr.  Raab  showed  a  plurality  of  nearly  three  thou- 
sand. For  the  schoolmasters,  resenting  the  action  of  the  Republican  convention, 
made  a  most  vigorous  campaign  in  the  interests  of  Mr.  Raab.  They  occupied  a 
much  higher  place  in  the  estimation  of  the  politicians  after  the  election  was  over 
than  they  had  ever  held  before.  Since  that  memorable  election  there  has  been  no 
disposition  on  the  part  of  the  laymen  to  interfere  with  the  office  of  the  head  school- 
master. 

Upon  Mr.  Slade 's  retirement  from  the  superintendency  he  purchased  Almira 
College,  a  private  school  for  women,  where  he  remained  for  eight  years.  For  a 
number  of  years  later  he  was  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  East  St.  Louis,  retiring 
from  that  position  to  take  charge  of  one  of  the  ward  schools.  He  died  while  in  the 
harness  and  enthusiastically  engaged  in  the  work  that  engrossed  his  energies  for  a 
lifetime. 

The  following  extracts  from  an  address  read  at  his  funeral  by  his  lifetime  friend, 
Marshall  W.  Weir,  of  Belleville,  reveal  some  of  the  qualities  of  Superintendent  Slade 
as  they  appeared  to  those  who  were  near  him : 

"  In  the  year  1856,  James  P.  Slade,  a  modest,  unassuming  youth  of  nineteen  years 
of  age,  left  his  native  town  in  the  Empire  State  and  came  to  Illinois  with  a  view  to 
making  this  his  field  of  labor  and  entering  on  the  work  of  his  life  —  teaching  school. 
He  had  the  mental  preparation  which  came  from  the  district  schools  of  his  native 
town,  supplemented  by  instruction  in  Hudson  River  Institute,  and  the  moral  training 
which  came  from  a  happy,  intelligent.  Christian  home.  He  came  directly  to  St. 
Clair  county,  which  has  been  his  home  ever  since.  On  arriving  here  he  wanted  a 
school  and  the  directors  of  a  district  three  or  four  miles  north  of  Belleville  wanted 


150  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

a  teacher.  He  secured  the  school  and  this  began  a  career  which  proved  to  be  a 
remarkable  one.  He  had  not  finished  this  engagement  before  he  began  to  exhibit 
those  excellent  qualities  as  an  instructor  which  characterized  him  ever  after.  His 
services  were  demanded  in  a  more  extended  field.  The  following  year  he  obtained 
a  position  in  Belleville  as  principal  of  one  of  the  grammar  schools.  He  was  con- 
nected with  these  schools  for  fifteen  years,  eleven  of  them  as  principal  of  the  high 
school.     He  was  county  superintendent  of  St.  Clair  county  for  ten  years. 

"  Mr.  Slade  filled  every  position  under  our  school  law  from  teacher  of  a  country 
school  to  the  State  superintendency.  In  all  of  these  fields  he  was  eminently  suc- 
cessful. He  was  in  thorough  sympathy  with  the  public  school.  He  had  a  compre- 
hensive appreciation  of  its  possibilities,  and  he  had  the  requisite  administrative 
ability  to  so  order  details  that  those  possibilities  might  eventually  be  realized." 

Seventh  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

Henry  Raab  was  bom  in  Germany,  June  30,  1837.  He  emigrated  to  America 
in  1853.  Four  years  later  he  became  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Belleville  and  was 
promoted  to  the  superintendency  in  1873,  in  which  capacity  he  continued  to  serve 
until  his  election  to  the  State  superintendency. 

He  was  a  stalwart  figure  with  a  most  winning  manner,  although  he  possessed 
no  little  of  the  characteristic  brusqueness  of  his  race.  He  was  greatly  beloved  in 
his  home  community,  and  one  needed  but  to  know  him  with  even  a  fair  degree  of 
intimacy  to  share  in  the  sentiment  of  his  neighbors.  He  loved  the  children  and  was 
proud  of  his  calling,  to  which  he  devoted  himself  with  great  enthusiasm  and  high 
intelligence.  To  him  there  could  be  no  greater  profession.  He  was  transparently 
honest  and  sincere,  and  agreed  with  Herbart  that  the  true  aim  of  education  is  moral 
character.  He  was  very  much  of  a  problem  to  the  Puritan  element  in  our  population, 
for  it  was  known  that  he  had  the  common  habits  of  the  Germans  and  that  the  peda- 
gogical societies  of  his  town  held  their  sessions  not  infrequently  in  the  beer  saloons, 
for  they  contained  no  women.  It  was  the  pleasure  of  the  writer  to  see  more  than 
one  of  those  who  were  prejudiced  against  him  on  that  account  come  into  a  very 
warm  admiration  for  the  purity  of  his  character  and  the  lofty  aims  that  he  set  before 
the  children. 

His  death,  which  occurred  at  his  home,  in  Belleville,  March  13,  1901,  was  deeply 
deplored,  for  it  seemed  untimely.  He  had  the  figure  of  a  Viking  and  suggested 
those  heroic  characters  who  have  been  clothed  by  the  imagination  with  the  daring 
•  and  vigor  of  the  Norsemen. 

He  had  many  friends,  but  the  one  who  was  perhaps  nearest  to  his  heart  was 
Prof.  Emil  Dapprich,  his  successor  in  the  superintendency  of  the  Belleville  schools 
and  subsequently  principal  of  the  German-American  Normal  School,  of  Milwaukee. 
Professor  Dapprich  delivered  his  funeral  oration,  from  which  the  following  extracts 
are  made. 

"What  the  great  poet,  Shakespeare,  the  favorite  poet  of  our  departed  friend,  said 
of  the  dead  hero,  Brutus,  applies  fully  to  this  our  dead :  '  His  life  was  gentle  and  the 
elements  so  mixed  in  him  that  nature  might  stand  up  and  say  to  all  the  world,  this 
was  a  man.'     .     .     .     Twenty-five  years  ago  I  arrived  in  Belleville  as  a  stranger. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  151 

I  Stepped  from  the  coach  with  wife  and  child  on  a  cold  winter  night  in  a  strange  city. 
There  stood  before  me,  like  a  messenger  from  heaven,  the  imposing  figure  of  my 
now  departed  friend.  With  friendly  greetings  he  received  us  and  escorted  us  to 
his  hospitable  home.  In  his  family  circle  we  found  an  asylum,  where  there  was 
welcome  during  each  hour  of  the  day,  during  each  hour  of  the  night,  and  we  learned 
to  adore  him  with  every  fiber  of  our  being. 

"  Many  years  have  since  then  passed;  we  have  fought  the  battle  of  life  shoulder 
to  shoulder  and  nothing  was  able  to  separate  us.     In  this  way  we  two  have  worked 

energetically  and  cheerfully  for  the  education  of  the  youth  of  this  city 

Teachers  and  pupils,  parents  and  children,  were  of  one  mind,  of  one  soul.  The  seed 
which  we  sowed  in  the  young  hearts  brought  fruit  a  thousandfold.  It  was  a  pleasure 
to  go  with  bur  friend  along  the  streets  of  the  city;  he  knew  all,  from  the  oldest  mother, 
to  the  smallest  child.  For  each  he  had  a  friendly  word,  a  loving  look  and  a  kindly 
smile.  To  his  teachers  he  was  a  true  and  fatherly  friend.  He  never  appeared  to 
them  as  the  ruler.  His  hints,  his  advice,  yes,  his  corrections,  bore  the  garments 
of  brotherly  love  and  spurred  them  to  higher  aims  and  more  fearless  work.  So  he 
led  us  like  a  genial  chief  to  unlooked  for  victories. 

"  He  was  a  teacher  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to  the  sole  of  his  foot.  His  clear 
view,  his  keen  understanding,  enabled  him  to  separate  the  chaff  from  the  grain,  and 
as  he  possessed  a  rich  experience,  gained  through  years  of  untiring  work,  one  could 
depend  on  his  pedagogical  judgment.  No  question  of  importance  escaped  his 
observation.  Physical  culture,  kindergarten,  manual  training,  in  short  every  new 
departure  in  the  pedagogical  field  that  promised  advancement,  found  in  him  a 
critical  observer  and,  if  it  proved  successful,  a  decided  advocate.  His  renown  as  an 
educator  extended  far  beyond  the  limits  of  his  home  city,  and  when,  in  the  year 
1882,  the  Republican  party  attempted  to  displace  a  worthy  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  and  fill  his  place  with  a  man  not  suited  for  the  work,  Mr.  Raab 
accepted,  upon  the  request  of  numerous  of  his  colleagues,  the  nomination,  and 
defeated  his  opponent. 

"His  home  county  gave  him  an  almost  unanimous  vote.  What  he  did  for  the 
public  schools  of  the  State,  during  his  two  terms  of  office  as  a  leader  in  school  work, 
only  those  can  fully  appreciate  who  are  conversant  with  the  development  of  the 
school  system  of  the  State.  In  the  one  hundred  and  two  counties  of  this  large 
State  he  was  among  teachers  and  school  officers  a  well-known  personality.  His 
addresses  that  he  delivered  everywhere  encouraged  an  advancement  of  the  public 
schools.  A  new  spirit  prevailed  in  the  country  schools,  and  his  deep  understanding, 
his  practical  advice  and  his  fiery  enthusiasm  worked  wonders  in  the  advancement 
of  the  schools.      Millions  of  pupils  now  harvest  the  fruits  of  his  labors. 

"  Mr.  Raab  was  and  remained  to  his  last  breath  a  true  German,  and  could  hardly 
have  denied  his  descent.  His  imposing  figure,  the  broad  chest,  the  massive  build, 
the  powerful  head  with  the  broad  reddish  beard  and  lionlike  mane,  proved  him  to 
be  one  of  Wotan's  best  sons.  Barbarossa-like,  he  seemed  to  have  ascended  from 
the  Kyhaeuser,  and  his  determined  appearance  challenged  the  admiration  of  the 
observer.  He  was  without  fear  and  without  deceit.  His  true  heart  forbade  all 
hypocrisy.     He  was,  as  Horace  says,  '  Integer  vitcs  scelerisque  purus. ' 


152  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

"  Now  he  ascends  through  fire  into  the  ether;  Walhalla's  doors  open  themselves 
to  him;  Wotan  receives  him;  in  the  Hst  of  heroes  he  takes  his  place,  for  he  has 
gloriously  finished  the  battle  of  life." 

Thus  spoke  the  survivor  of  two  friends  who  were  to  each  other  as  Damon  and 
Pythias,  the  symbols  of  undying  affection.  The  discussion  of  the  administration  of 
Mr.  Raab,  as  revealed  in  his  reports,  will  determine  whether  such  high  praise  was 
really  merited,  although  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  man  is  always  raore  than 
his  achievements. 

Mr.  Raab  showed  his  largeness  of  mind  by  retaining  as  his  chief  clerk  Mr.  Pills- 
bury,  who  had  rendered  such  genuine  service  to  Mr.  Slade.  They  differed  in  political 
affiliation,  but  Mr.  Raab  was  seeking  only  efficiency  and  not  the  payment  of  any 
political  debts;  he  had  none.  By  this  single  act  he  satisfied  the  educational  people 
that  his  only  object  was  the  good  of  the  schools  and  he  thereby  increased  the  high 
esteem  in  which  he  was  already  held  wherever  he  was  known. 

The  record  of  his  administration  is  found  in  the  laws  that  were  enacted  through 
his  influence,  in  the  discharge  of  the  routine  duties  of  the  office  and  in  the  advice 
and  inspiration  that  came  out  of  his  long  and  successful  experience. 

The  fifteenth  biennial  report  of  the  office  was  handed  to  the  Governor  on 
November  1,  1884.  It  covers  the  years  1883  and  1884.  It  is  interesting  to  note 
that  the  total  expenditures  for  school  purposes  in  the  first  year  were  nearly  nine 
millions  of  dollars  and  in  the  second  were  more  than  nine  and  a  half  millions. 

The  man  continues  to  withdraw  from  the  teaching  profession,  at  least  relatively. 
Of  the  6,240  teachers  in  graded  schools  1,160  are  males.  Of  the  13,657  teachers  in 
ungraded  schools  5,554  are  males.  The  whole  number  of  teachers  in  1884  was  nearly 
20,000.  This  statement  shows  that  there  were  twenty-two  per  cent  as  many  male 
as  female  teachers  in  the  graded  schools  in  1884.  But  the  gain  in  those  schools 
in  the  years  1883  and  1884  was  700  females  and  only  40  males,  the  increase  in 
male  teachers  being  less  than  six  per  cent  of  the  gain  in  female  teachers.  Meanwhile 
there  was  a  decrease  of  500  males  in  ungraded  schools. 

Mr.  Raab  was  no  sooner  in  office  than  he  began  a  campaign  for  the  improvement 
of  the  school  law.  Believing  that  the  greatest  need  of  the  schools  was  the  improve- 
ment of  the  teaching  force  and  that  the  teachers '  institute  is  a  most  admirable  instru- 
ment for  the  accomplishment  of  that  end,  he  determined  to  secure  favorable  action 
on  a  comprehensive  institute  law  if  possible.  To  the  General  Assembly  of  1883, 
therefore,  must  the  credit  be  given  for  the  enactment  of  a  law  that  has  increased  in 
popularity  from  that  day  to  the  present.  Its  provisions  may  be  briefly  stated. 
By  an  amendment  to  Section  51  of  the  school  law  the  county  superintendent  is 
directed  to  charge  each  applicant  for  a  certificate,  or  for  the  renewal  of  a  certificate, 
a  fee  of  $1,  and  he  is  required  to  regard  the  fund  so  created  as  the  county  institute 
fund.  The  law  directed  each  county  superintendent  to  hold  an  institute  of  at  least 
five  days  annually,  but  permitted  him,  if  he  regarded  it  as  more  advantageous,  to 
combine  with  some  other  county  in  the  holding  of  a  joint  institute.  All  teachers 
holding  valid  certificates  were  admitted  to  the  institute  without  charge,  as  were  those 
who  had  paid  a  fee  of  $1  within  the  year  for  an  examination  that  had  been  unsuccessful. 

At  last  the  State  had  an  institute  law  that  was  workable,  for  the  fees  derived  from 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  153 

the  examinations  produced  a  fund  that  would  secure  good  talent  for  the  teaching 
force.  This  fund  amounted  to  $21,634.50  the  first  year  and  the  attendance  at  the 
institutes  nearly  doubled,  11,406  persons  being  in  attendance.  We  must  at  once 
give  Mr.  Raab  a  long  credit  mark. 

The  statistical  tables  are  very  inviting,  but  are  available  for  all  who  desire  to 
work  through  them,  hence  any  considerable  number  of  them  must  be  denied  a  place 
here.  An  exception  must  be  made  in  the  case  of  an  article  by  Mr.  Pillsbury  with 
the  heading, 

"Some  Statements  Relative  to  the  Teaching  Force  of  the  State." 

The  collection  of  this  material  was  entered  upon  some  four  years  previous  to  its 
publication  and  was  an  attempt  to  settle  certain  matters  that  were  much  talked 
about,  but  of  which  little  was  really  known.  The  number  of  persons  included  in  the 
examination  is  ninety  per  cent  of  the  whole  teaching  force  of  the  State,  a  sufficiently 
large  percentage  to  give  reliable  results. 

And  here  are  some  of  the  facts  of  interest  that  were  revealed  by  this  statistical 
study : 

1.  Of  the  teachers  in  ungraded  schools  sixty  per  cent  were  bom  in  Illinois.  Of 
the  men  in  graded  schools  only  thirty-seven  per  cent  were  native  to  the  State.  This 
is  not  far  from  what  would  be  expected,  as  the  ungraded  schools  are  unlikely  to 
attract  immigrants. 

2.  The  teachers  in  graded  schools  are  five  years  older  than  those  in  ungraded 
schools.  This,  again,  would  be  expected  —  at  least,  that  they  are  older.  In  the 
ungraded  schools  the  ages  were  27  and  21.7  respectively. 

3.  ■  With  what  experience  did  the  teachers  engage  in  their  work?  This  is  a 
matter  of  grave  importance,  for  the  skill  exhibited  will  depend  in  no  small  degree 
upon  the  length  of  time  the  workers  have  been  engaged  in  their  calling. 

The  average  for  male  teachers  in  graded  schools  was  81.5  months  and  for  female 
teachers,  59.5;  for  teachers  in  ungraded  schools  the  numbers  were  respectively 
34.5  and  21.5. 

4.  Is  there  such  a  thing  as  a  teaching  profession,  a  body  of  workers  who  per- 
sistently continue  at  the  calling?  Here  is  the  report  for  1884.  The  tables  show 
that  the  number  of  those  who  had  chosen  teaching  as  a  calling  was  very  small.  The 
percentage  of  beginners  for  males  and  females  in  graded  and  ungraded  schools  ran 
as  follows:  4.5,  8.9,  20.4,  20.8.  It  is  further  disclosed  that  one-half  of  the  teachers 
in  the  ungraded  schools  had  taught  less  than  ten  months.  The  probabilities  point 
to  the  following  as  the  life  of  the  teaching  force  of  that  time :  Men  in  graded  schools, 
81.5  months;  women,  59.5.  In  ungraded  schools  the  numbers  are  respectively  34.5 
and  21.5,  that  is,  the  numbers  reported  above  indicate  also  the  average  time  of 
service.  If  a  subsequent  examination  should  show  an  increase  in  the  average 
experience  of  those  teaching,  these  figures  would,  of  course,  be  changed. 

5.  How  many  of  these  teachers  had  received  any  special  preparation  for  the 
work  in  which  they  were  engaged?  Only  2,388  or  13.4  per  cent.  The  following 
statements  show  the  distribution  of  these  favored  ones :  Graded  schools  —  men, 
22.8  per  cent;  women,  21.6  per  cent.;  ungraded  —  men,  10.8  per  cent;  women,  8.5 


154  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

per  cent.     This  is  a  sorry  showing  when  compared  with  what  countries  across  the 
sea  were  doing. 

6.  What  of  the  scholarship  of  the  teachers?  The  following  is  the  exhibit  of 
those  having  secondary  instruction :  About  one-half  of  the  whole  number  were  high- 
school  graduates.  Their  distribution  among  the  four  classes  in  the  order  followed 
was  60  per  cent,  67  per  cent,  42.9  per  cent,  45.3  per  cent.  These  figures  are  a  little 
higher  than  was  expected,  and  show  what  an  important  factor  the  high  school  had 
become  in  its  relation  to  the  teaching  force. 

7.  About  7,000  of  the  teachers  —  38  per  cent  in  round  numbers  —  had  received 
neither  secondary  nor  high  school  instruction. 

8.  In  the  earlier  days,  in  New  England,  a  considerable  portion  of  the  teachers 
were  college  undergraduates.  They  spent  the  long  vacation  in  the  winter,  in  some 
colleges  arranged  with  that  in  mind,  in  earning  means  with  which  to  continue  their 
studies,  often  encroaching  upon  the  succeeding  term.  Whittier  has  made  us  familiar 
with  the  type  in  one  of  the  delightful  "Snow-bound"  pictures.  We  should  not 
expect  so  favorable  a  showing  in  Illinois.  Of  the  men  in  graded  schools  about  one- 
third  had  received  college  instruction;  oddly,  the  ratio  of  the  women  is  about  the 
same.  In  ungraded  schools  the  ratios  are  respectively  23.5  per  cent  and  9.8  per 
cent. 

9.  As  would  be  expected,  the  life  of  the  teacher  in  Chicago  is  materially  longer 
than  the  statistics  cited  show.  They  seem  to  indicate  something  like  a  ten-year 
tenure.  In  the  larger  cities  it  runs  down  to  six  years  and  in  the  smaller  to  less 
than  four. 

Here  are  some  of  Mr.  Pillsbury's  deductions  from  his  figures: 

1.  We  employ  far  too  many  teachers  who  seek  this  employment  to  earn  a  little 
money. 

2.  The  imperative  need  of  the  public-school  system  is  more  Normal  schools. 

3.  Many  lack  a  large  part  of  the  education  which  the  teachers  of  our  public 
schools  should  possess. 

4.  The  country  school  is  the  peculiar  sufferer. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  no  other  statistician  has  attempted  to  repeat  Mr.  Pills- 
bury's task  after  a  lapse  of  twenty  years.  It  would  be  extraordinarily  valuable,  as 
it  would  enable  us  to  form  a  more  satisfactory  judgment  as  to  how  we  are  coming 
on  and  what  we  should  do  about  it. 

Other  contributions  that  serve  to  make  this  volume  historic  are  as  follows:  "  Brief 
History  of  Early  Education  in  Illinois,"  by  Dr.  Willard;  "Good  Schools,"  by  the 
Superintendent;  "School  Hygiene,"  by  the  Superintendent,  and  several  tables  of 
statistics  in  addition  to  those  required  by  law.  In  all  of  the  reports  the  contributions 
by  the  county  superintendents  are  worth  studying  and  they  will  receive  attention  in 
the  chapter  detailing  the  development  of  that  office. 

The  report  covering  the  years  1885  and  1886  still  shows  schools  that  pay  male 
teachers  only  $12  a  month  and  female  teachers  $11.  Indeed,  in  1886  the  figures  ran 
down  to  $10  and  $8  respectively.  It  is  also  noticeable  that  the  number  of  pupils 
enrolled  in  ungraded  schools  shows  a  steady  decline  as  the  graded-school  enrolment 
enlarges. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  155 

Ag^ain  the  comparative  tables  reveal  their  wonderful  story  of  growth.  Thus,  the 
total  amount  paid  to  teachers  in  1855  was  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  million,  while 
twenty-one  years  later  it  was  more  than  twenty-four  times  as  much.  This  is  more 
striking:  The  total  expenditures  for  the  year  1855  were  $277,583,  while  for  1886 
they  were  nearly  thirty-seven  times  as  much. 

In  this  report  is  the  article  on  "  Early  Education  in  Illinois,"  contributed  by 
Mr.  Pillsbury.  It  covers  one  hundred  pages  and  must  ever  remain  about  the  only 
reliable  authority  for  the  period  with  which  it  deals.  Every  writer  on  the  history 
of  education  in  Illinois  is  profoundly  grateful  to  its  untiring  author.  Much  of  it 
appears  in  these  pages.  It  was  a  labor  of  love  and  covered  years  of  research.  It  is 
difficult  to  understand  how  one  not  so  favorably  situated  could  have  gathered  these 
widely  scattered  facts  and  put  them  in  so  attractive  a  form. 

In  1886  the  Democratic  convention  nominated  for  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction  Franklin  T.  Oldt,  of  Carroll  County.  Mr.  Oldt  had  been  for  many  years 
the  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Lanark.  He  was  not  widely  known,  but  was 
recognized  by  those  who  had  been  familiar  with  his  work  to  be  a  very  capable  and 
intelligent  man.  The  Republicans  nominated  the  eminent  Richard  Edwards,  for 
fourteen  and  a  half  years  the  president  of  Normal  University  and  subsequently  the 
successor  of  Owen  Lovejoy,  in  the  Congregational  Church  of  Princeton.  He  was 
also  connected  with  Knox  College  for  a  time  as  its  general  agent.  Dr.  Edwards  led 
his  ticket  by  some  thousands,  as  did  Mr.  Oldt  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  It  is  thus 
seen  that  the  schoolmasters  are  coming  to  their  own. 

The  Eighth  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

Dr,  Edwards  was  duly  installed  in  office  at  the  beginning  of  1887.  The  two 
admirable  reports  of  the  department  which  bear  his  name  indicate  some  of  the 
interests  that  he  served  during  his  tenure  of  the  office. 

One  of  the  tasks  that  he  undertook  was  a  revision  of  the  school  law.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  there  were  certain  radical  changes  in  1872.  Since  that  time 
amendment  had  followed  amendment  until  the  law  was  extremely  complicated  and 
in  some  respects  in  hostility  to  itself.  Further,  as  the  law  was  published  the  ninety- 
eight  sections  were  not  so  arranged  as  to  be  easy  of  examination. 

The  Thirty-fifth  General  Assembly  assigned  the  work  of  revision  to  the  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction.  He  was  assisted  by  Hon.  E.  R.  E.  Kimbrough,  of 
Danville,  a  lawyer;  County  Superintendent  Albert  G.  Lane,  of  Cook  County;  Prof. 
John  W.  Cook,  of  State  Normal  University,  and  Superintendent  Newton  C.  Dough- 
erty, of  the  Peoria  schools.  The  various  sections  were  rearranged  under  sixteen 
Articles. 

Mr.  Pillsbury  appears  again  in  this  volume  as  the  author  of  two  valuable  sketches : 
the  "History  of  State  Normal  University"  and  the  "History  of  the  University  of 
Illinois."  Dr.  Edwards  contributed  a  number  of  inspiring  articles  on  subjects 
immediately  connected  with  the  schools. 

In  1887  the  National  Education  Association  held  its  summer  meeting  in  Chicago. 
The  educational  people  seized  the  opportunity  to  prepare  an  exhibit  of  the  school 
work  of  the  State.     At  the  meeting  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association,  in  December, 


156  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

1886,  a  committee  was  appointed  "to  make  the  necessary  arrangements  for  a. State 
exhibit  of  all  classes  of  educational  work"  at  the  National  Educational  Exposition 
to  be  held  in  connection  with  the  annual  meeting  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  in  July.  The  committee  consisted  of  the  following  persons:  Richard 
Edwards,  S.  H.  Peabody,  A.  R.  Sabin,  W.  L.  Steele,  C.  J.  Kinne,  C.  W.  Tufts  and 
John  Hull. 

The  General  Assembly  indicated  its  sympathy  with  the  movement  by  making 
an  appropriation  of  $2,500  "to  aid  the  schools  of  the  State  to  make  an  exhibit  of 
their  work,"  at  the  time  and  place  before  mentioned,  and  the  committee  was  author- 
ized "  to  expend  the  same  or  such  part  thereof  as  might  be  necessary  for  the  pur- 
pose." The  act  required  a  report  from  the  committee  to  the  Governor,  within  sixty 
days  after  the  close  of  the  Exposition,  giving  a  detailed  account  of  the  expenditures 
and  a  return  to  the  treasury  of  any  unexpended  portion  of  the  appropriation. 

The  exhibit  was  made  in  the  Exposition  Building.  Illinois  was  assigned  a  floor 
space  of  25,000  square  feet  and  it  was  crowded  to  its  fullest  capacity.  Exhibits 
were  sent  by  the  University  of  Illinois,  by  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  the 
Cook  County  Normal  School,  by  the  State  Institutions  for  the  Blind,  the  Deaf  and 
Dumb,  the  Feeble-minded  Children  and  the  Reform  School.  Twenty-five  counties 
and  several  of  the  cities  also  contributed  richly  to  the  exhibit,  each  of  the  great 
public  schools  of  Chicago  being  represented. 

A  brief  quotation  from  the  report  of  the  committee  must  suffice : 

"  It  seems  to  be  admitted  that  the  educational  exposition  of  Chicago  was  the 
largest  and  most  complete  that  has  been  held  in  America.  It  may  be  claimed  that 
the  exhibit  from  the  State  of  Illinois  was  not  surpassed  in  extent  or  variety  by  any 
other  made  on  that  occasion.  It  was  expected  that  the  State,  its  wealthiest  county 
and  leading  city,  should  be  conspicuously  represented  in  any  display  that  should 
be  made  within  their  own  borders,  and  this  expectation  was  not  disappointed.  It  is 
perhaps  well  that  no  more  of  the  counties  and  cities  were  represented.  Had  all 
responded  as  fully  as  did  those  that  came,  the  entire  area  given  to  the  exposition 
would  have  been  occupied  by  Illinois  alone." 

The  full  report  may  be  found  in  the  volume  under  consideration. 

The  report  for  1888-90  contains  a  brief  mention  of  a  subject  that  will  receive 
separate  mention  under  its  own  heading — "The  State  Course  of  Study."  The 
introduction  of  this  system  of  organizing  the  ungraded  country  schools  was  one  of 
the  notable  reform  movements  in  the  history  of  rural  schools. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  discussions  of  compulsory  attendance  laws  as 
they  have  appeared  from  time  to  time  in  the  biennial  reports.  In  1889,  the  General 
Assembly  took  the  matter  in  hand  and  enacted  a  law  requiring  attendance  for  a 
portion  of  the  year  at  either  a  public  or  private  school.  Statistics  convinced  the 
legislators  that  there  were  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  children  who  were  not 
receiving  the  educational  benefits  that  life  in  a  republic  demands.  Party  politics 
was  for  the  time  entirely  forgotten.  The  Senate  passed  the  bill  unanimously  and 
there  were  but  six  dissenting  votes  in  the  House. 

Notwithstanding  the  unanimity  of  sentiment  with  which  the  bill  was  introduced 
and  passed  by  the  legislature,  the  friends  of  the  parochial  schools  were  panic-stricken 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  157 

in  some  mysterious  way.  Superintendent  Edwards  was  not  at  all  responsible  for 
the  introduction  of  the  bill  nor  for  its  passage,  although  he  was  favorable  to  the  meas- 
ure, as  were  the  school  men  generally.  He  contributed  an  article  in  his  report, 
explaining  the  character  of  the  law,  and  showed  the  admirable  results  that  followed 
its  enactment,  as  indicated  by  the  increased  attendance  in  private  as  well  as  in 
public  schools.  The  opponents  of  the  measure  called  it  "the  Edwards  law,"  and 
the  name  stuck  and  the  responsibility  as  well,  to  those  who  had  lost  their  heads  in 
the  belief  that  a  deadly  blow  was  aimed  at  the  religious  schools.  Arguments  were 
useless. 

Meanwhile,  the  parties  nominated  their  candidates  for  the  election  of  1890.  The 
Democrats  were  first  in  the  field  and  selected  for  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 
Hon.  Henry  Raab,  who  had  the  prestige  of  a  highly  successful  administration  and 
was  a  German.  These  qualifications  were  of  great  value  at  this  time  for  it  was  the 
adherents  of  the  German  Lutheran  churches  that  were  especially  hostile  to  the 
compulsory  law.  Mr.  Raab  was  far  from  being  a  Lutheran,  his  inclinations  leading 
him  toward  free  thought  in  matters  of  religion.  His  admirable  character,  however, 
coupled  with  the  fact  of  his  nativity  made  him  the  candidate  of  candidates  for  his 
party ;  it  was  the  psychological  moment  for  his  reappearance. 

The  Republican  convention  followed  after  and  placed  in  nomination  for  the  same 
office  the  estimable  and  capable  Dr.  Edwards,  who  had  everything  in  his  favor 
except  the  fact  that  he  was  the  official  incumbent  when  the  hated  bill  was  passed. 
He  was  a  historic  character  in  the  educational  annals.  He  was  a  most  effective 
orator,  which  could  not  truthfully  be  said  of  Mr.  Raab.  He  had  served  as  a  clergy- 
man with  great  acceptance,  which  should  have  commended  him  to  his  opponents. 
He  was  most  affectionately  regarded  by  the  throng  who  had  been  his  pupils  when 
he  was  at  the  head  of  the  Normal  University. 

The  field  was  cleared  for  a  battle  royal.  As  an  instance  of  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances that  may  arise  when  one  seeks  the  suffrages  of  the  people  the  following  is 
an  illustration:  The  beloved  Albert  G.  Lane  was  a  candidate  for  reelection  to  the 
office  of  county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Cook  county  at  the  same  time  as  the 
State  election.  He  remarked  to  the  writer  three  days  before  the  election,  "Strange 
are  the  experiences  of  a  candidate  for  public  office.  On  next  Tuesday  Dr.  Edwards 
will  be  defeated  on  the  ground  that  he  was  responsible  for  the  compulsory  law.  At 
the  same  election  I  shall  be  returned  to  my  old  position.  The  people  who  will  defeat 
him  will  elect  me,  yet  I  am  far  more  responsible  for  the  compulsory  law  than  was 
Dr.  Edwards."  His  prediction  was  verified,  for  it  proved  to  be  a  Democratic  year. 
The  candidate  for  State  Treasurer  won  by  a  majority  of  something  less  than  10,000 
while  Mr.  Raab's  majority  was  more  than  34,000. 

The  educational  people  knew  that  in  any  case  they  were  to  have  a  most  excellent 
officer,  but  it  was  a  clear  case  of  punishing  the  wrong  boy. 

As  was  to  be  expected,  the  second  biennial  report  of  Dr.  Edwards  was,  like  its 
predecessor,  a  valuable  contribution  to  official  educational  literature. 

An  article  by  the  Superintendent  on  "The  Dangers  that  Threaten  our  Public 
Schools,"  and  another  by  John  D.  Benedict,  the  chief  clerk,  on  "  Practical  Questions 
in  Administering  the  School  Law,"  are  especially  worthy  of  mention. 


158  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

In  retiring  from  office  Dr.  Edwards  has  the  following  to  say  with  regard  to  his 
assistants : 

"  I  can  not  close  this  report  without  adverting  to  the  very  valuable  services  of  the 
two  gentlemen  who  have  occupied  the  position  of  chief  clerk  during  the  last  four 
years,  Superintendent  J.  H.  Freeman,  of  Aurora,  and  Ex-Superintendent  John  D. 
Benedict,  of  Vermilion  County. 

"  Mr.  Freeman  entered  upon  his  duties  without  previous  experience  relating  to 
the  same.  But  by  his  energy,  readiness  and  high  executive  ability  he  soon  made 
himself  master  of  all  that  belonged  to  his  work. 

"  Mr.  Benedict  having  done  eight  years  of  successful  work  as  county  superin- 
tendent and  having  a  good  knowledge  of  the  law  took  up  his  duties  in  the  State 
office  readily.  I  wish  to  thank  both  gentlemen  for  their  good  sense,  thorough  loyalty 
to  their  work  and  marked  success  in  the  performance  of  it." 

Upon  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Edwards  from  the  office  of  superintendent  it  had  been 
his  purpose  to  engage  no  longer  in  educational  work,  but  he  was  so  persistently 
solicited  to  accept  the  presidency  of  Blackburn  University  for  at  least  a  brief  period 
that  he  finally  accepted  the  call  and  acted  in  that  capacity  for  a  single  year.  At 
the  expiration  of  this  brief  engagement  he  removed  to  Bloomington  and  made  his 
home  on  a  pleasant  eminence  from  which  he  could  look  across  the  intervening  valley 
to  the  Normal  School,  where  the  greatest  work  of  his  life  had  been  accomplished 
from  1862  to  1876.  Here  he  spent  the  remaining  years  of  his  life  in  delightful  retire- 
ment, occasionally  indulging  in  his  old  work  of  addressing  a  public  that  always 
listened  with  rapt  attention  to  what  he  had  to  say.  There  seems  no  more  fitting 
place  in  these  chronicles  to  record  the  main  facts  of  his  distinguished  career  although 
a  volume  would  be  inadequate  to  do  him  justice. 

Richard  Edwards  was  bom  in  Cardiganshire,  Wales,  on  the  twenty- third  day  of 
December,  1822.  He  died  in  Bloomington,  Illinois,  on  the  seventh  day  of  March, 
1908.  Eighty-five  years  and  three  months  lie  between  these  two  dates  which  bound 
the  life  of  one  of  the  most  interesting  characters  in  the  history  of  American  educa- 
tion. In  his  eleventh  year  he  began  to  be  an  American  and  thereafter  could  not 
have  been  truer  to  his  adopted  country  if  native  born. 

He  was  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  ten,  and  the  resources  of  his  parents  were  limited. 
Too  much  energy  was  needed  to  keep  bread  in  the  larder  to  leave  much  time  for 
education.  There  was  something  in  the  way  of  elementary  instruction  in  Wales 
and  something  further  in  an  Ohio  district  school,  with  a  taste  of  secondary  education 
in  the  Ravenna  high  school.  At  eighteen  he  was  a  journeyman  carpenter  and  soon 
after  a  boss  carpenter.  But  he  was  always  a  student  of  books  and  what  he  found 
in  them  was  so  enticing  that  he  soon  bade  farewell  to  the  hammer  and  the  saw  and 
determined  to  devote  his  life  to  the  work  of  the  teacher.  He  was  twenty-one  when 
this  passion  took  possession  of  him  and  the  active  portion  of  his  subsequent  life  was 
devoted  to  some  form  of  educational  activity. 

He  began  as  a  district  school  teacher  in  an  Ohio  rural  school,  with  a  salary  of  $11 
a  month.  He  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  a  man  whose  influence  changed  the 
current  of  his  life.  A  graduate  of  Harvard  College  was  resident  in  his  neighbor- 
hood and  occasionally  attended  the  debating  society  that  had  been  organized  by 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  159 

young  Edwards  and  some  of  his  companions.  He  quickly  discovered  the  superior 
quahties  of  the  aspiring  schoolmaster  and  urged  upon  him  the  importance  of  an 
education.  Many  friends  in  the  community  joined  Reverend  Mr.  Hudson  in  his 
advice,  and  suggested  Massachusetts  as  offering  the  finest  opportunities  for  the 
accomplishment  of  his  purposes.  It  was  a  great  undertaking  for  a  young  westerner 
with  little  money  and  a  narrow,  if  enthusiastic,  circle  of  friends.  Mr.  Samuel  S. 
Greeley,  for  many  years  a  resident  of  Chicago,  interested  himself  very  warmly  in 
the  enterprise  and  won  the  lasting  gratitude  of  Mr.  Edwards.  It  is  altogether 
probable  that  what  this  friend  did  for  him  at  the  psychological  moment  explains, 
at  least  in  part,  what  he  did  for  so  many  young  men  and  young  women  who  were 
similarly  conditioned. 

The  idea,  once  dropped  into  his  mind,  was  like  a  seed,  ready  for  germination, 
that  finds  itself  in  a  warm  and  fertile  soil.  Mr.  Greeley  gave  him  money,  without 
which  the  plan  would  have  suffered  hasty  shipwreck,  equipped  him  with  wise  counsel, 
and,  as  he  was  about  to  leave,  handed  him  most  valuable  letters  to  prominent  edu- 
cational men.  One  of  them  was  addressed  to  Samuel  J.  May,  of  Lexington,  Mas- 
sachusetts, a  name  to  conjure  with  in  those  early  years  of  public  Normal  schools 
in  America. 

In  October,  1844,  Mr.  Edwards  started  for  Massachusetts  to  find  educational 
advantages  not  then  available  in  Ohio.  He  had  managed  to  possess  himself  of  $30, 
and  with  this  limited  financing  but  with  a  heart  full  of  courage  and  hope  he  plunged 
into  the  future.  Arriving  at  Cleveland  he  found  that  the  boats  for  the  East  were 
out  of  commission,  so  he  made  the  tedious  journey  to  Buffalo  by  stage  coach,  only 
to  learn  that  the  boat  which  had  disappointed  him  had  arrived  three  hours  in  advance 
of  the  coach.  The  unlooked  for  expense  had  played  havoc  with  his  capital,  but  he 
ventured  upon  an  Erie  canal  packet  and  viewed  with  increasing  dismay  the  rapid 
disappearance  of  his  little  store  of  money.  Reaching  Albany  he  was  so  fortunate 
as  to  find  a  man  who  desired  to  secure  a  driver  of  a  team  to  Westfield.  Thanking 
his  lucky  stars  for  the  lift  and  investing  the  larger  part  of  his  remnant  in  a  second- 
class  ticket  to  Boston  he  at  last  found  himself  within  easy  reach  of  his  destination. 
Putting  up  at  a  third-class  hotel  he  at  once  called  upon  Mr.  May,  who  gave  him  a 
letter  to  Principal  Tillinghast,  of  the  Bridgewater  Normal  School,  and  went  with 
him  to  call  upon  "Father"  Pierce,  the  first  principal  of  the  first  American  Normal 
School,  at  West  Newton.  There  he  learned  of  a  vacancy  in  a  school  at  Scituate. 
He  declined  a  pressing  invitation  to  dinner,  walked  back  to  Boston  —  nine  miles  — 
settled  his  hotel  bill  and  started  on  foot  for  Scituate.  He  walked  eighteen  miles  that 
night  and  lodged  with  a  good  brother  who,  perceiving  his  unmistakable  ambition 
to  rise  in  the  world,  put  him  to  sleep  in  the  attic.  He  never  forgot  that  inter- 
teresting  experience,  for  a  New  England  northeaster  came  along  in  the  night  and 
howled  around  the  old  farmhouse,  sifting  the  snow  through  the  crevices  and  testing 
the  fortitude  of  the  adventurous  stranger,  hundreds  of  miles  from  home  and  almost 
penniless.  The  next  day  he  was  so  fortunate  as  to  receive  an  appointment  at  Hing- 
ham,  some  miles  distant.  At  the  suggestion  of  his  employer  he  started,  still  on 
foot,  to  apprise  the  other  members  of  the  board  of  his  engagement.  The  night  was 
dark  and  rainy.     Guided  by  the  cheerful  lights  of  a  dwelling  he  stopped  and  begged 


160  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

entertainment  for  the  night,  but  his  appearance  was  against  him,  as  his  pedestrianism 
had  been  anything  but  improving  to  his  personal  appearance.  The  householder 
regretted  that  they  had  but  one  spare  room  and  that  Mr.  Brown  was  an  expected 
guest  due  to  arrive  at  any  time.  But  happening  to  refer  to  Mr.  May,  with  whom 
he  had  so  recently  been  in  personal  contact,  the  atmosphere  suddenly  cleared.  The 
"  Mr.  Brown"  fiction  was  dismissed  and  he  was  entertained  with  the  most  cordial 
hospitality.  And  now  his  main  troubles  were  over.  He  began  his  work  the  next 
morning  with  two  fine  shillings  still  in  his  pocket. 

He  taught  the  Hingham  school  for  two  winters,  working  and  going  to  Bridgewater 
the  intervening  summer.  He  finished  the  course  there  —  it  was  but  a  year  in 
length  —  the  next  year  and  in  the  fall  of  1846  went  to  Waltham  as  a  teacher  in  the 
school  of  which  President  Hill  of  Harvard  University  was  the  chairman  of  the  school 
committee.  After  a  winter  at  Waltham  he  entered  the  Rennselaer  Polytechnic 
Institute,  at  Troy.  He  afterward  completed  the  course,  and  in  1848  was  employed 
as  a  rodman  on  the  Boston  waterworks.  A  Mr.  Chesboro  was  at  that  time  super- 
intendent, and  twenty  years  later,  then  a  resident  of  Chicago,  occupied  a  sitting 
in  one  of  the  city  churches  at  which  Mr.  Edwards  was  temporarily  officiating.  He 
cordially  greeted  the  preacher,  as  he  descended  from  the  pulpit,  with  the  remark, 
"  The  apprentice  often  gets  above  the  master." 

But  Mr.  Edwards  did  not  long  remain  a  rodman.  In  September  of  the  year  of 
his  graduation  from  the  Institute  he  was  called  to  Bridgewater  to  become  the  assis- 
tant of  Nicholas  Tillinghast,  the  principal  of  the  school.  He  never  wearied  of 
expressing  his  sense  of  obligation  to  this  interesting  man.  As  an  expression  of  his 
appreciation  he  conferred  the  name  of  his  friend  upon  one  of  his  boys.  Mr.  Tilling- 
hast was  a  graduate  of  the  National  Military  Academy  and  carried  the  rigorous 
methods  of  West  Point  into  the  school  under  his  charge.  His  pupils  passed  along 
both  the  spirit  and  the  methods  and  made  them  most  energetic  principles  in  every 
school  with  which  they  were  connected.  This  was  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Edwards' 
Normal  school  work  and  he  was  to  be  in  the  thick  of  it  quite  continuously  for  the 
next  twenty-eight  years." 

He  remained  at  Bridgewater  for  nearly  five  years,  his  salary  advancing  meanwhile 
from  $300  to  $700.  His  experience  at  Bridgewater  produced  a  profound  impression 
upon  his  life  and  character.  It  was  an  interesting  incident  in  his  career  that  three 
of  his  fellow  students  there  were  afterward  associated  with  him  as  subordinate 
teachers  at  Normal.  They  were  Thomas  Metcalf,  so  affectionately  remembered  as 
the  beloved  "Saint"  Thomas,  Albert  Stetson,  and  Edwin  C.  Hewett,  who  succeeded 
him  in  the  presidency. 

Mr.  Edwards  left  Bridgewater  to  become  the  principal  of  the  English  High  School, 
at  Salem.  The  significance  of  this  simple  announcement  is  not  apparent  on  its 
face.  Salem  was  almost  under  the  eaves  of  Harvard  College.  The  new  Normal 
schools  were  a  bit  too  insignificant  to  win  even  the  contempt  of  the  college  men. 
And  more  than  that  —  here  was  a  man  who  could  not  pronounce  the  shibboleth  of 
culture.  He  was  but  a  Normal  school  graduate  with  a  year  or  two  at  a  polytechnic 
institute.  It  was  true  that  he  had  been  for  five  years  a  teacher  at  one  of  the  new 
"short-cut"  institutions  to  an  education,  but  he  had  dealt  with  but  the  rudiments 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  161 

of  learning.  But  for  some  reason  they  were  glad  to  have  him  at  Salem.  In  some 
way  he  had  discovered  other  agencies  than  the  college  to  lift  himself  into  their  esteem. 
The  selection  of  such  a  man  to  such  a  position  was  as  fine  a  tribute  to  his  ability  as 
any  event  in  his  long  and  active  career.  He  made  an  overflowing  success.  So 
capable  did  he  prove  himself  to  be  that  he  was  designated  as  an  agent  of  the  State 
Board  of  Education  under  the  directions  of  the  distinguished  Horace  Mann,  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  the  office  in  addition  to  his  responsibilities  as  principal.  His 
reports  to  the  board  are  interesting  reading.  He  occupied  the  position  for  a  single 
year  only,  for  he  was  next  selected  as  temporary  principal  of  the  Salem  Normal 
School,  and  opened  that  institution  on  the  13th  day  of  September,  1854,  with  one 
assistant.  A  month  later,  " on  account  of  the  large  number  of  pupils,"  he  was  given 
an  additional  assistant  and  on  the  meeting  of  the  governing  board  he  was  made 
permanent  principal. 

As  agent  of  the  State  Board  he  was  called  upon  to  make  frequent  addresses  to 
the  public  and  to  bodies  of  teachers,  and  thus  found  rich  opportunity  for  the  culti- 
vation of  his  remarkable  natural  gifts  as  an  orator,  and  his  later  successes  were 
doubtless  due,  in  no  small  degree,  to  these  educative  experiences. 

Mr.  Edwards  remained  at  the  head  of  the  Salem  Normal  School  for  three  years. 
The  school  grew  rapidly,  and  his  influence  and  reputation  widened  proportionally. 
Meanwhile  the  city  of  St.  Louis  had  established  a  training  school  for  teachers  and 
was  looking  about  for  the  right  man  to  take  charge  of  it.  It  was  quite  natural  for 
them  to  turn  Massachusetts  way,  for  that  little  commonwealth  had  done  more  than 
any  other  State  in  the  development  of  the  Normal  school  as  a  distinct  institution 
as  contrasted  with  an  annex  to  some  other  school.  There  were  in  that  State,  there- 
fore, more  men  who  were  informed  with  regard  to  competent  Normal  school  princi- 
pals than  could  be  found  elsewhere.  Mr.  Edwards  had  come  into  personal  relations 
with  the  eminent  Horace  Mann,  the  great-hearted  philanthropist,  who  had  repre- 
sented his  State  in  the  United  States  Senate  and  who  turned  his  back  upon  other 
political  honors  that  waited  only  his  nod  of  acceptance.  He  also  gave  up  a  lucrative 
law  practice  and  determined  to  give  his  life  to  the  cause  of  popular  education.  Doubt- 
less Mr.  Mann  had  much  to  do  with  the  call  that  came  from  St.  Louis  to  Mr.  Edwards, 
who  had  been  solicited  in  1856  to  accept  the  principalship  of  their  proposed  insti- 
tution. He  could  not  then  be  persuaded  to  leave  his  work  at  Salem,  but  when  the 
call  was  renewed  the  following  year  he  accepted,  and  organized  the  school  and  began 
his  work. 

A  record  of  his  compensation  is  not  without  interest.  In  Ohio  he  had  served 
for  $11  a  month  and  lived  on  the  community  by  "boarding  round."  When  he  went 
to  Bridgewater  he  received  $300  a  year,  but  it  was  soon  increased  until  it  reached 
the  princely  proportions  of  $700.  When  he  went  to  the  Boys'  High  School  at  Salem 
he  received  $1,000.  The  following  year  he  was  offered  $1,200  to  become  the  agent 
of  the  State  Board  of  Education,  whose  secretary  was  the  honored  Bamas  Sears. 
His  salary  of  the  Salem  Normal  School  was  $1,500  and  when  he  went  to  St.  Louis 
he  received  $2,500. 

While  he  was  working  out  his  plans  at  Salem,  Illinois  was  astir.     It  has  been 

seen  how  the  State  Normal  University  came  into  existence  and  how  the  quite  incom- 
11 


162  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

parable  Charles  Hovey  set  things  in  order  and  then  marched  away  with  the  33d 
Regiment  of  Volunteers.  The  days  were  dark  for  the  new  school  which  had  barely 
established  itself  in  its  new  building  at  Normal.  A  member  of  the  board,  Perkins 
Bass,  of  Chicago,  tried  to  hold  things  together  while  the  teachers'  committee  searched 
the  country  for  a  suitable  successor.  They  had  not  far  to  go.  A  hundred  and  sixty 
miles  away  their  man  was  waiting  for  them  although  he  did  not  know  it.  His  five 
years  in  St.  Louis  had  made  him  a  western  man  again.  He  was  in  his  fortieth  year, 
in  splendid  health,  and  burning  with  enthusiasm  for  his  work.  He  was  the  unani- 
mous choice  of  the  committee  and  came  to  the  field  of  his  future  labors  in  April, 
1862.  He  occupied  a  subordinate  position  for  the  remainder  of  the  school  year  and 
in  September  assumed  the  presidency.  On  the  day  of  his  incumbency  the  writer 
of  these  lines  became  his  pupil  and  there  began  an  affectionate  intimacy  that  was 
broken  only  by  his  death  nearly  forty-six  years  later.  If  something  of  seeming 
extravagance  may  appear  in  an  estimate  of  his  character  and  ability  it  will  thereby 
be  explained,  although  the  sober  reflection  of  later  years  abundantly  confirms  the 
opinions  formed  in  those  early  years. 

Two  days  are  imperishably  set  against  the  background  of  that  distant  past.  The 
first  is  a  Monday  afternoon  in  the  early  vSeptember  of  1862  and  the  other  the  closing 
day  of  the  fall  term  of  1875.  The  former  was  matriculation  day  and  the  first  view 
of  the  new  president;  the  latter  was  the  day  of  his  retirement  from  the  presidency 
to  assume  the  pastorate  of  the  old  Owen  Lovejoy  Church,  at  Princeton.  It  was  a 
sorrowful  occasion  for  those  who  were  associated  with  him  as  teachers  and  as  pupils- 
The  student  days  had  passed  and  one  of  the  matriculants  of  1862  had  been  one  of 
his  subordinate  teachers  for  nine  and  a  half  years.  Dr.  Edwards  tried  to  speak  in 
acknowledgment  of  the  parting  gifts  which  covered  the  table  before  him,  but  his 
heart  was  too  full  of  precious  memories  and  he  sank  into  his  chair  and  bowed  his 
head  upon  his  hands  in  pathetic  silence. 

Those  were  the  great  years  in  the  life  of  Richard  Edwards.  He  acquitted  him- 
self in  a  highly  superior  way  in  all  of  the  positions  of  his  later  life,  but  he  was  first 
of  all  a  teacher,  and  peculiarly  a  Normal  school  teacher.  He  bore  the  crucial  test 
by  which  all  great  teachers  may  be  recognized.  He  was  capable  of  entering  into  the 
lives  of  his  pupils  in  a  most  determining  way.  Brilliancy  of  intellect  may  win  warm 
admiration;  superior  scholarship  may  excite  profound  respect  or  even  extreme  won- 
der; amiability  of  disposition  may  awaken  enduring  affection;  but  the  supreme  test 
of  one's  right  to  claim  the  name  of  teacher  is  the  ability  to  awaken  in  his  pupil  an 
overmastering  disposition  to  reproduce  his  message  in  terms  of  life;  without  this 
outcome  of  his  effort  the  cunning  of  the  teacher's  art  is  wanting.  If  this  be  a  just 
measuring  stick,  Dr.  Edwards  answers  to  the  description  of  a  remarkable  teacher  — 
a  very  remarkable  teacher. 

Here  are  a  few  of  the  more  striking  qualities  that  explained  his  phenomenal 
success : 

First  of  all,  he  was  capable  physically.  Rather  above  average  height;  long 
limbed  and  spare;  a  clear  case  of  the  nervous  and  impulsive  temperament;  a  won- 
derful voice  with  a  thrill  in  it;  full  of  gesture  and  motion;  energetic  and  tireless  to 
the  last  degree ;  in  brief,  a  man  to  attract  attention  at  first  contact. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  163 

Then  he  had  an  unusual  endowment  of  native  ability.  His  mind  was  quick  and 
alert.  He  acquitted  himself  brilliantly  in  all  of  the  situations  that  engaged  him. 
There  was  added  to  this  happy  gift  a  warm  emotional  nature.  He  was  impulsive 
rather  than  judicial  in  his  earlier  years,  but  he  took  on  a  more  deliberative  habit  as 
he  grew  older.  He  was  capable  of  the  most  unbounded  enthusiasm.  Supplement 
these  qualities  with  an  energy  that  was  suggestive  of  the  resistless  tide  of  the  sea 
and  you  have  a  trinity  that  laughs  at  obstacles.  Because  of  the  privations  of  his 
childhood  and  early  youth  the  world  of  science,  of  art  and  of  letters  was  a  delayed 
revelation,  but  when  his  quick  spirit  found  its  way  into  it  he  was  enraptured  with 
the  vision  that  was  revealed  to  him.  Those  who  were  bom  on  the  high  plateaus 
and  to  whom  the  great  sweep  of  a  landscape  is  a  familiar  thing  can  never  know  the 
ecstacy  of"  an  ardent  soul  that  has  hungered  and  thirsted  for  the  summits  and  at  last 
finds  itself  tantalized  no  longer  with  disappointing  hopes.  There  is  to  be  no  jog-trot 
in  life  thereafter.  The  pure  air  of  the  hills,  when  once  he  found  it,  gave  him  a  sense 
of  exhilaration  and  joy;  the  wide  horizon  bounded  a  great  new  world  and  invited 
him  to  a  splendid  career.  He  scorned  the  man  who  asks  the  time  of  day  When  at 
his  work,  however  severe  it  may  be.  He  knew  only  to  do  what  was  within  his 
power  when  the  interests  of  his  pupils  were  involved. 

This  was  the  man  that  some  hundred  and  fifty  of  us  found  ourselves  in  contact 
with  nearly  a  half -century  ago.  His  enthusiasm  for  teaching  suffused  the  whole 
institution.  The  atmosphere  was  surcharged  with  it.  He  looked  upon  it  as  a  sacred 
calling,  for  he  was  an  idealist  to  the  core.  And  he  poured  his  life  into  it  with  copious 
prodigality.  He  was  one  of  the  old  crusaders  back  again  out  of  the  past  and  gather- 
ing his  followers  arotmd  his  standards.  Every  one  must  have  the  glow  in  his  face. 
Indifference  was  intolerable.  Selfishness  was  not  one  of  the  deadly  sins;  it  was  all 
of  them.  He  scorned  the  suggestion  that  one  should  ever  think  of  himself  when 
the  interests  of  childhood,  which  are  the  interests  of  humanity,  are  at  stake.  It  is 
not  strange  that  the  3^oung  men  and  women  that  went  out  from  the  sphere  of  his 
influence  should  fancy  that  they  had  a  mission  and  that  they  should  be  characterized 
as  idealists  and  enthusiasts  and  all  that  occasionally. 

He  had  the  profoundest  respect  for  our  ordinary,  common  life,  and  festooned  it 
with  graces  and  beatitudes  that  the  "practical"  man  could  never  discover.  And 
he  was  always  urging  us  to  see  what  was  so  plain  to  him  and  hidden  from  us  because 
of  the  very  commonness  of  it.  Because  of  what  is  possible  through  the  ministry  of 
education  he  was  always  exhorting  the  young  to  press  against  the  molding  influence 
of  the  cultural  forces  of  the  times  and  to  select  the  finest,  those  that  make  for  the 
highest  intellectual  development  and  preeminently  those  that  make  for  righteous- 
ness. He  had  an  almost  dangerous  faith  in  the  possibilities  of  young  men  and  young 
women.  Upon  their  shoulders  he  would  lay  large  and  grave  responsibilities  and 
would  enjoin  them  to  carry  their  burdens  splendidly  and  never  to  submit  to  the  shame 
of  failure.  His  own  remarkable  career  in  lifting  himself  out  of  humble  life  and  dis- 
couraging conditions  made  him  believe  in  a  wonderful  way  in  the  capacity  of  others. 
He  was  the  prophet  of  the  strenuous  life.  Work  was  the  gospel  that  he  and  his  fellow 
teachers  were  forever  preaching.  They  were  of  one  mind  about  it,  but  the  idealism 
of  it  saved  it  from  drudgery  and  made  it  engaging  and  fine. 


164  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Add  to  what  has  been  said  the  gift  so  common  among  genuinely  capable  men, 
a  memory  that  never  forgot  the  name  of  a  student  and  that  charmingly  enriched 
all  of  the  subjects  with  which  he  dealt.  They  were  relatively  elementary,  but  they 
illustrated  in  a  striking  way  the  cultural  possibilities  of  a  somewhat  simple  content 
in  the  hands  of  a  skilful  teacher.  The  situation  gave  point  to  an  oft-quoted  remark 
that  should  be  made  with  great  caution,  that  the  method  of  treatment  is  of  more 
importance  than  the  subject  matter.  His  reading  classes  were  notable  examples  of 
this,  principle.  With  a  superb  voice  and  a  passionate  sensitiveness  to  id^as  and 
emotions,  he  was  a  fine  reader.  But  the  exercises  were  far  more  than  an  elocutionary 
drill,  although  they  were  that  also.  They  were  the  study  of  the  best  literature  and 
of  its  adequate  vocal  expression.  "Thought  analysis"  was  the  unique  feature  of 
his  method  and  the  vistas  that  it  opened  made  the  study  a  liberal  culture.  Such 
previously  unrevealed  possibilities  disclosed  a  new  view,  a  wonder-world,  so  novel 
and  interesting  that  the  pupils  pushed  into  it  with  much  of  the  enthusiasm  of  their 
leader. 

With  these  qualities  he  joined  a  fine  technic  in  the  management  of  a  class  and  of 
the  material  of  instruction.  His  example  amply  justified  his  claim  that  there  is  a  real 
art  of  teaching  grounded  in  a  science  of  education.  He  was  the  conscious  master  of 
a  process  and  seemed  to  appreciate  the  pupil's  difficulties  by  a  sort  of  divination. 
He  knew  how  much  of  the  right  sort  of  assistance  to  give  him  to  enable  him  to  catch  a 
trail  that  would  otherwise  have  been  too  obscure  for  him  to  search  for  it  advanta- 
geously. He  was  extremely  fond  of  teaching  and  did  it  with  such  satisfaction  and  with 
such  delightful  skill  that  it  made  us  all  anxious  to  try  our  hands  at  it.  Of  course, 
it  happened,  with  such  a  vigorous  example,  that  a  few  caught  only  his  personal 
peculiarities  and  afterward  paraded  them  before  their  schools,  but  they  were  incapable 
of  any  deeper  insight  and  were  all  the  better  for  what  little  they  got.  This  aspect 
of  his  peculiar  skill  is  dwelt  upon,  for  after  all  the  intervening  years  and  the  devel- 
opment of  our  latest  pedagogy  we  have  but  few  extremely  skilful  teachers  of  young 
men  and  young  women,  whatever  we  may  have  accomplished  in  training  teachers 
of  children. 

His  management  of  the  school  as  a  whole  may  be  inferred  from  what  has  been 
said.  He  had  a  task  that  called  for  great  energy  and  great  patience.  He  had  more 
of  the  former  than  of  the  latter,  yet  he  exhibited  admirable  tact.  He  did  not  always 
have  his  fiery  spirit  under  complete  control,  when  it  rose  like  a  tidal  wave,  but  it 
made  few  or  no  enemies,  for  the  cause  in  which  it  exhibited  its  sometimes  tempes- 
tuous energy  was  its  complete  explanation.  With  what  admiration  we  talk  about 
it  and  with  what  words  of  praise  we  dwell  upon  it!  The  Normal  school  was  then 
a  new  institution  in  our  American  life  and  there  were  enemies  to  spare.  Worst  of 
all,  many  of  them  were  found  where  there  should  have  been  only  friends.  After 
all  of  these  years,  with  the  Normal  school  established  as  an  essential  factor  in  our 
educational  agencies,  one  who  was  in  the  thick  of  the  fight  can  look  back  upon  those 
old  battle-fields  with  real  composure  and  can  regard  "the  enemy"  with  a  larger 
measure  of  ♦charity  than  when  he  was  threatening  the  life  of  an  institution  that  the 
seers  recognized  as  absolutely  indispensable  to  any  adequate  solution  of  the  problem 
of  popular  education.     Doubtless  the  survivors  have  long  since  repented  and  have 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  165 

only  regrets  for  their  mistaken  zeal.  There  are  those  in  the  North  who  opposed 
the  prosecution  of  the  war  in  the  early  sixties  and  who  would  have  consented  to  a 
pitiful  compromise  for  peace,  even  to  the  dissolution  of  the  Union  of  the  States,  who 
would  be  happy  indeed  to  expunge  the  hateful  record;  for  them  we  have  only  pro- 
found sympathy.  It  is  too  bad  that  they  should  have  been  on  the  wrong  side  when 
the  chances  are  few  to  be  splendidly  right.  Dr.  Edwards  was  splendidly  right  and 
the  consciousness  of  it  kept  the  smile  upon  his  face  when  the  shadows  were  long  and 
the  evening  was  coming  on.  It  was  heart-breaking  in  the  early  days  to  be  mis- 
understood and  misrepresented  and  opposed  at  every  turn  in  the  great  work  that  he 
was  doing.  Not  a  few  of  the  "statesmen"  at  Springfield  decorated  their  oratory 
with  ridicule  and  waxed  eloquent  over  the  superlative  virtues  of  the  old-fashioned 
school  and  the  absurdities  of  attempting  to  teach  people  how  to  teach.  But  he  won 
his  battle  and  secured  his  appropriations  and  piloted  his  craft  into  comparatively 
comfortable  waters  before  he  gave  up  the  task. 

One  must  speak  further  of  the  stimulation  to  growth  that  every  student  who 
caught  the  spirit  of  the  school  carried  with  him  to  his  work.  Added  to  the  intense 
conviction  that  no  other  calling  could  compare  in  sacredness  with  that  of  the  teacher 
was  the  feeling  that  every  day  must  witness  some  substantial  growth  in  scholarship. 
There  must  be  a  conscious  expansion  of  knowledge  and  power.  The  school  must 
be  for  the  teacher  as  well  as  for  the  pupil.  A  finished  education  ?  Perish  the  thought ! 
A  text-book  in  the  hand  to  ask  questions  from  ?  Shame  upon  one  who  is  not  master 
of  the  work  of  the  day!  There  is  too  much  com  to  be  cultivated  and  there  are  too 
many  dishes  to  be  washed  to  rob  the  field  and  the  kitchen  without  enriching  the 
school. 

Then  the  immense  influence  that  Dr.  Edwards  exerted  through  his  text-books 
in  reading  amounted  to  a  revolution.  The  series  had  an  immense  sale  and  had  a 
double  function :  it  furnished  reading  matter,  in  the  higher  grades  especially,  of  the 
finest  literary  quality,  and  it  gave  to  the  teacher  a  method  that  in  many  respects 
has  never  been  surpassed. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  his  great  power  as  a  public  speaker.  He  had  the 
orator's  art  of  arousing  his  hearers  to  his  own  enthusiasm  and  especially  of  giving 
to  the  commonplace  a  dignity  that  is  ordinarily  denied  it.  He  had  never  been 
ordained  to  the  ministry  yet  he  was  often  called  to  fill  pulpits,  and  his  magnetic 
personality  made  him  very  popular.  He  began  to  receive  calls  to  pastorates  and 
one  of  them  was  too  attractive  to  be  declined.  He  therefore  took  orders,  and  in 
January,  1876,  became  the  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  of  Princeton,  Illi- 
nois. Owen  Lovejoy,  the  great  apostle  of  freedom,  had  been  there  before  him,  so 
he  came  to  a  great  estate.  He  was  equal  to  the  task  and  spent  nine  happy  years 
in  work  that  was  in  the  highest  and  completest  sense  to  his  liking.  The  cares  and 
vexations  of  his  strenuous  life  at  Normal  dropped  from  him  like  a  discarded  gar- 
ment. These  ministerial  years  were  sacred  in  his  memory,  for  he  felt  that  they  were 
full  of  the  richest  spiritual  growth.  He  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  companionship 
of  the  people  of  that  cultivated  little  city  and  he  had,  perhaps,  his  rarest  opportunity 
for  the  family  life  that  was  so  dear  to  him. 

Any  sketch  of  Dr.  Edwards  would  be  notably  incomplete  without  the  mention  of 


166  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

one  who  walked  by  his  side,  shared  his  hardships  and  successes  for  almost  sixty  years, 
and  was  his  constant  inspiration  and  support.  It  was  in  1849,  on  the  fifth  day  of 
July,  that  he  married  Betsy  Josselyn  Samson.  Eleven  children  were  born  to  them, 
of  whom  nine  survive.  Mrs.  Edwards  and  two  of  her  daughters,  Ellen  and  Florence, 
continue  their  residence  in  Bloomington.  In  writing  of  her  father  Miss  Ellen 
Edwards  says:  "He  was  preeminently  a  family  man,  a  home-lover.  He  had  the 
hospitable  heart  and  preferred  always  to  meet  his  friends  in  his  own  home  rather 
than  elsewhere.  His  wife  and  children  had  his  confidence;  they  shared  intimately 
his  griefs  and  joys,  his  defeats  and  his  successes. 

"  In  St.  Louis,  before  the  war,  he  would  take  us  all  —  there  were  only  five  of  us 
then  —  on  his  lap  and  sing  about  the  greedy  old  woman  who  took  more  apples  than 
she  could  carry,  and  when  '  Her  apron  strings  broke  and  she  let  them  all  fall '  the  chil- 
dren would  roll  down  on  the  floor  in  a  heap  of  merry  laughter.  If  he  was  merry 
the  house  was  bright.  When  he  was  blue  he  was  very  blue,  and  the  household  was 
under  a  cloud.  The  moral  of  his  story  stayed  with  us.  There  was  always  a  moral 
to  his  stories,  preferably  stated  with  distinctness.  In  St.  Louis  we  heard  all  of  the 
Shakespeare  stories,  and  became  vigorous  patriots  whose  last  bit  of  money  or  life 
blood  was  for  Abraham  Lincoln  on  demand. ' ' 

He  was  honored  with  many  degrees.  From  Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute 
he  received  C.  E.  and  B.  S.  in  1848;  from  Harvard,  A.M.,  in  1863;  from  Shurtleff, 
LL.D.,  in  1867;  from  Blackburn  College,  D.  D.,  in  1891.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association  for  forty-six  years  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
was  a  member  of  the  N.  E.  A.,  of  the  Illinois  Historical  Society,  of  the  McLean 
County  Historical  Society,  of  the  Bloomington  College  Alumni  Club  and  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  One  Hundred,  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  on 
National  Health,  and  was  also  President  of  the  McLean  County  Bible  Society. 

,He  loved  to  visit  the  school  with  which  he  had  been  so  closely  identified  in  its 
early  history  and  he  spoke  there  a  few  days  before  the  end.  At  the  semi-centennial 
celebration,  in  June,  1907,  he  was  a  central  figure.  In  a  notable  speech  he  said, 
"  I  love  to  be  remembered  here;  I  trust  that  3^ou  will  speak  of  me  when  you  meet." 
The  next  speaker  was  a  member  of  his  first  class  and  one  to  whom  he  had  been 
peculiarly  a  friend.  With  a  heart  that  was  full  of  love  and  gratitude  he  said,  "  Forget 
you,  Dr.  Edwards!  Not  while  memory  holds  her  gracious  empire  in  the  soul." 
And  so  say  we  all  of  us,  his  gray-haired  boys  and  girls. 

The  writer  can  not  close  without  endeavoring  to  express  the  deep  obligation  that 
one  must  ever  feel  toward  his  benefactor.  To  him  far  more  than  to  any  other  man 
he  was  indebted  for  recognition  and  for  the  chances  to  show  what  he  could  do  in 
the  first  twelve  years  of  his  professional  life. 

Superintendent  Raab's  Second  Administration. 

Mr.  Raab  selected  for  his  chief  clerk  Mr.  James  Kirk,  of  whom  he  remarks : 

"I  wish  to  give  expression  of  the  highest  appreciation  of  the  services  of  my 

assistant,   Mr.  James  Kirk.  ■  Ever  ready  to  do  the  often  tedious  work  of  the  office, 

he  has  familiarized  himself  with  all  of  its  details  and  faithfully  executed  whatever 

fell  to  his  share.     Accurate  and  painstaking,  industrious,  and  courteous  to  visitors. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  167 

he  has  been  to  me  a  true  assistant  and  helper.  His  experience  as  a  county  and  city 
superintendent  has  been  of  great  value  to  the  office." 

Each  of  the  successive  biennial  reports  has  not  only  given  the  statistical  infor- 
mation prescribed  by  law,  but  has  added  a  mass  of  most  valuable  material  in  the 
way  of  suggestions  to  school  officers,  teachers,  and  to  the  public  in  general,  although 
it  could  hardly  be  expected  that  an  official  document  would  have  large  circulation 
among  lay  readers.  Moreover,  there  is  to  be  found  in  these  volumes  much  of  an 
inspirational  character  that  has  had  a  marked  influence  upon  public  sentiment  as 
it  has  reached  school  patrons  through  the  school  people. 

In  the  present  volume  Mr.  Kirk  has  an  article  on  "  The  Care  of  School  Funds," 
and  the  Superintendent  contributes  instructive  articles  on  "The  Annual  Institute," 
and  "  The  Rural  School  Problem." 

Although  Mr.  Raab  owed  his  election  in  no  small  degree  to  the  opposition 
to  the  compulsory  law,  he  shows  his  independence  by  an  article  in  which  he 
discusses  the  question  candidly,  indicating  his  belief  in  the  wisdom  of  such  legis- 
lation. 

The  law  establishing  annual  institutes  provided  that  instructors  must  be  licensed 
by  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  Superintendent  Raab  recommended 
the  holding  of  an  annual  institute  whose  membership  should  be  the  licensed  irtstitute 
instructors  of  the  State.  As  the  necessities  of  the  situation  require  some  three 
hundred  workers  and  as  there  exists  the  greatest  diversity  of  ability  and  attainment, 
it  would  seem  to  be  in  the  interests  of  true  economy  to  secure  some  uniformity  of 
plan. 

In  June,  1892,  although  there  were  no  funds  with  which  to  pay  the  legitimate 
expenses  of  instructors,  Mr.  Raab  called  a  convention  of  licensed  instructors  and 
county  superintendents,  which  continued  for  two  days.  A  profitable  session  was 
held.  President  Cook  and  Professors  McCormick,  Felmley,  Col  ton  and  McMurry, 
and  Miss  Ela,  of  the  State  Normal  University;  Professor  Hull  and  Miss  Anderson, 
of  the  Southern  Normal  University;  Mr.  Bums,  of  Monmouth,  and  Professor  Harker. 
of  Illinois  College,  assisted  in  this  "labor  of  love." 

The  General  Assembly  was  asked  to  make  an  appropriation  for  the  support  of 
so  practical  an  instrumentality,  and  in  the  hope  that  his  request  would  be  granted 
Superintendent  Raab  held  a  second  institute  in  June,  1893,  of  three  days'  duration. 
No  funds  having  been  placed  at  his  disposal  for  that  purpose  he  was  obliged  to  meet 
the  expenses  out  of  the  contingent  fund,  thus  crippling  other  enterprises.  The 
institute  was  discontinued  in  1894. 

At  the  1893  session  the  following  well-known  institute  conductors  assisted: 
R.  R.  Reeder,  Miss  Lottie  Jones,  Mrs.  Ella  F.  Young,  W.  F.  Rocheleau,  S.  B.  Hood, 
H.  W.  Dickinson,  Silas  Y.  Gillan,  F.  W.  Parker  and  the  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction. 

The  Columbian  Exposition  afforded  an  unprecedented  opportunity  to  exhibit 
the  work  of  the  educational  institutions  of  the  world.  To  be  properly  represented 
at  such  an  array  of  achievenients  was  a  natural  ambition  of  the  Illinois  school  people. 
The  General  Assembly  was  awake  to  its  responsibility,  and  in  providing  funds  for 
the  part  which  the  State  was  expected  to  play  did  not  forget  the  educational  interests. 


168  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

A  special  building,  erected  by  the  State,  yielded  a  portion  of  its  space  for  some  of 
the  features  proposed  by  the  managers. 

The  act  authorizing  the  exhibit  provided  the  following: 

a.  A  model  common-school  room  of  high  grade,  fully  equipped  and  furnished,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

b.  An  illustration  of  the  methods  and  results  of  educational  work  as  pursued  by  the  State  Normal 
Universities,  the  public,  technical  and  art  schools  and  the  high  schools  of  the  State. 

c.  An  exhibit  by  the  University  of  Illinois  of  the  equipment,  methods  of  instruction,  and  the 
achievements  of  that  institution  in  its  several  departments. 

For  the  collection  and  arrangement  of  the  material,  Mr.  William  Jenkins,  recently 
superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Mendota,  west  side,  was  selected.  Mr.  Jenkins 
made  a  careful  study  of  the  situation  and  the  exhibit  was  installed  in  accordance 
with  his  plans  and  designs.  The  elementary  and  high  schools  freely  contributed  to 
the  display  and  thus  made  it  possible  for  an  intelligent  student  of  education  to 
determine  the  character  of  the  instruction  afforded  the  children  of  Illinois,  so  far  as 
an  examination  of  results  can  furnish  such  information.  The  pictures,  blue-prints, 
apparatus,  furniture,  school  decorations,  text-books,  reference  books,  maps  and  all 
the  rest  of  the  material  equipment  of  the  school  concretely  illustrated  the  environ- 
ment and  working  tools  of  the  pupils.  A  model  schoolroom  exhibited  the  appliances 
in  their  proper  relation  to  each  other. 

The  exhibit  of  the  University  of  Illinois  was  mainly  polytechnic  and  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  people  to  the  superior  facilities  afforded  by  that  institution  in 
that  line  of  work.  The  two  Normal  Universities  were  creditably  represented,  having 
custodians  in  charge  of  their  exhibits  who  were  familiar  with  the  working  plans  of 
the  two  schools  and  therefore  competent  to  instruct  those  who  were  making  an 
especial  study  of  the  teachers'  schools  of  the  country. 

The  following  is  the  award  of  Josiah  H.  Shinn,  Individual  Judge,  which  was 
approved  by  the  President  of  the  Departmental  Committee  and  the  Chairman  of 
the  Executive  Committee  on  Awards: 

First,  the  display  from  all  parts  of  the  State  gives  evidence  of  a  good  public- 
school  system.  Country  and  town  alike  are  permeated  by  its  salutary  effects  and 
unite  in  presenting  excellent  results. 

Second,  the  showing  is  very  finely  made  by  the  city  schools,  especially  Chicago. 
The  work  is  scholarly,  progressive  and  inspiring. 

Third,  the  kindergarten,  drawing  and  primary  work  of  the  large  schools  are 
excellent. 

Fourth,  the  system  of  Normal  colleges  or  schools  is  one  of  great  merits  and  their 
work  excellent. 

Fifth,  the  system  of  superior  instruction  of  the  University  of  Illinois  is  excellent. 

It  is  quite  obvious  from  the  construction  of  the  above  report  that  the  writer  was 
not  competing  for  a  prize  in  English. 

Reference  was  made,  in  considering  the  Eighteenth  Biennial  Report,  to  an  article 
by  John  D.  Benedict,  on  "Some  Principles  of  the  Illinois  School  Law."  With  such 
amendments  as  time  and  circumstances  required,  the  article  was  reprinted  in  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  169 

Twentieth  Biennial  Report,  the  additions  having  been  made  by  Mr.  Kirk,  the  chief 
clerk  under  Superintendent  Raab.  It  is  a  condensed  statement  of  the  provisions 
of  the  law  and  powers  and  privileges  of  teachers  and  school  officers.  It  will  be  found 
of  great  service  to  those  who  wish  to  make  an  exhaustive  study  of  the  evolution  of 
the  Illinois  school  law. 

In  1891,  the  General  Assembly  passed  a  law  giving  to  women  the  right  to  vote 
for  "  any  officer  of  schools  under  the  general  or  special  school  laws  of  this  State." 

The  Supreme  Court  by  two  decisions  modified  the  scope  of  the  law,  declaring 
that  women  may  not  vote  for  a  State  or  a  county  superintendent  of  schools.  The 
Court  held,  139  111.,  622,  that  "the  legislature  had  and  has  no  power  or  authority 
to  invest  women  with  a  right  to  vote  at  an  election  held  for  a  county  superintendent 
of  schools.  '>'  As  the  Constitution  of  the  State  prescribes  the  qualifications  of  electors 
for  that  office  they  can  not  be  changed  by  an  act  of  the  legislature.  The  only 
remedy  is  by  a  constitutional  amendment.  This  decision  debars  women,  except 
the  very  few  who  may  have  the  constitutional  qualifications,  from  voting  for  a  State 
or  county  superintendent  of  schools. 

The  second  decision  confirmed  the  right  of  women  to  vote  for  other  school  officers, 
if  they  possessed  the  general  qualifications  of  age  and  residence,  for  these  offices  are 
not  specified  in  the  Constitution  and  being  creations  of  the  General  Assembly  the 
qualifications  of  electors  for  those  offices  may  be  prescribed  by  that  body. 

In  two  contributions  to  the  Twentieth  Biennial  Report,  Superintendent  Raab 
expressed  his  educational  views  with  regard  to  primary  schools  and  also  to  the  prep- 
aration of  teachers  for  common  schools.  With  respect  to  the  branches  that  should 
form  the  course  of  study  and  the  extent  to  which  they  should  be  taught  he  assumed 
the  position  substantially  held  by  the  schools  of  Europe  and  especially  by  the  German 
schools.  As  to  the  manner  in  which  this  instruction  should  be  given  he  held  pro- 
nounced views,  for  he  had  worked  out  his  theories  in  specific  details.  To  be  able  to 
think  logically  and  to  work  happily  is  the  great  desideratum  for  the  pupil,  while  in 
the  teacher  "the  love  and  forbearance  of  the  mother"  should  abundantly  manifest 
themselves,  they  "should  be  blended  with  the  earnestness,  firmness  and  consistency 
of  the  father."  Mr.  Raab's  attitude  will  thus  be  understood.  While  he  stood  for 
all  the  loving  consideration  for  the  child  that  the  warmest  affection  would  warrant, 
and  held  to  the  doctrine  of  interest  so  richly  developed  by  his  great  countryman, 
Herbart,  he  realized  the  necessity  for  that  rigorous,  cultured  discipline  that  has  also 
characterized  the  work  of  the  German  teacher.  In  brief,  Mr.  Raab  was  an  Ameri- 
canized German,  bringing  to  his  new  citizenship  the  genuineness  and  thoroughness 
of  his  native  land  and  combining  it  with  the  gentler  method  of  his  adopted  land. 

He  stood  especially  for  drawing,  music,  manual  training,  the  kindergarten,  and 
all  of  the  other  innovations  that  have  so  changed  the  character  of  the  school,  but 
he  mingled  with  them  the  leaven  of  earnestness  and  the  demand  for  tangible  results 
in  that  sterling  character  that  fits  one  for  the  real  battles  of  life.  With  even  greater 
insistence,  if  possible,  he  stood  for  the  professional  preparation  of  the  teachers,  and 
in  his  public  addresses  as  well  as  in  his  reports  contributed  richly  to  that  newer  and 
advancing  sentiment  that  will  in  its  own  time  put  a  professionally  prepared  teacher 
into  every  school.     The  attitude  of  this  interesting,  man  toward  his  work  can  not 


170  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

better  be  expressed  than  by  a  brief  quotation  from  his  paper,  "  The  Future  Primary- 
School ": 

"  To  the  teacher  may  be  truly  said  what  Goethe  causes  Faust  to  say  to  his  famulus 
Wagner,  when  the  latter  complains  of  the  vastness  of  studies : 

'You'll  ne'er  attain  it,  save  you  know  the  feeling, 

Save  from  the  soul  it  rises  clear. 
Serene  in  primal  strength,  compelling 

The  hearts  and  minds  of  all  who  hear. 
You  sit  forever  gluing,  patching; 

You  cook  the  scraps  from  others'  fare 
And  from  your  heap  of  ashes  hatching 

A  starveling  flame,  ye  blow  it  bare ; 
Take  children's,  monkeys'  gaze  admiring, 

If  such  your  taste,  and  be  content. 
But  ne'er  from  heart  to  heart  you'll  speak  inspiring, 

Save  your  own  heart  is  eloquent.' 

"  No  instruction  is  of  any  avail  when  it  leaves  the  child  indifferent.  Even  the 
most  difficult  will  become  easy  when  the  teacher  knows  how  to  awaken  the  interest 
in  matters  of  instruction,  and  how  to  keep  it  alive.  By  this  alone  can  the  attention 
of  the  students  be  kept  awake,  and  without  this  no  teaching  can  prosper.  To  be 
wearisome  and  monotonous  —  this  has  been  very  truly  said  —  is  the  cardinal  sin 
of  all  teaching.  Coercion,  displeasure  and  impatience  of  the  teacher  annihilate  the 
sympathy  of  the  pupil  in  the  instruction.  Whoever  knows  how  to  interest  children 
will  grow  tired  sooner  in  the  conversation  than  they  themselves. 

'And  deep  be  the  stake,  as  the  prize  is  high  — 
Who  life  would  win  must  dare  to  die.'  " 

The  article  on  "  The  education  of  Teachers  for  the  Common  Schools"  takes  high 
grounds  in  its  demand  for  Normal  schools,  but  scourges  with  a  whip  of  scorpions  the 
mechanical  methods  of  too  many  of  the  teachers'  seminaries. 

Henry  Raab  and  Richard  Edwards  represented  two  distinct  types  of  school  men, 
yet  with  passionate  ardor  they  pressed  for  a  common  goal.  They  were  a  great  gift 
to  the  schools  and  should  be  enshrined  in  the  memories  of  the  people. 

The  Ninth  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

In  1894  the  Democratic  convention  renominated  Mr.  Raab.  He  certainly 
merited  the  honor.  The  Republican  candidate  for  the  same  office  was  Prof.  Samuel 
M.  Inglis,  a  professor  in  the  Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  University.  We  have 
seen  how  Mr.  Raab  was  elected  in  1890  by  the  defection  of  a  large  German- Republi- 
can element,  offended  because  they  regarded  the  compulsory  school  law  as  a  menace 
to  their  parochial  schools.  In  1892  the  Republican  party  suffered  its  first  guber- 
natorial defeat  for  forty  years.  Governor  Altgeld  was  elected  by  the  same  vote 
that  went  to  Mr.  Raab.  In  1894,  however,  the  storm  had  passed,  and  Mr.  Inglis 
went  in  with  the  fine  majority  of  123,000  and  more. 

Mr.  Inglis  was  quite  well  known  in  educational  circles.  While  he  could  hardly 
be  regarded  as  a  student  of  education  in  the  modem  sense  of  the  term  nor  as  an 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  171 

educational  leader  of  especial  prominence,  he  had  been  a  school  superintendent 
for  many  years  in  one  of  the  better  towns  of  Southern  Illinois,  had  been  a  professor 
in  the  Southern  Normal  School  for  several  years  and  was,  withal,  a  popular,  lovable 
man,  and  where  known  was  regarded  with  much  affection. 

He  selected  for  his  chief  clerk  Mr.  John  W.  Henninger,  a  former  resident  of  South- 
em  Illinois,  who  had  been  a  teacher  and  superintendent  for  some  years.  Mr.  Hen- 
ninger served  foi*  a  time  and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Freeman,  already  familiar 
with  the  duties  of  the  office  because  of  his  service  under  Dr.  Edwards.  Mr.  Free- 
man was  a  most  loyal  and  helpful  assistant  and  was  highly  esteemed  by  the  educa- 
tional people  of  the  State. 

Mr.  Inglis  was  in  declining  health  when  elected.  The  duties  of  the  office,  espe- 
cially the  travel  and  addresses,  wore  upon  him.  In  the  latter  part  of  April,  1897, 
he  sought  relief  at  a  Kenosha  sanitarium,  thinking  that  a  few  weeks  of  rest  would 
restore  him  to  health.  He  was  doomed  to  disappointment,  as  his  illness  was  more 
serious  than  he  and  his  friends  had  suspected.  While  engaged  in  pleasant  social 
converse  with  acquaintances  he  suddenly  passed  away,  the  golden  cord  being  rudely 
severed.     This  was  on  the  evening  of  June  1. 

It  devolved  upon  the  Governor  to  appoint  his  successor,  and  in  harmony  with 
the  wishes  of  all  who  understood  the  situation,  he  selected  Mr.  Freeman. 

From  an  address,  delivered  by  Mr.  Freeman  at  the  1897  meeting  of  the  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  following  extracts  are  taken: 

"Samuel  M.  Inglis  was  bom  in  Marietta,  Pennsylvania,  August  15,  1840.  He 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Ohio.  Coming  to  Illinois  in 
1856,  a  poor  boy,  he  struggled  against  poverty  for  an  education.  After  leaving  the 
public  schools  he  attended  the  Mendota  Collegiate  Institute,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated- with  the  first  honors  of  his  class  in  1861.  It  was  in  the  fall  of  1857,  four 
years  before  his  graduation,  that  he  began  his  life  as  a  teacher.  He  commenced  a 
school  soon  after  his  graduation,  in  the  stormy  days  of  1861,  but  he  soon  left  the 
schoolroom  for  the  army,  enlisting  in  the  104th  Regiment  of  Illinois  Infantry.  On 
account  of  a  serious  accident  occurring  soon  after  his  enlistment,  he  was  compelled 
to  return  home,  and  his  place  w^as  filled  by  his  brother,  who  was  killed  by  Long- 
street's  men  at  Knoxville,  Tennessee. 

"  Mr.  Inglis  retired  to  his  father's  farm  in  Henry  county,  where  he  remained  for 
some  years,  caring  for  his  father's  family,  and  teaching  in  the  country  schools  during 
the  winter  months.  He  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  —  for  Abraham  Lincoln  —  in 
1864.  In  the  fall  of  1865  he  was  called  to  the  supervision  of  an  academy,  located 
in  Hillsboro.  Here  he  remained  as  a  successful  instructor  until  the  summer  of  1867. 
During  these  years  he  occupied  his  spare  time  in  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Judge  E.  Y.  Rice,  of  the  Springfield  district.  Home  duties  requiring  his  attention 
he  returned  to  his  home  and  assisted  in  the  support  of  his  father's  family  until  the 
fall  of  1868,  when  he  was  called  to  take  charge  of  the  schools  of  Greenville.  During 
his  stay  of  fifteen  years  in  Greenville  he  graded  the  public  schools,  and  in  1883  left 
them  in  charge  of  a  fine  corps  of  well-trained  teachers,  the  school  ranking  among 
the  best  in  the  State. 

"In  April,  1881,  Governor  Cullom  appointed  Professor  Inglis  a  trustee  of  the 


172  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Southern  Illinois  Normal  University.  In  the  spring  of  1883,  through  the  earnest 
solicitations  of  his  fellow  trustees  and  the  faculty  of  the  University,  he  accepted  the 
Chair  of  Mathematics  in  the  institution  whose  business  affairs,  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  he  had  so  faithfully  assisted  in  managing  for  two  years. 

"In  September,  1883,  Governor  Hamilton  commissioned  him  as  one  of  the  five 
delegates  to  represent  the  State  of  Illinois  at  the  National  Convention  of  Educators, 
that  convened  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  to  devise  ways  and  means  to  better  the 
illiterate  condition  of  certain  portions  of  our  country. 

"At  the  close  of  the  third  year  in  the  chair  of  Mathematics,  which  he  had  so 
ably  filled,  the  Board  of  Trustees  transferred  him  to  the  chair  of  Literature,  Rhetoric 
and  Elocution,  to  which  work  he  devoted  his  energies  for  eight  years. 

"  In  1887,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Louise  Jackson,  of  Hillsboro,  who  died 
in  1892.  Three  years  later  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Louise  Baumberger, 
of  Greenville. 

"On  April  12,  1898,  he  was  honored  by  being  unanimously  elected  president  of 
the  Eastern  Illinois  State  Normal  School,  at  Charleston,  his  duties  to  commence 
September  1,  1899.  He  held  the  degree  of  A.  M.,  and  in  the  last  week  of  his  life 
Blackburn  University  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  LL.  D. 

"One  of  his  first  official  acts  was  to  issue  a  circular  letter  to  the  county  superin- 
tendents and  prominent  educators,  rallying  them  to  the  support  of  the  bills  then 
pending  in  the  legislature  providing  for  the  establishment  of  the  two  new  Normal 
schools.  In  behalf  of  these  measures  he  rendered  valuable  and  efficient  work  in 
personal  appeals  to  the  members  of  the  General  Assembly  and  before  the  educational 
committees  of  both  Houses,  as  well  as  in  other  ways." 

Mr.  Freeman  calls  attention  especially  to  his  labors  in  furthering  the  child-study 
movement,  the  establishment  of  rural-school  libraries,  his  active  service  on  the 
various  boards  of  which  he  was  ex  officio  a  member,  his  efforts  to  secure  a  law  pro- 
viding for  classes  for  the  deaf  in  connection  with  public  schools,  and  his  extremely 
laborious  address-making  in  which  he  traversed  the  State  from  one  end  to  the  other. 

The  regard  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  pupils  is  indicated  by  letters  from  those 
who  had  stood  in  that  relation  to  him.     One  writes  as  follows : 

"  To  all  of  his  pupils  the  echoes  of  his  deep,  sonorous  voice  are  hallowed  memories, 
for  the  words  that  he  spoke  to  us  were  the  words  of  truth  and  life.  We  can  never 
forget  his  commanding  presence  and  the  whole-souled,  genial  manner  which  was  but 
the  natural  expression  of  his  kind  heart." 

A  friend  wTites,  "Every  department  of  the  school  reflected  his  buoyant,  sympa- 
thetic and  vigorous  spirit.  The  children  loved  him  and  the  teachers  knew  him  to 
be  a  friend,  wise  and  true.  To  all  those  who  were  privileged  to  know  him  as  a  teacher 
he  will  be  an  ever-present  inspiration  and  a  most  glorious  memory. ' ' 

At  a  meeting  of  State  officers  held  on  June  2,  1898,  to  take  appropriate  action 
on  the  death  of  Professor  Inglis,  the  following  resolution  was  adopted: 

''Resolved,  That  as  State  officers  we  learn  with  most  sincere  and  profound  regret 
of  the  death  of  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  Honorable  Samuel  M. 
Inglis,  and  that  we  desire  to  place  upon  record  our  appreciation  of  the  many  virtues 
that  have  characterized  him  during  his  long  and  able  career.     His  acknowledged 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  173 

ability  has  long  since  placed  him  in  the  front  rank  of  educators.  His  efforts  as  teacher, 
professor,  and  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  form  no  small  part  of 
the  history  of  education  in  this  great  State. 

"  Professor  Inglis  was  not  only  a  hard  worker  and  a  recognized  leader  in  the  ranks 
of  his  profession,  but  he  was  a  man  of  sterling  Christian  character,  and  was  a  true 
type  of  the  highest  order  of  American  citizenship.  His  mind  was  broad  and  liberal. 
His  heart  was  tender  and  sympathetic,  and  the  hundreds  of  young  men  and  women 
in  this  State  who  have  been  encouraged  by  his  kindly  help  in  the  struggle  for  an 
education  will  join  with  us  in  lamenting  his  death.  To  his  wife  we  extend  our  most 
profound  and  heartfelt  sympathy." 

The  Tenth  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

Mr.  Joseph  H.  Freeman,  in  assuming  office,  issued  the  following  circular: 

Department  of  Public  Instruction, 

Springfield,  III.,  June  23,  1898. 

To  the  School  Officers  and  Other  Friends  of  Education  in  Illinois  : 

Having  been  appointed  this  day  by  Governor  John  R.  Tanner  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
death  of  Hon.  S.  M.  Inglis,  I  assume  at  once  the  duties  of  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

At  the  request  of  the  Governor  and  in  accordance  with  my  own  wishes,  I  have  appointed  as 
assistant  Mrs.  S.  M.  Inglis. 

By  the  appointment  of  Mrs.  Inglis,  a  just  and  fitting  tribute  is  paid  to  the  memory  of  our  fallen 
leader.  By  this  appointment,  also,  is  assured  the  faithful  and  efficient  performance  of  the  duties  of 
the  position. 

I  take  this  opportunity  to  express  my  grateful  acknowledgments  to  my  many  friends  in  Illinois 
who  have  so  kindly  and  promptly  interested  themselves  in  furthering  my  promotion. 

Earnestly  desiring  the  loyal  and  hearty  cooperation  of  all  of  the  friends  of  education  in  our  noble 
State,  in  the  discharge  of  the  work  that  has  fallen  to  me,  I  am. 

Sincerely  yours, 

Joseph  H.  Freeman, 

State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

Mr.  Freeman's  report  is  an  educational  document  of  genuine  merit.  It  may  be 
said  of  all  the  biennial  reports  that  as  their  statistical  content  is  designated  by  law 
they  are  all  valuable.  They  differ  in  their  deviations  from  the  common  type  and 
this  deviation  is  determined  by  the  originality  of  the  officer  issuing  them.  The 
Twenty-second  Biennial  Report  contains  several  extremely  valuable  biographical 
sketches.  They  are  as  follows:  The  memorial  sketch  of  Mr.  Inglis,  by  the  Super- 
intendent; a  paper  on  the  life  and  character  of  Newton  Bateman,  by  Dr.  Samuel 
Willard;  a  sketch  of  the  life  and  services  of  Charles  E.  Hovey,  the  first  president  of 
the  State  Normal  University,  by  John  W.  Cook;  a  similar  article  on  Hon.  John 
Milton  Gregory,  the  first  president  of  the  State  University,  by  Thomas  J.  Burrill, 
Ph.D.,  LL.D. ;  memorial  articles  on  E.  C.  Smith  and  William  Jenkins.  An  article 
on  newly  organized  high  schools  exhibits  the  development  of  secondary  education. 

The  Eleventh  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

At  the  opening  of  the  year  1899,  Alfred  Bayliss  was  installed  in  the  office  of 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.     He  was  to  remain  there  for  eight  years  and 


174  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

render  good  service  to  the  commonwealth.  He  issued  four  biennial  reports  and 
retired  to  take  up  the  work  of  president  of  the  Western  Illinois  State  Normal 
School. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  that  although  the  highest  salary  paid  continues  to 
increase,  the  lowest  continues  to  disfigure  the  page.  The  highest  salary  paid  to  a 
male  teacher  has  now  climbed  to  the  $300  mark,  while  the  similar  figure  for  a  female 
teacher  is  $280.  The  lowest,  however,  is  $12.50  for  a  male  and  $8  for  a  female. 
The  averages  are  still  too  low,  being  respectively  $60.42  and  $53.27.  These  are  the 
figures  for  1899.  1J900  shows  an  advance  of  $50  for  males  but  a  dropping  off  of  $40 
for  females.  It  is  at  least  encouraging  to  note  that  no  woman  worked  for  less  than 
$12  a  month. 

The  comparative  statistics  are,  as  usual,  full  of  interesting  matter.  The  whole 
amount  paid  to  teachers  in  1900  is  approximately  fiifty  times  that  paid  in  1855. 
The  value  of  school  property  is  about  $46,000,000,  showing  an  increase  of  a  million 
a  year  since  1870.  But  these  pages  need  not  be  burdened  with  details  which  the 
curious  can  find  by  going  to  the  report. 

The  opening  of  the  new  century  witnessed  a  great  revival  of  interest  in  the  coun- 
try school.  The  Twenty-third  Biennial  Report  reflects  this  interest  and  the  student 
of  those  schools  is  referred  to  this  report.  The  "  Consolidated  School"  movement 
in  Ohio  began  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  educational  people  of  Illinois.  It  was 
observed  that  the  district  schools  were  steadily  diminishing  in  size.  One  county 
superintendent  reported  five  schools  enrolling  ten,  thirteen  enrolling  fewer  than  ten, 
and  four  schools  fewer  than  five.  The  remedy  was  obvious:  the  children  should 
be  transported  to  localities  where  there  are  real  schools.  Mr.  Bayliss  recommended 
to  the  General  Assembly  an  enabling  act  which  should  give  to  districts  the  power, 
upon  vote  of  the  people,  to  tax  themselves  for  that  purpose.  Since  that  recom- 
mendation was  made  six  general  assemblies  have  met,  fought  over  that  proposition, 
defeated  bills  looking  to  its  realization  and  have  adjourned  without  giving  relief. 
Meanwhile  several  consolidated  schools  have  come  into  being,  as  will  be  seen  by 
reference  to  the  article  on  that  subject,  yet  transportation  of  children  at  public 
expense  is  not  yet  accomplished  in  1911. 

Superintendent  Bayliss  issued  a  circular  letter  to  the  county  superintendents, 
on  August  10,  1900,  asking  for  certain  special  information  to  be  embodied  in  his 
forthcoming  report.  This  circular  was  extremely  inquisitive  and  called  forth  an 
amount  of  information  that  throws  such  light  upon  the  country  schools  as  enables 
one  to  speak  intelligently  about  them. 

Question  1.  Has  your  county  a  permanent  county  teachers'  association?  If 
so,  how  often  does  it  hold  regular  meetings? 

Seventy-seven  counties  reported  permanent  organizations,  three  of  them  report- 
ing combinations  with  other  counties.  Meetings  vary  in  number  from  one  to  nine 
a  year. 

Question  2.  What  proportion  of  your  teachers  do  all,  or  part,  of  the  State 
Teachers'  Reading  Circle  work  or  its  equivalent? 

Less  than  ten  per  cent  were  not  doing  the  work.  Five  counties  reported  100 
per  cent  doing  the  work.     Twelve  counties  reported  more  than  90  per  cent ;  nine, 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  175 

80  to  85  per  cent;  twenty-one,  70  to  75  per  cent;  fifteen,  50  per  cent.  The  ninety 
counties  reporting  work  average  approximately  65  per  cent. 

Question  3.  To  what  extent  are  your  teachers  encouraging  the  Pupils'  Reading 
Circle  work  or  its  equivalent  ? 

Here  and  there  a  county  was  doing  something,  but  in  the  aggregate  little  was 
being  done. 

Question  4.  What  success  has  attended  your  effort  to  assemble  the  school 
officers  of  your  county  ? 

Very  few  reported  any  satisfactory  results. 

Question  5.  How  many  schoolhouses  in  your  county  are  unsanitary  or  other- 
wise unsuited  to  their  purpose? 

The  answers  varied  greatly.  Evidently  there  was  a  personal  equation  here  as 
well  as  bad  schoolhouses.  Several  reported  none.  Others  reported  that  every 
country  school  was  seriously  defective.  Here  are  some  of  the  answers:  5,  20,  nearly 
all,  12,  half  of  them,  3,  25,  40,  25.  It  is  clear  that  a  very  considerable  number  of 
the  houses  are  far  from  being  what  they  should  be. 

Question  6.  How  many  grounds  without  trees?  Do  you  encourage  Arbor 
Day?     If  not,  why  not? 

In  the  wooded  counties  trees  are  usually  found  on  school  grounds.  In  the  prairie 
counties  the  reports  are  very  variable.  It  is  clear  that  Arbor  Day,  which  seems  to 
be  quite  universally  encouraged,  is  accomplishing  much  good.  Still  there  are  many 
school  grounds  that  have  no  trees. 

Question  7.  What,  if  anything,  are  your  teachers  doing  in  the  way  of  school- 
room decoration?  How  many  well-furnished,  tastefully  decorated,  and  perfectly 
comfortable  schoolrooms  are  there  in  your  count}^? 

The  answers  indicate  that  decoration  is  thought  to  be  the  proper  thing.  In  the 
greater  number  of  counties  —  much  the  greater  number  —  something  is  done  in 
almost  every  school.  Generally  little  skill  is  shown  and  much  instruction  is  needed. 
The  indications  are  that  there  will  be  a  marked  improvement  in  this  particular  in 
the  near  future. 

The  answers  to  the  second  question  indicate  that  the  number  is  small. 

Question  8.  How  many  districts  in  your  county  find  it  difficult  or  impossible 
to  maintain  school  six  months  as  required  by  law,  with  the  limit  of  taxation  at  2J 
per  cent  ? 

Twenty-nine  counties  reported  districts  so  conditioned.  The  entire  number  of 
districts  numerically  reported  was  144.  One  county  reported  one-tenth  of  its  dis- 
tricts as  so  conditioned  and  another  one-half.  In  some  of  the  other  counties  schools 
were  maintained  in  some  of  the  districts  by  paying  very  low  salaries. 

Question  9.     How  many  of  the  schools  are  still  without  libraries? 

Forty-nine  reported  numerically.  In  these  counties  there  were  2,663  schools 
without  libraries.  The  numbers  were  very  unequal,  however.  Thus  in  one  county 
there  was  but  one;  in  another,  150.  In  one  county  there  were  71,  but  there  were 
208  with  libraries.  Twenty-four  reported  in  per  cents,  and  ran  as  high  as  90  per 
cent  and  as  low  as  20  per  cent. 


176  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  reports  indicated  that  the  school  Hbrary  is  still  a  novelty  not  to  be  found  in 
thousands  of  schools. 

Question  10.  How  many  schools  in  your  county  enrolled  fewer  than  ten  pupils 
last  year  ?     How  many  fewer  than  jfive  ? 

Fifty-four  counties  had  schools  with  fewer  than  ten  pupils.  Of  these  sixty-four 
schools  had  less  than  five  pupils  and  323  less  than  ten. 

The  report  is  profusely  illustrated  with  pictures  of  schoolhouses,  showing  floor 
plans  as  well  as  elevations.  Only  country  schools  are  represented.  Interiors  are 
shown  in  a  number  of  instances. 

In  February,  1901,  Circular  28,  treating  of<Rural  School  Architecture  and  School 
House  Decoration,  was  issued.  It  quotes  the  following  from  Dr.  Bateman's  report 
of  1861:  "A  central  location;  boards  and  shingles  to  protect  from  storm  and  cold; 
just  space  enough  for  all  the  scholars  in  the  district;  an  adequate  supply  of  the 
plainest  seats  and  desks,  the  former  often  backless;  a  'ten-plate'  stove,  a  pail,  tin 
cup,  and  broom  —  these  are  too  often  regarded  as  an  ample  endowment  for  a  district 
schoolhouse. " 

At  that  time  there  were  1,102  schoolhouses  "totally  unfit  for  the  purposes  for 
which  they  were  used,"  while  4,600  were  described  as  "in  tolerably  good  repair,  but 
with  small  lot,  unenclosed,  destitute  of  outhouses,  poorly  seated,  and  not  large  enough 
for  the  scholars  of  the  district."  There  were  also  at  that  time  1,447  log  school- 
houses. 

After  forty  years  there  are  still  1,278  "unsanitary  or  otherwise  unsuitable" 
schoolhouses  and  but  1,794  "perfectly  comfortable  ones." 

The  purpose  of  the  circular  was  to  give  teachers  and  school  officers  the  latest 
information  regarding  schoolhouse  architecture  and  decoration.  It  contains  a  paper 
from  a  former  architect  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education,  a  paper  by  Mrs.  Orville 
T.  Bright,  on  schoolhouse  decoration,  and  a  number  of  illustrations  of  which  mention 
has  been  made.  Attention  is  called  to  this  feature  of  the  report  for  two  reasons  — 
it  indicates  the  conditions  in  1900  and  notes  articles  worthy  to  be  studied  at  the 
present  time. 

The  special  features  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Biennial  Report,  the  second  issued 
by  Mr.  Bayliss,  are  the  plates  showing  the  latest  achievements  in  the  line  of  high- 
school  architecture,  the  report  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Conference  of  County 
Superintendents  and  Institute  Teachers,  and  memorial  addresses  on  Henry  Raab 
and  Francis  W.  Parker. 

Reference  was  made  on  a  previous  page  to  the  conferences  of  institute  workers 
held  by  Superintendent  Raab  and  also  of  their  discontinuance  because  of  the  lack 
of  funds.  Superintendent  Bayliss  revived  these  conferences.  As  the  report  is 
accessible  to  all  desiring  it  these  pages  will  not  be  burdened  with  an  account  of  the 
work  presented. 

In  the  Twenty-fifth  Biennial  Report  several  important  decisions  relating  to 
school  matters  and  coming  from  the  Superintendent  and  the  Attorney- General  are 
reported.  The  question  as  to  whether  teachers  in  the  public  schools  of  Pekin  could 
legally  draw  public  funds  without  holding  a  county  certificate  came  up  for  settlement. 
The  decision  of  the  department  may  be  found  on  page  three  of  the  report.     It  held 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  177 

that  in  that  district  two  certificates  were  necessary :  the  county  certificate  and  the 
certificate  required  by  the  school  inspectors. 

x^s  has  been  noted,  the  "  consoHdated "  school  was  beginning  to  interest  the 
educational  people,  and  although  it  was  clear  that  schools  could  unite  it  was  by  no 
means  clear  that  money  could  be  legally  expended  for  the  transportation  of  children 
who  were  too  remote  from  such  union  schools  to  reach  them  without  the  aid  of 
transportation  facilities. 

The  question  came  up  from  Winnebago  county  as  to  whether  "a  consolidated 
district  may  use  public  funds  to  pay  for  transportation,  provided  the  people,  at  the 
annual  school  meeting,  the  third  Saturday  in  April,  by  a  majority  vote  authorize 
the  directors  to  use  a  sum  not  greater  than  a  specified  amount  in  providing  trans- 
portation fpr  all  children  living  at  a  distance  too  great  to  reach  the  school  by  walking. " 

The  department  decided  that  it  is  within  the  powers  of  the  school  directors  to 
provide  such  facilities  after  the  district  has  authorized  it  by  vote.  The  decision  of 
the  department,  however,  has  the  force  of  law  subject  to  the  decisions  of  the  courts 
of  competent  jurisdiction.  As  will  be  seen  in  the  article  on  "  Consolidated  Schools," 
the  courts  did  not  agree  with  the  view  here  taken  by  the  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction. 

A  decision  was  rendered  by  the  department  on  a  question  going  up  from  La 
Harpe  that  had  important  consequences.  In  some  of  the  counties  the  common 
council  was  authorized  by  special  charter  to  appoint  the  members  of  the  school 
board  and  was  also  authorized  to  determine  its  powers  and  duties  by  ordinance. 
It  therefore  became,  in  effect,  the  school  board  in  addition  to  its  functions  as  common 
council.  Unhappily  the  result  was  most  unfortunate  in  its  effect  upon  the  schools. 
It  was  held  that  the  act  of  1897  put  such  common  councils  out  of  commission.  The 
case  subsequently  went  to  the  courts  and  the  view  of  the  Superintendent  was  {sus- 
tained. 

The  following  decisions  were  also  announced: 

The  board  of  education  has  no  power  under  the  law  to  make  contracts  beyond 
the  expiration  of  the  current  school  year. 

The  county  superintendent  has  the  power  to  remove  a  member  of  a  board  of 
education  elected  under  a  special  act  if  such  member  fails  to  discharge  the  duties 
of  his  office. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  board  of  inspectors  of  a  city  having  a  special  school  charter 
to  return  its  certificate  of  levy  to  the  township  treasurer  and  not  to  the  city  council. 
This  annulled  the  claim  of  certain  common  councils  that  they  could  control  the  amount 
of  tax  to  be  raised  for  school  purposes. 

Holding  that  wherever  special  charters  conflicted  with  the  statute  of  1903  with 
regard  to  cities  the  special  charters  became  inoperative,  certain  cities  were  obliged 
to  conform  to  the  recent  law  with  regard  to  the  election  of  boards  of  education. 

Under  the  above  rendering,  the  high  schools  of  the  City  of  Chicago,  which  had 
been  returned  as  under  special  charters,  were  required  to  correct  their  classification. 

Another  special  feature  of  the  report  under  consideration  is  a  discussion  of  town- 
ship high  schools. 

Mr.  Bayliss  appointed  as  his  assistant   Mr.  J.  H.  Freeman,  who  had  succeeded 

12 


178  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Mr.  Inglis  and  had  filled  out  the  unexpired  term  of  that  officer.  Mr.  Freeman 
resigned  July  1,  1902,  to  take  charge  of  the  school  for  the  education  of  the  blind,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Mr.  J.  E.  Bangs,  then  principal  of  the  Pontiac  township  high 
school. 

A  new  assistant  was  at  this  time  appointed  whose  especial  duty  was  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  decisions  of  the  department  rendered  necessary  by  the  relation  of  the 
State  Superintendent  to  school  officers.  Mr.  J.  C.  Thompson  was  appointed  to 
that  position  and  has  continued  to  act  in  that  capacity  until  the  present  (September, 
1911).  . 

Before  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Bayliss  he  had  been  selected  as  the  president  of 
the  Western  Illinois  State  Normal  School,  and  we  shall  hear  of  him  again  in  con- 
nection with  the  history  of  that  institution. 

The  Twelfth  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

Francis  G.  Blair  was  the  nominee  of  the  Republican  party  for  the  office  of  State 
Superintendent  in  1906,  and  was  elected  in  the  following  November.  It  was  a 
significant  indication  of  the  growing  sense  of  the  worth  of  the  school  that  nominated 
him  and  elected  him.  It  goes  without  saying  that  the  political  leaders  exert  a  pre- 
ponderating influence  in  the  selection  of  candidates.  There  was  a  strong  sentiment 
in  all  quarters  that  the  office  of  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  is  far 
too  important  a  position  to  be  held  by  an  inferior  man.  The  people,  who  determine 
things  in  largest  part,  put  their  heads  together  and  substantially  agreed  that  the  man 
who  was  then  holding  the  chair  of  Supervisor  of  Practice  Teaching  in  the  Eastern 
Illinois  State  Normal  School  was  in  all  ways  equipped  for  the  superintendency. 
They  judged  correctly,  as  subsequent  events  have  abundantly  proved,  and  as  those 
who  knew  Mr.  Blair  well  understood  before  the  selection  was  made. 

He  was  a  Southern  Illinois  boy  and  found  his  way  to  the  Normal  University, 
at  Normal,  where  he  discovered  what  he  needed.  He  soon  made  his  mark  as  a 
teacher,  but  the  desire  for  more  liberal  culture  took  him  to  college.  Upon  gradua- 
tion he  resumed  his  calling,  and  in  the  process  of  time  was  called  to  the  Eastern 
Illinois  State  Normal  School,  from  which  he  was  promoted  to  the  Superintendency. 

Mr.  Blair  has  the  gift  of  tongues  as  well  as  the  genius  for  work.  He  therefore 
combines  the  Greek  ideals  of  the  counselor  and  the  man  of  deeds.  He  has  visited 
every  nook  and  comer  of  the  State  and  the  people  are  familiar  with  his  face  and  his 
voice.  He  has  been  a  minister  of  education  to  the  folk  of  all  degree  and  has  needed 
seven-league  boots  to  meet  his  engagements.  At  this  writing  he  is  serving  his 
second  term,  having  been  reelected  over  a  most  admirable  antagonist  in  1910. 

The  treatment  of  the  office  by  the  General  Assembly  is  now  in  happy  contrast 
with  the  conditions  existing  in  the  days  of  Newton  Bateman,  when  he  was  serving 
at  a  salary  of  $1,500  a  year  and  was  not  permitted  an  ordinary  clerk  to  aid  him  in 
the  burdensome  duties  of  correspondence.  Biennially  he  pleaded  for  a  little  money 
to  make  the  office  more  efficient,  but  he  received  slight  encouragement,  although  the 
Superintendent's  compensation  was  advanced  to  $2,500  and  a  clerk  was  finally 
allowed  him. 

In  the  process  of  the  years  the  salary  of  the  Superintendent  was  advanced  to 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  179 

$3,500  and  so  continued  until  near  the  close  of  Mr.  Blair's  first  term.  It  was  then 
advanced  to  $7,500,  and  it  is  gratifying  to  feel  that  the  head  of  the  public-school 
system  is  receiving  adequate  compensation.  It  dignifies  the  calling  and  raises  every 
one  engaged  in  the  educational  enterprise  in  the  estimation  of  the  people  who  pay 
the  bills. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  energy  with  which  Superintendent  Bayliss  turned 
to  the  problem  of  the  country  school,  Mr.  Blair  selected  an  assistant  who  gives  his 
whole  time  and  energy  to  schools  of  that  character.  Mr.  U.  J.  Hoffman  won  an 
enviable  reputation  as  county  superintendent  of  La  Salle  county,  and  was  admirably 
fitted  to  carry  out  the  plans  which  Mr.  Blair  had  matured.  Mr.  Thompson  was 
retained  in  the  department  of  law,  and  Mr.  H.  T.  Swift  was  selected  to  manage  the 
department  of  publicity.  The  department  of  education  is  therefore  more  thoroughly 
organized  and  more  amply  equipped  than  ever  before. 

The  Twenty- Seventh  Biennial  Report,  the  first  issued  by  Superintendent  Blair, 
reflects  the  work  of  the  oflice  for  the  first  two  years  of  his  incumbency.  A  question- 
aire  containing  seventeen  interrogatories  was  sent  to  the  county  superintendents,  and 
answers  were  received  from  eighty-seven.  These  replies  probably  make  the  best 
available  exhibit  of  educational  conditions  so  far  as  the  questions  sought  information. 
They  are  of  great  value,  therefore,  as  a  record  for  the  year  1908. 

With  regard  to  these  replies  the  Superintendent  says:  "A  careful  analysis  lays 
bare  some  interesting  facts.  More  than  half  of  the  superintendents  say  there  is 
now  a  shortage  of  teachers,  another  majority  says  there  is  an  increasing  difficulty  in 
securing  a  sufficient  number  of  qualified  persons  to  fill  all  of  the  positions.  On  the 
other  hand,  as  large  a  majority  of  teachers  are  making  strenuous  effort  to  better 
themselves  by  regular  study  along  professional  lines.  Either  of  two  conditions 
prevails — the  teachers  are  not  keeping  step  with  the  general  progress  of  the  com- 
munity, or  the  community  is  setting  higher  standards  for  teachers  and  their  quali- 
fications. 

"The  part  the  community  should  bear  in  the  matter  is  set  forth  in  the  statement 
of  about  one-half  of  the  superintendents  heard  from,  when  they  say  there  is  positive 
difficulty  in  taking  care  of  the  teachers,  and  more  than  one-third  of  the  number 
reporting  say  there  is  some  difficulty  in  this  matter,  while  fourteen  say  they  have  no 
trouble  of  this  kind.  One-half  say  there  is  difficulty  in  officering  the  schools ;  thirty 
say  in  part  this  is  their  situation,  and  twenty  report  either  a  difficulty  or  a  general 
disinterest  prevails.  Facing  these  facts  it  appears  the  people  generally  are  making 
large  demands  for  better  school  work. 

"The  officers  of  the  schools  are  doing  their  work  well  in  that  the  directors  are 
showing  a  disposition  to  consult  higher  school  officials  and  trying  to  unite  the  schools, 
and  are  working  to  a  common  end.  Practically  all  of  the  schools  are  adopting  and 
using  the  State  Course  of  Study. 

"The  report  of  the  school  itself  shows  rapid  progress,  not  merely  in  scholastic 
efficiency  but  along  lines  of  general  culture.  The  physical  environment  of  the  chil- 
dren has  not  been  forgotten  nor  neglected.  About  eighty  per  cent  of  those  reporting 
say  there  is  much  improvement  in  the  interior  of  schoolhouses  in  heating,  ventila- 
tion, lighting,  and  the  furnishing  of  more  comfortable  seats  and  desks. 


180  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  real  growth  of  a  pubHc-school  system  is  indicated  by  these  small  details 
rather  than  by  the  striking  incidents  that  attract  the  public  eye  for  a  day  only  to 
be  succeeded  by  another  sensation. 

The  Superintendent  reports  that  in  the  two  years  covered  by  his  report  he  has 
delivered  five  hundred  and  thirty  lectures,  visited  ninety-two  counties,  attended 
nineteen  conferences  of  county  superintendents  and  school  officers,  seventy-five 
teachers'  associations,  conventions  and  county  institutes,  and  seventeen  farmers' 
institutes.  The  question  naturally  suggests  itself,  how,  in  the  performance  of  such 
prodigious  labors,  is  there  time  left  for  anything  else? 

Feeling  that  the  information  embodied  in  the  biennial  reports  reaches  but  few 
people,  Mr.  Blair  conceived  the  excellent  idea  of  issuing  a  monthly  Press  Bulletin. 
The  newspapers  are  willing  to  admit  to  their  columns  material  of  interest  to  their 
readers  and  by  this  device  a  much  greater  publicity  is  secured  for  general  educational 
intelligence. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  selection  of  U.  J.  Hoffman,  former  superintendent 
of  La  Salle  county,  as  one  of  the  office  assistants.  It  became  his  duty  "to  visit  county 
superintendents,  to  counsel  and  advise  them  about  the  best  methods  of  organizing 
and  classifying  their  schools,  of  collecting  statistics  and  making  reports,  of  formulating 
uniform  courses  of  study  and  securing  uniform  text-books,  of  visitation  and  super- 
vision, to  attend  meetings  of  country-school  teachers  and  officers,  to  visit,  in  com- 
pany with  the  county  superintendent,  schools  in  various  parts  of  the  State,  making 
observations  and  suggestions,  to  prepare  circulars  of  suggestions  and  plans  for 
country  schoolhouses  and  country-school  work  —  these  are  some  of  the  special 
duties  which  he  performs."  Assuredly  the  appointment  of  this  officer  marks  an 
epoch  in  the  educational  history  of  Illinois. 

The  General  Assembly  of  Illinois  has  indicated  a  singular  unwillingness  to  give 
to  the  diplomas  of  the  State  Normal  schools  the  validity  of  a  certificate  even  when 
backed  by  the  discriminating  judgment  of  the  faculties  of  such  schools  with  respect 
to  the  competency  of  the  candidate.  In  this  respect  the  State  has  lagged  far  behind 
her  sisters.  As  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  is  authorized  to  conduct 
examinations  for  perpetual  State  certificates  and  to  indicate  the  qualifications  of  the 
candidates,  the  matter  is  to  a  large  extent  in  his  hands.  It  did  not  occur  to  previous 
superintendents  that  they  were  at  liberty  to  regard  graduation  from  a  State  Normal 
school  as  an  equivalent  for  at  least  a  portion  of  the  examination.  Newton  Bateman 
should  be  excepted  from  this  statement,  for  he  granted  certificates  to  such  applicants 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  then,  for  some  reason,  discontinued  the  practice.  Super- 
intendent Blair  began  the  practice  of  considering  the  Normal  graduate  as  entitled  to 
consideration,  and  in  Circular  1  announced  the  conditions  under  which  graduates  of 
the  vSchool  of  Education  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  oi  the  State  Normal  schools 
might  secure  the  perpetual  certificates.  Examinations  were  required  in  English, 
Pedagogy,  Algebra,  Geometry,  Biological  Science,  Physical  Science,  History  and 
Civics.  In  addition,  the  candidate  was  required  to  submit  an  acceptable  thesis  of 
some  educational  topic.  The  number  of  topics  thus  designated  was  one-half  of  the 
number  required  of  candidates  not  liaving  had  Normal-school  training. 

Later  the  number  of  subjects  for  such  candidates  was  still  further  diminished,  and 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  181 

at  this  writing  Normal-school  graduates  of  demonstrated  skill  are  examined  in  but 
three  subjects  in  addition  to  the  thesis — English,  Principles  of  Education,  Applied 
Psychology.  In  consequence,  large  numbers  of  them  are  writing  the  examinations, 
and  very  few  of  them  are  failing. 

Circular  2  formulated  rules  and  regulations  governing  the  examinations  of  can- 
didates for  Normal  scholarship.  In  1905  the  General  Assembly  passed  an  act  known 
as  "The  Lindley  Bill,"  so  designated  because  introduced  by  Representative  Lindley, 
of  Greenville.  It  provided  that  graduates  of  the  eighth  grade  might  receive  gratui- 
tous instruction  in  any  State  Normal  school  for  a  period  of  four  years  by  passing  a 
competitive  examination  to  be  conducted  by  the  county  superintendent. 

The  Educational  Commission. 

The  most  significant  legislation  in  the  first  term  of  Superintendent  Blair's  admin- 
istration was  the  passage  of  the  act  creating  an  Educational  Commission.  It  pro- 
vided for  a  commission  of  seven  members,  six  of  whom  were  to  be  appointed  by  the 
Governor,  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  to  be  ex  officio  chairman.  Sec- 
tions 3  and  4  indicated  the  duties  of  the  commission: 

Section  3.  The  commission  shall  meet  at  the  call  of  the  chairman  and  elect  a  secretary,  and 
shall  cause  a  record  to  be  made  and  kept  of  all  the  proceedings.  Four  members  shall  constitute  a 
quorum  for  the  transaction  of  business. 

Section  5.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Educational  Commission  to  make  a  thorough  investiga- 
tion of  the  common  school  system  of  Illinois  and  the  laws  under  which  it  is  organized  and  operated ; 
to  make  a  comparative  study  of  such  other  school  systems  as  may  seem  advisable,  and  to  submit  to 
the  Forty-sixth  General  Assembly  a  report  including  such  suggestions,  recommendations,  revisions, 
additions,  corrections  and  amendments  as  the  commission  shall  deem  necessary. 

Superintendent  Bayliss  in  his  last  biennial  report  had  called  attention  to  the 
chaotic  condition  of  portions  of  the  school  law  and  recommended  the  appointment 
of  a  commission  for  a  careful  revision,  more  extended  in  its  character  than  those 
of  1872  and  1889.  The  legislation  under  consideration  was  an  outcome  of  his  sugges- 
tion. The  Governor  took  a  warm  interest  in  the  matter  and  the  appointment  of 
the  commission  met  with  general  approval.  It  was  well  understood  that  the  General 
Assembly  would  have  the  last  word  with  regard  to  what  it  might  recommend  and 
would  be  the  party  to  determine  whether  its  deliberations  would  result  in  anything 
of  advantage  to  the  school  system. 

An  appropriation  of  $10,000  was  made  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  commission. 
The  members  were  to  serve  without  pay,  their  traveling  expenses  being  provided 
for  in  the  act. 

The  commission  was  appointed  on  September  27,  and  consisted  of  the  following 
members:  Hon.  Francis  G.  Blair,  ex  offcio  chairman;  Edmund  J.  James,  president 
of  the  University  of  Illinois;  R.  E.  Hieronymus,  president  of  Eureka  College  and 
president  of  the  State  organization  of  nonstate  colleges  and  universities;  Alfred 
Bayliss,  president  of  the  Western  Illinois  State  Normal  School;  Edwin  G.  Cooley, 
superintendent  of  the  Chicago  public  schools;  A.  F.  Nightingale,  county  superin- 
tendent of  Cook  county;  Harry  Taylor,  principal  of  the  Harrisburg  Township  High 
School.     An  examination  of  the  positions  held  by  these  gentlemen  will  indicate  the 


182  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

equitable  manner  in  which  the  various  educational  interests  of  the  State  were  repre- 
sented. Upon  the  meeting  of  the  commission  in  Springfield,  on  December  27,  1907, 
Ira  Woods  Howerth,  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  was  appointed  secretary  of  the 
commission  at  a  salary  of  $4,000  a  year. 

The  first  work  which  the  commission  cut  out  for  itself  was  a  thorough  revision, 
condensation,  simplification  and  codification  of  the  school  law.  The  secretary 
was  instructed  to  commence  a  thorough  investigation  of  the  school  laws  and  school 
systems  of  other  States  in  order  that  the  commission  might  have  all  available  light 
upon  the  problem  of  improving  the  school  system  of  Illinois.  His  investigations 
are  embodied  in  a  series  of  bulletins  through  which  the  public  was  kept  informed 
of  the  work  of  the  commission.  It  was  hoped  that  an  intelligent  public  sentiment 
might  be  created  that -would  demand  proper  legislation.  These  bulletins  are  nine 
in  number.  They  constitute  a  series  of  most  valuable  technical  studies  in  education 
whose  literature  is  thereby  greatly  enriched. 

Bulletin  No.  1  contains  a  tentative  plan  for  the  creation  of  a  State  Board  of 
Education.  As  there  were  thirty- three  State  boards  of  education  at  the  time  of 
the  preparation  of  the  report  and  as  each  one  received  careful  study  it  is  obvious 
that  the  commission  was  drawing  upon  a  large  fund  of  experience. 

Bulletin  No.  2  presents  the  findings  of  a  study  of  county  boards.  Twenty-nine 
States  have  incorporated  this  element  into  their  educational  system.  It  also  con- 
tains a  study  of  the  county  superintendency  in  all  of  the  States  and  Territories  in 
which  it  is  to  be  found.  As  there  are  thirty-nine  of  the  former  and  two  of  the  latter 
the  richness  of  the  material  may  be  imagined. 

Bulletin  No.  3  is  a  study  of  the  whole  matter  of  the  certification  of  teachers,  and 
contains  a  tentative  plan  for  Illinois. 

Bulletin  No.  4  is  a  study  of  the  various  territorial  units  of  school  organization. 

Bulletin  No.  5  considers  the  whole  question  of  county  teachers'  institutes  and 
offers  certain  tentative  recommendations  with  regard  to  their  management  and  to 
methods  of  securing  the  attendance  of  teachers. 

Bulletin  No.  6  is  the  revised,  simplified,  condensed  and  codified  school  law. 

Bulletin  No.  7  is  a  study  of  the  compensation  of  teachers  and  the  treatment  of 
the  wages  problem  in  the  various  States  of  the  Union  and  also  in  foreign  countries. 
The  commission  offers  certain  suggestions  with  regard  to  the  length  of  the  school 
term  and  the  minimum  salaries  that  should  be  paid,  and  discusses  the  whole  question 
of  minimum  salary  legislation. 

Bulletin  No.  8  contains  three  bills  —  a  bill  to  provide  for  a  State  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, one  to  provide  for  the  certification  of  teachers,  and  a  third  to  enable  the  districts 
of  certain  townships  to  vest  the  management  of  their  school  affairs  in  a  single  board. 

Bulletin  No.  9  is  the  preliminary  report  of  the  commission  to  the  General 
Assembly. 

The  bulletins  in  the  aggregate  constitute  a  volume  of  more  than  four  hundred 
pages.  Of  the  value  of  -such  a  study  too  much  can  not  be  said.  It  is  a  compendium 
of  educational  facts  and  will  constitute  an  invaluable  body  of  information  for  the 
guidance  of  future  General  Assemblies. 

The  recommendations  of  the  commission  include  fourteen  amendments  to  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  183 

existing  law.  The  most  important  of  these  aim  to  secure  the  following  results : 
A  uniform  system  of  bookkeeping  by  township  treasurers;  an  increase  of  the  length 
of  the  school  year  from  six  months  to  seven ;  defining  the  school  month  as  four  weeks 
of  five  days  each ;  making  eighteen  years  the  minimum  age  for  teachers ;  the  protec- 
tion of  teachers  in  cities  of  less  than  100,000  population  by  making  the  dismissal 
of  a  teacher  impossible  except  for  cause  and  upon  written  charges,  and  after  a  hearing 
by  the  board  of  education;  the  employment  of  superintendents  for  terms  of  four 
years  instead  of  one,  after  two  years  of  trial;  to  enable  boards  of  education  in  certain 
cities  to  perform  certain  functions  without  a  vote  of  the  people;  removing  the  limi- 
tation upon  the  appropriation  of  money  for  libraries  and  apparatus  and  enabling 
boards  to  purchase  them  as  they  are  needed;  providing  for  the  payment  of  the 
actual  traveling  expenses  of  county  superintendents  of  schools  while  visiting  schools ; 
providing  free  high-school  facilities  for  pupils  living  in  districts  where  there  are  no 
high  schools;  the  restoration  of  the  two-mill  tax  and  the  consequent  doubling  and 
more  of  the  State  appropriation  for  schools. 

In  addition  to  the  bills  mentioned  two  more  were  introduced  into  the  General 
Assembly  —  to  provide  for  an  increase  in  the  salaries  of  county  superintendents,  to 
provide  for  organizing  and  conducting  county  institutes.  To  dispose  of  the  surviv- 
ing special  charters  that  have  been  outgrown  in  the  development  of  educational 
ideas  the  commission  recommended  an  amendment  that  would  induce  these  localities 
to  surrender  them  and  organize  under  the  general  law. 

As  the  Forty-sixth  General  Assembly  made  an  appropriation  of  $5,000  to  enable 
the  commission  to  complete  its  work,  as  soon  as  the  appropriation  was  available 
Governor  Charles  S.  Deneen  asked  the  members  of  the  Educational  Commission 
to  assist  in  the  duties  for  which  the  appropriation  was  made.  Superintendent  E.  G. 
Cooley  had  tendered  his  resignation  and  W.  L.  Steele,  superintendent  of  the  schools 
of  Galesburg,  was  appointed  to  succeed  him.  President  R.  E.  Hieronymus  was  no 
longer  in  charge  of  a  nonstate  college,  so  he  tendered  his  resignation.  President 
A.  J.  Burrowes,  of  St.  Ignatius  College,  was  appointed  to  succeed  him.  R.  E. 
Hieronymus  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  commission  at  a  salary  of  $3,000  a  year. 
The  remainder  of  the  commission  was  composed  as  before.  The  secretary  visited 
many  of  the  cities  and  towns  of  the  State  and  made  a  study  of  their  schools  as  well 
as  of  the  schools  of  country  districts,  and  before  taking  up  his  duties  spent  three 
months  abroad,  devoting  his  attention  to  schools  and  school  systems  in  the  British 
Isles  and  on  the  continent. 

It  had  been  the  purpose  of  the  commission  from  the  first  to  deal  with  the  question 
of  industrial  education  before  submitting  its  final  report.  In  conformity  with  this 
purpose  a  subcommittee  was  appointed,  consisting  of  Eugene  Davenport,  chairman, 
dean  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  of  the  University  of  Illinois;  David  Felmley, 
president  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University;  T.  C.  Burgess,  director  of  the 
Bradley  Polytechnic  Institute;  Frank  H.  Hall,  superintendent  of  Farmers'  Insti- 
tutes of  Illinois;  Miss  Bertha  Miller,  head  of  the  Household  Science  department  of 
James  Milliken  University ;  Mrs.  Dunlap,  president  of  the  Domestic  Science  Depart- 
ment of  the  Illinois  Farmers'  Institute.  It  was  a  source  of  sincere  regret  that  Dr. 
Hall  was  unable  to  render  any  assistance  beyond  general  suggestions  because  of  the 
illness  that  resulted  in  his  death. 


184  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

In  accordance  with  the  instinictions  of  the  committee  the  chairman  invited  Mr. 
Fred  L.  Charles,  assistant  professor  of  Agricultural  Education,  Universit}^  of  Illinois, 
and  Miss  Alice  Patterson,  teacher  of  Nature  Study,  Illinois  State  Normal  University, 
to  formulate  the  work  for  the  grades.  Dr.  Charles  A.  Bennett,  head  of  Manual 
Training  Department  of  Bradley  Polytechnic  Institute  and  editor  of  the  Manual 
Training  Magazine,  assisted  very  materially  in  the  preparation  of  the  courses  of 
study  in  manual  training. 

To  guide  them  in  the  preparation  of  the  courses,  so  far  as  what  had  been  done 
elsewhere  would  serve  as  a  guide,  the  country  was  canvassed.  Information  was 
diligently  sought  from  all  sorts  of  schools  that  had  attempted  work  along  the  lines 
under  consideration.  A  questionaire  of  twenty-three  carefully  prepared  inter- 
rogatories was  sent  out,  to  which  233  replies  were  received.  There  is  no  space  here 
for  anything  approaching  a  detailed  account  of  what  they  contained,  nor  is  it  neces- 
sary, as  the  report  itself  is  easily  available.  It  must  suffice  to  say  that,  so  far  as 
information  is  available,  this  is  the  first  instance  of  its  kind  in  the  way  of  an  attempt 
to  organize  material  into  the  workable  shape  of  courses  of  study  for  the  various 
grades  that  has  been  attempted  in  this  broad  way. 

The  report  closes  with  an  appeal  to  the  educational  people  to  introduce  vocational 
courses  into  the  public  schools  in  connection  with  the  traditional  work  instead  of 
placing  reliance  upon  special  schools  for  that  purpose.  The  well-known  attitude 
of  the  distinguished  chairman  of  the  special  committee,  Dean  Davenport,  gives 
especial  value  to  the  argument. 

Additional  Legislation. 

There  were  sixteen  acts  relating  to  schools  passed  by  the  Forty-fifth  General 
Assembly.  In  addition  to  the  act  establishing  the  Educational  Commission,  four 
of  them  conferred  upon  four  of  the  State  Normal  schools  the  power  to  grant  profes- 
sional degrees.  Another  provided  for  the  formation  and  disbursement  of  a  teachers' 
pension  and  retirement  fund  in  Chicago.  Another  provided  for  the  contribution 
from  interest  on  public-school  funds  to  the  teachers'  pension  fund.  This  act  pro- 
hibited any  custodian  of  school  funds  from  retaining  any  interest  that  might  accrue 
on  such  ftmds;  such  earnings  of  the  fund  must  be  turned  into  the  city  treasury  and 
made  a  part  of  the  public-school  teachers'  and  public  school  employees'  pension  and 
retirement  funds.  The  amount  of  the  interest  thus  contributed,  however,  shall 
not  exceed  in  any  one  year  one  per  cent  of  the  sums  so  levied  for  such  purposes. 
An  amendment  to  the  attendance  act  added  an  additional  exception  to  the  scope 
of  the  law.  The  law  had  been  found  to  work  hardship  in  certain  cases  where  children 
between  the  ages  of  fourteen  and  sixteen  were  properly  employed.  The  amendment 
excepted  such  cases  from  the  operation  of  the  law. 

From  December  15,  1906,  to  June  26,  1908,  Superintendent  Blair  issued  twenty- 
eight  circulars.  Here  are  the  topics  of  which  some  of  them  treat:  Arbor  and  Bird 
Day;  Memorial  Day;  Institute  Work  for  Beginners;  Supervision  of  the  County 
Schools;  A  Questionaire  soliciting  information  as  to  what  each  county  in  the  State 
is  doing  to  secure  closer  and  better  supervision  of  the  country  schools;  The  Library 
Problem,  with  a  list  of  suitable  books  from  which  selections  can  be  made;  A  Letter 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  185 

to  the  Mothers'  Clubs  of  IlHnois;  A  Directory  of  Principals  and  Others;  Celebration 
of  the  Anniversary  of  the  Lincoln- Douglas  Debates.  Circular  28  is  a  circular  of 
some  thirty  pages  whose  theme  is  the  One-room  Country  School.  It  was  prepared 
by  Assistant  Superintendent  Hoffman,  State  supervisor  of  country  schools,  with 
the  assistance  of  Mr.  W.  C.  Zimmerman,  then  State  architect.  It  discusses  the 
construction  and  furnishing  of  schoolhouses  and  furnishes  plans  and  specifications 
for  the  same;  it  gives  detailed  directions  as  to  their  warming  and  ventilating;  it 
discusses  other  matters  of  vital  interest  to  the  country  school  and  illustrates  its 
statements  with  numerous  pictures. 

The  report  contains  a  paper  of  much  historical  interest  on  The  Salary  Situation, 
by  Dr.  David  Felmley,  president  of  the  State  Normal  University.  The  paper  is 
available  for  study,  but  it  throws  such  a  clear  light  upon  the  subject  it  discusses  that 
space  must  be  made  for  a  few  extracts. 

Low  salaries  are  explained  in  part  by  the  fact  that  teachers  are  not  making 
adequate  preparation  for  their  work.  Over  3,000  of  the  teachers  of  Illinois  have 
not  attended  even  a  high  school.  Other  and  more  profitable  occupations  are  attract- 
ing the  best  teachers  away  from  the  calling.  It  is  true  that  salaries  have  increased ; 
the  average  for  men  in  1908  had  risen  to  $86.50  and  for  women  to  $62.04.  It  must 
be  remembered,  however,  that  this  average  has  been  increased  mainly  by  the  condi- 
tions in  Chicago  and  other  cities.  There  are  twenty-eight  counties  in  which  the 
average  salary  for  women  is  still  less  than  $40.  Annual  salaries  in  the  country 
schools  have  advanced  just  twenty-five  per  cent  in  ten  years,  which  is  about  the 
advance  in  the  cost  of  living  for  the  same  period.  This  seems  an  encouraging  fact, 
but  when  the  actual  conditions  are  revealed  they  disclose  a  situation  that  is  painful 
in  the  extreme.  The  best  salaries  paid  country  teachers  are  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  State,  and  to  the  south,  in  what  are  known  as  the  broom-corn  counties  —  $375 
a  year.  A  few  scattered  counties  pay  more,  as  St.  Clair  and  Macon,  $435.  The 
lowest  are  less  than  $250.  In  Chicago  there  is  an  established  salary  schedule  that 
metes  out  something  like  justice.  The  average  wages  of  teachers  in  country  schools 
are  $332.  It  is  not  forgotten  that  the  school  year  is  at  best  but  a  fractional  part  of 
the  whole  year,  yet  teachers  can  not  turn  from  the  schoolroom  to  other  forms  of 
wage-earning  with  any  facility. 

The  paper  compares  the  wages  of  teachers  with  those  of  other  wage-earners,  and 
putting  them  upon  the  same  time  basis  offers  an  explanation  of  the  condition  of  our 
country  schools.  If  the  teachers  were  to  work  twelve  months  instead  of  seven  the 
average  would  rise  to  approximately  $550.  On  the  same  basis  bricklayers  would 
earn  $1,200;  plasterers,  $900;  carpenters,  the  same;  plumbers,  $1,000;  painters, 
$750;  journeymen  tailors,  $900;  locomotive  engineers,  $1,800. 

But  space  will  not  permit  more  than  such  a  mention  of  the  article  as  to  call 
attention  to  it  as  of  significant  historical  value. 

The  Forty-sixth  General  Assembly  passed  the  bill  prepared  by  the  Educational 
Commission.  It  was  a  general  revision  of  the  school  laws.  There  was  no  significant 
change  of  existing  laws.  It  is  the  third  general  revision  since  the  adoption  of  the 
Constitution  of  1870,  the  two  others  having  been  passed  in  1872  and  1889  respectively. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  two  acts  were  passed,  the  first  being  "An  Act  to 


186  THE    EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF    ILLINOIS 

provide  for  moral  and  humane  education  in  the  pubhc  schools  and  to  prohibit 
certain  practices  inimical  thereto,"  and  the  second,  "An  Act  in  relation  to  the 
adoption,  use  and  price  of  public-school  text-books  in  the  free  public  schools  of 
this  State." 

The  first  of  these  acts  declared  "  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  every  teacher  of  a 
public  school  in  this  St^te  to  teach  to  the  pupils  thereof  honesty,  kindness,  justice 
and  moral  courage  for  the  purpose  of  lessening  crime  and  raising  the  standard  of 
good  citizenship. 

"  In  every  public  school  within  the  State  not  less  than  one-half  hour  in  each  week, 
during  the  whole  of  each  term  of  school,  shall  be  devoted  to  teaching  the  pupils 
thereof  kindness  and  justice  to  and  humane  treatment  and  protection  of  birds  and 
animals,  and  the  important  part  they  fulfill  in  the  economy  of  nature.  It  shall  be 
optional  with  each  teacher  whether  it  shall  be  a  consecutive  half-hour  or  a  few 
minutes  daily,  or  whether  such  teaching  shall  be  through  humane  reading,  daily 
incidents,  stories,  personal  example,  or  in  connection  with  nature  study." 

Experimenting  upon  living  creatures  is  prohibited  in  all  public  schools  and 
' '  no  animal  provided  by,  nor  killed  in  the  presence  of,  any  pupil  of  a  public  school 
shall  be  used  for  dissection  in  such  school,  and  in  no  case  shall  dogs  or  cats  be  killed 
for  such  purposes."  Dissections  are  confined  to  class-rooms  and  to  pupils  engaged 
in  the  study. 

It  is  further  the  duty  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  and  the  com- 
mittee in  charge  of  the  preparation  of  the  program  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association 
to  include  a  discussion  of  the  topic  in  their  annual  meeting.  County  superintendents 
are  also  commanded  to  include  the  same  topic  in  their  annual  institutes. 

In  order  to  secure  the  enforcement  of  this  law  teachers  are  required  to  state  in 
their  monthly  reports  whether  they  have  conformed  to  its  provisions,  and  in  case 
of  failure  are  liable  to  a  withdrawal  of  five  per  cent  of  the  public  moneys  that  they 
would  receive  in  the  month  in  which  the  omission  occurs. 

The  text-book  act  is  an  attempt  to  prescribe  the  price  which  publishers  shall 
charge  for  books  furnished  to  public  schools.  It  is  too  extended  to  permit  of  insertion 
here.     It  is  extremely  complicated  and  thus  far  has  been  a  dead  letter. 

The  Forty-seventh  General  Assembly  was  a  grave  disappointment  to  the  pro- 
gressive element  in  education.  The  work  of  the  Educational  Commission  has  been 
briefly  described.  It  was  sincerely  hoped  by  the  Department  of  Education  that 
its  proposed  reforms  would  win  the  approval  of  the  law-making  body,  especially  the 
certification  bill.  But  all  such  hopes  proved  to  be  vain.  An  element  that  has  thus 
far  looked  with  suspicion  upon  any  attempts  to  modify  the  present  system  of  exam- 
inations for  certificates  was  strong  enough  to  bar  all  progress  in  that  direction. 
Fourteen  acts  were  passed,  however,  four  of  which  were  amendatory  of  acts  in  which 
a  defect  had  appeared. 

A  new  law  appears  with  regard  to  the  support  of  day  schools  for  the  education 
of  the  deaf  and  dumb  and  blind.  Under  existing  provisions  the  expense  of  such 
schools  was  met  by  payment  from  the  State  fund  distributed  to  the  locality  in  which 
such  schools  were  held.  The  new  act  provides  for  a  direct  payment  from  the  State 
treasury  of  the  excess  amount  for  the  education  of  such  children  over  the  cost  of  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  187 

education  of  normal  children,  provided  that  such  excess  shall  not  be  greater  than 
$110  a  pupil  for  the  deaf  and  dumb  and  $160  for  the  blind. 

Another  law  is  added  to  the  statutes  which  enables  boards  of  education  and 
school  directors  to  establish  and  maintain  classes  and  schools  for  delinquent  children 
resident  in  such  cities  and  committed  by  courts  of  competent  jurisdiction.  This 
is  another  of  those  recognitions  of  the  practical  aspects  which  modem  education  is 
progressively  exhibiting.  The  excess  cost  is  payable  annually  to  the  board  of  educa- 
tion establishing  such  schools  upon  the  warrant  of  the  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts. 
The  limitation  of  excess  cost  is  $190  a  year. 

Townships  have  long  been  authorized,  upon  a  vote  of  the  people,  to  establish 
township  high  schools.  i\n  act  was  passed  by  the  General  Assembly  under  con- 
sideration making  certain  changes  in  the  law  which  are  not  material  to  the  existence 
of  the  township  high  schools,  but  which  permit  any  township  having  a  school  district 
with  a  population  of  1,000  or  more,  but  not  more  than  100,000,  to  organize  as  a  high- 
school  district.  The  governing  board  is  to  consist  of  six  members  and  a  president. 
An  additional  act  permits  the  inhabitants  of  any  territory  composed  of  parts  of 
adjoining  townships  to  organize  as  a  high  school  district. 

Three  acts  relate  to  Teachers'  Pension  Fund  in  the  city  of  Chicago. 

The  law  relating  to  the  transfer  of  pupils  from  one  district  to  another  was  so 
amended  as  to  permit  the  free  transportation  of  transferred  pupils  under  certain 
conditions. 

As  the  session  laws  of  the  General  Assembly  are  easily  obtainable  it  is  not  deemed 
wise  to  burden  these  pages  with  a  further  narration  of  recent  legislation. 


188  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


CHAPTER   X. 
THE   COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENCY. 

THE  county  superintendent  of  schools  is  the  direct  successor  of  the  commis- 
sioner of  school  lands,  an  officer  having  nothing  to  do  with  the  supervision 
of  schools.  The  Sixth  General  Assembly,  by  an  act  approved  January  22, 
1829,  made  it  the  duty  of  the  county  commissioners'  court  to  appoint  "  some  good, 
competent  and  responsible  person  of  the  county  to  act  as  commissioner  and  agent 
for  the  county"  in  the  sale  of  public  lands.  His  only  compensation  was  a  small 
percentage  of  the  receipts  of  such  sales. 

In  1833  this  officer  was  authorized  to  apportion  the  interest  of  the  school  fund 
in  his  county  among  the  several  teachers  entitled  thereto  and  was  permitted  to 
retain  as  his  compensation  two-and-a-half  per  cent  of  all  stmis  so  apportioned.  The 
Act  of  1835  provided  that  if  there  were  any  income  from  the  sale  of  school  lands  in  a 
township  the  interest  on  the  same  might  be  divided  among  those  who  had  subscribed 
for  the  support  of  schools.'  Eight  years  later  an  act  provided  that  if  the  school 
commissioner  had  any  such  money  in  his  hands  on  the  second  Monday  of  the  follow- 
ing November,  and  if  said  money  were  not  needed  for  the  payment  of  the  expenses 
of  the  survey  and  sale  of  school  lands,  it  might  be  divided  among  teachers  who  had 
conformed  to  certain  conditions  named  on  an  earlier  page.  This  provision  of  the 
law  explains  the  compensation  noted  above. 

In  1841  the  General  Assembly  enacted  a  general  school  law.  After  periods  of 
about  fifteen  or  twenty  years  the  school  law  has  been  found  to  be  very  suggestive 
of  a  crazy  quilt,  and,  in  consequence,  it  has  been  more  or  less  carefully  revised  and 
reenacted.  The  legislation  referred  to  is  an  instance  in  point.  The  second  and 
third  divisions  of  this  law  provided  for  the  election  of  school  commissioners  and  for 
the  sale  of  school  lands.  A  school  commissioner  was  to  be  elected  in  each  county 
on  the  first  Monday  in  August  for  a  term  of  two  years.  He  w^as  to  give  bond  in  a 
sum  not  less  than  $12,000.  His  duties,  as  specified  in  thirty- two  sections,  were  to 
sell  school  lands,  loan  school  funds,  and  apply  the  income  upon  township  funds  for 
the  support  of  schools.  It  will  be  seen  that  thus  far  he  has  no  supervisory  duties. 
His  compensation  was  three  per  cent  of  the  amount  received  from  the  sale  of  school 
lands,  two  per  cent  on  moneys  reloaned,'  and  two  per  cent  of  all  moneys  distributed 
and  paid  to  teachers  and  trustees  for  the  support  of  schools. 

In  1845  the  law  received  some  material  amendments.  One  of  them  provided 
for  the  election  in  every  county  of  the  State  of  a  school  commissioner  who  shall  be 
ex  officio  superintendent  of  common  schools  in  his  county.  One  of  his  duties  was  the 
examination  of  persons  desiring  to  teach  a  common  school  and  the  granting  of  certifi- 
cates to  those  found  competent.     For  this  duty  he  received  a  fee  of  $1.     Such 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  189 

certificates  were  then  made  necessary  to  enable  one  to  draw  public  funds.  The  law 
of  1841  had  devolved  this  duty  upon  the  township  trustees.  The  examination  often 
took  place  after  the  service  was  rendered  and  was  at  times  the  absurdest  of  farces. 

Ten  years  were  to  elapse  before  there  were  to  be  any  significant  changes  in  the 
office.  The  struggle  that  resulted  in  the  enactment  of  the  first  free-school  law  of 
1855  has  been  narrated  at  least  in  part.  Fourteen  sections  of  that  law  related  to 
the  office  of  school  commissioner.  He  was  to  be  elected  at  the  same  time  as  the 
State  Superintendent  and  for  the  same  period  —  two  years.  By  turning  back  to 
the  account  of  the  law  on  a  previous  page  the  details  will  be  found.  The  significant 
feature  of  this  law  to  which  especial  attention  is  called  is  the  addition  to  his  former 
duties  of  the  visitation  and  supervision  of  schools.  In  addition  to  his  previous 
compensation  he  is  now  to  receive  $2  a  day  for  visiting  schools  for  not  more  than 
fifty  days  in  a  3^ear. 

From  now  until  the  county  commissioner  shall  have  evolved  into  the  county 
superintendent  of  schools  and  a  fair  salary  shall  have  attached  to  the  office,  there 
is  to  be  an  uninterrupted  campaign  conducted  by  the  State  Superintendent  and 
other  leading  educational  people.  It  is  to  cover  fifty-four  years  and  is  at  last  to  be 
crowned  with  victory,  for  the  General  Assembly  of  1909  is  to  pass  a  Fees  and  Salaries 
Bill  that  does  justice  to  that  indispensable  officer  in  the  way  of  compensation.  Other 
reforms  in  the  way  of  suitable  assistants  will  come  in  their  own  time  as  they  depend 
upon  the  local  boards  of  supervisors.  Some  features  of  that  long  battle  may  be 
reviewed  with  interest. 

Ninian  Edwards,  the  first  superintendent  under  the  act  establishing  the  State 
super  in  tendency,  was  not  satisfied  with  the  provisions  for  the  county  commissioners 
and  recommended  the  substitution  of  a  school  commissioner  for  each  congressional 
district.  That  would  have  limited  the  whole  number  of  these  supervisory  officers 
to  nine.  He  would  have  them  highly  competent  men  and  would  have  them  devote 
their  entire  time  to  the  duties  of  their  office.  It  was  not  unusual  for  the  commissioner 
to  be  a  farmer  or  a  lawyer  or  a  doctor,  for  the  compensation  was  too  limited  to  yield 
support  and  was  necessarily  supplemented  by  an  additional  income  from  some  other 
source.  The  situation  would  then  have  been  a  State  Superintendent  and  nine 
assistants  for  the  schools  of  the  State.  He  claimed  for  his  scheme  the  double  merit 
of  economy  and  efficiency.  Each  county  would  pay  in  proportion  to  the  service 
that  it  received,  which  would  be  measured  by  the  apportionment  of  the  public  fimds. 
He  figured  the  cost  of  the  commissioners  at  $30,000.  If  his  plan  should  be  adopted, 
he  argued,  there  would  be  a  saving  of  $20,000  a  year  to  the  State. 

Happily  this  absurd  suggestion  fell  upon  deaf  ears.  The  folly  of  expecting  nine 
men  to  cover  a  territory  of  more  than  55,000  square  miles  and  do  anything  of  a 
supervisory  character  in  the  schools  was  apparent  and  nothing  further  was  heard 
of  his  proposed  amendment.  In  his  plan  of  a  system  of  State  education,  in  con- 
formity with  the  law  creating  the  office  of  State  Superintendent,  he  proposed  a 
biennial  convention  of  his  suggested  township  boards  which  should  elect  a  school 
commissioner  who  should  be  ex  officio  county  superintendent  of  schools.  He 
anticipated  great  results  from  such  a  convention,  expecting  it  to  increase  the  com- 
pensation of  the  officer  as  his  duties  multiplied. 


190  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

In  a  chapter  on  Supervision,  in  the  Second  Biennial  Report  of  the  Superintendent 
of  PubHc  Instruction,  Hon.  W.  H.  Powell  says:  "The  law  regulating  the  election 
and  duties  of  school  commissioners  should  be  materially  modified.  As  the  law  now 
stands,  it  is  unreasonable  to  expect  the  commissioners  to  perform  the  duties  required 
of  them,  or  that  they  should  be  of  any  essential  service  to  the  cause  they  represent." 
Their  compensation  was  shamefully  inadequate.  He,  therefore,  recommended 
"that  the  office  of  school  commissioner  was  to  provide  for  the  election,  once  in  three 
years,  of  a  county  superintendent  of  schools,  who  shall  be  commissioned  by  the 
State  Superintendent  and  act  directly  under  his  control.  To  remove  the  office  as 
far  as  possible  from  the  control  of  politics,  the  cotmty  superintendent  should  be 
elected  by  the  school  officers  of  each  county,  and  the  question  of  qualifications 
should  be  the  only  one  at  issue  in  his  election."  He  made  an  excellent  argument  for 
his  contentions,  all  of  which  may  be  found  in  the  report  alluded  to. 

In  the  Third  Biennial  Report,  Newton  Bateman  recommended  an  amendment 
to  the  law  requiring  each  school  commissioner  to  visit  every  school  in  his  county 
at  least  once  each  year  and  allowing  him  a  compensation  of  $3  a  day  for  not 
exceeding  one  hundred  days.  He  urged  upon  the  General  Assembly  the  recogni- 
tion in  education  of  the  principle  of  supervision,  universally  recognized  in  every 
other  calling  as  essential  to  success.  Again,  in  the  Fourth  Biennial  Report,  in 
1862,  he  again  urges  the  necessity  of  more  adequate  supervision.  He  says:  "But 
few  commissioners  are  familiar  with  the  practical  educational  dtities  pertaining  to 
their  office,  and  even  where  it  is  otherwise,  they  can  not  afford  to  devote  their  time 
to  services  for  which  they  receive  no  adequate  compensation."  He  declares  that 
this  lack  of  efficient  subordinate  supervision  renders  it  impossible  for  the  State 
Superintendent  to  give  unity  and  strength  to  the  whole  system  and  that  it  also  inter- 
feres equally  with  the  attempts  of  the  commissioners  to  improve  the  schools  in  their 
counties. 

In  the  Fifth  Biennial  Report  Superintendent  Brooks  urges  an  extension  of  the 
official  tenure  and  increased  compensation.  He  says:  "The  policy  of  the  State 
with  reference  to  this  office  is  strange  beyond  comprehension.  If  it  had  been  the 
direct  purpose  of  the  State  to  legislate  the  office  into  public  contempt  it  could  hardly 
have  been  done  more  surely.  To  associate  it  with  the  noisy  strife  and  chicaneries 
of  party,  compelling  men  to  go  hawking  and  bargaining  among  political  hucksters 
and  traders  to  gain  the  place  —  to  assign  it  so  frail  and  precarious  a  tenure  that  the 
men  who  step  into  the  office  have  hardly  time  to  reconnoiter  their  position  before  they 
are  called  upon  to  step  out  —  to  add  insult  to  injury  bythe  appointment  of  a  compen- 
sation so  absolutely  insignificant  —  all  taken  together  is  certainly  enough  to  make  the 
office  contemptible  in  the  public  eye  and  undesirable  to  the  incumbent  himself." 
Commissioner  after  commissioner  wrote  in  the  same  vein  and  deplored  the  indiffer- 
ence of  the  people  to  a  matter  of  such  vital  importance  to  the  welfare  of  the  schools. 

At  last  an  impression  seems  to  have  been  made  upon  the  legislature.  In  1865 
the  law  was  so  amended  as  to  create  the  office  of  County  Superintendent  of  Schools, 
with  a  tenure  of  four  years,  and  to  require  such  officer  to  visit  each  of  the  schools 
in  his  county  at  least  once  every  year.  For  such  service  he  was  allowed  $3  a  day. 
The  statistics  however  show  that  twenty-five  per  cent  of  the  schools  were  unvisited. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  191 

The  reason  was  not  far  to  seek.  The  legislature  was  yet  unwilling  to  enact  a  law 
providing  such  compensation  as  would  permit  the  superintendents  to  carry  out  the 
provisions  of  the  law  without  an  actual  loss.  County  Superintendent  of  Boone 
county,  W.  H.  Durham,  reported  that  the  office  cost  him  $200  a  year  more  than  all 
of  the  emoluments  derived  from  the  office.  Superintendent  John  P.  Richmond,  of 
Brown  county,  says  in  his  report  to  the  State  Superintendent:  "  My  pay,  aside 
from  my  commission  on  the  distribution  of  the  school  fund,  is  in  county  orders 
which  I  have  been  obliged  to  sell  at  75  cents  on  the  dollar,  which  reduces  my  per 
diem  to  $2.25  in  greenbacks.  Now  suppose  I  had  to  hire  a  horse  and  buggy,  as 
some  undoubtedly  do,  or  even  a  horse  without  a  buggy,  where  would  my  compensa- 
tion be?  But  having  my  own  horse  and  buggy  and  taking  into  consideration  the 
wear  and  tear  of  my  buggy,  the  expense  of  feeding  and  shoeing  my  horse,  the  expenses 
of  traveling  and  other  incidentals,  where,  it  may  again  be  asked,  is  the  compensation 
for  my  services?" 

These  quotations  are  typical  of  the  experiences  of  the  superintendents  generally. 
There  is  practical  unanimity  in  the  plan  of  making  the  superintendency  a  salaried 
position,  but  it  is  to  be  nearly  a  half  century  before  such  a  plan  is  to  be  satisfactorily 
worked  out.  Verily,  educational  reforms  move  at  a  snail's  pace  while  other  far  less 
worthy  enterprises  seem  to  wear  seven-league  boots. 

In  1867  the  General  Assembly  became  convinced  that  the  $3  allowance  for 
school  visitation  was  too  small  and  increased  it  to  $5.  Respecting  this  reform. 
Superintendent  Bateman  wrote:  *' The  good  effect  of  this  action  of  the  General 
Assembly  is  shown  in  part  by  the  statistics  of  work  given  elsewhere  in  this  report 
(the  Seventh  Biennial).  But  the  full  extent  and  value  of  that  measure  can  not  be 
exhibited  in  statistical  form.  It  has  given  a  prodigious  impulse  to  the  whole  line  of 
common-school  forces  in  the  State.  It  has  enabled  many  able  and  efficient  superin- 
tendents, for  the  first  time,  to  bestow  their  whole  time  and  energies  upon  the  duties 
committed  to  them,  and  the  results  have  been  in  the  highest  degree  encouraging. 
More  and  better  institutes  have  been  held  in  the  State,  and  more  and  better  work 
has  been  done  in  all  of  the  departments  of  the  school  system,  than  in  any  preceding 
two  years  of  our  free-school  history." 

It  is  worth  while  to  pause  and  see  to  what  degree  the  office  has  now  evolved  in 
the  year  of  grace,  1867. 

The  superintendents  are  elected  to  office  by  popular  vote  and  for  a  term  of  four 
years.  Any  citizen  possessing  the  ordinary  qualifications  of  an  elector  may  hold  the 
office.  They  must  take  an  oath  and  give  bond  and  are  liable  to  removal.  They  may 
sell  school  lands  under  certain  conditions — a  survival  of  the  original  and  only  duty  of 
the  first  school  commissioners.  They  have  the  custody  of  all  county  school  funds; 
they  are  required  to  visit  each  of  the  schools  in  their  respective  counties  at  least 
once  each  year;  they  are  the  official  advisers  and  assistants  of  all  of  the  subor- 
dinate school  officers  and  teachers  of  their  counties,  and  are  the  agents  of  the 
State  Superintendent  in  reaching  the  schools.  They  are  enjoined  to  encourage  the 
formation  and  assist  in  the  management  of  teachers'  institutes.  They  have  pri- 
mary jurisdiction  in  questions  and  controversies  arising  under  the  school  law  in 
districts  and  townships,  and  their  decisions  are  final  unless  appeal  is  taken  to  the 


192  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

State  vSuperintendent.  They  are  the  only  authority  that  can  examine  and  Ucense 
teachers  except  the  State  Superintendent.  Their  compensation  is  $5  a  day  for  ser- 
vices actually  rendered  and  it  is  payable  semi-annually  from  the  county  treasury. 
They  also  receive  a  three  per  cent  fee  for  the  sale  of  school  land  and  a  two  per  cent 
fee  for  all  moneys  distributed,  paid  or  loaned  out.  The}^  are  required  to  report 
annually  to  the  State  Superintendent,  and  it  is  the  material  thus  transmitted  to 
him  that  constitutes  the  larger  part  of  his  report. 

The  Constitution  of  1848  had  nothing  to  say  about  education.  The  Constitution 
of  1870  is  in  sharp  contrast  with  it  in  that  as  well  as  in  most  other  respects.  The 
last  section  of  the  article  on  education  provides  that  there  may  be  a  county  super- 
intendent of  schools  in  each  county,  whose  qualifications,  powers,  duties,  compensa- 
tion, time  and  manner  of  election,  and  term  of  office  shall  be  prescribed  by  law. 
The  new  constitution  necessitated  a  general  revision  of  the  school  law  similar  in 
character  to  what  has  occurred  from  time  to  time  since  it  was  originally  enacted. 
The  Twenty-seventh  General  Assembly  passed  what  is  called  the  School  Law  of 
1872.  Some  of  the  changes  have  already  been  noted.  Those  relating  to  the  county 
superintendent  are  the  only  ones  of  interest  in  this  immediate  connection. 

There  was  a  weakening  of  the  requirements  with  regard  to  school  visitation,  for 
the  former  law  made  it  obligatory  upon  the  superintendents  to  visit  every  school 
in  their  respective  counties  at  least  once  ever}^  year,  while  the  new  law  made  it 
optional  with  the  county  board,  hence  there  was  to  be  no  visitation  unless  directed 
by  that  body.  This  meant  a  practical  abandonment  of  school  visitation  in  many 
of  the  counties,  for  the  law  provided  a  new  method  of  compensation.  The  percent- 
age feature  was  retained,  but  it  was  supplemented  by  the  following:  "For  all  other 
duties  required  by  law  to  be  performed  by  them,  for  such  number  of  days  as  may 
be  designated  by  the  county  board,  in  counties  of  first  and  second  class,  the  sum  of 
$4  a  day;  in  counties  of  the  third  class  the  county  superintendent  shall  be  paid 
$8  per  day :  Provided,  that  the  entire  compensation  received  by  him  shall  not  exceed 
the  sum  of  $3,000  per  annum." 

This  was  a  sad  blow  to  the  superintendency  and  aroused  the  most  serious  appre- 
hensions among  the  friends  of  public  schools.  There  was  but  one  county  in  the 
third  class  —  Cook.  The  three  per  cent  commission  amounted  to  only  $2.50  a 
county  in  1872.  The  two  per  cent  commission  averaged  for  each  county  about 
$200.  The  former  law  provided  a  per  diem  compensation  of  $5  and  left  the  time 
to  the  discretion  of  the  superintendent.  In  consequence  the  compensation  averaged 
about  $800.  The  indications  were  that  under  the  new  law  it  would  average  about 
half  as  much.  It  is  difficult  to  understand  what  influences  had  been  at  work  to  accom- 
plish so  disastrous  a  result.  Superintendent  Bateman  sounded  the  alarm  in  his 
biennial  report  of  1871-2,  where  the  whole  matter  received  a  most  interesting  and 
elaborate  treatment. 

As  was  expected-  school  visitation  dropped  off  in  a  most  disheartening  way.  In 
1874  there  were  less  than  half  as  many  schools  visited  as  in  1873,  and  but  two-fifths 
as  many  days  devoted  to  it.  The  average  compensation  dropped  from  $1,050.11  in 
1873  to  $626.04  in  1874.  The  number  of  days  designated  by  county  boards  varied 
from  twenty-five  to  three  hundred;  while  five  counties  left  the  whole  matter  to  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  193 

discretion  of  the  superintendent,  and  eight  counties  allowed  a  fixed  salary.  The 
salary  in  Cook  county  was  thirty-three  times  that  in  Monroe,  being  $3,300  in  the 
former  and  $100  in  the  latter. 

Relief  came  slowly.  In  1877  the  average  compensation  advanced  to  $745.15, 
but  the  following  year  there  was  a  loss  of  about  $13,000  in  the  per  diem  com- 
pensation that  brought  the  average  down  to  about  $670.  In  1882  the  total 
compensation  of  superintendents  was  $74,841.38  against  $123,773.30  ten  years 
before. 

Superintendent  Slade,  in  the  biennial  report  for  1881-2,  made  a  vigorous  plea 
for  an  efficient  superintendency  and  submitted  the  following  showing :  He  said :  "This 
is  the  way  superintendents  were  paid  last  year:  In  ten  counties  the  compensation 
ran  from  $200  to  $300;  in  thirteen,  from  $300  to  $400;  in  fourteen,  from  $400  to 
$500;  in  fourteen,  from  $500  to  $600;  in  four,  from  $600  to  $700;  in  nine,  from  $700 
to  $800;  in  four,  from  $800  to  $900;  in  eight,  from  $900  to  $1,000 ;  in  ten,  from  $1,000 
to  $1,110;  in  one,  from  $1,100  to  $1,200;  in  eight,  from  $1,200  to  $1,300;  in  two,  from 
$1,400  to  $1,500;  in  one,  from  $1,500  to  $1,600;  in  three,  from  $1,600  to  $1,700;  in 
one,  $3,000." 

Here  is  another  way  in  which  he  put  it:  "In  fifty-one  counties  the  county 
superintendent  gets  less  than  $600  a  year,  while  in  only  five  counties  do  they  succeed 
in  getting  teachers  for  their  best  schools  for  less  than  that  amount.  Seventy-six 
counties  pay  their  superintendents  less  than  $1,000  a  year;  but  only  forty-nine 
counties  pay  their  best  teachers  less  than  that  amount.  There  are  eight  counties 
in  which  the  best  paid  teacher  gets  higher  wages  than  is  paid  any  county  superin- 
tendent in  the  State  outside  of  Cook  county.  In  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  counties 
of  the  State  the  best  paid  teachers  could  accept  the  office  of  superintendent  only 
at  a  pecuniary  loss,  unless  they  should  engage  in  some  other  business  at  the  same 
time,  and  treat  the  superintendency  as  a  side  issue." 

In  Superintendent  Raab's  report  for  1884  he  submitted  a  comparative  showing  of 
the  salaries  of  county  officers.  The  salaries  of  the  state's  attorney  and  county 
judge  were  approximately  $1,200,  that  of  the  county  treasurer  $1,300,  of  the  circuit 
clerk  and  the  sheriff  $1,500,  of  the  county  clerk  $1,600  and  of  the  county  superin- 
tendent $791.11.  Something  was  to  be  done  about  it  by  this  energetic  German  and 
his  efficient  chief  clerk.  The  report  for  1886  looks  better.  There  was  an  increase  of 
more  than  $27,000  in  the  compensation  of  county  superintendents,  which  meant 
an  advance  of  the  average  compensation  in  1886  over  that  of  1884  from  $820  to 
$1,086.  What  had  taken  place?  In  1883-4  the  number  of  schools  visited  once  was 
5,124,  while  in  1885-6  it  was  9,973,  an  increase  of  almost  95  per  cent;  the  number 
of  schools  visited  more  than  once  in  the  former  period  was  930;  in  the  latter  period 
it  was  2,508,  an  increase  of  about  160  per  cent.  The  whole  amount  of  time  spent 
by  the  superintendents  in  the  former  period  was  18,087  days;  in  the  latter,  24,485 
days,  an  increase  of  26  per  cent.  A  similar  increase  is  noted  in  the  number  of  insti- 
tutes and  the  number  of  days  they  were  in  session.  It  is  clear  that  something  had 
happened.  And  the  good  work  continued,  for  in  1888  the  total  compensation  of  the 
superintendents  reached  $141,204.85,  an  increase  of  28  per  cent.  All  of  this  means 
that  Superintendent  Raab  determined  to  secure  such  an  amendment  to  the  law  as 

13 


194  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

would  rescue  the  superintendency  from  the  pit  into  which  it  had  fallen  by  the  action 
of  the  General  Assembly  in  1873. 

His  office  scored  its  first  great  success  in  1883,  when  it  succeeded  in  inducing  the 
General  Assembly  to  enact  the  first  institute  law.  The  provisions  of  the  law  were 
very  simple.  All  persons  undergoing  an  examination  for  a  certificate  were  obliged 
to  pay  a  fee  of  $1.  This  fee  was  deposited  by  the  county  superintendent  with  the 
county  treasurer,  as  an  institute  fund,  and  was  subject  to  the  order  of  the  county 
superintendent.  It  was  made  obligatory  upon  the  county  superintendent  to  hold 
an  annual  institute  of  at  least  five  days,  although  he  was  permitted  to  unite  with 
the  superintendent  of  an  adjoining  county  if  he  deemed  that  plan  to  be  expedient. 
Persons  holding  valid  certificates  were  exempt  from  the  payment  of  an  institute 
fee,  but  others  were  required  to  pay  $1. 

This  was  an  admirable  piece  of  legislation  and  put  the  county  institute  on  its 
feet.  There  had  been  gatherings  of  teachers  from  the  beginnings  of  schools  in  the 
State,  but  they  had  received  no  recognition  from  the  law  further  than  a  legal  pro- 
vision permitting  boards  of  supervisors  and  county  commissioners'  courts  to  make 
appropriations  for  their  support.  Subsequent  legislation  enabled  the  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction  to  control,  at  least  partially,  the  character  of  the  instruction 
in  these  institutes  by  making  it  necessary  for  the  instructors  to  hold  certificates 
from  him. 

Two  years  later  the  State  Department  scored  another  triumph  by  securing  the 
enactment  of  a  law  that  put  the  county  superintendency  into  far  better  shape  than 
it  had  ever  been  before.  It  restored  the  visitation  feature  cut  out  by  the  law  of 
1872.  The  superintendent  was  required  to  visit  each  school  in  his  county  at  least 
once  each  year,  and  more  frequently  if  possible.  Half  of  the  time  of  the  office  was 
to  be  devoted  to  the  country  schools.  It  classified  the  counties  on  the  basis  of  the 
number  of  schools  and  removed  from  the  county  board  the  power  of  determining 
the  time  of  the  superintendent  except  within  certain  limits.  The  counties  were 
divided  into  four  classes:  Those  having  not  more  than  fifty  schools,  those  having 
from  fifty-one  to  seventy-five,  those  having  from  seventy-six  to  one  hundred,  and 
those  having  a  greater  number  than  one  hundred.  In  the  first-named  class  the 
limitation  could  not  be  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  days ;  in  the  second,  not  less 
than  two  hundred  days;  in  the  third,  not  less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  and  the 
fourth  class  could  not  be  limited  in  time.  The  compensation  was  made  $4  a  day 
with  the  percentages  remaining  as  they  were,  and  an  additional  $1  a  day  was  allowed 
for  all  days  spent  in  visitation. 

It  is  now  easy  to  understand  the  remarkable  increase  in  school  visitation  noted 
above.  The  compensation  of  the  county  superintendents  was  received  from  the 
Auditor  of  Public  Accounts,  with  the  exception  of  the  percentages,  and  the  amount 
thus  remitted  was  withheld  from  the  amount  of  the  public  funds  due  the  counties. 
The  increase  of  compensation  naturally  attracted  a  better  class  of  candidates  for 
these  positions  and  the  quality  of  the  work  done  by  these  officers  steadily  improved. 

In  the  earnest  efforts  that  were  made  through  many  years  to  improve  the  condi- 
tion of  the  county  superintendency  it  was  urged  that  a  fixed  salary  should  attach 
to  the  office.     This  was  finally  accomplished  in  1905.     The  section  of  the  school 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


195 


law  fixing  the  compensation  of  these  officers  was  so  amended  as  to  make  the  salaries 
of  the  superintendents  in  counties  of  the  first  class  $1,250  per  annum,  in  counties 
of  the  second  class  $1,650  per  annum,  and  in  counties  of  the  third  class  (Cook  county) 
$7,500  per  annum.  Boards  of  supervisors  are  authorized  to  increase  this  com- 
pensation if  they  desire,  the  same  to  be  paid  from  the  county  treasury. 

The  latest  action  with  regard  to  this  matter  was  taken  in  1909  when  the  law  was 
again  amended  so  that  it  now  reads  as  follows : 

County  superintendents  elected  hereafter  shall  receive  in  full  for  their  services  in  counties  which, 
according  to  the  census  of  1900,  contained  a  population  not  exceeding  12,000,  $1,250  per  annum;  in 
counties  which,  according  to  the  census  of  1900  contained  a  population  of  more  than  12,000  and  not 
exceeding  20,000,  $1,500  per  annum;  in  counties  which,  according  to  the  census  of  1900  contained  a 
population  of  more  than  20,000  and  not  exceeding  28,000,  $1,800  per  annum;  in  counties  which, 
according  to  tlie  census  of  1900,  contained  a  population  of  more  than  28,000  and  not  exceeding  36,000, 
$2,000  per  annum;  in  counties  which,  according  to  the  census  of  1900,  contained  a  population  of  more 
than  36,000  and  not  exceeding  50,000,  $2,250  per  annum;  in  counties  which,  according  to  the  census 
of  1900,  contained  a  population  of  more  than  50,000  and  not  exceeding  75,000,  $2,500  per  annum ; 
in  counties  which,  according  to  the  census  of  1900,  contained  a  population  of  more  than  75,000 
and  not  exceeding  100,000,  $2,750  per  annum;  and  in  counties  which,  according  to  the  census  of  1900, 
contained  a  population  of  more  than  100,000,  $7,500  per  annum,  payable  quarterly  from  the  State 
school  fund.  Provided,  hr.wever,  that  the  board  of  supervisors  or  the  board  of  county  commissioners 
may  allow  additional  compensation  for  such  services,  payable  quarterly  from  the  county  treasury. 
The  Auditor,  in  making  his  warrant  to  any  county  for  the  amount  due  it  from  the  State  school  fund, 
shall  deduct  from  it  the  several  amounts  for  which  warrants  have  been  issued  to  the  county  superin- 
tendent of  said  county  since  the  preceding  apportionment  of  the  State  school  fund. 

It  has  been  a  long  time  coming,  but,  at  last,  the  county  superintendents  of  Illinois 
receive  a  fair  compensation  for  their  services.  In  consequence,  the  schools  are 
steadily  improving  in  efficiency  and  the  near  future  will  witness  a  development  in 
the  country  school  heretofore  unknown  in  the  history  of  education  in  Illinois. 

COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENTS  SINCE   1865 


1865-69  Seth  W.  Grammer. 

1869-82  John  H.  Black. 

1882-93  *John  Jimison. 

1893-94  Ella  M.  Grubb. 

1865-69  Joel  G.  Morgan. 

1869-73  Louis  B.  Butter. 

1873-82  Mrs.  P.  A.  Taylor. 

1882-86  Louise  C.  Gibbs. 

1886-90  Mrs.  P.  A.  Taylor. 

1890-91  *Riley  J.  Bain. 

1865-73  Thomas  W.  Hynes. 

1873-77  Samuel  G.  DufiF. 

1877-82  Michael  V.  Denny. 

1882-86  Philip  C.  Reed. 

1886-90  Thomas  P.  Moray. 


ADAMS  COUNTY. 

1894-97       A.  A.  Seehorn. 
1897-1910  A.  R.  Smith. 
1910  John  H.  Steiner. 

ALEXANDER  COUNTY. 

1891-98       Nannie  J.  McKee. 
1898-1902   Mrs.  P.  A.  Taylor. 
1902-09     *John  Snyder. 
1909-10       Silas  E.  Gott. 
1910  Fannie  P.  Hacker. 

BOND  COUNTY. 

1890-94      James  C.  BHzzard. 
1894-1902  Wm.  E.  Robinson. 
1902-06       Wm.  T.  Harlan. 
1906-10       H.  A.  Meyer. 
1910  H.  A.  Meyer. 


*  Deceased. 


196 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


BOONE  COUNTY. 


1865-73  Wm.  H.  Durham. 

1873-77  Marjr  E.  Crary. 

1877-82  D.  C.  Cowan. 

1882-85  Julia  Eaton. 


1885-90       H.  J.  Sherrill. 
1890-1902  Levi  R.  Fitzer. 
1902-10      J.  G.  Lucas. 
1910  Elizabeth  B.  Harvey. 


BROWN  COUNTY. 


1865-73 
1873-81 
1881-90 
1890-94 


1865-67 
1867-69 
1869-72 
1872-73 
1873-77 


1865-69 
1869-73 
1873-77 
1877-86 
1886-90 
1890-94 


1865-69 
1869-82 
1882-86 


John  P.  Richmond. 
James  P.  Amonett. 
George  H.  Lee. 
James  0.  Briggs. 


1894-98       H.  E.  Bartlett. 
1898-1902  James  O.  Briggs. 
1902-06       H.  V.  Davis. 
1906-12       C.  W.  Sellers. 


BUREAU  COUNTY. 


♦Marion  E.  Ryan. 
Albert  Ethridge. 
Albert  Ethridge  (resigned) 
Joseph  A.  Mercer. 
Jacob  Miller. 


Stephen  G.  Lewis. 
Solomon  Lammy. 
Israel  J.  Varner. 
James  McNabb. 
Wm.  E.  Barber. 
J.  E.  Watson. 

Nelson  Fletcher. 
James  E.  Millard. 
George  C.  Mastin. 


1877-82       G.  B.  Harrington. 
1882-86      Jacob  Miller. 
1886-98       G.  B.  Harrington. 
1898-1910  Claude  Brown. 
1910  George  O.  Smith. 

CALHOUN  COUNTY. 


1894-98 

Elmore  Allen. 

1898-1902 

Charles  H.  Lamar. 

1902-06 

Elmore  Allen. 

1906-10 

Stephen  J.  Sibley. 

1910 

Stephen  J.  Sibley. 

)UNTY. 

1886-98 

J.  H.  Grossman. 

1898-1910 

John  Hay. 

1910 

John  Hay. 

CASS  COUNTY. 


1865-69  J.  K.  Van  Demark. 

1869-73  Harvey  Tate. 

1873-77  John  Gore. 

1877-82  A.  J.  Hill. 

1882-86  Andrew  L.  Anderson. 


1865-73      T.  R.  Leal. 
1873-77       Samuel  L.  Wilson. 
1877-82       Mrs.  C.  E.  Lamed. 


1886-94       Charles  A.  Schaeffer. 
1894-98       John  G.  Pearn. 
1898-1906  Albert  E.  Hinners. 
1906-10       Henry  Jacobs. 
1910  Henry  Jacobs. 


CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY. 


1882-1902  G.  R.  Shawhan. 
1902-10       Charles  H.  Watts. 
1910  Charles  H.  Watts. 


1865-69  A.  McCaskill. 

1869-73  W.  F.  Gorrell. 

1873-82  Robert  W.  Orr. 

1882-86  Francis  Bovd. 


CHRISTIAN  COUNTY. 


1886-98       Robert  W.  Orr. 
1898-1900  D.  O.  Witmer. 
1900-10       Anna  L.  Barbre. 
1910  H.  L.  Fowkes. 


*Deceascd. 


THE     EDUCA 

TIONAL 

CLARK 

HISTORY 

COUNTY. 

OF     ILLINOIS 

1865-69 

James  Dawson. 

1886-90 

Horatio  V.  Gard. 

1869-73 

Wm.  T.  Adams. 

1890-94 

Benjamin  A.  Sweet. 

1873-75 

*Perry  A.  McKain. 

1894-98 

John  C.  Perdue. 

1875-77 

Edward  Pearce. 

1898-1906 

J.  D.  Shoemaker. 

1877-82 

Edward  Shaw. 

1906-10 

Harry  W.  Drake. 

1882-86 

Wm.  A.  Porter. 

CLAY 

1910 
COUNTY. 

Harry  W.  Drake. 

1865-69 

John  Russell. 

1894-98 

Thomas  B.  Greenlaw. 

1869-73 

C.  H.  Murray. 

1898-1902 

D.  A.  McQueen. 

1873-74 

Jacob  H.  Songer  (resigned). 

1902-04 

Jacob  L  McKneeley. 

1874-82 

George  W.  Smith. 

1904-06 

D.  W.  Dillman. 

1882-86 

Cleveland  W.  Mills. 

1906-10 

G.  0.  Lewis. 

1886-90 

Lon  S.  McKnight. 

1910 

G.  0.  Lewis. 

1890-94 

John  T.  Campbell. 

197 


CLINTON   COUNTY. 


1865-69      O.  B.  Nichols. 
1869-73      S.  B.  Wyle. 
1873-June  1877     Philip  Bottler. 
1877-June  to  Dec.     Elisha  Sharp. 


1877-94       George  A.  Beattie. 
1894-10       Wm.  Johnson. 
1910  Wm.  Johnson. 


COLES  COUNTY. 


1865-69 

Elzy  Blake. 

1869-73 

S.  J.  Bovell. 

1873-77 

Allen  Hill. 

1877-86 

T.  J.  Leo. 

1886-90 

A.  J.  Funkhouser. 

1890-04 

Charles  F.  Feagan. 

1865-69 

John  F.  Eberhart. 

1869-73 

A.  G.  Lane. 

1873-77 

George  D.  Plant. 

1877-91 

A.  G.  Lane. 

1865-69 

George  N.  Parker. 

1869-73 

Samuel  A.  Burner. 

1873-77 

Presley  G.  Bradbury. 

1877-81 

George  W.  Henderson 

1881-82 

Hugh  McHattan. 

1882-86 

Henry  0..  Hiser. 

1865-73 

Wm.  E.  Lake. 

1873-77 

T.  C.  Killie. 

1877-81 

Henry  J.  Groscup. 

1881-82 

Wm.  E.  Lake. 

1882-86 

Samuel  C.  Miller. 

1886-90 

Lewis  Decius. 

*Deceased. 

1894-98       John  L.  Whisnand. 
1898-1902  John  H.  Sawyer. 
1902-06       W.  E.  Millar. 
1906-10       Marietta  A.  Neal. 
1910  W.  E.  Millar. 


COOK  COUNTY. 

1891-1902  0.  T.  Bright. 
1902-10       A.  F.  Nightingale. 
1910  E.  J.  Tobin. 

CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 

1886-90  Francis  M.  Shaw. 

1890-94  Valmore  Parker. 

1894-98  M.  N.  Beeman. 

1898-1902  Edgar  L.  Douglas. 

1902-10  Harry  E.  Green. 

1910  Harry  E.  Green. 

CUMBERLAND  COUNTY. 

1890-94       Charles  B.  Stansberry. 
1894-98       S.  S.  Frederick. 
1898-1902  J.  F.  Grissamore. 
1902-10       H.  M.  Tipsward. 
1910  John  W.  Costelo. 


198 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


1890-1906  Lewis  M.  Gross. 
1906-10       W.  W.  Coultas. 
1910  W.  W.  Coultas. 


1865-69 

Martin  V.  Allen. 

1869-77 

Horace  P.  Hall. 

1877-81 

L.  L.  Graham. 

1881-90 

George  L  Talbot. 

DE  WITT  COUNTY. 


1865-69  Stephen  K.  Carter. 

1869-73  F.  M.  Vanlue. 

1873-77  Mary  S.  Welch. 

1877-90  Mary  S.  Welch. 


1890-94       Nelson  R.  Hughes. 
1894-1902  Hattie  P.  Wilson. 
1902-10       T.  C.  Wampler. 
1910  John  C.  Costley. 


DOUGLAS  COUNTY. 


1865-69       W.  W.  Monroe. 

1869-75  *S.  T.  Callaway. 
1875-77       Charles  W.  Woolverton. 
1877-82      J.  W.  King. 
1882-86      Jos.  R.  Burres. 
1886-94       Nora  A.  Smith. 


1894-98       Mamie  Bunch. 
1898-1900  Thomas  M.  Wells. 
1900-02      Joseph  O.  Neal. 
1902-06       Annie  E.  Rogers. 
1906-10       E.  E.  Gere. 
1910  E.  E.  Gere. 


DU  PAGE   COUNTY. 


1865-69 

Charles  W.  Richmond. 

1869 
1870-73 

Charles  Clark.     (Elected 

to  qualify.) 
Charles  W.  Richmond. 

but  failed 

1873-82 

J.  R.  Haggard. 

EDGAR  ( 

1865-69 
1869-73 
1873-77 

George  Hunt. 
A.  J.  Mapes. 
R.  S.  Cusic. 

1877-82 

W.  H.  Roth. 

1882-85       John  K.  Rassweiler. 
1885-86       Samuel  Fisher. 
1886-1910  R.  T.  Morgan. 
1910  R.  T.  Morgan. 


COUNTY. 


1882-86       David  T.  Stewart. 
1886-94      James  A.  Kerrick. 
1894-1902  George  H.  Gordon. 
1902  George  W.  Brown. 


EDWARDS  COUNTY. 


1865-69  L.  T.  Rude. 

1869-86  Levinus  Harris. 

1886-90  Edward  C.  Fitch. 

1890-98  Fred  W.  Potter. 


1898-06       Frank  Coles,  Jr. 
1906-10       W.  H.  Siefferman. 
1910  W.  H.  Siefferman. 


EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


1865-69  W.  I.  N.  Fisher. 

1869-73  S.  F.  Gilmore. 

1873-81  Owen  Scott. 

1881-98  J.  A.  Arnold. 

♦Deceased. 


1898-1901   Charles  L.  Combs. 
1901-10       C.  E.  Mitchell. 
1910  J.  A.  Davis. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


199 


1865-69       Thomas    K.    Jenkins.     (Resigned 

March,  1869.) 
1869  Zeiba  S.  Swan.     ( March  to  Novem 

ber.) 
1869-73       D.  H.  Mays. 
1873-84       Benjamin  F.  Shipley. 


FAYETTE   COUNTY 

1884 


Jesse     Mays.     (March  to   Novem- 
ber.) 
1884-94       Thomas  W.  Hart. 
1894-98       Charles  L.  Fogler. 
1898-1910  C.  F.  Easterday. 
1910  Frank  E.  Crawford. 


FORD  COUNTY. 


1865-69  J.  B.  Randolph. 

1869-71  James  Brown. 

1871-73  W.  L.  Conrow. 

1873-77  Robert  N.  Gorsuch. 

1877-79  Daniel  H.  Armstrong. 


1879-82       S.  A.  Armstrong. 
1882-90       Frank  G.  Lohman. 
1890-1906  E.  A.  Gardner. 
1906-10       H.  M.  Rudolph. 
1910  H.  M.  Rudolph. 


FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


1865-73 

1.873-77 
1877-90 
1890-94 
1894-98 


1865-67 
1867-69 
1869-73 
1873-77 

1877-82 


1865-73 

1873-82 
1882-86 
1886-90 


R.  R.  Link. 
George  C.  Ross. 
Charles  D.  Threlkeld. 
Wilford  F.  Dillon. 
Hiram  N.  Aiken. 


1898-1902  W.  S.  Buntin. 
1902-06       Hiram  M.  Aiken. 
1906-10       Offa  Neal. 
1910  C.  W.  Mundell. 


Samuel  S.  Tipton. 
J.  K.  Harmison. 
H.  J.  Benton. 
V.  M.  Grewell. 
H.  J.  Benton. 


Nathaniel  P.  Holderby. 
Thomas  J.  Cooper. 
Hugh  C.  Gregg. 
Thomas  J.  Proctor. 


FULTON  COUNTY 
(Resigned.) 


1882-86       E.  R.  Boyer. 
1886-94       Maurice  P.  Rice. 
1894-1910   M.  M.  Cook. 
1910  M.  M.  Cook. 


GALLATIN  COUNTY. 


1890-98  George  Hanlon. 
1898-1906  W.  J.  Blackard. 
1906-10  J.  M.  Greenlee. 
1910  J.  B.  Boswell. 


GREENE   COUNTY. 


1865-69 
1869-72 
1872-73 
1873-77 

1877-80 
1880-82 
1882-86 


1865-73 
1873-82 

1882-84 
1884-90 


Stephen  F.  Corrington. 

C.  A.  Worley.     (Resigned.) 

John  Johns. 

Kate  L.  Hopkiris. 

David  F.  King. 

H.  H.  Montgomery. 

Wm.  J.  Roberts. 


Hiram  C.  Goold. 
John  Higby. 
Orrin  N.  Carter. 
Stillman  E.  Massey. 


1886-90  Laura  Hazle. 

1890-94  Wm.  A.  Hubbard. 

1894-98  Harvey  T.  White. 

1898-1902  Harry  E.  Bell. 

1902-06  Lucian  K.  Jones. 

1906-10  George  B.  McClellan. 

1910  George  B.  MeClellan. 


GRUNDY  COUNTY. 


1890-98  David  R.  Anderson. 

1898-1902  Mary  R.  Holderman. 

1902-10  Charles  H.  Root. 

1910  Charles  H.  Root. 


200 


1865-73 
1873-77 

1877-82 
1882-86 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

HAMILTON  COUNTY. 


George  B.  Robinson. 
John  P.  Stelle. 
R.  G.  Eckols. 
La  Fayette  Howard. 


1886-94  Johnson  H.  Lane. 
1894-1902  D.  J.  Underwood. 
1902-10  T.  W.  Biggerstaff. 
1910  Whitson  W.  Dailey. 


HANCOCK  COUNTY. 


1865-69 

George  W.  Batchelder. 

1869-77 

Wm.  Griffin. 

1877-86 

Samuel  W.  Lay  ton. 

1886-90 

L.  P.  Cravens. 

1865-73 

John  Jack. 

1873-77 

Marshall  Rose. 

1877-82 

James  A.  Lowry. 

1882-86 

John  H.  Jenkins. 

1886-90 

Frank  E.  Matheny. 

1890-1902  John  A.  Califf. 
1902-10  J.  E.  Williams. 
1910  S.  A.  D.  Fans. 


HARDIN  COUNTY. 


1890-94      T.  H.  Stubbs. 
1894-98       Thomas  C.  Jackson. 
1898-1902  John  H.  Womack. 
1902-10      H.  M.  Rittenhouse. 
1910  John  H.  Oxford. 


HENDERSON  COUNTY. 


1865-69 

John  A.  Summers. 

1869-73 

R.  P.  Randall. 

1873-77 

James  McArthur. 

1877-82 

James  M.  Akin. 

1882-86 

Elizabeth  A.  Cameron, 

1886-90 

James  M.  Akin. 

1865-69 

A.  K.  Henny. 

1869-73 

H.  S.  Comstock. 

1873-82 

B.  F.  Barge. 

1882-86 

E.  C.  Rosseter. 

1890-94       C.  C.  Butler. 
1894-1902  Simeon  E.  Mace. 
1902-06      Albert  C.  Keener. 
1906-10       Mrs.  Delia  Yeomans. 
1910  Mrs.  Delia  Yeomans. 


HENRY  COUNTY. 


1886-90      Joshua  Williams. 
1890-93       John  B.  Russell. 
1893-1910   Martin  Luther. 
1910  A.  L.  Oldenweller. 


IROQUOIS  COUNTY. 

1865-69       N.  M.  Bancroft.  1886-90 

1869-73       L.  T.  Hewins.  (Died  July  30,  73.)  1890-94 

1873,  July-Nov.  John  H.  Holmes.  1894-1906 

1873-82       D.  Kerr.  1906-10 

1882-86       Edmund  J.  Blake.  1910 


John  J.  Eckman. 
Frank  M.  Crangle. 
S.  C.  Rutherford. 
Frank  A.  Gilbreath. 
Frank  A.  Gilbreath. 


1865-69 

H.  C.  Robinson. 

1869-73 

John  Ford. 

1873-77 

L.  H.  Redd. 

1877-86 

John  M.  Reeder. 

1886-90 

Phillip  Eager. 

JACKSON  COUNTY. 


1890-94      John  M.  Bryan. 
1894-98       Bert  R.  Burr. 
1898-1906  Emma  Bryan. 
1906-10       Ida  Robinson  . 
1910  Andrew  J.  Rendleman. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

JASPER  COUNTY. 


201 


1865-69  Isaac  H.  Walker. 

1869-73  P.  S.  McLaughlin. 

1873-77  Calvin  S.  James. 

1877-90  John  F.  Arnold. 


1890-98       G.  S.  Batman. 
1898-1910  John  F.  Arnold. 
1910  Milo  D.  Yelvington. 


1865-69  James  M.  Pace. 

1869-73  G.  W.  Johnson. 

1873-86  John  D.  Williams. 

1886-94  Wm.  T.  Sumner. 


JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


1894-98       Oscar  C.  Stitch. 
1898-1906  James  M.  Hill. 
1906-10      Arthur  E.  Summers. 
1910  Arthur  E.  Summers. 


1865-69  Wm.  J.  Herdman. 

1869-73  Charles  H.  Knapp. 

1873-77  W.  H.  Lynn. 

1877-86  Lott  Pennington. 

1886-90  Otis  D.  Leach. 


JERSEY  COUNTY. 


1890-94      Richard  Keily. 
1894-98       Thomas  A.  Case. 
1898-1910  James  W.  Roberts. 
1910  James  W.  Roberts. 


JO  DAVIESS  COUNTY. 


1865-77 

George  W.  Pepoon. 

1877-86 

Robert  Brand. 

1886-90 

Mathew  R.  Chambers, 

1890-94 

W.  H.  Martin. 

1894-98 

Hiram  P.  Caverly. 

1865-69 

J.  S.  Wittenberg. 

1869-73 

Robert  M.  Fisher. 

1873-77 

T.  G.  Farris. 

1877-82 

P.  T.  Chapman. 

1882-90 

Wm.  Y.  Smith. 

1898-1902  W.  H.  Martin. 
1902-06       J.  W.  Wilcox. 
1906-10       Myrtle  Renwick. 
1910  Benjamin  L.  Birkbeck. 


JOHNSON  COUNTY. 


1890-94       Martin  T.  Van  Cleve. 
1894-1902  Sarah  J.  Whittenberg. 
1902-10       Wm.  M.  Grisson,  Jr. 
1910  Emma  Rebman. 


1865-69       C.  E.  Smith. 
1869-73       George  B.  Charles. 
1873-86       C.  E.  Mann. 


KANE   COUNTY. 


1886-1902   M.  Quackenbush. 
1902-10       H.  A.  Dean. 
1910  F.  A.  Ellis. 


KANKAKEE   COUNTY. 


1865-69      John  Higby. 

1869-73       F.  W.  Beecher.     (Resigned    May, 

1873.) 
1873  Warren    R.    Hickox.     (Resigned 

September,  1873.) 
1873-77       Nettie  M.  Sinclair. 
1877-82      H.  C.  Paddock. 


1882-86       Luceha  W.  Dye. 
1886-90       Fayette  S.  Hatch. 
1890-1902  James  H.  Peterson. 
1902-06       J.  D.  Cokely. 
1906-10       S.  D.  Saltzgiver. 
1910  S.  D.  Saltzgiver. 


202 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


KENDALL  COUNTY. 


1865-69 

W.  S.  Coy. 

1869-77 

J.  R.  Marshall. 

1877-90 

C.  C.  Duffy. 

1865-69 

James  H.  Knapp, 

1869-73 

F.  Christainer. 

1773-82 

Mary  Allen  West. 

1882-86 

W.  L.  Steele. 

1886-90 

George  W.  Oldfather, 

1890-1910  A.  D.  Curran. 
1910  A.  D.  Curran. 


KNOX  COUNTY. 


1890-1902  S.  C.  Ransom. 

1892-98  Matthew  Andrews. 

1898-1902  Ernest  S.  Wilkinson. 

1902-10  W.  F.  Boyes. 

1910  W.  F.  Boyes. 


1865-73  Byron  L.  Carr. 

1873-77  John  P.  Manchester. 

1877-81  A.  R.  Sabin. 

1881-88  Peter  Fisher. 


LAKE   COUNTY. 


1888-1902  Matthew  W.  Marvin. 

1902-06  Frank  N.  Gaggin. 

1906-10  T.  A.  Simpson. 

1910  T.  A.  Simpson. 


LA  SALLE   COUNTY. 


1865-69 

J.  M.  Day. 

1869-73 

George  S.  Wedgewood 

1873-82 

R.  WilUams. 

1882-94 

G.  B.  Stockdale. 

1865-69 

Tolman  P.  Lowry. 

1869-73 

Ozias  V.  Smith. 

1873-82 

F.  W.  Cox. 

1882-90 

Charles  H.  Martin. 

1892-94 

G.  W.  Lackey. 

1865-73 

James  H.  Preston. 

1873-77 

Daniel  Carey. 

1877-82 

James  H.  Preston. 

1882-86 

S.  J.  Howe. 

1865-73 

H.  H.  Hill. 

1873-82 

M.  Tombaugh. 

1882-90 

George  W.  Ferris. 

1865-69 

J.  G.  Chalfant. 

1869-73 

Levi  T.  Regan. 

1873-77 

J.  G.  Chalfant. 

1877-82 

Wm.  H.  Derby. 

1882-94 

Samuel  Guttery. 

1894-1906  U.  J.  Hoffman. 
1906-10      W.  R.  Foster. 
1910  W.  R.  Foster. 


LAWRENCE   COUNTY. 


/9IO 


LEE  COUNTY. 


1894-98       John  Brough  Stout. 
1898-1902  H.  W.  Hostetter. 
1902-06       A.  P.  Spencer. 
1906-10       R.  R.  Kimmell. 


R.  R.  Kimmell. 


1886-90       P.  M.  James. 
1890-94      Jay  C.  Edwards. 
1894-1910  I.  Frank  Edwards. 
1910  L.  W.  Miller. 


LIVINGSTON  COUNTY. 


1890-94  Henry  A.  Foster. 
1894-1902  C.  R.  Tombaugh. 
1902-10       W.  E.  Herbert. 


LOGAN  COUNTY. 


1894-98       Jonathan  S.  Cole. 
1898-1906  E.  P.  Gram. 
1906-10       D.  F.  Nickols. 
1910  D.  F.  Nickols. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY  OF     ILLINOIS 

MACON  COUNTY. 

1890-94  John  M.  Donahy. 

1894-1902  John  G.  Kellar. 

1902-06  Alba  A.  Jones. 

1906-10  Leona  F.  Bowman. 

1910  Mary  Moore. 

MACOUPIN  COUNTY. 

1886-90  George  Harrington. 

1890-94  Thomas  E.  Moore. 

1894-98  James  E.  McClure. 

1898-1906  M.  M.  Kessinger. 

1906-10  Robert  C.  Moore. 


203 


1865-69 

Edwin  Park. 

1869-73 

0.  F.  McKim. 

1873-77 

Simon  P.  Nickey. 

1877-86 

John  Trainer. 

1886-90 

Thomas  L.  Evans. 

1865-69 

Charles  E.  Foote. 

1869-73 

F.  H.  Chapman. 

1873-77 

John  S.  Kenyon. 

1877-81 

F.  W.  Crouch. 

1881-83  " 

George  W.  Grubb. 

1883-86 

George  W.  Bowersox. 

1865-69 

Wm.  P.  Eaton. 

1869-73 

John  Weaver. 

1873-77 

A.  A.  Suppiger. 

1877-82 

B.  F.  Sippy. 

1882-86 

James  Squire. 

1886-90 

A.  A.  Suppiger. 

1865-69 

Hugh  Moore. 

1869-73 

James  McHaney. 

1873-77 

J.  W.  Primer. 

1877-82 

John  B.  Abbott. 

1882-86 

Wm.  H.  Storrs. 

1865-69 

John  Fuller. 

1869-73 

John  Peck. 

1873-82 

Charles  S.  Edwards,  Jr. 

1882-86 

,   Wm.  H.  Kister. 

1886-90 

Ira  M.  Ong. 

1865-73 

H.  H.  Moore. 

1873-82 

S.  M.  Badger. 

1882-86 

Daniel  M.  Blair. 

1886-94 

C.  P.  Ballinger. 

1865-73 

Wm.  H.  Scott, 

1873-77 

Henry  Armstrong. 

1877-82 

W.  M.  Priestley.    - 

1882-86 

Henry  Armstrong. 

1886-90 

F.  A.  Armstrong. 

1910 


MADISON  COUNTY. 


Robert  C.  Moore. 


1890-94 

Thomas  P.  Dooling, 

1894-98 

David  M.  Bishop. 

1898-1902 

Mark  Henson. 

1902-06 

Robert  H.  Lowry. 

1906-10 

J.  U.  Uzzell. 

1910 

J.  U.  Uzzell. 

MARION  COUNTY. 


1886-90       S.  S.  Hawley. 
1890-98       S.  G.  Burdick. 
1898-1906  John  Whitchurch. 
1906-10       John  S.  Knisely. 
1910  J.  F.  Hickman. 


MARSHALL  COUNTY. 


1890-94      Jesse  E.  W.  Morgan. 
1894-1901    M.  M.  Mallary. 
1901-10       E.  Frank  Perry. 
1910  E.  Frank  Perry. 


MASON  COUNTY. 


1894-1906   Matthew  Bollan. 

1906-10      J.  A.  Mehlhop. 

1910  Fannie  Spaits  Merwin. 


MASSAC  COUNTY. 


1890-94      Joshua  M.  Reynolds. 
1894-98       Robert  Alexander. 
1898-1902  Joshua  M.  Reynolds. 
1902-K)       W.  A.  Spence. 
1910  W.  A.  Spence. 


204 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


Mcdonough  county. 


1865-69 

Daniel  Branch. 

1869-73 

Loyd  H.  Copeland. 

1873-77 

J.  M.  Dunsworth,  Jr. 

1877-82 

H.  A.  Maxwell. 

1882-90 

Thomas  J.  Dudman. 

1865-69 

A.  J.  Kingman. 

1869-73 

Gardner  S.  South  worth. 

1873-77 

William  Nickle. 

1877-82 

A.  W.  Young. 

1882-83 

Sebre  D.  Baldwin. 

1865-69 

Daniel  Wilkins. 

1869-73 

John  Hull. 

1873-77 

John  Hull. 

1877-82 

Wm.  H.  Smith. 

1890-94       George  R.  Fenton. 
1894-1906  J.  M.  Pace. 
1906-10       B.  E.  Decker. 
1910  B.  E.  Decker. 


McHENRY  COUNTY. 


1883-84       Henry  R.  Baldwin. 
1884-90       Lester  Barber. 
1890-1902  Wm.  E.  Wire. 
1902-10       George  W.  Conn,  Jr. 
1910  A.  M.  Shelton. 


McLEAN  COUNTY. 


1882-94      John  A.  Miller. 
1894-1906  John  S.  Wren. 
1906-10       B.  C.  Moore. 
1910  B.  C.  Moore. 


MENARD  COUNTY. 


1865-69  Edward  Booth. 

1869-73  Wm.  H.  Berry. 

1873-77  K.  B.  Davis. 

1877-98  R.  D.  Miller. 

1898-1903  George  C.  Power. 

1865-69  S.  B.  Atwater. 

1869-73  F.  W.  Livingston. 

1873-82  Amanda  E.  Frazier. 

1882-86  Joseph  A.  Goding. 


1903-04 

R.  D.  Miller. 

1904-06 

T.  E.  Cantrall. 

1906-10 

Eva  B.  Batterton, 

1910 

Eva  B.  Batterton. 

MERCER  COUNTY. 


1886-90       Kenneth  M.  Whitham. 
1890-92       Alexander  Calhoun. 
1892-1910  Charlton  L.  Gregory. 
1910  Charlton  L.  Gregory. 


MONROE   COUNTY. 


1865-69      James  A.  Kennedy. 
1869-73      Jos.  W.  Rickert. 
1873-98       W.  H.  Hilyard. 


1898-1910  Henry  Eisenhart. 
1910  J.  W.  Jackson. 


MONTGOMERY  COUNTY. 


1865-69 

J.  C.  Tulley. 

1869-73 

H.  L.  Gregory. 

1873-77 

Francis  Springer. 

1877-82 

Thomas  E.  Harris. 

1882-90 

Jesse  C.  Barrett. 

1865-73 

Samuel  M.  Martin. 

1873-82 

Henry  Higgins. 

1882-86 

Christopher  M.  Sevier, 

1886-90 

Alfred  T.  Lynn. 

1890-94       Harry  C.  Montgomery. 


1890-94      Jacob  L.  Traylor. 
1894-98       W.  H.  Groner. 
1898-1906  Wm.  J.  McDavid. 
1906-10      John  W.  Harp. 
1910  John  W.  Harp. 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


1894-98       Hart  H.  Withee. 
1898-1904  Frank  A.  Johnson. 
1904-10       Harry  C.  Montgomery. 
1910  Harry  C.  Montgomery. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


205 


MOULTRIE   COUNTY. 


1865-69 

T.  Y.  Lewis.    • 

1869-73 

Frank  D.  Stearns. 

1873-77 

J.  K.  P.  Rose. 

1877-82 

D.  F.  Stearns. 

1882-90 

B.  F.  Peadro. 

1890-98       Oscar  B.  Lowe. 
1898-1902  B.  F.  Peadro. 
1902-10      J.  C.  Hoke. 
1910  Van  D.  Roughton. 


OGLE  COUNTY. 


1865-77      E.  L.  Wells. 

1877-82       John  T.  Ray. 

1882  to  September,  1886,  Fernando  Sanford. 

(Resigned.) 
1886  to  comletion  of  term,  S.  B.  Wadsworth. 

(Appointed.) 
1886  to  September,   1887^  S.   B.  Wadsworth. 

(Resigned.) 


1887  to  November,  1888,  Stephen  G.   Mason^ 

(Appointed.) 

1888  to  November,  1902,  J.  M.  Piper. 
1902-06      E.  I.  Neff. 

1906-10       Anna  B.  Champion. 
1910  J.  E.  Cross. 


PEORIA  COUNTY. 


1865-73  N.  E.  Worthington. 

1873-77  Mary  W.  Whiteside. 

1877-82  James  E.  PiUsbury. 

1882-90  Mary  W.  Whiteside  Emery. 


1890-94       Mollie  O'Brien. 
1894-1902  Joseph  L.  Robertson. 
1902-10       Claude  U.  Stone. 
1910  J.  A.  Hayes. 


PERRY  COUNTY. 


1865-69 

J.  W.  Blair. 

1869-73 

B.  G.  Roots. 

1873-82 

John  B.  Ward. 

1882-86 

Richard  B.  Anderson, 

1886-90 

Edward  I.  Ward. 

1865-69 

John  W.  Coleman. 

1869-73 

C.  A.  Tatman. 

1873-77 

C.  J.  Pitkin. 

1877-82 

Mary  I.  Reed. 

1882-86 

G.  A.  Burgess. 

1865-69 

J.  C.  Pettingill. 

1869-73 

John  N.  Dewell. 

1873-77 

J.  W.  Johnson. 

1877-82 

Wm.  H.  Crow. 

1882-86 

Rufus  M.  Hitch. 

1886-90 

C.  I.  Swan. 

1865-73 

Theodore  Stayer. 

1873-81 

James  A.  Rose. 

1881-82 

David  G.  Thompson. 

1882-84 

S.  L.  Spear. 

1884-86 

David  G.  Thompson. 

1886-90 

Thomas  H.  Sheridan. 

1890-94 

Jasper  N.  Magnor. 

1890-94  Albert  S.  Marlow. 

1894-1906  Walter  R.  Kinzey. 

1906-10  Robert  B.  Templeton. 

1910  Elmo  W.  Lee. 


PIATT 


PIKE 


COUNTY. 

1886-94 

George  N.  Snapp. 

1894-98 

James  H.  Martin. 

1898-1910 

Charles  Mcintosh. 

1910 

Charles  Mcintosh. 

COUNTY. 

1890-94 

John  B.  Gragg. 

1894-98 

Walter  R.  Hatfield. 

1898-1906 

Caroline  Grote. 

1906-10 

David  P.  Hollis. 

1910 

David  P.  HolHs. 

POPE   COUNTY. 


1894-98      Adolphus  D.  McDonald. 

1898-1902  John  H.  Hodge.  (Died  June,  1902) 
June,  1902,  to  November  25 
1902.  A.  D.  McDonald. 

1902-06       M.  Lillian  Baker. 

1906-10      Robert  R.  Randolph. 

1910  Robert  R.  Randolph. 


206 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


1865-73      James  H.  Brown. 
1873-77       William  M.  Hathaway. 
1877-82      S.  A.  Colwell. 


1865-69  James  S.  McClung. 

1869-73  A.  W.  Durley. 

1873-86  James  H.  Seaton. 

1886-90  S.  May  Campbell. 


PULASKI  COUNTY. 

1882-06 
1906-10 
1910 

PUTNAM  COUNTY. 


Hester  M.  Smith. 
May  S.  Hawkins. 
May  S.  Hawkins. 


1890-94      John  M.  Boyer. 
1894-1902  Wm.  E.  Hawthorne. 
1902-10       George  W.  Hunt. 
1910  Walter  A.  Paxson. 


RANDOLPH  COUNTY. 


1865-69  John  A.  Malone. 

1869-73  R.  P.  Thompson. 

1873-77  P.  N.  Holm. 

1877-82  Robert  M.  Spurgeon. 

1882-86  S.  B.  Hood. 


1886-90      John  W.  Hood. 
1890-94       George  L.  Riess. 
1894-1902  Sidney  A.  McKelvey. 
1902-10       Maurice  A.  Mudd. 
1910  W.  F.  Stine. 


RICHLAND  COUNTY. 


1865-67      Wm.  H.  WilHamson. 
1867-73      John  C.  Scott. 
1873-82      J.  C.  Coons. 
1882-1906  R.  N.  Stotler. 


1865-69  Wm.  H.  Gest. 

1869-82  M.  M.  Sturgeon. 

1882-90  James  H.  Southwell. 

1890-94  Charles  B.  Marshall. 


1865-73  F.  F.  Johnson. 

1873-77  B.  L.  Hall. 

1877-82  W.  S.  Blackman. 

1882-86  George  B.  Parsons. 


(Removed.) 


1906-08 
1908-10 
1910 


Harry  T.  Dewhirst. 
Elmer  Van  Arsdall. 
Elmer  Van  Arsdall. 


ROCK  ISLAND  COUNTY. 


1894-98       Elliott  B.  McKeever. 
1898-1910  S.  J.  Ferguson. 
1910  S.  J.  Ferguson. 


SALINE  COUNTY. 


1886-98       James  E.  Jobe. 
1898-1906  Lewis  E.  York. 
1906-10       R.  E.  Rhine. 
1910  R.  E.  Rhine. 


1865-1869 
1869-1873 
1873-1882 
1882-1886 
1886-1890 
1890-1892 


1865-1869 
1869-1873 
1873-1877 
1877-1886 
1886-1894 


O.  S.  Webster. 
Warren  Burgett. 
P.  J.  Rourke. 
Adoniram  J.  Smith. 
Andrew  M.  Brooks. 
Noel  B.  Hannan. 


Jesse  C.  Fox. 
J.  R.  Neill. 
William  A.  Clark. 
Henry  H.  Foley. 
D.  Marion  Stover. 


SANGAMON  COUNTY. 

1892-1894 
1894-1898 
1898-1906 
1906-1910 
1910 


SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 

1894-1898 
1898-1902 
1902-1906 
1906-1910 
1910 


Annie  R.  Hannan. 
Andrew  M.  Brooks. 
Charles  Van  Dom. 
Edgar  C.  Pruitt. 
Edgar  C.  Pruitt. 


Joseph  G.  Maroe. 
L.  J.  McCreery. 
J.  Rollo  Black. 
L.  J.  McCreery. 
George  R.  Hermetet. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


207 


SCOTT  COUNTY. 


1865-69 

James     R.     Haggard.     (Resigned 

March  9,  1869.) 

Wm.  T.  Collins,  completed  term, 

1869-73 

James  Callan. 

1873-77 

Rufus  Funk. 

1877-82 

Jackson  Carpenter, 

1882-86 

George  W.  Dixon, 

1865-69 

A.  T.  Hall. 

1869-73 

Enoch  A.  McGrew. 

(Vice  A.  T.  Hall,  Deceased.) 

1873-77 

John  Stapleton. 

1877-82 

H.  S.  Mouser. 

1886-90       Nathan  R.  Smithson. 
1890-98       Morgan  B.  Ballard. 
1898-99       Harvey  E.  Leib. 
1899-1906  Elmer  F.  Walker. 
1906-10      John  C.  Moore. 
1910  John  C.  Moore. 


1882-86      Wm.  Marschutz, 
1886-94       Milton  Barbre. 
1894-1902  J.  A.  Montgomery. 
1902-10       Charles  M.  Fleming. 
1910  Lee  W.  Frazer. 


1865-73  B.  G.  Hall. 

1873-77  A.  B.  Abbott. 

1877-82  AmeHa  L.  Halsey. 

1882-98  Wm.  R.  Sandham. 


STARK  COUNTY. 


1898-1902  George  0.  Frank. 
1902-06       Mrs.  M.  P.  Edmunds. 
1906-10       George  C.  Baker. 
1910  George  C.  Baker. 


ST.  CLAIR  COUNTY. 


1865-73  James  P.  Slade. 

1873-75  *John  B.  Gwillem. 

1875-77  James  P.  Slade.     (Appointed.) 

1877-82  James  McQailkin. 


1882-86       Emil  Dapprich. 
1886-94       Charles  Cannady. 
1894-1910  Charles  Hertel. 
1910  Wm.  A.  Hough. 


1865-69  Alfred  A.  Crary. 

1869-73  Issac  F.  Kleckner. 

1873-77  Johnson  Potter. 

1877-86  A.  A.  Kraps. 


STEPHENSON  COUNTY. 


1886-94       P.  O.  Stiver. 
1894-1902  Robert  W.  Burton. 
1902-10       Cyrus  Grove. 
1910  Cyrus  Grove. 


TAZEWELL  COUNTY. 


1865-73  S.  K.  Hatfield. 

1873-77  M.  E.  Pomfret. 

1877-86  B.  C.  Allensworth. 

1886-94  D.  B.  Pittsford. 

1894-95  Wm.  R.  Lackland. 


1865-69  Hugh  Andrews. 

1869-73  P.  H.  Kroh. 

1873-77  Joseph  H.  Samson. 

1877-80  David.  W.  Karraker. 

1880-82  Wm.  C.  Rich,  Jr. 

1882-86  Jos.  H.  Samson. 


1895-98       John  L.  Boling. 
1898-1906  W.  P.  Mavity. 
1906-10       A.  M.  Wells. 
1910  Ben.  L.  Smith. 


UNION  COUNTY. 


1886-90  Oliver  P.  Baggott. 

1890-94  Joseph  Gray. 

1894-1902  George  Barringer. 

1902-10  Wilham  O.  Brown. 

1910  William  0.  Brown. 


"Deceased. 


208 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


1865-68  Philip  D.  Hammond. 

1868-73  J.  W.  Parker. 

1873-82  Charles  V.  Guy. 

1882-90  John  D.  Benedict. 


VERMILION  COUNTY. 

(Removed.)  1890-98       Lin.  H.  Griffith. 

1898-1906  Ralph  B.  Holmes. 
1906-10       W.  Y.  Ludwig. 
1910  Otis  P.  Haworth. 


1865-82       Lames  Leeds. 
1882-90      Alfred  P.  Manly. 
1890-1902  J.  E.  Ramsey. 


WABASH  COUNTY. 

1902-06 
1906-10 
1910 


A.  E.  Smith. 
S.  A.  Mayne. 
S.  A.  Mavne. 


1865-69  James  I.  Wilson. 

1869-77  J.  B.  Donnell. 

1877-82  Mrs.  M.  E.  Watt. 

1882-86  Margaret  L.  Wiley. 

1886-90  John  S.  Cannon. 


1865-73  A.  C.  Hillman. 

1873-77  Samuel  C.  Page. 

1877-82  J.  W.  Hudson. 

1882-90  Wm.  L.  Martin. 

1890-94  Lucillus  H.  Carson. 


WARREN  COUNTY. 

1890-94 
1894-02 
1902-10 
1910 


Mrs.  Helen  M.  Rupp. 
Mary  E.  Sykes. 
John  D.  Regan. 
John  D.  Regan. 


WASHINGTON  COUNTY. 

1894-98 
1898-02 
1902-06 
1906-10 
1910 


Robert  Pence. 
Jesse  T.  Gibbs. 
C.  L.  Edwards. 
Robert  Pence. 
Robert  Pence. 


1865-69  John  B.  Mabry. 

1869-73  W.  A.  Vernon. 

1873-77  F.  M.  Woodland. 

1877-82  B.  F.  Meeks. 

1882-86  Zephania  B.  West. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 

1886-94 
1894-02 
1902-06 
1906-10 
1910 


James  H.  Kramer. 
John  L.  Young. 
J.  W.  Templeman. 
W.  G.  Cisne. 
W.  G.  Cisne. 


WHITE  COUNTY. 


1865-69  Charles  E.  M.  Lowell. 

1869-73  J.  I.  McClintock. 

1873-77  A.  S.  Harsha. 

1877-86  J.  I.  McClintock. 

1886-90  Commodore  P.  White. 


1865-69  Michael  B.  Kelly. 

1869-73  M.  W.  Smith. 

1873-77  O.  M.  Crary. 

1877-82  George  C.  Loomis. 


1890-98       Thomas  B.  Fuller. 
1898-1906  Everett  McCalister. 
1906-10      Volney  W.  Smith. 
1910  Volney  W.  Smith. 


WHITESIDE   COUNTY. 


1882-90       B.  F.  Hendricks. 
1890-1902  Wm.  J.  Johnston. 
1902-10       B.  F.  Hendricks. 
1910  B.  F.  Hendricks. 


1865-69  Dwight  Haven. 

1869-73  S.  O.  Simonds. 

1873-77  Sarah  C.  Mcintosh. 

1877-82  J.  F.  Perry. 


WILL  COUNTY. 


1882-86      John  McKearnan. 
1886-1910  W.  H.  Nevens.  ^ 
1910  W.  H.  Nevens.  ' 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

WILLIAMSON  COUNTY. 


209 


1865-69  David  G.  Young. 

1869-77  Augustus  N.  Lodge. 

1877-82  J.  M.  Fowler. 

1882-90  John  H.  Duncan. 


1890-98 

T.  J.  Youngblood. 

1898-02 

Monroe  M.  Swan. 

1902-10 

R.  0.  Clarida. 

1910 

R.  0.  Clarida. 

WINNEBAGO  COUNTY. 


1865-73       Archibald  Andrew. 
1873-82       Mrs.  M.  L.  Carpenter. 
1882-98       C.  J.  Kinnie. 


1865-69  Joseph  M.  Clark. 

1869-77  Wm.  H.  Gardner. 

1877-82  J.  E.  Lamb. 

1882-90  James  Kirk. 

1890-94  Lyon  Karr. 


1898-1910  O.  J.  Kern. 
1910  O.  J.  Kern. 


WOODFORD  COUNTY. 


1894-98  John  F.  Sparks. 

1898-06  W.  J.  Whetzel. 

1906-10  Fred  H.  Doeden. 

1910  Rov  L.  Moore. 


Township  Trustees. 


The  first  mention  of  these  famihar  school  officers  was  in  an  act  of  the  first  legis- 
lature. It  decreed  that  the  county  commissioners  should  appoint  three  trustees 
for  each  township  and  that  these  trustees  should  lay  out  the  sixteenth  section  in 
lots  of  not  less  than  forty  and  not  more  than  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  with 
timber  reservations  for  the  use  of  all  of  the  lessees  in  common.  This  was  about 
the  only  action  of  a  general  character  that  related  to  education  that  was  enacted 
by  that  body. 

,  The  first  school  law  in  the  State  was  approved  January  16,  1825.  Section  18 
mentions  the  township  trustees  in  the  following  connection:  "Be  it  further  enacted, 
That  the  rents  arising  from  the  school  lands  in  each  township  shall  be  collected  by 
the  trustees  of  such  lands,  and  divided  by  them  among  such  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  township  as  shall  have  contributed  by  tax,  subscription,  or  otherwise,  for  the 
support  of  a  common  school  in  or  near  such  township,  for  at  least  three  months 
within  the  last  twelve  months  preceding  the  time  of  making  such  dividend:  Pro- 
vided, that  such  rents  shall  be  divided  among  the  inhabitants  aforesaid,  in  propor- 
tion to  the  sums  contributed  by  them  to  the  support  of  such  common  schools." 

There  is  liability  to  confusion  in  referring  to  the  status  of  trustees  at  this  time, 
for  what  are  now  familiarly  known  as  school  directors  were,  as  we  shall  see,  designated 
as  trustees. 

The  law  of  1841  made  it  the  duty  of  the  county  commissioners  of  each  county  to 
apjjoint  three  trustees  in  each  township  for  a  term  of  four  years.  It  will  be  seen 
that  their  powers  are  greatly  enlarged.  They  were  to  appoint  a  treasurer  who  should 
also  be  their  clerk.  They  were  to  be  the  legal  custodians  of  all  real  estate,  personal 
property  or  money  belonging  to  the  township.  All  moneys  coming  into  their  hands 
were  to  be  turned  over  to  the  school  commissioners  of  their  respective  counties  to 
be  applied  to  the  support  of  schools.  They  were  also  to  protect  all  school  lands 
against  trespass.     These  lands  were  especially  liable  to  be  despoiled  of  whatever 

14 


210  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

timber  was  upon  them.  In  those  early  days  the  settlers  were  not  especially  careful 
as  to  where  they  went  for  their  fuel.  The  writer  of  these  lines  was  a  frequent  obser- 
ver of  the  method  of  procuring  wood  for  the  kitchen  and  the  sitting  room.  The  head 
of  the  family  started  out  with  his  team  and  his  ax  and  his  gun.  The  latter  was  for 
the  chance  game  that  was  more  than  likely  to  cross  his  path  and  the  ax  was  for  the 
first  likely  prospect  in  the  way  of  fallen  timber,  or,  in  lieu  of  its  scarcity,  the  standing 
timber  would  answer,  with  no  question  as  to  where  the  title  of  the  land  might  be 
vested.  If  school  lands  were  well  clothed  with  trees  they  were  regarded  as  a  com- 
mon field  and  little  was  said  about  trespassers. 

The  fifth  division  of  the  law  provided  for  the  incorporation  of  townships.  The 
township  trustees  appointed  by  the  county  commissioners  were  to  call  and  hold  an 
election  upon  the  question  of  the  incorporation  of  the  township.  If  the  result  of 
the  election  were  favorable  to  the  organization,  five  trustees  were  elected  as  successors 
to  the  trustees  of  school  lands.  They  were  called  "Trustees  of  Schools,"  and  had 
general  charge  of  the  schools  of  the  township.  They  were  the  first  examiners  of  the 
teachers,  or,  if  they  preferred,  they  could  have  them  examined,  and  they  had  the 
authority  to  grant  certificates  if  the  candidates  were  found  competent.  The  exam- 
inations were  not  characterized  by  any  especial  thoroughness ;  if  they  had  been  there 
would  have  been  few  teachers  for  the  schools.  vSuch  certificates  were  necessary  to 
draw  the  public  money. 

In  1845  the  trustees  were  relieved  of  the  duties  of  examining  and  licensing  teachers, 
that  duty  being  conferred  upon  the  common  school  commissioner.  The  trustees 
were  authorized  to  pvirchase  school  libraries  and  real  estate  for  schoolhouses. 

In  1865  the  law  was  so  amended  as  to  require  the  election  of  three  trustees  for  a 
term  of  three  years.  After  the  first  election  they  were  to  draw  lots  for  the  respective 
terms  of  one,  two  and  three  years.  Subsequently  the  election  of  one  trustee  occurred 
each  year.  From  that  time  until  the  present  there  have  been  no-  changes  that 
altered  the  plan  of  three  trustees  having  a  tenure  of  three  years  and  with  the  annual 
election  of  one. 

School  Directors  and  Teachers. 

As  has  been  stated,  the  first  schools  were  subscription  schools.  Some  enter- 
prising parent,  who  could  not  endure  the  thought  of  having  his  children  grow  up 
in  ignorance,  would  discover  some  person  who  was  regarded  as  competent  to  conduct 
a  school,  and  he  would  secure  the  co-operation  of  enough  of  his  neighbors  to  compen- 
sate the  teacher  for  his  work.  Occasionally  there  would  be  a  farmer's  wife  of  suffi- 
cient intelligence  to  teach  the  younger  pupils,  and  she  would  convert  her  house  into 
a  schoolroom  and  turn  an  honest  penny  by  a  moderate  tuition  charge.  The  writer 
well  remembers  such  an  instance  in  central  Illinois,  in  the  early  fifties,  before  the 
passage  of  the  law  of  1855.  She  had  children  of  her  own  that  were  in  need  of  instruc- 
tion and  but  few  more  were  needed  to  make  a  school.  It  was  by  no  means  an  unknown 
event  for  the  larger  boys  to  be  excused  from  school  to  aid  in  fighting  prairie  fires 
when  the  farms  were  threatened  in  the  fall.  One  has  but  to  remember  that  the 
grass  in  the  low  grounds  often  grew  to  a  height  that  puzzled  a  youngster  to  reach 
the  top  even  though  on  horseback,  and  that  the  late  summer  was  dry  and  converted 
the  abundant  herbage  into  extremely  combustible  material.     When  such  a  mass  of 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  211 

inflammable  stuff  was  once  ignited  and  a  lively  wind  pushed  it  along  it  made  short 
work  of  traversing  a  mile  or  two.  A  small  but  resolute  lad  could  do  a  fine  job  of 
counterfiring,  if  he  had  the  pluck  and  the  energy,  and  more  than  one  young  fellow 
earned  local  distinction  by  his  achievements.  When  once  the  fire  was  out  or  the 
farmer's  crops  went  up  in  smoke  the  school  session  resumed  its  customary  routine. 
The  pioneer  was  ready  for  all  experiences  and  spent  no  time  in  needless  lamentations. 

But  the  school  fund  was  never  forgotten,  and  the  income  was  early  sought  to 
assist  the  early  settler  to  bear  the  burden  of  education.  For  there  was  little  money 
among  the  people.  Indeed,  so  scarce  was  that  quite  necessary  commodit}^  that  the 
payment  of  the  annual  taxes,  small  as  they  were,  was  often  a  hardship  to  people 
who  had  an  abundance  of  land  and  very  little  ready  cash. 

By  turning  to  the  law  of  1825  it  will  be  seen  that  Section  1  declared  "  That 
there  shall  be  established  a  common  school  or  schools  in  each  of  the  counties  of  the 
State  (for  white  children  only).  Section  2  made  it  the  duty  of  the  county  commis- 
sioners' court  to  form  school  districts,  when  properly  petitioned,  with  the  limitation 
that  there  must  be  at  least  fifteen  families  in  each  district.  Section  3  authorized 
the  election,  in  each  district,  of  three  trustees,  a  clerk,  a  treasurer,  an  assessor,  and 
a  collector.  This  gave  an  organization  for  the  management  of  a  school.  Every 
officer  so  elected  was  expected  to  do  his  duty,  and  if  he  declined  to  serve  his  con- 
stituents he  was  duly  fined. 

But  the  money  for  the  support  of  the  schools — -how  was  that  to  be  secured? 
The  law  of  1825  authorized  the  levying  of  a  tax  for  educational  purposes.  It  was 
not  to  exceed  one-half  per  cent  and  could  be  paid  in  cash  or  in  merchantable  produce. 
The  amount  was  determined  by  a  mass  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  district. 
Then  there  was  the  income  from  the  State  funds  or  the  township  funds,  and  this 
was  to  be  paid  to  the  treasurer  and  that  furnished  additional  help. 

But  there  must  be  a  schoolhouse.  This  fact  did  not  present  a  serious  problem. 
The  people  generally  dwelt  in  the  groves  or  in  the  timbered  belt  near  a  stream  and 
a  log  house  could  be  erected  at  a  "bee,"  organized  for  that  purpose.  Or  a  school- 
house  could  be  built  by  the  proceeds  of  a  tax  voted  at  the  district  mass  meeting. 

But  the  law  of  1825,  with  its  section  permitting  taxation,  was  very  obnoxious 
to  many  and  was  soon  repealed,  and  the  schools  were  remanded  to  the  old  method 
of  support  —  a  rate  bill  and  the  income  from  the  State  fund.  But  the  teacher 
could  not  participate  in  the  income  from  the  fund  unless  there  were  legally  consti- 
tuted authorities  to  get  possession  of  it.  The  law  of  1833  provided  the  following 
manner  of  procedure:  A  teacher  who  has  been  employed  by  a  number  of  parents 
to  conduct  a  school  calls  his  employers  together  within  a  month  after  the  beginning 
of  the  school.  The  employers  select  three  trustees  to  take  charge  of  the  school 
until  the  succeeding  November,  when  they  retire  and  are  succeeded  by  three  others 
similarly  chosen.  When  the  teacher  has  completed  his  school  he  submits  a  schedule, 
certified  to  by  the  trustees  or  by  five  of  his  employers,  to  the  county  commissioner 
of  school  lands,  who  was  then  authorized  to  permit  the  teacher  to  share  in  the  distri- 
bution of  the  income  from  the  fund,  if  happily  there  should  be  such  an  income. 

In  1841  there  was  an  attempt  to  make  a  school  law,  but  the  General  Assembly 
could  not  get  itself  up  to  the  sticking  point  on  the  question  of  local  taxation.     It 


212  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

authorized  associations  to  purchase  not  more  than  ten  acres  and  to  build  a  school- 
house  and  vest  the  title  in  the  trustees.  It  also  provided  that  the  teachers  should 
share  equally  in  the  funds,  but  that  no  one  should  receive  more  than  the  contract 
price.  It  reenacted  the  provisions  respecting  the  organization  of  school  districts, 
and  that  the  employers  of  a  teacher  should  meet  within  ten  days  after  the  beginning 
of  the  school  and  elect  three  trustees  to  take  charge  of  the  school.  If  the  school 
should  last  more  than  one  year,  there  must  be  a  second  election  of  trustees.  The 
teacher  was  required  to  keep  a  schedule,  and  the  trustees  were  required  to  certify 
to  its  accuracy  and  to  the  amount  due  the  teacher.  The  funds  were  payable  half- 
yearly.  If  the  township  were  not  incorporated,  the  schedule  went  to  the  commissioners 
of  schools ;  otherwise,  to  the  township  treasurer.  If  the  trustees  should  fail  to  certify 
to  the  schedule,  five  employers  were  authorized  to  do  so. 

The  subsequent  history  of  the  school-director  element  in  our  law  is  brief.  The 
law  of  1855  provided  for  the  election  of  three  directors  biennially  on  the  first  Monday 
of  October.  Subsequently  the  term  was  extended  to  three  years  with  the  annual 
election  of  one  member  of  the  board.  This  arrangement  seems  to  have  met  the 
approval  of  the  people,  for  it  has  continued  to  the  present. 

The  Teacher. 

For  convenience  of  reference  there  is  here  presented  in  brief  the  evolution  of  the 
present  method  of  employment  and  of  the  determination  of  the  qualifications  of  the 
teachers. 

As  has  been  said,  the  first  teachers  conducted  substantially  what  were  formerly 
called  "select"  schools.  They  were  maintained  by  a  tuition  fee.  By  the  law  of 
1825  they  were  enabled  to  participate  in  the  income  from  school  funds,  as  has  been 
shown  in  the  foregoing  pages.  The  law  provided  for  public  taxation  and  set  aside 
for  educational  purposes  two  per  cent  of  the  income  of  the  State.  Certain  officials 
were  necessary  to  determine  the  qualifications  of  teachers,  for  if  they  are  to  receive 
public  money  the  public  has  a  right  to  know  that  they  are  qualified  to  perform  the 
duties  of  the  position  which  receives  the  money.  In  consequence  the  law  provided 
for  their  election.  The  county  commissioners'  court  formed  school  districts  if  peti- 
tioned legally.  The  legal  voters  then  elected  three  trustees  and  certain  other  officers. 
It  was  the  duty  of  these  trustees  to  superintend  the  schools  within  their  respective 
districts,  and  to  examine  and  employ  the  teachers. 

By  the  law  of  1833,  many  of  the  sections  of  the  law  of  1825  having  been  repealed, 
a  teacher  could  call  together  the  people  who  had  employed  him,  in  unorganized 
districts,  and  they  could  elect  directors  who  were  authorized  to  pay  him. 

By  the  law  of  1845,  it  was  made  the  duty  of  employers  in  unorganized  districts 
to  meet  ten  days  after  the  beginning  of  the  school  and  elect  three  trustees  to  manage 
the  schools.  A  new  set  was  to  be  elected  each  year.  It  was  now  the  duty  of  the 
school  commissioner  to  examine  the  teachers.  The  law  required  a  knowledge  of 
reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  grammar,  geography  and  history  of  the  United  States. 
Spelling  seems  to  have  been  disregarded.  It  was  soon  discovered  that  these  require- 
ments were  too  severe,  and  many  of  the  districts  lost  their  share  of  the  fund  on  account 
of  the  impossibility  of  securing  legally  qualified  teachers.     In  1847  the  law  was  so 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  213 

amended  as  to  permit  candidates  to  indicate  the  subjects  which  they  regarded  them- 
selves as  able  to  teach  and  to  be  examined  in  these  electives. 

In  1849  the  qualifications  formerly  required  were  reenacted  but  were  not  enforced 
if  the  school  trustees  or  directors  did  not  require  it. 

By  the  law  of  1855  the  teacher  was  examined  by  the  county  commissioner  of 
schools  and  could  not  draw  public  funds  without  a  certificate.  The  certificates 
were  all  of  one  grade  and  were  good  for  two  years.  The  subject  of  spelling  was 
added  to  those  already  designated.  We  have  seen  how  there  were  subsequently 
three  grades  of  certificates  and  how  at  last  the  number  was  reduced  to  two  for  coun- 
ties and  how  the  State  certificate  law  was  enacted. 


214  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  NORMAL  SCHOOL. 

Illinois  State  Normal  University. 

WHEN  Mr.  Hovey  left  for  the  front  the  board  selected  Perkins  Bass,  of 
Chicago,  a  member  of  the  board  and  a  practicing  attorney,  to  hold  the 
school  together  as  well  as  he  might  while  the  teachers'  committee  went  out 
on  a  search  for  a  principal.  Fortunately  the  right  man  was  not  far  away.  Some 
five  years  before,  Richard  Edwards  had  been  enticed  from  the  principalship  of  the 
Salem,  Massachusetts,  Normal  School  to  come  west  and  take  charge  of  the  St.  Louis 
City  Normal  School.  In  September,  1862,  he  became  the  president  of  the  Illinois 
State  Normal  University  and  remained  in  that  position  until  December  31,  1875. 
It  is  not  easy  to  write  in  terms  of  moderation  of  this  remarkable  man.  He  was  a 
most  highly  accomplished  teacher,  and  in  his  spirit  was  one  of  the  old  crusaders, 
fired  with  a  wonderful  enthusiasm  for  popular  education.  In  another  part  of  this 
volume  will  be  found  a  sketch  of  his  career.  He  carried  the  school  through  the  days 
of  hard  things,  and  when  he  left  it  there  was  no  longer  fear  that  its  future  was  in 
doubt,  with  the  exception  of  the  legal  complication  already  referred  to. 

Dr.  Edwards  was  succeeded  by  Edwin  C.  Hewett,  whose  early  connection  with 
the  school  has  been  mentioned.  He  retired  from  the  presidency  in  June,  1890,  and 
was  succeeded  by  John  W.  Cook,  a  graduate  of  the  institution  and  for  twenty-four 
years  previous  to  his  election  a  member  of  the  faculty.  In  1899  a  new  Normal 
School  movement  was  on  and  he  became  the  president  of  the  Northern  Illinois  State 
Normal  School,  at  DeKalb. 

Mr.  Cook  was  succeeded  by  Arnold  Tompkins,  who  remained  but  one  year, 
leaving  to  accept  the  principalship  of  the  Chicago  Normal  School.  His  successor 
was  David  Felmley,  who  had  been  for  ten  years  in  charge  of  the  department  of 
mathematics. 

There  was  no  material  addition  to  the  equipment  of  the  institution  until  1891, 
when  a  training-school  building  was  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  the  practice 
school.  In  1895  the  library  building  and  gymnasium  was  begun  and  was  completed 
two  years  later.  In  1907  the  most  significant  addition  to  the  facilities  of  the  school 
was  achieved  in  the  erection  of  the  fine  Manual  Arts  Building. 

On  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  school  a  "Jubilee  History" 
was  published,  which  entered  into  details  in  a  most  interesting  way.  A  similar 
history  was  published  at  the  end  of  the  twenty-fifth  year.  As  these  volumes  are 
available  for  the  use  of  the  curious  with  regard  to  the  inner  history  of  the  institution 
many  interesting  details  are  omitted  here. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  215 

As  the  school  long  had  a  reputation  for  thoroughness  of  instruction  some  explana- 
tion of  that  phenomenon  should  be  offered.  It  is  distinctly  traceable  to  the  influence 
of  Nicholas  Tillinghast,  principal  of  the  State  Normal  School,  at  Bridgewater, 
Massachusetts.  Mr.  Tillinghast  was  a  graduate  of  the  United  States  Military 
Academy,  at  West  Point.  That  institution  has  always  had  a  reputation  for  extremely 
rigorous  scholastic  discipline.  He  imbibed  a  large  part  of  the  school  spirit  and  car- 
ried it  to  Bridgewater.  Among  his  pupils  there  were  Richard  Edwards,  Edwin  C. 
Hewett,  Thomas  Metcalf  and  Albert  Stetson.  These  men  were  sensitive  to  the 
influence  that  the  character  of  their  principal  exerted  upon  those  about  him.  It 
has  been  stated  that  Mr.  Hewett  came  in  1858;  in  consequence,  the  leaven  of  his 
most  rigorous  methods  had  been  doing  its  work  for  four  years  when  Mr.  Edwards 
came.  He  brought  with  him  from  St.  Louis  another  of  the  Bridgewater  men,  Thomas 
Metcalf,  who  is  reverently  remembered  as  a  saint  of  God.  He  combined  with  the 
most  exacting  demands  of  scholarship  a  beauty  of  character  that  produced  the  pro- 
foundest  impression  upon  those  with  whom  he  was  associated.  Albert  Stetson 
contributed  also  to  the  same  general  effect  in  his  own  way.  All  of  these  men  remained 
with  the  school  for  many  years.  The  aggregate  of  their  services  was  more  than  a 
full  century.  Further,  several  of  their  pupils  became  teachers  in  the  school,  the  sum 
total  of  their  contribution  being  more  than  another  century.  Those  who  were 
longest  there  were  John  W.  Cook,  thirty- three  years,  and  Henry  McCormick,  who 
is  now  (1911)  completing  his  forty-second  year.  Further,  the  present  president, 
who  came  to  the  school  to  succeed  Mr.  Cook  in  the  chair  of  mathematics  when  the 
latter  became  president,  is  of  the  same  mold,  and  it  could  not  be  otherwise  than 
that  the  old  spirit  would  have  strong  tendency  to  survive. 

The  following  paragraph,  from  an  unpublished  manuscript  of  the  Bureau  of  Educa- 
tion, prepared  by  President  Felmley,  treats  of  one  of  the  later  periods  of  the  school : 

"  The  period  1888-95  saw  many  significant  changes  in  the  life  of  the  institution. 
Buel  P.  Colton,  who  had  studied  biology  at  Johns  Hopkins  University  under  pupils 
of  Huxley,  introduced  his  methods  into  the  department  of  science.  In  the  same 
year  Charles  De  Garmo  returned  to  the  institution  after  three  years  of  philosophy 
and  pedagogy  at  Halle  and  Yena.  Several  of  the  faculty  became  interested  in 
German  thought  and  met  weekly  in  a  philosophy  club  under  the  leadership  of  George 
P.  Brown.  In  1890  John  W.  Cook  became  president.  Himself  the  product  of  the 
old  spirit,  for  he  had  been  with  the  institution  for  twenty-seven  years,  he  saw  its 
limitations  as  well  as  its  power,  and  soon  with  characteristic  energy  began  to 
strengthen  the  school.  The  training  department  received  his  first  attention.  A 
new  building  was  erected.  Frank  McMurry,  Charles  McMurry,  and  C.  C.  Van 
Liew,  all  of  whom  had  studied  with  Dr.  Rein,  at  Yena,  came  into  the  department 
of  pedagogy  and  practice.  The  courses  in  psychology  and  pedagogy  were  modified. 
The  elementary  course  in  the  model  school  was  reorganized  along  Herbartian  lines; 
three  critic  teachers  were  employed,  besides  paid  student  assistants  to  care  for  the 
various  schoolrooms.  The  various  departmental  and  society  libraries  were  con- 
solidated and  placed  in  the  charge  of  a  regular  librarian;  instruction  in  physical 
training  was  provided,  and  in  1895  a  beautiful  fireproof  building  was  erected  to 
contain  gymnasium,  library,  museum  and  scientific  laboratories." 


216  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

With  regard  to  the  work  of  President  Tompkins,  President  Felmley  adds  the 
following:  "  He  had  been  a  student  and  teacher  in  the  Indiana  State  Normal  School 
at  Terre  Haute,  and  had  later  won  distinction  as  an  educational  writer  and  lecturer 
of  rare  power.  After  a  single  year  he  accepted  the  principalship  of  the  Chicago 
Normal  School.  The  most  significant  event  of  his  administration  was  a  thorough- 
going revision  of  the  course  of  study,  adapting  it  to  the  varying  needs  of  different 
grades  of  students  and  providing  various  elective  courses  for  the  training  of  special 
teachers.  In  the  reorganization  of  the  training  department  the  instructor  in  the 
method  of  the  recitation  was  made  the  supervisor  of  practice  and  eight  critic  teachers 
were  provided  for  the  eight  grades  of  the  model  school." 

With  the  accession  of  President  Felmley  there  began  a  new  extension  of  the 
institution  in  all  directions.  The  school  work  became  substantially  continuous 
throughout  the  year.  A  beautiful  new  building  was  erected  for  the  uses  of  the 
manual  arts  department  and  some  of  the  sciences,  and  which  also  included  a  fine 
auditorium  equipped  with  a  pipe  organ.  At  this  writing  the  institution  is  highly 
prosperous  and  is  about  to  enter  upon  wider  expansion  under  the  leadership  of  its 
singularly  capable  president. 

The  historian  can  not  forbear  making  certain  extracts  from  the  Jubilee  History 
of  the  school,  to  which  the  curious  reader  is  referred  for  fuller  statements.  As  it 
is  not  convenient  to  make  these  quotations  in  the  sequence  in  which  they  appear, 
full  credit  is  hereby  given  to  the  volume  for  the  substance  of  what  appears  in  this 
immediate  connection. 

A  remarkable  fact  in  the  history  of  the  institution  is  the  long  service  rendered 
by  several  of  the  teachers  as  well  as  by  the  members  of  the  Board  of  Education  of 
the  State  of  Illinois,  the  governing  body  of  the  school.  Edwin  C.  Hewett  became 
a  teacher  in  the  school  in  1858  and  retired  in  1890,  being  absent  on  leave  for  one 
year.  He  was  thus  a  teacher  in  the  institution  for  thirty-one  years-,  fourteen  and 
a  half  of  which  he  was  acting  president  and  president.  Thomas  Metcalf  began  in 
1862  and  retired  in  1894  after  a  continuous  service  of  thirty-two  years.  John  W. 
Cook  began  in  1866  and  retired  to  accept  the  presidency  of  the  Northern  Illinois 
State  Normal  School  after  a  continuous  service  of  thirty- three  years,  nine  of  which 
he  was  president.  But  the  supreme  patriarch  of  the  school  is  Henry  McCormick, 
who  entered  the  school  as  a  teacher  in  1869  and  has  been  connected  continuously 
with  it  in  that  capacity  until  the  time  of  this  writing,  November,  1911.  He  has  a 
record  of  something  more  than  forty- two  years. 

Dr.  Hewett  did  not  engage  in  other  work  after  his  retirement  from  the  school. 
He  was  a  highly  significant  factor  in  the  educational  work  of  the  State  and  merits 
far  more  attention  than  the  limitations  of  space  will  here  permit.  The  biographical 
sketch  from  which  the  following  extracts  were  taken  was  prepared  for  the  Jubilee 
History  by  John  W.  Cook. 

Edwin  C.  Hewett  was  bom  in  East  Douglas,  Massachusetts,  on  November  1, 
1828.  His  parents  were  frugal,  industrious,  resolute,  liberty-loving.  God-fearing 
people.     His  Puritan  ancestry  was  the  dominating  energy  of  his  interesting  life. 

At  thirteen  he  was  learning  a  trade  on  the  bench  of  a  journeyman  shoemaker. 
But  the  school  was  dear  to  the  Puritan  heart  and  labor  was  made  to  yield  a  place 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  217 

to  learning.  So  to  the  common  school  he  went  and  later  to  the  local  academy.  At 
twenty-one  he  became  a  teacher  at  $13  a  month.  Soon  dissatisfied  with  his  meager 
attainments  he  entered  the  Bridgewater  State  Normal  School;  this  was  in  March, 
1851.  The  course  was  brief,  but  he  was  mature  enough  to  make  the  most  of  it.  The 
rigid  methods  and  sterling  character  of  Nicholas  Tillinghast  exactly  fitted  into  his 
half-conscious  scheme  of  life.  There  he  also  found  Richard  Edwards,  that  ardent 
enthusiast,  with  a  prophet's  zeal  for  popular  education,  who  was  acting  as  assistant 
to  the  principal.  They  were  to  meet  again  in  the  new  west  eleven  years  later.  These 
influences  wrought  mightily  upon  this  earnest  poet-Puritan,  with  his  surface  play 
of  wit  and  anecdote,  and  with  a  background  colored  with  a  disposition  toward  a 
tender  melancholy. 

After  completing  the  course  he  was  engaged  as  assistant  at  the  high  school,  in 
Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  but  was  recalled  to  Bridgewater  the  succeeding  year, 
where  he  remained  four  years,  intensifying,  in  its  congenial  atmosphere,  the  well- 
defined  features  of  his  marked  individuality.  A  more  liberal  salary  then  took  him 
to  a  Worcester  grammar  school ;  but  he  was  soon  to  have  a  wider  field  for  the  exercise 
of  his  rare  talents.  Charles  E.  Hovey,  the  principal  of  the  Normal  University  in 
Illinois,  tendered  him  a  place  in  the  faculty  of  that  institution,  and  there  he  went 
in  October,  1858,  and  was  installed  as  teacher  of  geography  and  history  —  a  position 
which  he  continued  to  hold  until  his  elevation  to  the  position  of  acting  president  in 
January,  1876.  He  was  made  president  the  following  June  and  served  in  that  capac- 
ity for  the  succeeding  fourteen  years. 

He  was  not  a  commanding  figure  physically,  usually  weighing  but  one  hundred 
and  twenty  pounds.  Although  his  figure  was  slight  it  was  symmetrical  and  was 
always  suggestive  of  great  intellectual  alertness  and  vigor.  He  was  of  the  nervous, 
highly  energetic  temperament.  He  possessed  great  industry  and  an  ox-like  patience 
for  the  working  out  of  details.  He  well  understood  his  physical  limitations,  how- 
ever, and  balked  with  a  most  interesting  obstinacy  when  he  felt  he  was  approaching 
them.  But  his  energy  so  happily  combined  with  his  industry  that  he  quite  invariably 
carried  his  plans  to  a  triumphant  success  whatever  may  have  been  the  opposition 
that  he  encountered. 

As  a  teacher  he  is  thoroughly  individualized  and  most  clearly  defined  by  the 
thousands  of  people  who  came  under  his  instruction.  He  had  no  neutral  tints. 
There  was  nothing  vague  or  uncertain  about  him  or  his  methods.  There  was  the 
most  transparent  intellectual  honesty.  He  was  on  the  hunt  for  truth.  No  one 
drew  the  line  more  sharply  between  what  he  held  tentatively  and  what  he  regarded 
as  settled.  There  is  no  better  characterization  of  his  intellectual  quality  than  to 
designate  him  as  "the  man  who  defines."  He  loved  a  fine  sincerity  of  speech  and 
sought  the  rugged  Saxon,  so  free  from  subtle  equivocation  and  so  familiar  to  the 
common  mind.  He  would  pare  his  sentences  until  they  were  like  a  row  of  bayonets, 
and  exhibited  a  delight  with  every  added  elimination  that  stripped  away  any  lurking 
ambiguity.  He  wanted  the  words  that  bear  their  meaning  on  their  faces  and  dis- 
dainfully discarded  the  ostentatious  polysyllable  for  the  terseness  of  monosyllabic 
speech  wherever  it  was  possible. 

Naturally  he  was  utterly  intolerant  of  anything  that  smacked  of  pretense  on  the 


218  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

part  of  the  pupil.  Nothing  else  so  excited  his  hot  indignation.  For  the  dull  but 
faithful  he  had  boundless  patience.  For  the  sharper  and  the  pretender  his  keen 
arrows  were  dipped  in  gall.  It  was  this  quality  that  explained  the  rigor  of  his  reci- 
tations. His  thoroughness  was  a  household  word.  His  pupils  always  held  them- 
selves higher  in  their  personal  regard  after  completing  his  work. 

Mr.  Hewett  never  made  the  slightest  attempt  to  win  popularity.  That  he  was 
not  indifferent  to  praise  was  an  indication  of  his  kinship  with  all  sane  men,  but  he 
simply  lost  sight  of  all  such  considerations  when  he  was  on  the  trail  of  truth.  He 
had  no  favorites  and  held  all  equally  responsible  for  intellectual  and  moral  results. 
And  he  was  never  effusive  in  his  praise.  He  who  won  more  than  quiet  approval 
was  rarely  fortunate.  "He  knows  what  he  is  about"  was  an  expression  of  quite 
extreme  commendation.  He  understood  the  great  force  of  understatement.  In 
consequence  of  these  qualities  his  influence  as  a  classroom  teacher  was  most  inspiring. 

He  came  to  the  acting  presidency  of  the  Normal  School  in  January,  1876,  upon 
the  retirement  of  President  Edwards.  His  crowning  merit  was  the  freedom  that  he 
permitted  to  his  subordinates.  While  he  was  not  then  in  very  warm  sympathy  with 
the  object  method  of  physical  science  —  declaring  that  the  imagination  could  furnish 
its  own  experiments  —  he  was  an  easy  convert  later  and  gave  cordial  support  to 
the  innovations.  While  he  was  very  uncompromising  where  his  mind  had  settled 
upon  convictions,  his  conclusions  were  for  himself;  he  never  imposed  them  upon 
another.  He  was  indisposed  to  change,  for  there  was  a  strong  element  of  conserva- 
tism in  his  nature ;  but  the  door  of  opportunity  was  open  to  his  subordinates,  and  he 
was  not  slow  to  recognize  whatever  of  good  came  out  of  the  excursions  which  they 
chose  to  make  into  the  field  of  experiment.  Colonel  Parker  was  fond  of  saying  that 
one  should  never  do  a  thing  twice  in  the  same  way,  while  Dr.  Hewett  was  rather 
disposed  to  seek  for  finalities  in  method,  something  upon  which  one  could  really 
rest  and  with  which  he  could  quench  his  wanderlust. 

I  have  said  that  he  was  not  averse  to  praise,  but  that  he  never  sought  it.  More 
should  be  said  of  this  phase  of  his  character.  He  was  always  ready  to  part  company 
with  the  world  and  walk  uncomplainingly  alone,  rather  than  to  swerve  in  the  slightest 
degree  from  what  he  considered  the  clear  leadings  of  truth  and  duty.  The  iron  of 
the  Puritan  was  in  his  blood.  He  would  not  go  with  the  crowd  unless  convinced 
that  the  crowd  was  right.  He  was  never  swept  away  by  any  sudden  enthusiasms. 
He  held  his  balance  with  the  closest  reserve  even  against  his  dearest  friends.  He 
invariably  considered  before  he  assented.  He  belonged  to  the  group  that  can  never 
be  accounted  "with  us,"  until  we  have  stated  our  case  and  it  has  commended  itself 
to  their  sober  judgment. 

He  never  wore  his  heart  upon  his  sleeve,  yet  he  was  thoroughly  sympathetic  and 
approachable,  for  he  was  one  of  the  simplest  of  men.  His  years  on  the  shoemaker's 
bench  had  joined  him  to  the  working  people.  There  was  no  student  so  humble  but 
found  ready  access  to  his  heart.  His  test  of  merit  was  substantial  worth  and  he  held 
all  other  distinctions  as  matters  of  supreme  indifference.  His  mind  centered  upon 
considerations  of  ultimate  value,  of  fundamental  and  abiding  consequence,  and  for 
them  he  looked  when  estimating  the  real  value  of  men  and  women.  He  was  a  trifle 
slow  in  making  friends,  but  he  rarely  lost  one.     It  is  really  strange  that  he  was  so 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  219 

tenderly  loved  by  so  many  and  he  so  little  given  to  expressions  of  affection.  After 
his  death,  Aaron  Gove,  so  long  the  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  of  Denver, 
said:  "  He  was  at  first  one  of  the  idols  of  my  young  manhood;  as  years  passed  and 
we  were  heart  to  heart,  I  loved  him.  Integrity,  watchfulness,  devotion  to  friends, 
independence  in  analysis,  a  sweet  confidant  and  an  absolutely  upright  man,  I  count 
his  going  as  a  personal  loss.  The  vacancy  can  never  be  filled  either  for  me  or  for 
the  world  in  which  he  lived."  The  gifted  ex-President  Sewall,  of  the  University 
of  Colorado,  wrote,  "He  was,  taking  him  all  in  all,  what  the  world  mosts  needs 
to-day,  and  what  the  world  mourns  when  such  a  one  is  gone  —  a  man,  a  nobleman. 
This  too  brief  statement  I  do  not  count  as  a  crown  to  wreathe  his  brow.  His  life- 
work  wrought  and  placed  the  crown.  I  humbly,  reverently  lay  this  tribute  at  his 
feet."  Dr.  Boy  den,  who  was  a  teacher  at  Bridgewater  when  Mr.  Hewett  entered 
the  school,  said  of  him,  "In  those  early  years  he  gave  full  assurance  of  the  richness 
and  fullness  of  his  subsequent  life.  He  has  been  a  great  blessing  to  many  lives; 
he  has  wrought  a  great  work;  his  life  is  a  great  legacy;  he  leaves  a  fragrant  memory 
that  shall  not  perish."  These  tributes  could  be  multiplied  from  the  words  of  many 
others. 

Socially  he  was  a  rare  companion.  He  loved  a  good  story,  w^as  a  consummate 
wit,  excelled  at  repartee,  and  was  able  to  hold  his  own  with  the  best  in  heightening 
the  merriment  of  an  occasion.  Yet,  withal,  he  was  a  lover  of  solitude.  The  little 
study  at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  barely  large  enough  for  his  choicest  books,  his  table, 
his  chair  and  his  quite  diminutive  self,  was  his  favorite  resort.  There  I  often  found 
him  as  I  entered,  an  unannounced  visitor.  There  he  read  and  rested,  and  it  was 
also  his  "  growlery  "  when  the  wind  was  east.  Withal,  he  had  a  poetic  temperament, 
and  there,  like  a  bird  in  a  leafy  covert,  that  sings  for  the  dear  delight  of  singing  and 
has  no  care  for  a  listening  ear,  he  uttered  the  burden  of  his  deeper  thought  in  an 
occasional  poem  which  invariably  had  for  its  theme  the  profounder  problems  of  life 
and  destiny. 

His  rigorous  sense  of  duty  and  his  natural  inclinations  led  him  to  give  much  of 
his  time  and  means  to  religious  work.  He  was  a  remarkable  teacher  of  the  Bible 
and  was  usually  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  Sunday-school.  Indeed,  religious 
contemplation  and  religious  service  were  especially  congenial  employments.  His 
poetic  gift  was  exercised  in  the  composition  of  several  hymns,  two  of  which  were 
sung  at  his  funeral. 

As  a  writer  he  is  known  through  two  books  on  education,  a  treatise  on  elementary 
pedagogy  and  another  on  the  simpler  phases  of  psychology.  He  was  associated 
with  Mr.  Gove,  and,  later,  with  the  author  of  this  sketch,  in  the  editorship  of  the 
Illinois  Schoolmaster.  He  was  also  associated  with  the  editorship  of  School  and  Home 
Education.  He  prepared  a  series  of  text-books  on  arithmetic  that  was  published  by 
Rand,  McNally  &  Co.  He  was  for  many  years  prominent  in  Illinois  as  a  lecturer 
and  institute  worker. 

In  August,  1857,  he  was  married  to  Angelina  N.  Benton,  of  Sublette,  Illinois. 
They  had  two  children,  Mrs.  R.  R.  Reeder,  the  wife  of  the  widely  known  superin- 
tendent of  the  New  York  Orphanage,  at  Hastings-on-Hudson,  and  a  son  who  died 
in  infancy.      Mrs.  Hewett  died  in  1895.     In  1898  Dr.  Hewett  was  married  to  Mrs. 


220  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Helen  Paisley,  who  survived  him.  He  died  on  March  1,  1905.  He  received  the 
degrees  of  A.  M.  and  LL.  D.,  the  latter  from  Shurtleff  College.  The  writer  was 
associated  most  intimately  with  him  more  than  forty  years  as  pupil,  fellow  teacher, 
business  associate  and  friend,  and  realizes  the  incompleteness  of  so  brief  a  sketch. 

But  this  is  a  history  of  education  rather  than  a  collection  of  fond  biographies 
in  which  friendship  endeavors  to  pay  its  debt  of  love  and  gratitude.  What  was  the 
contribution  of  Dr.  Hewett  to  the  educational  movements  of  his  time? 

He  was  the  teacher  of  a  large  number  of  teachers  —  many  thousands.  To  them 
he  gave  without  exception  such  an  impulsion  to  thoroughness  as  marked  the  character 
of  their  work  wherever  they  went.  It  was  enough  of  itself  to  modify  the  teaching 
in  great  numbers  of  public  schools  and  it  was  passed  on  from  school  to  school  and 
from  generations  of  teachers  to  other  generations.  And  it  is  more  potent  to-day, 
more  than  a  score  of  years  after  he  laid  aside  the  garb  of  the  teacher,  than  ever 
before.  He  who  is  able  to  recognize  it  by  a  familiarity  with  its  characteristic  qualities 
has  no  difficulty  in  verifying  that  statement.  It  marches  on,  like  "John  Brown's 
soul." 

He  contributed  a  method  to  the  treatment  of  subjects  in  general,  that  was  the 
direct  outcome  of  his  conception  of  the  teaching  art  and  that  was  revolutionary 
fifty  years  ago.  He  was  a  master  of  a  teaching  technic,  of  the  art  of  approach  and 
attack,  of  question  and  stimulation,  that  were  the  objective  side  of  a  pedagogy  that 
has  been  written  within  late  years. 

Especially  he  is  to  be  credited  with  the  introduction  into  the  schools  of  Illinois 
of  a  method  of  treating  geography.  When  he  began  his  work  at  Normal  the  subject 
was  without  form  and  void  in  the  minds  of  teachers  in  general.  He  was  the  father 
of  the  "tracing  lesson,"  so  far  as  its  parentage  is  known.  While  it  has  been  super- 
seded it  was  the  beginning  of  an  organic  method  of  dealing  with  the  subject.  He 
introduced  into  the  schools  of  Illinois  a  method  of  map-drawing  which  was  the 
forerunner  of  all  later  methods  and  which  lifted  the  school  subject  to  a  plane  pre- 
viously unsuspected. 

He  was  also  a  pioneer  in  rational  method  in  the  teaching  of  history,  and  that, 
in  its  turn,  went  from  the  Normal  School  as  a  radiating  center.  But  the  "general" 
method  that  he  illustrated  and  that  is  now  treated  with  a  clearness  which  he  had 
not  formulated  was  his  largest  contribution  after  the  fact  of  his  stimulating  person- 
ality. 

Dr.  Hewett  was  for  many  years  the  treasurer  of  the  National  Education  Associa- 
tion and  could  have  been  its  president  had  he  cared  for  the  honor. 

Thomas   Metcalf. 

Thomas  Metcalf  was  born  in  West  Wrentham,  Massachusetts,  on  the  19th  of 
June,  1825.  He  became  a  teacher  at  sixteen  and  retired  at  sixty-nine,  having  taught 
a  half  century  meanwhile.  As  has  been  said,  he  was  another  of  the  Bridgewater 
group  \vho  came  to  Illinois  in  the  late  fifties  and  early  sixties  and  introduced  new 
educational  ideas  and  advanced  methods  of  Vv^ork  that  were  regenerating  in  their 
influence. 

In  1857  he  went  to  St.  Louis  as  a  teacher  in  the  city  high  school.     The  last  five 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  221 

months  of  his  service  there  he  was  the  principal  of  the  combined  high  school  and 
city  Normal  school.  In  1862  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Normal  school,  at  Normal, 
and  there  remained  until  June,  1894. 

He  began  his  work  at  Normal  as  a  teacher  of  mathematics.  He  was  then  thirty- 
six  years  old.  The  clear-cut,  scholarly  face,  the  spare,  trim  figure,  the  exquisite 
neatness  of  his  dress,  the  precise  accuracy  of  his  speech,  the  extreme  earnestness  of 
his  manner  and  the  exacting  requirements  of  his  class  work  made  a  most  profound 
impression  upon  the  school.  Who  that  ever  sat  under  his  instruction  can  ever  forget 
the  enthusiastic  delight  with  which  he  dug  out  the  mathematical  "nuggets,"  as  he 
called  them,  or  the  appreciative  approval  with  which  he  greeted  the  faintest  spark  of 
originality !  How  scrupulously  tidy  he  was  in  all  of  his  manipulations  and  how  snug 
and  accurate  in  all  of  his  thinking.  He  was  so  faultless  and  delicate  in  his  manner, 
so  elegant  and  chaste  in  his  diction,  and,  withal,  so  sympathetic  with  the  crudeness 
and  lack  of  culture  of  his  pupils,  that  he  was  singularly  potent  in  changing  their 
lives. 

The  demands  that  he  made  upon  his  classes  were  extremely  exacting,  but  they 
were  no  more  so  than  those  that  he  made  upon  himself.  Personal  worth  was  the 
uncompromising  standard  with  which  he  measured  every  one  and  he  constantly 
applied  it  to  himself.  The  habit  of  self-scrutiny  was  a  primal  impulse  with  him. 
But  there  was  nothing  morbid  about  it ;  it  was  natural  and  thoroughly  healthful. 

Herbart  set  up  character-building  as  the  true  aim  of  the  school.  Mr.  Metcalf 
never  thought  of  the  school  in  any  other  way.  He  loved  the  knowledges ;  the  purely 
intellectual  phases  of  any  subject  intensely  attracted  him;  but  they  seemed  partial 
and  incomplete  if  they  lacked  an  ethical  content  or  did  not  stimulate  directly  to 
fine  living.  The  formuke  of  mathematics  found  in  him  a  peculiarly  hospitable 
friend  because  of  their  definiteness,  and  mainly  because  of  the  training  in  sharp 
discrimination  between  ,the  false  and  the  true  which  their  disciplines  afforded.  The 
multiplication  table  was  to  him  far  more  than  a  calculus ;  it  expressed  the  unvarying 
universality  of  law  as  opposed  to  the  shifting  compromises  of  expediency.  It  was 
often  remarked  that  his  arithmetic  classes  had  a  richer  ethical  outcome  than  many  of 
the  specific  lessons  on  morality  or  religion.  But  there  was  not  the  slightest  suggestion 
of  disease  in  his  introspective  habit.  It  was  the  very  opposite  of  an  affected  self- 
abasement.  He  was  fundamentally  cheery  and  sunny.  He  loved  the  light  and  had, 
withal,  a  fine  vein  of  mirthfulness.  He  was  not  lacking  in  jest  and  it  was  always 
delicate  and  sweet.  On  several  occasions,  in  the  conversation  incident  to  a  close 
companionship,  he  deplored  a  certain  scholasticism  of  manner  which,  he  fancied, 
shut  him  away  somewhat  from  the  trustfulness  of  the  young.  But  he  thereby  did 
himself  injustice.  The  children  who  knew  him  turned  to  him  with  instinctive 
trustfulness,  especially  in  his  later  years. 

His  self-examination  resulted  in  a  character  of  remarkable  harmony  and  balance. 
He  was  self-poised  to  a  degree  that  is  rarely  surpassed.  He  stood  distinctively  and 
characteristically  for  kindness,  for  Christian  charity  —  for  more,  for  sympathy  and 
love.  No  other  poet  touched  him  as  did  the  saintly  Whittier,  and  no  utterance  of 
that  sweet  singer  was  so  frequently  on  his  lips  as  "  The  Eternal  Goodness."  It  was 
the  severer  side  of  the  theology  of  New  England  that  drove  him  to  the  companion- 


222  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

ship  of  the  UniversaUsts.  He  could  not  think  that  God  would  be  other  than  tender 
and  loving  to  even  the  most  wayward  of  his  children.  He  often  said,  "  They  can  not 
escape  his  love.     At  some  time  they  will  all  return  to  the  Father's  house." 

He  would  have  been  a  teacher  wherever  his  lot  might  have  been  cast,  for  his  life 
was  a  perpetual  sermon  on  the  Beatitudes.  When  he  turned  to  the  schoolroom 
it  was  a  specific  consecration.  Dr.  Edwards  had  no  ordinary  insight  when  he  called 
him  to  his  side  in  the  days  of  struggle  and  discouragement  in  the  early  years  of  the 
Normal  School.  And  his  choice  was  not  less  felicitous  when  he  made  him,  after 
several  years  of  service  in  the  department  of  mathematics,  the  first  critic  teacher 
in  the  history  of  the  institution.  It  was  in  this  position  that  he  returned  to  the 
companionship  of  childhood.  How  patiently  and  faithfully  he  guarded  them  and 
how  s}'mpathetically  and  tolerantly  he  dealt  with  the  ignorance  and  inexperience 
of  the  hundreds  of  pupil  teachers  under  his  charge  there  is  no  room  to  relate.  It 
must  suffice  to  say  that  the  man  and  his  duties  met  in  the  happiest  harmony.  Where 
could  such  a  soul  find  so  suitable  a  center  from  which  to  touch  the  world  ?  In  countless 
schoolhovises  in  crowded  cities  and  scattered  hamlets  and  in  the  silences  of  obscure 
districts,  that  serene  ministry  has  been  multiplied  by  the  benefactions  to  little  chil- 
dren which  those  who  went  out  in  his  spirit  have  wrought.  How  often  the  memory 
of  his  gracious  forbearance  has  shamed  impatient  voices  into  silence!  How  often 
the  recollection  of  his  tireless  toil  has  renewed  the  flagging  zeal  of  weary  teachers! 
How  often  the  eloquence  of  his  life  has  rebuked  the  low  ideals  of  the  leaders  of  the 
young  and  reenforced  a  fading  faith  in  the  supreme  nobility  of  the  teacher's  calling! 

Professor  Metcalf  was  an  active  member  of  the  Unitarian  church  in  Blobmington 
during  the  whole  of  his  residence  in  Normal.  His  financial  contributions  were  out 
of  all  proper  ratio  to  his  financial  resources,  as  such  things  are  commonly  estimated. 
But  best  of  all,  he  gave  himself  in  large  and  unstinted  measure.  For  more  than 
twenty  years  he  was  the  most  significant  feature  of  the  Sunday-school.  It  did  not 
matter  so  much  to  him  who  did  not  come;  he  was  always  there  with  the  sunshine 
in  his  face.  From  those  far-away  days  of  civil  strife,  when  the  poet-preacher,  Charles 
G.  Ames,  thrilled  his  people  as  they  gathered  in  one  of  the  city  halls,  the  pastors 
who  ministered  to  that  company  of  worshipers  were  sure  of  one  constant  and 
sympathetic  listener.  His  quick  and  sensitive  face  mirrored  every  inspiring  thought. 
The  singer  needed  but  to  turn  to  him  to  get  his  sure  reward  of  appreciation.  Those 
who  were  accustomed  to  sit  near  him  can  never  forget  the  subtle  interchange  of 
approving  smiles  when  the  thought  came  rich  from  the  pulpit,  when  the  organ 
harmonies  swept  us  all  away  on  the  waves  of  great  symphonies,  or  when  the  vibrating 
melodies  of  the  singers  touched  the  deep  places  of  our  lives. 

He  resigned  his  position  in  the  Normal  School  in  June,  1894.  It  was  a  sad  day 
for  his  friends  of  the  faculty  and  for  the  student  body.  The  president  closed  his 
baccalaureate  address  as  follows:  "There  will  go  with  you  on  Thursday  next  one 
whose  name  will  not  appear  on  your  class  list,  nor  will  he  receive  from  official  hands 
a  formal  statement,  inscribed  on  perishable  parchment,  that  his  work  in  this  insti- 
tution is  at  last  completed.  You  go  forth  to  sow  while  he  will  sit  among  his  sheaves. 
More  than  a  half  century  has  passed,  laden  with  his  gracious  toil,  since  he  first 
donned  the  modest  garb  of  the  teacher.     Would  you  seek  an  inspiration  for  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  223 

work  that  awaits  you,  read  the  record  of  his  Hfe.  There  is  no  page  that  is  not  writ 
full  of  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  his  kind.  Has  it  paid?  Ask  him.  Could  the 
acclamations  of  the  noisy  multitudes,  the  tinsel  of  wealth,  the  passing  glory  of 
political  preferment,  fill  him  with  a  tithe  of  the  happy  content  that  he  carries  to  his 
well-earned  rest?  There  can  be  no  sea  nor  shore  where  our  grateful  love  will  not 
follow  him.  May  Heaven's  benedictions  fall  upon  him  and  may  the  afternoon  of 
his  beautiful  life  linger  long  and  lovingly  to  the  evening." 

There  was  little  thought  that  but  a  few  months  of  life  were  left  to  him.  He 
knew  it  all  too  well,  for  he  had  for  some  time  been  suffering  with  a  fatal  malady. 
With  his  customary  regard  for  the  feelings  he  had  kept  it  from  his  friends,  barely 
mentioning  it  in  a  slighting  way  to  his  sons. 

There  was  no  shadow  in  impending  death  to  cloud  the  sunshine  of  his  life.  While 
he  remained  in  Normal  his  room  was  filled  with  the  fragrance  of  beautiful  flowers 
from  his  loving  friends.  With  his  customary  patience  and  fortitude  he  awaited  the 
inevitable  end.  By  his  side  in  those  days  of  affliction  stood  a  kindred  spirit  of  the 
same  heroic  mold.  She  hid  her  anguish  in  her  heart  and  supplemented  his  fading 
strength  with  the  ministry  of  her  undaunted  courage.  Near  the  close  of  the  year 
he  went  to  Chicago  where  he  could  have  the  companionship  of  his  two  sons.  It 
was  there  that  he  died  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1895. 

Rev.  Jenkin  Lloyd  Jones  said  of  him,  "I  venture  the  opinion  that  in  the  State 
of  Illinois  no  man  was  more  deeply,  beautifully,  widely  loved." 

Dr.  Edwards,  who  knew  him  so  intimately  for  more  than  forty  years,  said,  "Who 
can  calciilate  the  amount  of  spiritual  and  moral  energy  that  he  imparted  to  the 
thousands  of  students  who  have  been  molded  by  his  hand  in  the  Normal  University 
and  to  hundreds  of  others  whom  he  had  previously  led?" 

"He  had  learned  the  lesson  which  the  world  is  slow  to  accept,  that  the  heart  is 
more  powerful  for  good  than  the  head  or  the  hands."  —  Edwin  C.  Hewett. 

"  I  always  felt  that  life  to  him  was  a  sacred  trust."  —  M.  L.  Seymour. 

"He  seemed  to  live  nearer  and  follow  closer  the  '  Great  Master'  than  any  man 
I  ever  knew."  —  Henry  McCormick. 

"  He  set  the  world  an  example  in  gentleness,  neatness,  industry,  purity  of  thought 
and  word  and  deed,  and  nobility  of  purpose."  —  D.  C.  Smith. 

"His  was  an  exact  mind,  tempered,  sweetened,  and  made  lovable  by  gracious 
charity.  "^ —  Charles  DeGarmo. 

"His  was  the  gentlest  and  the  sweetest  character  that  I  have  ever  known."  — 
Sarah  C.  Brooks. 

His  contribution  to  education  was  a  most  remarkable  accuracy  in  speech,  in 
scholarship,  in  life.  He  was  especially  interested  in  purity  of  pronunciation,  and 
published  a  small  volume  of  great  value,  called  '  Dictionary  Work. '  A  second 
edition  was  prepared  jointly  with  Dr.  DeGarmo.  It  is  not  an  exaggeration  to  say 
that  one  could  recognize  one  of  his  pupils  by  his  conscientiousness  in  the  use  of  the 
vernacular.  He  marked  his  pupils,  but  it  was  for  their  good  and  for  the  good  of 
their  pupils.  He  was  fitly  christened  "  Saint  Thomas  "  by  an  admiring  friend,  and 
thus  he  will  be  remembered. —  J.  W,  C. 


224  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Henry   McCormick. 

He  was  bom  in  County  Mayo,  Ireland,  in  1837.  The  first  sixteen  years  of  his 
life  were  spent  in  his  native  country.  He  has  a  store  of  interesting  reminiscences 
connected  with  his  life  on  the  "Emerald  Isle,"  all  of  which  heighten  his  regard  for 
the  country  of  his  adoption.  Indeed,  he  permits  no  one  to  surpass  him  in  his  admira- 
tion for  American  institutions.  In  1853  he  removed  to  America.  He  spent  two 
years  in  Ohio  and  one  in  West  Virginia  and  then  went  to  Wisconsin.  He  worked 
on  a  farm  in  the  summers  and  went  to  school  in  the  winters,  until  the  year  1859-60, 
when  he  taught  his  first  school.  For  his  services  he  received  $16  a  month  and  was 
passed  around  the  community  as  a  boarder.  He  had  the  unusual  distinction  of 
teaching  in  two  States  at  the  same  time,  as  his  schoolhouse  was  on  the  Illinois- 
Wisconsin  line.  This  necessitated  a  double  examination,  as  two  certificates  were 
necessary.  He  was  promoted  the  second  year  and  received  $23  a  month,  with  the 
further  privilege  of  teaching  in  a  good  schoolhouse.  He  continued  to  teach  in  this 
school  a  part  of  each  year  until  he  entered  the  Normal  University,  in  1885.  He 
was  then  a  married  man  and  a  householder.  Tradition  has  it  that  his  good  wife 
was  mainly  responsible  for  the  latter  move. 

He  was  mature  and  earnest,  and  at  once  took  an  excellent  rank  in  the  school 
and  in  the  community.  He  graduated  in  1868  and  was  at  once  appointed  principal 
of  the  public  schools  of  Normal.  A  year  later  he  was  elected  to  a  professorship  in 
the  Normal  School,  and  there  he  has  remained  until  this  writing,  serving  also  as 
vice-president  for  many  years.  His  duties  were  at  first  in  two  or  three  departments, 
but  upon  the  election  of  Professor  Hewett  to  the  presidency  he  succeeded  to  the  chair 
of  geography  and  history.  A  few  years  ago  the  work  of  his  department  was  divided 
and  he  has  since  confined  himself  to  history  and  civics.  In  1882  he  passed  the 
examination  for  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.,  which  was  conferred  upon  him  by  the  Illinois 
Wesley  an  University. 

It  is  not  easy  for  one  who  has  had  a  full  opportunity  to  test  Dr.  McCormick 's  loy- 
alty and  ability  to  moderate  his  phrases  to  conventional  terms.  To  each  of  the 
presidents  with  whom  he  has  served  he  has  been  a  source  of  unmixed  satisfaction. 
He  is  a  typical  representative  of  the  "old"  Normal  University  spirit,  reflecting  in 
his  character  and  services  the  quality  that  gave  the  institution  a  peculiar  person- 
ality. Untiring  devotion  and  simple-hearted  sincerity  have  marked  his  years  of 
service.  They  are  written  in  the  hearts  of  those  whom  he  has  taught  and  as  indelibly 
in  the  hearts  of  those  who  have  taught  with  him. 

The  characteristic  qualities  of  Dr.  McCormick's  teaching  are  widely  known.  It 
is  probable  that  he  has  met  a  larger  number  of  the  teachers  of  Illinois  in  institute 
work,  work  that  extended  over  from  one  to  four  weeks,  than  any  other  man.  This 
has  given  him  an  influence  outside  of  the  Normal  University  that  is  exceptional. 
A  large  element  in  his  method  is  his  interesting  personality.  He  has  limitless  patience. 
A  thread  of  pleasing  humor  runs  through  all  of  his  work  —  an  inherited  racial  char- 
acteristic. He  is  able  to  win  the  confidence  of  the  shyest  country  school-teacher, 
and  have  her  surprising  herself  with  her  boldness  and  freedom  before  the  close  of 
the  second  day  of  the  institute. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  225 

The  subjects  of  his  departments  make  large  demands  upon  the  imaging  activities 
of  the  pupils,  if  they  are  well  taught.  Recognizing  this  truth,  his  teaching  abounds 
in  a  most  delightful  concreteness.  He  has  a  large  faith  in  graphic  representation 
and  has  always  made  the  largest  use  of  an  appeal  to  the  senses.  His  pupils  may 
be  recognized  by  the  freedom  with  which  they  use  the  crayon.  "  Step  to  the  board 
and  throw  on  a  sketch  promptly"  has  become  a  current  command  in  hundreds  of 
schools. 

In  his  work  in  history  he  makes  much  of  the  common  life  of  the  common  people, 
and  dwells  with  especial  fondness  upon  usages  that  have  become  obsolete  and  that 
are  neglected  by  the  ordinary  historian.  Upon  this  background  of  early  life  he 
builds  the  historical  consciousness,  and  thus  prepares  the  way  for  an  appreciation 
of  the  complexities  of  modern  social  life. 

With  no  attempt  at  a  critical  discrimination  as  to  which  of  his  lines  of  work  has 
been  most  valuable  it  is  probable  that  his  treatment  of  the  subject  of  physical 
geography  has  been  as  stimulating  as  anything  that  he  has  done.  He  was  greatly 
influenced  by  Arnold  Guyot.  "The  Earth  and  Man"  expresses  in  epigram  Dr. 
McCormick's  idea.  The  earth  as  the  home  of  man  is  the  conception  that  has  domi- 
nated his  treatment  of  geography. 

Implicit  in  what  has  been  said  is  the  recognition  of  the  immense  industry  of  this 
tireless  man.  Not  content  with  the  duties  of  his  own  department  —  enough  and 
more  than  enough  for  one  —  he  is  always  on  the  search  for  an  opportunity  to  advance 
the  interests  of  the  institution  with  which  he  has  been  connected  for  a  lifetime. 

Four  sons  and  a  daughter  were  born  to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  McCormick.  The  daughter 
is  the  wife  of  O.  R.  Trowbridge,  a  retired  lawyer,  two  of  the  sons  are  physicians, 
one  a  dentist,  and  the  fourth  is  professor  of  mechanical  engineering  and  superintendent 
of  shops  at  the  State  Agricultural  College,  Manhattan,  Kansas.  Mrs.  McCormick 
died  on  December  6,  1905.  She  was  in  all  ways  a  helpmeet  to  her  honored  hus- 
band.—J.  W.  C. 

BUEL    P.     COLTON. 

Buel  Preston  Colton  succeeded  Minor  L.  Seymour  as  head  of  the  department 
of  biology  in  the  Normal  School,  in  1888.  He  was  born  in  Bureau  county,  Illinois, 
on  March  23,  1852.  He  came  of  good  Puritan  stock,  men  and  women  with  Puritan 
ideas  and  habits.  His  father  was  a  close  friend  of  Owen  Lovejo}^  and  was  interested 
in  the  method  of  fighting  slavery  that  gave  such  historical  prominence  to  those 
fearless  brothers. 

His  early  life  was  spent  on  a  farm  and  it  was  there  that  he  contracted  that  love 
of  nature  that  was  one  of  his  marked  characteristics.  He  was  one  of  Henry  L. 
Boltwood's  graduates  at  the  Princeton  Township  High  School,  spent  a  year  there 
in  postgraduate  work,  went  to  Knox  College  for  a  year  and  finished  his  course  at 
Amherst  College  in  two  additional  3^ears. 

He  began  his  teaching  work  at  Princeton  with  Mr.  Boltwood,  in  1874.  From 
1875  to  1878  he  taught  in  Bureau  county,  in  Keokuk  and  Decatur.  In  the  latter 
year  he  returned  to  Princeton  High  School,  where  he  remained  for  three  years. 
Meanwhile  he  had  been  caught  up  by  the  scientific  developments  of  these  fruitful 
years  in  which  the  great  leaders  of  thought  were  winning  their  deathless  renown.     He 

15 


226  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

resigned  his  place  in  1878  and  went  to  Johns  Hopkins  University,  spending  his  summer 
vacations  in  scientific  excursions.  In  1883  he  became  teacher  of  science  in  the  Ottawa 
Township  High  School,  where  he  remained  for  five  years. 

Professor  Colton  wrote  two  well-known  books  on  his  specialties.  They  are  so 
generally  used  that  any  comment  upon  them  is  unnecessary  here.  Of  his  work 
as  a  teacher  President  Felmley  contributes  the  following:  "In  his  teaching  Mr. 
Colton  carried  out  better  than  any  one  else  I  have  known  President  Elliott's  doctrine 
that  to  observe  carefully  and  record  faithfully  are  vital  preliminaries  to  accurate 
comparison  and  generalization.  He  possessed  rare  skill  in  directing  and  question- 
ing. The  note-books  and  drawings  made  by  his  students  were  models  of  their  kind. 
He  was  very  apt  in  illustrations ;  his  laboratory  abounds  in  original  devices.  He  was 
orderly  and  systematic  in  an  unusual  degree." 

Mr.  Colton  said  more  than  once  that  he  did  not  consider  his  calling  to  be  that  of 
original  research;  it  was  rather  to  extend  scientific  knowledge  to  the  masses  of  the 
people.  As  a  teacher  of  teachers  he  had  the  opportunity  that  he  sought.  He  impati- 
ently brushed  aside  anything  that  interfered  with  the  promotion  of  this  life  purpose. 

Failing  health  admonished  him  to  seek  rest  and  medical  advice.  For  this  end 
he  went  to  Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  where  he  died  in  September,  1906. — [Condensed 
from  a  sketch  by  M.  J.  Holmes.] 

The  teachers'  roster  from  1857  to  1907  contains  one  hundred  and  eighty-two 
names.  Many  have  been  added  since  that  time.  Besides  those  mentioned  in  this 
sketch  are  the  names  of  a  considerable  number  who  are  widely  known.  Here  are 
a  few  of  them:  Lyman  B.  Kellogg,  the  first  president  of  the  Kansas  State  Normal 
School;  Aaron  Gove,  for  thirty  years  at  the  head  of  the  public  schools  of  Denver; 
Thomas  J.  Burrill,  the  eminent  scientist,  of  the  University  of  Illinois;  John  W. 
Powell,  the  well-known  explorer;  Stephen  A.  Forbes,  State  Entomologist  and  long 
Professor  of  Entomology  at  the  University  of  Illinois;  Mrs.  Martha  D.  L.  Haynie, 
for  twenty  years  a  teacher  in  the  institution;  Charles  DeGarmo,  Director  of  the 
Department  of  Education,  Cornell  University;  Ruth  Morris' Kersey,  the  well-known 
teacher  and  lecturer;  O.  L.  Manchester,  who  began  work  in  the  school  in  1891  and 
is  now  Dean;  Charles  A.  McMurry,  the  eminent  teacher  and  author,  now  at  the 
Northern  Illinois  State  Normal  School;  Frank  M.  McMurry,  Professor  in  Teachers 
College,  New  York;  John  A.  H.  Keith,  now  President  of  the  Oshkosh  Normal  School, 
Dr.  C.  C.  Van  Liew,  and  others,  the  enumeration  of  whom  would  fill  other  pages. 

David  Felmley. 

The  present  president  of  the  institution  came  to  the  school  in  1890  as  successor 
to  John  W..  Cook,  in  charge  of  the  department  of  mathematics,  who  had  been  pro- 
moted to  the  presidency.  He  was  elected  to  his  present  position  in  July,  1900.  He 
fitted  for  college  at  Blackburn  University  and  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Michigan  with  marked  distinction  in  1881.  He  has  been  a  teacher  of  a  country 
school,  was  a  teacher  in  the  Carrollton  High  School  for  two  years,  was  superintendent 
of  the  schools  of  Carrollton  for  eight  years  and  has  been  engaged  as  indicated  above 
since  he  left  Carrollton.  In  1905  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from  the  Univer- 
sitv  of  Illinois. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  227 

Dr.  Felmley  is  a  man  of  remarkable  ability  as  a  scholar,  a  teacher  and  an  admin- 
istrator. He  has  executive  abilities  of  the  highest  order  and  under  his  management 
the  school  has  made  most  notable  advance.  A  greater  career  awaits  it  as  he  works 
out  his  splendid  purposes. 

The   Model  Department  of  the  Normal  University. 

The  management  of  the  Normal  School  realized  at  the  first  the  importance  of 
a  department  in  which  there  should  be  exhibited  the  highest  available  skill  in  the 
instruction  and  management  of  children.  The  first  thought  was  that  such  a 
department  should  be  a  model  to  be  followed  rather  than  a  school  of  practice.  In 
consequence  it  was  called  a  Model  School. 

When  Mr.  Hovey  was  teaching  in  Peoria  he  became  acquainted  with  Mary 
Brooks,  a  woman  with  remarkable  powers  as  a  teacher.  He  called  her  to  Blooming- 
ton  to  take  charge  of  the  ' '  model ' '  school  and  she  began  her  work  there  in  the  fall 
of  1857.  Of  her  he  wrote:  "She  was  of  usual  height,  of  rather  large  frame,  a  little 
gaunt  or  poor  in  flesh,  with  a  head  to  delight  an  artist  and  with  a  face  so  sincere 
and  winning  as  to  greatly  impress,  I  will  not  say  to  fascinate,  the  beholder.  Chil- 
dren loved  her  at  sight  and  the  love  was  returned.  It  was  genuine,  and  I  think 
quite  involuntary  on  both  sides.  She  had  or  seemed  to  have  an  intuitive  knowledge 
of  a  child's  mind  at  different  stages  of  development  and  a  genius  for  inventing  methods 
to  promote  its  growth.  I  call  this  power  intuition,  genius,  but  I  do  not  mean  that 
it  came  to  her  without  effort.  She  was  a  hard  student  of  books  and  of  nature.  I 
shall  not  soon  forget  how  Mary  and  her  little  friends  got  on  together  in  their  cramped 
and  unsuitable  room  under  a  comer  of  Major's  Hall,  nor  how  the  most  learned  man 
of  the  Board,  Dr.  Bunsen,  a  student  of  the  great  Pestalozzi,  used  to  sit  for  hours, 
sometimes  whole  days,  watching  Mary's  work,  as  pleased  as  any  of  the  children,  and 
apparently  unconscious  of  the  lapse  of  time." 

i\fter  the  removal  of  the  school  to  Normal  the  little  school  grew  at  the  top  and 
in  the  course  of  time  developed  all  of  the  departments  of  an  elementary  and  secondary 
school.  The  village  grew  rapidly  and  the  children  were  cared  for  by  the  Normal 
School.  In  1868  the  numbers  had  so  increased  as  to  make  separate  schools  advis- 
able, so  the  local  schools  were  established  and  the  training  or  model  school  relied 
upon  its  attractiveness  for  pupils. 

The  high  school  meanwhile  had  become  a  notable  institution.  Fitting  schools 
were  by  no  means  numerous  and  this  one  soon  made  for  itself  a  fine  reputation. 
Among  its  early  principals  were  J.  G.  Howell,  the  school's  first  offering  to  the  nation  — 
he  fell  at  Donelson  —  and  J.  H.  Burnham.  In  1862  C.  F.  Childs  came  from  St. 
Louis  to  become  its  principal.  He  was  followed  the  succeeding  year  by  W.  L. 
Pillsbury,  for  eight  years  the  assistant  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction 
and  later,  for  a  much  longer  period,  the  registrar  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  After 
seven  years  of  service  he  was  succeeded  by  Mary  Horton,  a  most  capable  and  accom- 
plished woman.  She  remained  but  one  year.  Realizing  the  importance  of  the  school 
the  Board  called  to  its  head  E.  W.  Coy,  of  Peoria.  He  remained  two  years  and 
was  called  away  by  the  city  of  Cincinnati  to  take  charge  of  the  Hughes  High  School, 
and  there  he  remains  to  this  day  after  a  service  of  thirty-eight  years.     L.  L.  Bur- 


228  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

rington  served  for  the  succeeding  five  years  and  then  went  to  Dean  Academy,  Massa- 
chusetts, where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  Ufe.  E.  J.  James  was  his  successor  and 
held  the  position  for  three  years,  leaving  to  return  to  his  German  University  studies 
and  to  begin  a  year  later  his  notable  work  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  and 
later  still  to  become  famous  as  a  University  president.'  H.  J.  Barton,  for  twenty- 
one  years  professor  of  Latin  at  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  O.  L.  Manchester,  for 
an  equal  period  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University, 
complete  the  list  with  a  single  exception. 

Meanwhile  there  were  other  teachers  connected  with  the  school.  The  list  is  too 
long  for  these  pages,  but  the  name  of  Mrs.  Martha  D.  L.  Haynie  should  not  be 
omitted.  She  was  connected  with  the  Normal  School  for  twenty  years,  ten  of  them 
being  with  the  high  school.  She  is  remembered  with  the  warmest  affection  by  her 
pupils  in  both  departments. 

In  1895,  Governor  Altgeld  believed  that  the  department  had  outlived  its  useful- 
ness and  that  the  institution  would  be  better  without  it.  In  consequence  the  board 
ordered  its  discontinuance.  Some  thirteen  years  later  it  virtually  reappeared  under 
the  form  of  an  academy,  really  necessitated  by  the  provisions  of  what  is  known  as 
the  "Lindly  Law." 

While  the  high-school  department  was  developing  its  independence,  the  grammar 
department  was  having  a  similar  experience.  L.  B.  Kellogg,  the  first  principal  of 
the  Kansas  State  Normal  School,  was  its  first  principal.  John  W.  Cook  began  his 
first  official  connection  with  the  faculty  in  that  capacity.  Subsequently,  Hon, 
Joseph  Carter  and  President  B.  W.  Baker  served  in  a  similar  capacity,  as  did  Dr. 
Charles  DeGarmo,  widely  known  as  the  Dean  of  the  Department  of  Pedagogy  at 
Cornell  and  as  a  writer  on  education.  R.  R.  Reeder,  the  eminent  superintendent 
of  the  New  York  Orphanage,  at  Hastings-on-the-Hudson,  also  served  an  apprentice- 
ship in  the  same  position,  as  did  President  John  A.  H,  Keith,  of  the  Oshkosh  State 
Normal  School,  Professor  John  W.  Hall,  of  the  University  of  Cincinnati,  and  Pro- 
fessor S.  F.  Parson,  of  the  Northern  Illinois  State  Normal  School.  And  there  are 
others  that  space  limitations  exclude  from  the  record.  Not  to  be  outdone  the 
primary  department  of  the  Model  School  enjoyed  no  little  repute  because  of  the 
distinguished  teachers  that  served  as  its  principals. 

Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  University. 

If  apology  be  needed  for  the  space  that  has  been  allowed  for  an  account  of  the 
founding  and  development  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University  it  must  be  found 
in  the  significance  of  the  adoption  by  a  commonwealth  of  the  principle  of  the  pro- 
fessional preparation  of  teachers  by  the  State.  It  is  a  long  story  and  has  been  con- 
densed as  much  as  seemed  practicable.  The  succeeding  Normal  schools  may  be 
treated  more  briefly,  for  when  the  truth  of  the  contention  of  the  Normal  school 
men  was  once  admitted  the  other  schools  were  sure  to  follow,  soon  or  late,  as  a 
matter  of  course.  That  Southern  Illinois  should  have  a  similar  institution  was 
admitted  by  the  friends  of  the  first  school,  and  they  became  not  alone  passive  friends 
of  such  an  enterprise  but  active  propagandists.  The  following  account  is  derived 
from  the  reports  of  the  superintendents  of  public  instruction  and  from  the  publica- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  229 

tions  of  the  school.     The  following,  from  the  Tenth  Biennial  Report,  is  doubtless 
accurate : 

Historical  Sketch. 

The  movements  which  directly  led  to  the  act  of  the  legislature  incorporating 
the  Southern  Illinois  Normal  University  may  be  said  to  have  begun  in  the  spring 
of  1868.  At  a  teachers'  institute  held  in  the  city  of  Salem,  Marion  county,  a  circular 
was  drawn  up  and  signed  by  some  fifty  prominent  teachers  and  citizens,  calling  a 
convention  of  the  teachers  and  friends  of  education  in  Southern  Illinois,  to  meet  in 
Centralia  early  in  September  of  that  year,  to  consider  the  educational  wants  of  that 
portion  of  the  State.  In  the  idea  of  that  call,  a  Normal  school  for  Southern  Illinois 
was  prominent.  A  few  days  afterwards  another  circular  was  issued  from  Carbon- 
dale  without  apparent  knowledge  of  the  one  emanating  from  Salem.  This  latter, 
which  was  also  numerously  signed,  called  a  convention  to  meet  at  Carbondale  the 
last  of  May  or  the  first  of  June,  1868.  Here  are  the  tangible  beginnings  of  the 
Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the  companion  of  the  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association,  then  a  few  years  old. 

The  Carbondale  convention  was  held  on  the  24th  of  June.  A  brief  account  of 
its  doings  may  be  found  in  the  Seventh  Biennial  Report.  The  meeting  occurred 
on  the  same  day  as  that  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  State,  hence  the  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction,  who  is  the  secretary  of  that  body,  was  unable  to  be 
present.  The, report  which  he  presents  is  from  published  accounts  of  the  meeting. 
The  credit  of  projecting  the  convention,  of  securing  its  successful  organization  and 
awakening  its  zealous  spirit,  is  largely  due  to  the  untiring  energy  of  President  Clark 
Braden,  of  Southern  Illinois  College,  located  at  Carbondale. 

One  of  the  questions  discussed  was,  "  The  Necessity  of  a  State  Normal  School 
for  Southern  Illinois."  Among  the  eminent  teachers  in  the  convention  were  Presi- 
dent Robert  Allyn,  of  McKendree  College;  Professor  Standish,  of  Lombard  Uni- 
versity; President  Braden,  of  Southern  Illinois  College.  The  advocacy  of  a  State 
Normal  School  for  Southern  Illinois  was  general,  and  the  following  resolution  was 
unanimously  adopted: 

Believing  that  the  time  has  fully  come  when  the  educational  interests  of  Illinois  demand  more 
than  one  Normal  school,  and  that  the  people  of  Southern  IlHnois  are  ready  to  sustain  an  institution 
of  this  kind,  either  as  an  auxihary  school  to  our  present  university,  or  entirely  independent  of  it, 
we  earnestly  solicit  the  cooperation  of  all  educational  men  in  the  State  to  secure  this  result ;  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  it  is  the  earnest  prayer  of  this  convention  that  the  county  superintendents  of  the 
State,  especially  of  Southern  Illinois,  unite  in  such  measures  as  will  secure  an  act  from  our  next  legis- 
lature establishing  a  Normal  school  in  Southern  Illinois,  at  least  equal  to  our  present  Normal  Uni- 
versity in  all  of  its  advantages. 

The  Carbondale  meeting  was  very  spirited,  awakening  great  interest  in  Normal 
education  throughout  the  whole  region  represented  in  it.  At  least  a  thousand 
persons  were  present,  and  through  them  nearly  all  of  the  counties  in  the  southern 
half  of  the  State  were  more  or  less  aroused.  Under  the  instruction  of  the  convention, 
a  committee  was  appointed  to  be  present  at  the  convention  to  be  held  at  Centralia, 
September  1 ,  and  ask  that  body  to  cooperate  with  it  in  forming  a  Southern  Associa- 


230  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

tion.     The  two  bodies  were  thus  united  in  a  common  purpose  and  would  act  in  con- 
cert on  the  Normal-school  question. 

The  Centralia  convention  was  called  after  an  extended  correspondence  on  the 
subject  by  more  than  two  hundred  teachers  of  Southern  Illinois.  The  call  was 
written  by  Dr.  Robert  Allyn.  It  asked  W.  H.  V.  Raymond,  of  Alton,  S.  M.  Dickey, 
of  Charleston,  J.  C.  Scott,  of  Olney,  T.  M.  Nichols,  of  Sparta,  and  E.  P.  Burlingham, 
of  Cairo,  to  act  as  an  executive  committee  to  prepare  a  program  of  exercises  and 
arrange  the  business  to  be  done.  Dr.  Allyn  and  B.  G.  Roots  were  likewise  especially 
active  in  bringing  the  fact  of  the  convention  and  a  knowledge  of  its  objects  before 
the  people  of  all  districts  of  Southern  Illinois.  The  result  of  the  efforts  of  these 
gentlemen  was  the  gathering  of  a  body  of  educational  people,  hardly  surpassed 
either  in  numbers  or  spirit  by  the  meetings  of  the  State  Association  itself.  The 
addresses  were  delivered  by  Dr.  Allyn,  Dr.  Gregory,  Dr.  Read,  President  Edwards, 
Professor  Sanborn  Tenney,  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  and  others. 
The  names  are  a  guaranty  of  a  broad  and  fearless  discussion  of  pending  educational 
questions.  Dr.  Robert  Allyn  had  his  heart  set  on  a  Southern  Illinois  Normal  School, 
and  he  was  a  forcible  pleader.  Dr.  Gregory  was  a  host  in  himself.  Illinois  never 
had  a  better  speaker  on  educational  subjects.  The  Dr.  Read  mentioned  is  assumed 
to  be  President  Read,  of  Shurtleff,  and  he  was  also  a  highly  capable  speaker.  Presi- 
dent Edwards  knew  more  of  Normal  schools  than  any  of  them  and  believed  thoroughly 
in  an  increase  in  the  number  in  Illinois.  Sanborn  Tenney  was  there  for  another 
purpose,  but  doubtless  lent  the  influence  of  his  name  and  prestige  to  the  movement. 
Dr.  Bateman  was  for  everything  that  promised  good  to  the  cause  of  popular  educa- 
tion. Without  a  dissenting  voice,  a  committee  consisting  of  fifteen  of  the  leading 
men  of  Southern  Illinois  was  appointed  to  prepare  a  memorial  to  the  legislature 
asking  for  the  incorporation  and  endowment  of  a  Normal  school  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  State.  The  committee  met  in  Odin,  Marion  county,  October  16,  1868, 
and  added  to  their  number  fifteen  other  gentlemen,  resident  in  different  counties 
in  Southern  Illinois;  they  also  prepared  a  circular,  addressed  to  their  people,  and  a 
petition  to  the  General  Assembly  in  behalf  of  the  proposed  institution.  This  circu- 
lar—  which  was  chiefly  the  work  of  the  committee's  secretary,  and  was  printed 
in  nearly  all  of  the  newspapers  of  the  region  —  very  materially  contributed  to  make 
public  opinion  unanimous  in  favor  of  the  proposed  action.  The  circular  is  of  remark- 
able clearness  and  force,  and  as  it,  with  the  influential  names  attached,  did  much 
to  hasten  the  desired  consummation,  it  seems  to  be  entitled  to  a  place  in  this  historical 
sketch.     After  a  brief  introduction,  the  circular  thus  proceeds: 

1.  The  necessity  for  well-trained  and  thoroughly  taught  teachers  need  not  be  argued  nor  dwelt 
upon  at  length.  .  .  .  It  is  a  recognized  fact  that  we  can  only  expect  such  teachers  when  we  have 
schools  specially  adapted  to  their  training.  The  drill  is  not  more  necessary  to  the  soldier,  nor  the 
medical  school,  the  hospital  and  the  dissecting  room  to  the  physician,  than  are  Normal  schools  to 
supply  the  country  with  teachers  such  as  the  times  demand.  .  .  .  The  experience  of  all  enlight- 
ened and  civilized  communities  has  demonstrated  the  expediency  and  economy  of  appropriating  the 
means  necessary  to  establish  and  maintain  a  sufficient  number  of  Normal  schools  to  supply  the  demand 
for  teachers.  Even  exceptional  cases  with  a  high  order  of  native  endowment  will  make  much  better 
teachers,  and  the  standard  and  average  of  teaching  ability,  efficiency  and  success  will  be  immensely 
elevated  by  Normal  education. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  231 

2.  This  enterprise  is  undertaken  with  no  spirit  of  envy  or  unholy  rivalry  of  the  excellent  institu- 
tion already  established  in  the  northern  section  of  our  great  State.  We  rejoice  in  its  success.  We 
feel  a  just  State  pride  in  the  good  work  that  it  has  already  accomplished.  It  is  not  to  blame  for  not 
having  accomplished  all  that  we  need,  for  no  single  institution  could.  If  we  were  to  write  her  memorial 
it  would  be  in  the  gospel  terms  —  "She  hath  done  what  she  could."  May  her  shadow  ever  grow 
longer  —  not  by  the  decline  of  her  sun,  but  by  her  own  increasing  elevation. 

3.  This  paragraph  discusses  the  size  and  population  of  the  State  and  argues  from  these  facts  the 
impossibility  of  one  Normal  school  supplying  the  needed  number  of  teachers. 

4.  Our  origin,  history  and  condition  point  to  the  need  of  such  a  Normal  school.  The  southern 
portion  of  the  State  was  originally  settled  from  States  in  which  popular  education  had  not  been  so 
advanced  or  general  as  in  some  more  favored  sections.  The  tide  of  emigration  moving  westward, 
passed  above  or  through  our  territory. 

Strong  prejudices  against  our  section  of  the  State  were  quite  general.  Those  unfounded  and 
injurious  ideas  are  fast  disappearing.  Our  "Egypt"  home  is  beginning  to  rise  to  a  juster  appreciation 
of  its  true  character.  It  is  becoming  known  that  for  climate,  health,  mineral  resources,  fruit-growing, 
grazing  and  general  agriculture,  we  have  a  country  that  will  compare  favorably  with  any  other  on 
earth,  and  possessing  som.e  very  decided  advantages.  .  .  .  The  circimi stances  of  our  past  his-.tory 
have  only  retarded  the  march  of  education  and  high  intelligence.  Like  the  pent-up  waters,  the 
energy  of  our  people  will  give  them  a  broader  flow  and  a  mightier  force  when  the  barriers  are  removed. 
We  demand  for  our  people  a  just  consideration  by  our  legislators,  a  fair  opportunity  for  our  educa- 
tional development,  and  an  equal  division  with  the  others  of  the  means  and  facilities  of  that  develop- 
ment. We  have  comparatively  few  institutions  of  learning  of  academical  or  collegiate  character. 
We  need  more  of  them  and  we  especially  need  a  Normal  University  for  the  training  of  our  teachers. 

We  have  heard,  and  the  statement  is  well  authorized,  that  at  the  time  of  the  establishment  and 
endowment  of  the  present  State  Normal  University  objection  was  made  that  its  location  was  eccen- 
tric. It  was  answered  "Let  us  have  this  now  in  the  north  —  it  will  not  be  long  till  our  great  State 
will  need  another,  and  then  you  shall  have  it  in  the  south."  In  our  judgment  the  time  has  come  to 
remind  our  friends  of  that  promise  and  to  ask  its  fulfillment. 

4.  The  closing  paragraph  offers  practical  suggestions  as  to  the  method  of  securing  the  desired 
result.  It  declares  that  the  people  will  not  be  satisfied  with  the  promise  of  a  southern  penitentiary. 
They  are  willing  to  swap  it  for  a  Normal  school.  "We  prefer  schools  to  prevent  crime  to  prisons  for 
its  punishment." 

The  circular  is  signed  by  the  secretary,  Thomas  W.  Hynes. 

The  Hst  of  the  committee  contained  illustrious  names:  General  John  A  Logan, 
Hon.  W.  R.  Morrison,  Gov.  G.  Koemer,  Gen.  G.  B.  Raum,  Hon.  W.  H.  Green,  and 
others.  It  is  interesting  to  discover  also  the  name  of  Simeon  Wright,  of  whom  we 
have  heard  in  such  interesting  connection  with  the  existing  Normal  school.  There 
was  no  withstanding  such  an  array  of  talent  and  the  legislature  surrendered  at 
discretion.     The  bill  went  through  at  the  succeeding  session  of  the  legislature. 

The  first  board  of  trustees  consisted  of  T.  W.  Harris,  Shelby  county;  E.  J.  Palmer, 
St.  Clair  county;  E.  Bowyer,  Richland  county;  S.  E.  Flannigan,  Franklin  county, 
and  D.  Hurd,  Alexander  county. 

Eight  cities  contested  for  the  location  and  the  competition  was  vigorous,  Pana, 
Vandalia,  Olney,  Carlyle,  Centralia,  Tamaroa,  DuQuoin,  and  Carbondale.  There 
was  a  long  conference  before  the  decision  rested  upon  Carbondale.  The  bonus  for 
location  was  estimated  at  $200,000.  As  sometimes  happens  in  such  cases,  it  was 
afterwards  discovered  that  a  portion  of  the  bond  issue  was  illegal,  so  that  the  State 
really  received  very  little  when  compared  with  the  pledge. 

The  amount  appropriated  for  the  building  was  $75,000.     Thomas  Walsh,   of 


232  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

St.  Louis,  drew  the  plans  and  specifications  for  a  building  to  cost  $210,000.  The 
trustees  proceeded  to  contract  for  such  a  structure  with  but  a  little  over  one-third 
of  the  amount  in  sight.  Why  was  so  grave  a  mistake  made?  The  trustees  were 
relying  upon  the  subscriptions  to  supplement  the  appropriation  and  a  citizen  of 
Carbon  dale  did  contract  to  erect  the  building  with  the  appropriation  and  the  gifts. 
Great  difficulties  resulted  in  consequence  of  the  failure  of  the  subscriptions  to  mate- 
rialize. 

The  comer-stone  was  laid  on  the  twentieth  day  of  May,  1870,  Dr.  Allyn  and 
President  Edwards  making  appropriate  addresses.  Work  was  pushed  forward 
vigorously  until  a  grave  accident  resulted  in  the  death  of  the  contractor.  This 
necessitated  the  arrest  of  the  work  until  after  the  General  Assembly  should  assemble 
and  arrange  for  the  completion  of  the  work.  It  was  decided  by  that  body  to  take 
over  the  contract  and  three  commissioners  were  selected  who  completed  the  building 
and  turned  it  over  to  the  trustees  on  July  1,  1874. 

If  the  policy  of  the  older  school  had  been  followed  there  would  have  been  a  well- 
organized  institution  ready  to  take  possession  of  the  new  structure  at  its  completion. 
As  it  was,  the  school  that  entered  into  possession  of  the  commodious  structure  on 
September  6  was  a  feeble  infant.  In  due  time,  however,  it  grew  into  such  propor- 
tions as  not  to  seem  out  of  place  in  its  clothes. 

The  building  was  an  imposing  structure,  three  stories  above  the  basement.  It 
was  far  more  pretentious  architecturally  than  that  occupied  by  the  older  institution. 
It  is  probable,  indeed,  that  it  was  not  surpassed  by  any  building  for  a  similar  pur- 
pose in  the  whole  country.  The  site  is  in  the  south  border  of  the  city  of  Carbondale, 
and  contains  twenty  acres  of  ground,  overlooking  a  fine  country  to  the  east  and 
north. 

The  act  of  the  legislature  creating  the  board  of  commissioners  to  complete  the 
building  abolished  the  first  board  of  trustees,  and  a  new  board  was  appointed  by 
the  Governor,  in  September,  1873,  and  was  confirmed  by  .the  Senate  in  January, 
1874.  It  consisted  of  Thomas  S.  Ridgeway,  president;  James  Robarts,  M.  D.,  of 
Carbondale,  secretary;  Edwin  S.  Russell,  of  Mount  Carmel;  Lewis  M.  Phillips,  of 
Nashville,  and  Jacob  W.  Wilkin,  of  Marshall.  Their  first  meeting  was  held  at 
Carbondale,  October  23,  1873. 

In  November  the  board  of  trustees  elected  President  Robert  Allyn,  D.  D.,  of 
McKendree  College,  to  the  presidency.  He  had  seen  long  and  prominent  service 
as  an  educator.  He  had  been  superintendent  of  public  instruction  in  Rhode  Island, 
professor  of  ancient  languages  in  Ohio  University,  president  of  the  Wesleyan  Female 
College,  of  Cincinnati,  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  in  that  city,  and  for  the 
preceding  eleven  years  had  been  serving  as  president  of  McKendree  College,  an  old 
and  reputable  institution.  His  associates  were  Rev.  Cyrus  Thomas,  Ph.  D.,  teacher 
of  biological  science;  Charles  W.  Jerome,  A.  M.,  teacher  of  languages  and  literature; 
Enoch  A.  Gastman,  teacher  of  mathematics;  Daniel  B.  Parkinson,  A.  M.,  teacher 
of  physics  and  chemistry;  James  H.  Brownlee,  A.  M.,  teacher  of  elocution;  Gran- 
ville F.  Foster,  teacher  of  geography  and  history;  Martha  Buck,  teacher  of  grammar; 
Rev.  Alden  C.  Hillman,  A.  M.,  principal  of  the  preparatory  school;  Miss  Kate  Henry, 
teacher  of  music,  and  Miss  Julia  F.  Mason,  teacher  of  the  Model  school  and  drawing. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORYOF     ILLINOIS  233 

Mr.  Gastman,  who  had  been  selected  as  teacher  of  mathematics,  was  superin- 
tendent of  pubHc  schools  in  the  city  of  Decatur.  Although  highly  complimented 
by  the  action  of  the  board  he  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  stay  with  his  people  and  there- 
for declined  the  position.  His  classmate,  John  Hull,  of  Bloomington,  was  chosen 
to  fill  the  chair  thus  left  vacant. 

All  things  being  in  readiness,  on  the  first  day  of  July,  1874,  the  building  was 
formally  dedicated  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  Hon.  Thomas  S.  Ridgeway, 
president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  introduced  Dr.  Edwards,  of  Normal,  who  read 
a  letter  from  Dr.  Bateman  explaining  his  absence,  and  then  followed  with  the  dedi- 
catory address.  Governor  Beveridge  made  an  address  in  which  he  enjoined  upon 
the  city  of  Carbondale  the  importance  of  keeping  faith  with  the  State  with  regard 
to  its  bonds  and  charged  the  trustees  whom  he  had  appointed  to  be  true  to  their 
trust.  He  then  presented  to  President  Allyn  the  keys  of  the  building,  thus  formally 
investing  him  with  authority 

The  closing  paragraph  of  the  investure  of  the  president-elect  with  the  symbols 
of  office,  by  Governor  Beveridge,  one  of  the  purest  characters  that  have  adorned 
that  high  office,  was  as  follows: 

"It  may  not  be  all  sunshine.  There  will  be  darkness  and  storm.  Day  and 
night  follow  each  other.  There  is  a  stormy,  boisterous  ocean,  and  a  calm,  smooth 
sea.  There  is  a  rushing,  sweeping  hurricane,  and  a  lulling  breeze.  There  is  an 
upheaving  earthquake,  and  the  soft  kiss  of  an  infant.  With  pleasure  may  come 
pain;  with  joy  may  come  sorrow;  with  success  may  come  failure;  with  victory  may 
come  defeat.  Be  not  discouraged  —  hope  in  God.  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled, 
for  in  this  world  you  must  have  tribulation.  Remember  toil  goes  before  reward; 
battle  before  victory;  thorns  before  crowns;  humiliation  before  exaltation;  death 
before  resurrection,  and  if  you  would  live  on  the  hills  and  roam  among  the  glories 
of  the  mountains,  you  must  work  way  down  in  the  valley,  where  springs  bubble, 
where  rivulets  run,  where  the  sun  shines  through  the  leaves  of  the  trees,  where  the 
birds  sing,  where  the  grass  is  green,  where  the  flowers  bloom  —  and  thus  working, 
trusting  your  divine  master  and  hoping  in  God,  your  work  will  prosper  in  your 
hands,  you  will  adorn  and  bless  the  age  in  which  you  live,  and  stamp  your  impress 
upon  the  ages  coming  after.  And  may  the  benedictions  of  the  Most  High  rest  upon 
you  and  your  family,  upon  this  university,  the  trustees,  faculty  and  students,  and 
upon  all  the  people  forever." 

The  president  then  delivered  his  inaugural  address,  and  the  Southern  Illinois 
State  Normal  School  was  launched  upon  its  career  of  usefulness. 

The  first  report  of  the  president  to  the  State  Department  of  Education  bears 
date  of  December  9,  1874.  The  school  was  opened  for  students  on  the  first  day  of 
July,  1874.  The  building  was  formally  dedicated  on  that  day.  On  the  following 
day  a  Normal  Institute  was  opened  and  was  continued  by  the  faculty  for  four  weeks. 
The  enrollment  reached  fifty-one.  The  teachers  in  this  session  were  Dr.  Allyn,  Pro- 
fessors Jerome,  Gastman,  Parkinson,  Foster,  Hillman  and  Brownlee,  and  Miss  Buck. 

On  Monday,  September  7,  1874,  the  first  session  of  the  regular  work  opened  and 
during  the  term  of  thirteen  weeks  154  students  were  enrolled,  two  of  whom  were 
negroes,  a  law  of  the  last  preceding  legislature  having  made  a  place  for  them. 


234  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

On  the  afternoon  of  November  26,  1883,  the  beautiful  building  was  discovered 
to  be  on  fire.  All  efforts  to  subdue  the  flames  were  unavailing,  and  after  a  few  hours 
all  that  was  left  of  the  noble  structure,  the  pride  of  "Egypt,"  was  a  smoking  ruin. 
The  library,  the  furniture  and  the  apparatus  in  the  laboratories  were  saved.  Quarters 
were  at  once  offered  for  the  accommodation  of  the  classes  by  the  citizens  of  Carbon- 
dale,  and  within  forty  working  days  from  the  time  of  the  disaster  the  "work  was 
again  proceeding  in  regular  order.  Within  sixty  days  a  temporary  building,  one 
story  high,  and  containing  fourteen  rooms,  was  completed  and  there  the  institution 
did  its  work  until  another  building  could  be  erected.  As  the  General  Assembly 
would  not  again  be  in  session  until  in  January,  1885,  it  was  evident  that  there  was 
need  of  large  patience.  By  an  act  approved  June  27,  1885,  an  appropriation  of 
$152,065  was  made  for  the  rebuilding.  As  there  was  something  in  the  way  of  salvage 
the  new  structure  cost  approximately  $180,000.  On  the  24th  of  February,  1887, 
the  new  building  was  completed  and  dedicated,  and  on  the  following  Monday  the 
temporary  building  was  abandoned  and  the  school  took  up  its  new  abode  in  its  admir- 
able building. 

Dr.  Allyn's  administration  continued  for  eighteen  years.  The  institution  steadily 
gained  ground  in  public  estimation  and  changed  the  complexion  of  the  part  of  the 
State  in  which  it  is  located.  It  is  the  most  amply  endowed  educational  agency  in 
Southern  Illinois,  and  its  students  may  be  found  in  all  ranks  of  life.  Colored  students 
are  admitted,  as  they  are  required  in  many  of  the  schools.  As  students  turn  to 
other  professions  after  engaging  in  teaching  for  a  time,  its  alumni  may  be  found  in 
the  medical  profession,  at  the  bar,  in  the  pulpit,  as  well  as  in  the  nonprofessional 
callings.  The  later  years  of  Dr.  Allyn's  presidency  were  somewhat  clouded  by 
differences  of  opinion  between  him  and  his  Board  of  Trustees  as  to  the  management 
of  the  institution,  but  his  career  was  a  most  honorable  one,  and  he  will  long  be  remem- 
bered as  one  of  the  real  educational  leaders  of  his  section. 

Upon  Dr.  Allyn's  retirement  in  1892  he  was  succeeded  by  Prof.  John  Hull,  who 
had  been  a  prominent  member  of  the  faculty  for  seventeen  years.  Mr.  Hull  remained 
for  a  single  year  in  that  position  and  then  withdrew  from  the  school  and  became  presi- 
dent of  one  of  the  Wisconsin  Normal  schools.  From  1893  to  1897,  inclusive.  Rev. 
H.  W.  Everest,  a  clergyman  of  the  Christian  denomination,  was  the  president.  In 
this  administration  a  science  building  was  provided  for  by  the  General  Assembly, 
at  a  cost  of  $40,000.  It  accommodates  the  science  laboratories,  the  museum  and 
the  gymnasium,  and  it  was  the  home  of  the  library  until  the  erection  of  the  library 
building. 

Dr.  Everest  remained  four  years  and  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  D.  B.  Parkinson, 
who  will  be  remembered  as  a  member  of  the  first  faculty.  Dr.  Parkinson  went  to 
the  school  from  McKendree  College,  of  which  he  is  a  graduate.  He  has  now  (1911) 
been  connected  with  the  institution  for  nearly  thirty-seven  years. 

Under  Dr.  Parkinson's  management  the  school  equipment  has  been  extended 
by  additional  buildings  and  the  attendance  has  made  a  corresponding  gain.  Addi- 
tional departments  have  been  added  so  that  the  school  could  keep  pace  with  the 
demands  ofj^modem  education.  The  requirements  for  admission  have  been  adjusted 
to  the  conditions  obtaining  in  the  territory  tributary  to  the  school.     A  summer 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  235 

school  furnishes  opportunities  for  professional  preparation  for  teaching  to  those 
who  are  unable  to  attend  the  regular  sessions.  The  latest  addition  is  that  of  a 
sixty-acre  farm  to  be  used  in  connection  with  the  teaching  of  agriculture.  In  brief, 
in  the  Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  University  the  State  has  an  admirably  equipped 
school  that  is  carrying  out  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  originally  established. 

Robert  Allyn,   D.D. 

Robert  Allyn,  for  more  than  thirty  years  one  of  the  foremost  educators  of  the 
nation  as  well  as  of  Illinois,  was  bom  of  honest  farm  parents  in  the  little  town  of 
Ledyard,  in  New  London  county,  Connecticut,  on  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  January, 
1817.  He  died  at  Carbondale,  on  the  seventh  day  of  January,  1894,  lacking  eighteen 
days  of  completing  his  seventy-seventh  year.  He  was  the  direct  descendant,  in  the 
eighth  generation,  of  Captain  Robert  Allyn,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  New  London 
and  afterwards  at  Norwich.  His  childhood  was  spent  on  a  farm  in  a  township  as 
noted  for  its  ruggedness  as  the  community  was  for  its  industry  and  intelligence. 
His  early  education  was  in  the  old-fashioned,  country  school,  supplemented,  how- 
ever, by  a  great  deal  of  miscellaneous  reading  from  a  public  library  consisting  of 
about  two  hundred  volumes.  Many  of  these  books  Robert  read  and  reread,  so  that 
by  the  time  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  he  had  acquired  considerable  familiarity 
with  the  writings  of  Rollin,  Hume,  Addison,  Johnson,  Goldsmith,  Pope,  Dry  den  and 
Scott.  This  reading  stimulated  him  to  seek  a  higher  education,  and  in  1837  he 
entered  the  Wesley  an  University,  at  Middletown,  Connecticut,  at  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1841.  While  a  student  he  distinguished  himself  as  a  mathematician,  and 
yet  he  was  scarcely  inferior  as  a  linguist  and  a  rhetorician.  His  classmates  awarded 
him  the  first  position  for  scholarship,  it  being  generally  conceded  by  them  that 
"Young  Allyn  had  no  superior  in  the  class  of  '41."  He  was  immediately  engaged 
as  a  teacher  of  mathematics  in  the  Wesley  an  Academy,  at  Wilbraham,  Massachu- 
setts. In  1846  he  was  elected  principal  of  the  school  and  served  two  years  in  that 
capacity.  In  1848,  he  became  principal  of  the  Providence  Conference  Seminary, 
at  East  Greenwich,  Rhode  Island.  In  the  same  year  he  was  also  appointed  visitor 
at  the  Military  Academy,  at  West  Point.  In  1857  he  was  elected  to  the  chair  of 
ancient  languages  in  the  State  University  at  Athens,  Ohio,  and  in  1859  he  accepted 
the  presidency  of  the  Wesley  an  Female  Academy  at  Cincinnati.  In  1863  he  was 
elected  president  of  McKendree  College,  and  from  that  time  was  prominently  and 
efficiently  engaged  in  educational  work  in  Illinois.  In  1874  he  became  president 
of  the  Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  which  position  he  held  until  1892. 

Dr.  Allyn  was  also  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  In  1843  he  joined  the  Providence 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  served  as  pastor  in  his  native 
State  some  three  or  four  years.  He  also  served  in  the  same  capacity  in  Lebanon, 
Illinois,  during  the  first  year  of  his  connection  with  McKendree  College.  In  1872 
he  represented  his  conference  in  the  General  Conference,  standing  at  the  head  of 
the  delegation,  and  in  1880  he  was  a  reserve  delegate  to  the  same  body.  His  alma 
maier  honored  him  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and  in  1877  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Laws  was  conferred  upon  him  by  McKendree  College. 

He  was  twice  married;  first,  on  the  18th  of  November,  1841,  to   Miss  Emeline 


236  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

H.  Denison,  of  Coleraine,  Massachusetts,  who  died  in  1844.  Two  children  were 
born  to  this  union.  His  second  marriage  was  on  the  22d  of  June,  1845,  to  Miss 
Mary  B.  Budington,  of  Leyden,  Massachusetts.  She  died  at  Carbondale  in  1879. 
There  were  three  children. 

To  estimate  the  influence  of  this  life  is  not  ours.  The  parchments  to  which  he 
fixed  his  name,  as  principal  or  president,  might  be  accurately  enumerated,  but  that 
would  indicate  but  a  very  small  part  of  his  life-work.  For  Robert  Allyn  was  a  man 
not  only  of  extraordinary  ability  but  c3f  wonderful  versatility.  As  one  of  the  speakers 
at  the  memorial  services  aptly  observed,  "He  could  fill  with  dignity,  ease  and  effi- 
ciency more  places  of  importance  than  any  other  man  I  ever  knew."  His  large 
intellectual  faculties  were  backed  by  an  uncommon  amount  of  will  power,  and 
regulated  by  that  still  more  uncommon  endowment  —  sound  common  sense.  It  was 
next  to  impossible  for  him  to  be  in  any  assembly  without  his  presence  being  known 
and  felt.  As  one  of  his  pastors  beautifully  and  pertinently  testified,  "  His  very 
presence  at  the  prayer-meeting  and  the  public  service  of  God's  house  gave  an  addi- 
tional dignity  and  inspiration  to  the  work  of  the  hour."  He  had  a  well-stored  mind, 
but  he  was  a  man  of  wisdom  rather  than  of  knowledge.  His  talents  were  preemi- 
nently practical;  his  insight  was  often  a  source  of  wonder,  likewise  his  ability  to 
acquire  knowledge  by  contact  with  life;  facts  were  carefully  stored  away,  but  not 
with  a  view  of  remaining  so,  for  his  mind  partook  more  of  the  nature  of  a  labora- 
tory than  a  repository;  and  to  this  fact,  doubtless,  much  of  his  influence  was  due. 

At  the  very  beginning  of  his  public  career  he  identified  himself  with  the  progres- 
sive spirit  of  the  age,  and  he  never  apostatized.  His  bold  stand  against  slavery  and 
his  ardent  advocacy  of  the  temperance  cause  resulted  in  his  being  twice  elected  to 
the  legislature  of  Rhode  Island,  where,  it  is  said,  "  He  exercised  a  controlling  influence 
in  its  deliberations."  He  had  neither  taste  nor  time  for  what  he  considered  vain 
and  useless  discussions  regarding  the  dead  past;  he  lived  in  the  present,  he  kept 
abreast  of  the  times,  and  his  heart  beat  in  unison  with  every  movement  of  town, 
state  or  nation,  that  tended  to  the  advancement  of  his  fellow  beings. 

As  already  indicated,  he  filled,  and  was  well  qualified  to  fill,  many  important 
positions;  yet  that  for  which  he  was  best  adapted,  and  for  which  he  will  long  be 
loved  and  venerated,  was  his  service  in  the  schoolroom;  for  whatever  else  he  may 
or  may  not  have  been,  Robert  Allyn  w^as  emphatically  a  practical,  popular  and 
philosophical  educator.  He  was  a  bom  teacher,  possessing  rare  tact,  genuine  wit 
and  ingenious  methods  which  he  well  knew  how  and  when  to  apply.  He  had  the 
ability  to  "put  things"  before  his  pupils  so  that  the  lesson  could  never  be  forgotten. 
His  lectures  always  abounded  in  practical  suggestions  that  were  plain  and  to  the 
point.  But  his  labors  were  not  confined  to  the  schoolroom  proper.  He  was  an 
earnest  advocate  of  teachers'  institutes  and  an  unwearied  worker  in  them.  In 
whatever  State  he  lived  he  was  always  identified  with  the  State  Association  of 
'  Teachers,  and  could  be  relied  upon  to  take  an  active  part  in  their  proceedings,  by 
discussions,  essays,  lectures  and  addresses.  He  was  always  a  member  of  the  National 
Council  of  Sixty  and  an  earnest  worker  in  its  meetings.  In  short,  he  spent  his 
strength  in  the  cause  of  popular  education,  and  few  men  were  better  known  or  more 
highly  honored  in  the  National  Association  of  Teachers  than  Robert  Allyn. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  237 

Besides,  he  was  a  regular  contributor  to  various  educational  periodicals,  and  for 
several  years  was  the  able  editor  of  the  Rhode  Island  Schoolmaster.  His  educational 
reports,  while  Commissioner  of  Rhode  Island,  were  eagerly  sought  for,  simply  because 
they  were  known  to  be  full  of  practical  and  valuable  ideas.  Dr.  Allyn  was  not 
given  to  Utopian  theories ;  he  plainly  pointed  out  the  evils  connected  with  the  schools 
and  the  best  means  to  be  employed  for  their  removal.  His  "Special  Report  of 
Truancy  and  Absenteeism  from  Schools  in  Rhode  Island"  is  an  elaborate  composi- 
tion of  the  highest  order.  Dr.  Huntington,  of  Harvard  University,  noticed  it  in 
the  following  eulogistic  language:  "This  is  altogether  the  best  document  on  this 
subject  yet  published.  It  abounds  in  statements  so  lucid,  in  argument  so  forcible, 
in  illustrations  so  clear,  and  in  exhortations  so  convincing,  that  every  man  ought 
to  read  it.'J  Dr.  Allyn  also  contributed  to  the  Methodist  Quarterly  Review  and  the 
different  weekly  periodicals  of  his  denomination.  His  brain  was  ever  active;  there 
was  not  a  vital  question  touching  Church  or  State  to  which  he  was  indifferent.  He 
could  not  help  thinking  and  he  could  not  help  giving  expression  to  his  thoughts. 
His  pen  was  in  very  truth  that  of  a  "ready  writer,"  and  he  wrote  with  an  unusual 
clearness  and  purity  of  style. 

As  is  very  evident.  Dr.  Allyn  labored  unceasingly  for  the  education  of  the  people. 
Nothing  within  his  power  was  neglected  that  would  improve  the  public  schools  and 
the  teachers  in  them.  In  New  England  he  was  associated  with  Horace  Mann,  Henry 
Barnard,  Louis  Agassiz,  and  others  of  equal  fame  in  this  grand  work.  Removal  to 
the  young  and  growing  West  seemed  to  intensify  his  interest  in  the  rising  generation ; 
and  no  sooner  had  he  located  in  Illinois  and  carefully  surveyed  the  situation,  than  he 
began  vigorously  to  advocate  the  establishment  of  a  school  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  State,  whose  special  function  should  be  the  training  of  teachers.  The  question 
was  thoroughly  discussed  and  heartily  endorsed  by  the  Southern  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association.  The  Doctor  was  appointed  one  of  the  committee  to  bring 
the  matter  before  the  State  legislature  and  urge  the  necessity  of  such  an  institution. 
The  legislature,  in  turn,  approved  of  the  measure ;  the  site  was  selected  and  the  build- 
ing was  erected.  The  Governor  and  trustees  decided  that  no  one  was  more  competent 
to  take  charge  of  this  great  trust  than  he,  in  whose  brain  the  thought  was  conceived, 
and  who,  from  the  inception  to  the  completion' of  the  plan,  had  stood  unflinchingly  at  the 
helm.  And  their  verdict  has  been  confirmed  by  hundreds  of  graduates  and  thousands 
of  students,  upon  whom  Robert  Allyn  has  left  the  indelible  impress  of  his  plastic  hand. 

True  to  himself  and  to  his  calling,  the  dying  man  said:  "Let  the  teachers  and 
preachers  bury  me,"  and  so  they  did.  The  former  held  impressive  memorial  service, 
on  the  morning  of  January  9,  in  the  chapel  of  the  Southern  Normal  University;  the 
latter  conducted  similar  service  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  in  the  Methodist 
Church  of  Carbondale ;  after  which  the  mortal  remains  were  laid  at  rest  in  Oakland 
Cemetery.  His  monument  was  built  years  and  years  ago;  behold  it  in  the  stately 
Southern  Illinois  Normal ;  while  it  stands  we  need  nq  other  reminder  of  the  sagacity 
and  philanthropy  of  Robert  Allyn ;  for  it  will  ever  speak  eloquently  of  the  prudent 
forethought,  untiring  energy  and  remarkable  executive  ability  of  its  first  principal; 
and  may  we  not  truthfully  add,  of  its  father?  —  Wm.  F.  Swahlen,  Ph.  D.,  in  Twen- 
tieth Biennial  Report  of  the  Department  of  Public  Instruction.* 


238  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

John  Hull,  A.M. 

John  Hull,  the  second  president  of  the  Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  University, 
was  bom  in  Marion  county,  Illinois,  February  6,  1839.  The  home  of  his  parents 
was  near  Salem,  not  far  from  the  home  of  the  parents  of  William  Jennings  Bryan. 
He  was  fortunate  in  the  fact  that  Providence  saw  fit  to  place  him,  in  the  beginning 
of  his  career,  in  one  of  the  strongest  counties,  educationally,  in  Illinois,  a  county 
which  has  furnished  more  students  to  the  Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  University 
and  has  more  of  its  graduates  to  its  credit  than  any  other  county  except  the  one  in 
which  the  school  is  located.  Here,  in  a  log  schoolhouse  with  the  usual  puncheon 
benches,  and  with  the  stem,  spectacled  "master"  with  his  rule,  hickory  switch  and 
inkhom,  John  Hull  acquired  the  elements  of  education  and  laid  deep  the  foundation 
for  an  honored  and  influential  career. 

In  1857  he  entered  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  at  Normal,  and  with 
characteristic  thoroughness  and  industry  completed  the  prescribed  course  in  1860. 
He  was  immediately  elected  to  the  principalship  of  the  Salem  public  schools.  He 
held  this  position  for  a  short  time.  He  served  for  one  year  as  teacher  of  mathematics 
in  the  State  Normal  University  and  also  served  as  superintendent  of  the  Bloomington 
public  schools.  Impressed  with  the  ability  of  Mr.  Hull,  one  of  the  leading  publish- 
ing houses  selected  him  as  its  general  agent  in  the  West.  He  therefore  abandoned 
his  profession  for  a  time  but  continued  his  residence  in  Bloomington,  where  he  was 
elected  to  a  membership  in  the  Board  of  Education.  He  served  in  that  capacity" 
for  four  years,  years  that  were  marked  by  great  improvement  in  the  schools  of  the  city. 

In  1868  Mr.  Hull  founded  The  Schoolmaster,  later  known  as  The  Chicago  School- 
master, and  yet  later  as  The  Illinois  Schoolmaster.  The  succeeding  year  he  was 
elected  county  superintendent  of  McLean  county,  the  largest  and  one  of  the  most 
populous  of  the  counties  of  the  State.  He  served  in  that  capacity  for  six  years, 
resigning  the  position  to  accept  the  chair  of  mathematics  in  the  Southern  Illinois 
State  Normal  University. 

Mr.  Hull  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  strongest  members  of  the  faculty.  Some 
two  years  after  his  election  the  subject  of  Practical  Pedagogics  was  added  to  his 
department.  It  will  not  be  regarded  as  an  invidious  distinction  if  Mr.  Hull  should 
be  credited  with  being  one  of  the  most  influential  of  the  members  of  the  faculty  who 
were  chiefly  instrumental  in  giving  to  the  institution  that  professional  inclination 
that  should  characterize  every  Normal  school.  He  became  the  superintendent  of 
the  training  department  by  natural  selection.  His  mind  was  of  that  practical  cast 
that  especially  fitted  him  for  such  a  position.  He  continued  in  this  relation  to  the 
school  until  the  retirement  of  Dr.  AUyn,  in  1892,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  presi- 
dency. 

Mr.  Hull  retained  the  presidency  only  a  single  year.  He  did  not  find  the  higher 
honor  so  completely  to  his  liking  as  his  work  with  the  children  and  the  teachers  in 
the  training  school.  He  was  at  once  called  to  the  presidency  of  the  River  Falls, 
Wisconsin,  Normal  School,  but  he  remained  there  but  a  single  3^ear.  He  removed 
to  the  Pacific  coast,  where  he  resided  for  a  few  years  and  then  took  up  his  residence 
in  Milwaukee,  where'he  is  living  at  this  writing  (November,  1911). 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  239 

Mr.  Hull  served  in  1873-4  as  chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  County 
Superintendents'  Association,  held  a  similar  position  the  same  year  in  the  State 
Teachers'  Association  and  was  president  of  the  latter  body  the  succeeding  year. 
In  1876  he  received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity. 

Mr.  Hull  was  a  faithful  educational  worker.  He  was  essentially  sane  in  his 
treatment  of  educational  questions.  He  was  a  safe  counselor  and  a  careful  and 
conscientious  executive  officer.  Mr.  Hull  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was 
Miss  Mary  F.  Washburn,  of  Bloomington,  a  classmate  at  the  State  Normal  Univer- 
sity. She  died  at  Carbondale  in  1882.  His  second  wife  was  Miss  Ann  C.  Anderson, 
who  had  worked  with  him  most  faithfully  and  skillfully  in  the  training  department, 
at  Carbondale.     She  did  not  long  survive  their  marriage. 

Personally  Mr.  Hull  is  a  man  of  the  highest  character.  His  integrity  and  sin- 
cerity have  always  won  for  him  the  highest  respect.  In  his  retirement  he  sees  the 
fruit  of  his  labors  and  is  content. 

H.  W.  Everest,  A.M.,  LL.D. 

Dr.  Everest  was  the  third  president  of  the  Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  Univer- 
sity. He  was  born  in  the  mountainous  portion  of  Northern  New  York,  on  May  10, 
1831.  His  parents  were  New  England  people  who  had  "gone  west,"  at  least  as  far 
as  Sussex  county.  New  York.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  experienced  the  rude 
but  not  unkindly  discipline  that  such  a  life  brought  to  a  boy  in  the  first  half  of  the 
last  century,  in  a  region  not  altogether  remarkable  for  the  ease  with  which  Nature 
yielded  her  harvests  to  the  farmer. 

"  The  common  schools  of  those  days  were  very  common.  But  such  as  they 
were  they  gave  to  our  friend,  the  good  Doctor,  an  impulse  that  kept  him  moving  for 
more  than  a  half  century.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  had  progressed  far  enough  with 
his  studies  to  justify  the  authorities  in  placing  him  in  charge  of  one  of  these  schools. 
At  the  end  of  one  term  enough  money  had  been  saved  to  enable  him  to  attend  school 
at  Crown  Point,  on  Lake  Champlain.  There  he  spent  one  term.  This  was  followed 
by  another  term  of  teaching,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  he  emigrated  to  Ohio.  There 
he  lost  no  time  in  finding  his  way  to  a  seminary  of  secondary  grade  in  Geauga  county. 

"There  was  in  attendance  at  this  seminary  another  poor  young  man,  whose 
hard  condition  in  the  wilds  of  Ohio  had  begotten  in  him  the  determination  to  get 
out  of  life  all  there  is  in  it  for  one  who  is  willing  to  pay  the  price  therefor.  This 
was  James  Abram  Garfield.  The  yoimg  men  were  about  the  same  age,  and  there 
soon  sprang  up  a  very  strong  attachment  between  them,  which  ripened  into  brotherly 
love  that  grew  stronger  as  the  years  went  by,  till  that  dreary  September  day  in 
1881,  when  the  martyr  president  breathed  his  last  in  the  cottage  by  the  sea. 

"  Dr.  Everest  remained  in  the  seminary  but  a  few  months;  from  there  he  came  to 
Illinois  and  taught  school  near  the  present  city  of  Rock  Island.  In  the  spring  of 
1853  he  entered  Hiram  College,  in  northeastern  Ohio,  where  he  remained  two  years. 
He  next  opened  a  select  school  for  a  term,  and  at  its  close  took  charge  of  a  church 
at  Rome,  Ashtabula  county.  While  there  he  was  selected  by  the  Christian  Church 
as  the  beneficiary  of  a  fund  arising  from  the  sale  of  song  books,  published  by  Alex- 


240  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

ander  Campbell,  of  Bethany  College,  West  Virginia.  He  entered  upon  his  duties 
as  a  student  at  the  college,  but  he  and  nine  other  northern  students  were  threatened 
by  a  proslavery  mob  because  of  their  utterances  on  the  subject  of  slavery.  He 
therefore  left  Bethany  and  returned  to  Hiram,  but  in  the  capacity  of  a  teacher  of 
natural  science.  There  he  remained,  studying  and  teaching,  till  the  summer  of 
1860.  He  was  again  associated  here  with  Garfield,  who  was  the  president  of  the 
school.  In  1860  he  entered  Oberlin  in  the  senior  year.  He  had  previously  married 
Miss  Sarah  A.  Harrison,  of  Painesville,  Ohio.  In  the  summer  of  1861  he  graduated 
from  Oberlin.  The  war  had  called  Garfield  from  the  college  to  the  camp  and  Dr. 
Everest  succeeded  him  as  president. 

In  1864  he  became  president  of  Eureka  College,  where  he  remained  eight  years. 
After  an  interval  of  five  years,  in  which  time  he  was  the  pastor  of  three  churches, 
he  returned  to  Eureka,  where  he  was  president  for  five  years.  In  1881  he  became 
president  of  Butler  University,  Indiana,  where  he  remained  for  six  years.  He  was 
then  called  to  the  presidency  of  Garfield  University,  Wichita,  Kansas.  The  pros- 
pects were  at  first  extremely  flattering,  but  the  institution  was  finally  obliged  to 
close  its  doors  on  account  of  financial  misfortunes.  He  returned  to  the  ministry, 
and  while  thus  engaged  was  called  to  succeed  Mr.  Hull.  He  began  a  four-year 
term  of  service  in  1893.  At  the  end  of  this  period  he  became  Dean  of  the  Bible 
College,  Drake  University,  where  he  died  at  the  close  of  the  last  century. 

From  the  foregoing  sketch  it  will  be  seen  that  Dr.  Everest  had  a  large  experience 
as  a  college  president.  While  the  work  of  a  Normal  school  executive  is  very  different 
from  what  he  had  been  doing  he  seems  to  have  succeeded  in  enlarging  the  influence 
and  equipment  of  the  institution.  Some  of  the  differences  that  caused  the  retire- 
ment of  his  two  predecessors  also  resulted  in  his  withdrawal. 

For  much  of  the  material  of  the  two  foregoing  sketches,  the  editor  is  indebted 
to  the  Anniversary  Souvenir  of  the  Institution,  1899. 

D.  B.  Parkinson,  Ph.D. 

Dr.  Parkinson  was  bom  on  September  6,  1845.  He  is  the  son  of  a  farmer  whose 
home  was  in  Madison  county,  near  the  village  of  Highland.  He  was  accustomed 
from  childhood,  therefore,  to  labor  of  the  hands.  He  worked  on  the  farm  in  the 
summers  and  attended  the  country  school  in  the  winters  until  he  was  eighteen. 
He  then  entered  McKendree  College,  that  godsend  to  so  many  a  young  fellow  in 
Southern  Illinois.  It  was  easy  of  admission,  and  that  constituted  one  of  its  excellent 
features.  Its  doors  opened  to  the  farmer  boys  even  though  they  had  been  denied 
the  advantages  of  a  preparatory  school. 

It  was  here  that  he  came  under  the  influence  of  Dr.  Allyn.  Their  friendship  was 
long  and  close. 

It  took  several  years  to  complete  the  course  of  study,  for  the  winter  terms  were 
all  that  he  could  attend,  as  life  on  the  farm  makes  peremptory  calls.  He  taught  his 
first  school  in  the  winter  of  1865-6,  in  a  country  school  near  his  home.  He  had  the 
usual  experience  of  the  country  teacher  of  forty-five  years  ago.  He  was  prepared 
for  it,  however,  and  had  little  thought,  probably,  that  there  was  much  of  hardship 
in  it.     He  soon  entered  McKendree  again  and  graduated  in  the  class  of  '68. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  241 

The  following  year  he  was  principal  of  the  public  schools  at  Carmi.  An  unusual 
interest  was  awakened  in  his  mind  in  natural- science  work.  The  succeeding  year 
he  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  mathematics  and  natural  science  in  Jennings  Seminary, 
Aurora.  He  remained  in  that  position  for  three  years,  when  he  determined  to  still 
further  enlarge  his  scholarship.  He  entered  the  Northwestern  University  and  did 
special  work  in  physics  and  chemistry.  In  July,  1874,  he  was  elected  to  the  chair 
of  physics  and  chemistry  in  the  Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  University.  He  is 
now  in  the  thirty-eighth  year  of  continuous  service  in  this  institution. 

For  eighteen  years  Dr.  Parkinson  acted  as  the  secretary  of  the  faculty  and  for 
the  five  succeeding  years  as  registrar.  In  1897  he  succeeded  Dr.  Everest  in  the 
presidency. 

In  1874  his  alma  mater  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  and  in 
1897  added  the  degree  of  Ph.  D. 

Since  his  accession  to  the  presidency  the  institution  has  had  a  generous  expansion. 
Its  president  has  been  very  successful  in  dealing  with  the  General  Assembly.  Several 
buildings  have  been  added  to  the  original  structure  and  the  curriculum  has  had  a 
corresponding  enlargement. 

On  the  28th  of  December,  1876,  Mr.  Parkinson  was  united  to  Miss  Julia  F. 
Mason,  a  graduate  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  and  a  teacher  in  the 
practice  department  of  the  school  at  Carbondale.  She  was  a  woman  of  the  finest 
qualities  and  of  rare  attractiveness.  She  died  in  August,  1879,  leaving  one  son. 
In  July,  1880,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  Raymond,  the  art  teacher  of  the  school. 

Dr.  Parkinson  has  every  reason  to  be  proud  of  the  results  of  his  efforts  to  make 
of  the  institution  under  his  care  a  source  of  pride  to  Southern  Illinois  and,  as  well, 
to  the  State  at  large.  Its  students  are  found  in  every  walk  of  life.  No  other  institu- 
tion in  that  part  of  the  State  has  made  so  liberal  a  contribution  to  the  intellectual 
and  social  progress  of  the  people.  It  goes  without  saying  that  Dr.  Parkinson's 
name  is  a  household  word  in  "Egypt." 

The  best  historian  of  a  school  is  its  president,  at  least  so  far  as  the  inner  life  of 
the  institution  is  concerned.  President  Parkinson  has  contributed  biennial  reports 
to  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  since  his  accession  to  the  position  which 
he  now  holds.  As  the  school  has  made  the  greatest  strides  since  his  accession  to 
the  presidency  its  most  significant  history  lies  within  the  period  covered  by  his 
administration.  This  history  is  narrated  in  the  reports  made  in  the  successive 
bienniums  since  1897. 

Besides  Dr.  Parkinson  there  remained  but  one  of  the  original  faculty  —  Martha 
Buck.  The  additional  members  of  the  faculty  were  George  Hazen  French,  M.  A., 
Curator  of  the  Museum,  natural  history  and  physiology;  Matilda  Finley  Salter, 
penmanship  and  drawing;  George  Washington  Smith,  M.  A.,  civics,  geography  and 
history;  Samuel  Bettes  Whittington,  director  of  physical  training;  Samuel  Earnest 
Harwood,  M.  A.,  method  in  arithmetic  and  higher  mathematics;  Carlos  Eben  Allen, 
Latin,  Greek  and  German;  Henry  William  Shryock,  Ph.  B.,  Registrar,  rhetoric, 
English  literature,  chemistry  and  geology;  James  Henry  Brownlee,  M.  A.,  vocal 
music,  reading  and  elocution;  Adda  P.  Wertz,  training  teacher,  primary  school; 
Lizzie   Parks,   primary  teacher;   Washington   B.    Davis,    M.   A.,   training  teacher, 

16 


242  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

principal  of  grammar  school  and  bookkeeping;  Frank  H.  Colyer,  A.  B.,  instructor 
in  geography,  history  and  arithmetic;  Mary  M.  McNeill,  instrumental  music;  Minnie 
Jane  Fryar,  librarian;  Augusta  McKinney,  stenographer  and  clerical  assistant. 

In  this  report  President  Parkinson  announces  the  completion  and  occupancy 
of  a  new  science  building  and  the  resumption  of  the  summer  schools  which  had  been 
discontinued  after  several  years  of  service  to  the  teachers  of  Southern  Illinois. 

In  his  report  two  years  later  President  Parkinson  announces  important  changes 
in  the  courses  of  study,  the  permanent  establishment  of  the  summer  school,  an 
advantageous  reorganization  of  the  practice  school,  various  publications  by  members 
of  the  faculty  and  the  establishment  of  an  annual  lecture  course. 

In  1901  the  graduates  of  the  institution  set  the  excellent  example  of  going  to 
the  Philippines  to  engage  in  the  civilization  of  our  new  people,  five  of  them  having 
undertaken  the  new  work.  It  is  not  a  matter  of  surprise  that  they  should  have  called 
attention  to  the  school  from  which  they  had  drawn  their  inspiration,  and  that  some 
of  the  islanders  should  desire  to  come  to  the  States  and  avail  themselves  of  the 
culture  of  the  school.  This  seems  to  have" been  the  beginning  of  the  policy  of  sending 
to  this  country  young  men  from  the  islands  to  be  fitted  for  the  better  education 
of  their  countrymen.  A  new  conservatory  was  added  to  the  equipment,  to  be  used 
in  connection  with  the  department  of  botany. 

The  report  for  1904  exhibits  other  advances  under  the  progressive  policy  of  the 
president.  The  faculty  was  materially  enlarged.  The  attendance  showed  an 
interesting  increase.  From  the  beginning  of  its  history  the  attendance  of  young  men 
materially  exceeded  that  of  any  of  the  other  State  Normal  schools,  if  not  by  actual 
count  at  least  in  the  ratio  of  their  number  to  the  whole  student  body.  A  new  library 
building  was  opened  to  the  students  on  the  23d  of  May,  1904.  The  school  has  also 
joined  in  the  school-garden  movement  and  has  added  to  its  facilities  in  biology  and 
agriculture.  In  common  with  the  other  Normal  schools  a  very  gratifying  exhibition 
of  its  work  was  made  at  the  St.  Louis  Exposition. 

The  report >  for  1908  announces  the  passage  of  the  act  enabling  the  institution 
to  confer  degrees  and  an  appropriation  of  $50,000  for  the  erection  of  a  training- 
school  building. 

In  1910  an  additional  appropriation  for  a  woman's  building  was  secured  and,  as 
has  been  stated,  provision  was  also  made  for  the  purchase  of  sixty  acres  of  land  to 
be  used  for  instruction  in  agriculture. 

It  is  thus  seen  that  President  Parkinson  has  steadily  advanced  the  equipment 
and  efficiency  of  the  institution.  It  is  now  one  of  the  best  endowed  schools  of  its 
kind  in  this  country  and  reflects  the  highest  credit  upon  its  management. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  243 


CHAPTER  XII. 
THE  NEW  NORMAL-SCHOOL  MOVEMENT. 

ON  the  3d  day  of  July,  1839,  in  the  historic  town  of  Lexington,  in  the  " Old 
Bay  State,"  Rev.  Cyrus  Peirce  and  a  student  body  of  three  opened  the  first 
American  Normal  school  that  was  not  an  annex  to  some  other  institution. 
A  new  revolution  began  in  sight  of  "the  Green,"  where  the  minute-men  of  1775 
uttered  their  effective  protest  against  the  doctrine  of  the  divine  right  of  kings.  On 
the  5th  day  of  October,  1857,  a  little  more  than  eighteen  years  later,  in  the  city  of 
Bloomington,  Charles  E.  Hovey  and  Ira  Moore,  with  twenty-nine  pupils,  started 
the  Illinois  State  Normal  University  upon  its  notable  career.  The  history  of  the 
movement  that  culminated  in  the  establishment  of  that  institution  has  been  told  in 
these  pages. 

Twelve  years  later  the  General  Assembly  passed  the  bill  establishing  the  Southern 
Illinois  State  Normal  University.  Its  honorable  record  would  fill  a  large  chapter 
in  our  educational  history  if  it  were  adequately  written.  'Twere  long  to  tell  the 
story  of  the  struggle  of  these  two  institutions  before  they  won  substantial  recognition 
from  the  school  people  of  the  State.  It  is  the  old  story  of  the  battle  of  the  reformers 
against  the  ^conservatism  and  active  opposition  of  those  who  lazily,  and  perhaps 
honestly,  believe  that  if  the  existing  order  should  be  disturbed  the  country  would 
be  done  for. , 

Meanwhile  a  score  and  more  of  years  passed  away.  In  the  late  eighties  a  heroic 
soul  here  and  there  was  heard  to  declare  that  the  time  had  come  for  a  Normal-school 
revival  in  Illinois.  Massachusetts,  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  had  steadily  pushed 
forward  until  they  were  well  equipped  with  schools  for  the  professional  education 
of  teachers.  The  new  and  sturdy  communities  of  the  upper  Northwest,  like  Wiscon- 
sin and  Minnesota,  were  rapidly  moving  toward  the  head  of  the  procession.  But 
Illinois  was  distressingly  indifferent.  The  strenuous  notes  of  the  enthusiasts  were 
but  voices  crying  in  the  wilderness.  In  the  early  nineties  the  movement  seemed  to 
gain  some  headway,  but  the  most  hopeful  were  not  prepared  for  a  sudden  accession 
which  came  to  their  ranks  from  an  unexpected  quarter.  In  1895  bills  were  intro- 
duced into  the  General  Assembly  for  the  establishment  of  two  new  Normal  schools, 
and  before  the  sense  of  surprise  had  died  away  they  were  enacted  into  laws  and  the 
institutions  were  located. 

This  sudden,  vigorous  and  effective  movement  had  its  origin  in  what  is  geo- 
graphically designated  as  Northern  Illinois.  Any  attempt  to  describe  it  is  inevitably 
attended  with  many  difficulties.  It  is  far  from  easy  to  trace  with  perfect  accuracy 
the  evolution  of  institutions.  The  larger  causes  are  usually  quite  apparent,  but  there 
are  many  hidden  contributions  to  the  result  that  defy  discovery.     There  are  those 


244  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

who  contribute  largely  and  who  escape  proper  recognition,  though  their  services 
may  have  been  indispensable.  There  is  a  strong  probability  that  full  justice  will 
not  be  done  them,  for  the  ordinary  reporter's  knowledge  is  a  far  cry  from  omniscience. 
It  is  quite  clear,  however,  that  the  movement  received  a  tremendous  impulse  in  the 
little  city  of  De  Kalb,  a  manufacturing  town  fifty-eight  miles  west  of  Chicago,  on 
the  Omaha  division  of  the  North  Western  Railway. 

In  the  early  seventies  it  had  occurred  to  two  or  three  men,  at  about  the  same  time, 
that  such  a  barb  as  the  Osage  orange  bore  might  be  transferred  to  a  wire  and  that 
a  fence  of  such  wires  would  turn  the  most  aggressive  animal  that  lives  in  a  pasture. 
Two  of  these  men,  Joseph  F.  Glidden  and  Jacob  Haisch,  succeeded  in  making  the 
transfer  and  at  the  same  time  made  the  prosperity  of  themselves  and  the  little  city. 
Associated  with  Mr.  Glidden  was  Isaac  L.  Ellwood,  a  man  of  great  ability  and  daunt- 
less courage.  It  must  suffice  to  say  that  these  men  became  very  rich  and  in  their 
rise  to  opulence  retained  their  affection  for  the  town  that  had  witnessed  their 
triumph. 

And  there  was  another  man  in  the  community  who  was  not  rich.  He  was  the 
printer.  His  name  was  Clinton  Rosette.  He  was  always  puzzling  over  some 
problem  whose  solution  meant  a  greater  De  Kalb.  He  had  been  a  schoolteacher 
and  knew  the  value  to  a  community  of  an  educational  institution.  When  John  P. 
Altgeld  became  Governor  Altgeld  he  appointed  Mr.  Rosette  to  a  membership  in  the 
Board  of  Education  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  It  was  the  special  and  only  function 
of  this  body  to  manage  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University.  While  acting  in  this 
new  capacity  it  occurred  to  him  that  the  thing  for  De  Kalb  to  do  was  to  secure  the 
location  of  an  institution  similar  to  the  one  in  which  he  had  so  recently  become 
officially  interested.  With  him  to  think  was  to  act.  He  presented  the  matter  to  his 
rich  friends.  Mr.  Glidden  owned  a  beautiful  tract  of  land  adjoining  the  town  that 
had  come  to  him  directly  from  the  United  States  government.  He  would  not  sell 
it  for  a  school  site  but  he  would  give  it  away  for  such  a  purpose.  Mr.  Haisch  put 
his  name  down  for  $10,000  for  a  library  and  added  some  $1,400  more  when  the 
time  came  for  using  it.  Mr.  Ellwood  managed  the  legislative  end  of  the  business 
along  with  Mr.  Rosette,  Senator  D.  D.  Hunt,  the  members  of  the  lower  House  from 
the  district  and  others;  there  are  always  others.  The  prominence  of  the  leading 
advocates  brought  aid  from  all  over  the  State  and  from  quarters  where  the  school- 
masters could  do  nothing.  The  writer  well  remembers  the  anxious  day  when  the 
House  committee  was  to  render  its  momentous  decision.  The  managers  had  called 
in  the  schoolmasters  and  they  were  there  in  force.  And  all  went  "merry  as  a  mar- 
riage bell."  The  opposing  forces  withdrew  their  hostility  and  the  committee  made 
it  practically  unanimous. 

Little  has  been  said  of  those  who  were  especially  interested  in  the  Eastern  School. 
They  were  energetic  and  vigilant,  but  the  brunt  of  the  battle  was  borne  by  those 
mentioned,  and  the  second  bill  slid  along  in  the  groove  made  by  the  first.  It  is 
probable  that  one  school  could  not  have  won  the  fight.  It  was  much  easier,  for 
obvious  reasons,  to  get  two.  There  was  constant  aid  in  the  Governor's  office,  where 
the  hostiles  found  slight  comfort.  The  two  bills  were  approved  on  the  same  day  — 
May  22,  1895.     In  adding  his  nams  to  these  bills  and  thus  converting  them  into 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  245 

laws  the  Governor  not  only  discharged  an  official  function,  but  manifested  anew  the 
warm  interest  he  had  taken  in  the  movement  from  its  inception. 

The  first  Board  of  Trustees  consisted  of  Hon.  Adams  A.  Goodrich,  L  L.  Ellwood, 
Charles  E.  Deere,  Hon.  Thomas  Sparks,  W.  C.  Garrard  and  Hon.  S.  M.  Inglis, 
the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  John  H.  Lewis,  of  De  Kalb,  was  selected 
as  treasurer  and  is  still  acting  in  that  capacity. 

And  now  came  the  question  of  location.  The  law  authorized  the  Board  to  decide 
among  competing  bids  and  locate  the  institution  where  the  inducements  were  strong- 
est. Rockford,  Oregon,  Polo  and  De  Kalb  were  the  chief  competitors.  De  Kalb 
seems  to  have  been  far  in  advance  through  the  generosity  of  the  men  mentioned. 
And  so  the  die  was  cast.  Mr.  Rosette's  plans  worked  out  quite  as  well  as  he  could 
have  wished. 

The  act  carried  with  it  an  appropriation  of  $50,000.  With  this  as  a  beginning 
the  Board  determined  to  make  a  start.  Plans  were  solicited  and  Mr.  Charles  E. 
Brush,  of  Chicago,  carried  off  the  prize.  The  contract  for  the  building  was  awarded 
to  W.  J.  McAlpine,  Dixon,  and  October  1  was  selected  as  the  day  for  the  laying  of 
the  cornerstone. 

A  local  committee,  consisting  of  Clinton  Rosette,  chairman;  A.  W.  Fiske,  secre- 
tary; C.  H.  vSaulsbury,  treasurer,  and  I.  L.  Ellwood,  M.  D.  Shipman,  C.  E.  Bradt 
and  M.  J.  Henaughan,  made  large  preparations  for  the  cornerstone  ceremonies. 
Thousands  of  people  were  present.  Every  township  in  the  county  had  its  own 
committee.  Civic  and  military  organizations  paraded  the  unpaved  streets.  The 
famous  Pullman  band,  the  Schumann  Ladies'  Quartette,  the  Chicago  Imperial 
Quartette  and  the  De  Kalb  Choral  Society  furnished  the  music.  The  chief  address 
of  the  day  was  delivered  by  Governor  Altgeld.  The  other  speakers  were  Dr.  Frank 
W.  Gunsaulus,  of  Chicago;  D.  J.  Cames,  Esq.,  of  Sycamore;  Hon.  A.  A.  Goodrich, 
Chicago,  president  of  the  Board;  President  John  W.  Cook,  of  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  University;  Hon.  David  T.  Littler,  Springfield,  and  Mr.  I.  L.  Ellwood, 
president  of  the  day.  There  \vas  a  brave  parade  headed  by  Mr.  E.  C.  Lott,  the 
grand  marshal  of  the  occasion.  The  Grand  Lodge  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons 
of  Illinois  was  in  session  in  Chicago,  and  adjourned  its  session  to  attend  in  a  body. 
Grand  Master  L.  A.  Goddard  laid  the  comer-stone  with  all  of  the  ceremonies  usually 
attending  such  a  function.  A  brilliant  display  of  fireworks  in  the  evening  closed  the 
occasion. 

The  legislatures  of  1897  and  1899  appropriated  $75,000  and  $95,000  respectively, 
the  latter  also  appropriating  $33,000  per  annum  for  the  current  expenses  for  the  two 
succeeding  years.  In  the  spring  of  1899  it  became  evident  that  the  building  would 
be  so  near  completion  by  September  as  to  permit  of  the  opening  of  the  school.  In 
consequence  the  Board  of  Trustees,  in  June,  employed  John  W.  Cook,  then  president 
of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  as  president  of  the  institution  and  directed 
him  to  nominate  for  their  consideration  a  suitable  faculty.  He  was  assured  by  a 
unanimous  resolution  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  that  no  one  would  be  considered  as 
an  employee  unless  nominated  by  the  president  of  the  school.  As  a  consequence, 
when  the  school  opened  its  doors  to  students,  there  was  no  person  connected  with 
the  institution  who  had  been  selected  on  any  other  ground  than  that  of  merit. 


246  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Here  is  a  cgmplete  list  of  the  faculty : 

John  Williston  Cook,  A.  M.,  LL.  D.,  President  and  Professor  of  Psychology. 

Charles  Alexander  McMurry,  Ph.  D.,  Director  of  Practice  Department. 

Edward  Carlton  Page,  A.  B.,  Professor  of  History  and  Geography. 

John  Alexander  Hull  Keith,  A.  M.,  Professor  of  Pedagogy  and  Assistant  in 
Psychology. 

Fred  Lemar  Charles,  M.  S.,  Professor  of  Biology. 

John  Albert  Switzer,  E.  E.,  Professor  of  Physics  and  Chemistry. 

Swen  Franklin  Parson,  Professor  of  Mathematics. 

Newell  Darrow  Gilbert,  A.  M.,  Lecturer  in  Social  Economics. 

Mary  Ross  Potter,  A.  M.,  Professor  of  Ancient  and  Modem  Languages. 

Sue  Dorothy  Hoaglin,  Professor  of  Reading  and  Elocution. 

Emma  Florence  Stratford,  Teacher  of  Drawing. 

Alice  Cary  Patten,  Assistant  in  Ancient  and  Modem  Languages. 

Katharine  P.  Williamson,  Assistant  in  History  and  Geography. 

Anna  Parmlee,  Assistant  in  Mathematics. 

Elma  Warwick,  Librarian. 

Grace  Elizabeth  Babbitt,  Assistant  Librarian. 

On  September  12,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine 
pupils  and  the  faculty  assembled  in  the  beautiful  study  hall.  They  sang  "  America," 
repeated  the  twenty- third  psalm  and  the  Lord's  prayer,  listened  to  a  short  talk 
from  the  president,  the  classification  was  effected,  the  lessons  for  the  next  day  were 
assigned,  and  the  Northern  Illinois  State  Normal  School  began  its  career.  Classes  regu- 
larly recited  the  second  day  and  the  institution  soon  bore  the  marks  of  an  old  school. 

But  the  building  was  by  no  means  completed.  The  mosaic  floors  were  not  down 
and  much  of  the  carpenter  and  stone  work  was  unfinished.  For  two  months  the 
sounds  of  the  hammer  and  the  saw  and  the  tireless  scraping  of  the  Italian  workmen 
on  the  paving  of  the  corridors  mingled  with  the  voices  of  the  pupils  and  the  teachers 
in  the  adjoining  recitation  rooms.  They  shut  themselves  up  in  a  few  rooms  and 
patiently  waited  for  deliverance.  By  the  middle  of  November  the  workmen  were  all 
gone,  and  the  school  had  the  house  to  itself. 

An  incident  occurred  the  first  day  which  may  be  worth  recording.  Reference 
has  been  made  to  the  work  on  the  mosaic  floors  by  the  Italian  laborers.  They  were 
very  suggestive  of  "  The  Man  with  the  Hoe, "  both  in  the  tool  with  which  they  were 
engaged  and  in  their  general  appearance.  They  attracted  the  attention  of  one  of 
the  pupils  who,  while  waiting  her  assignment,  wrote  the  first  poem  ever  composed 
within  the  walls  of  the  building. 

MOSAICS. 

As  lowly  as  the  man  who  held  the  hoe, 

All  day  they  bend  —  the  hardy  men  of  toil ; 
For  them  no  more  the  Tiber  waters  flow, 

For  them  no  marbles  lie  on  Roman  soil, 
I  But  grinding  hour  by  hour  the  pebble  pave 

They  bring  the  somber  hues  from  pristine  grave. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  247 

Here  lie  chalcedonies  of  changing  tone, 

And  spar  and  quartz  in  varied  sheen  of  light ; 
Here  lies  the  flint,  the  Indian's  fireside  stone. 

That  gave  the  light  of  day  to  wigwam  night ;    ' 
Here  lie  the  golds  of  sunset  prisoned  long 
In  sylvan  brook  beneath  the  water's  song. 

These  lone,  Etruscan  workmen  labor  on; 

They  spend  the  body  for  the  wage  it  wins. 
The  school  and  teachers  o'er  the  lessons  con, 

The  shrine  of  thought  its  potent  life  begins. 
One  hears  the  fall  of  wave  by  Florence's  feet, 
One  hears  the  future  statehood 's  onward  beat. 

By  grove  of  oak,  on  fairest  prairie  sod 

The  Normal  bides  in  Northern  Illinois, 
A  benediction  from  our  fathers'  God 

To  crown  the  tress  of  girl  and  brow  of  boy. 
In  this  cathedral  of  the  human  mind 
What  horns  of  cheer  we  from  the  ramparts  wind. 

—  Minnie  A.  Hausen. 

In  the  selection  of  a  faculty  for  a  new  Normal  school  it  was  the  purpose  to  draw 
to  the  new  institution  a  number  of  teachers  who  had  been  closely  identified  with 
work  in  a  similar  school.  The  president  had  been  identified  as  student,  teacher, 
and  president  with  the  oldest  Normal  school  in  the  Mississippi  valley  for  thirty-six 
years.  Dr.  Mc  Murry  is  a  graduate  of  the  same  school,  and  in  addition  to  two  years 
of  work  at  the  University  of  Michigan  had  studied  for  four  years  at  Yena  and  Halle, 
with  reference  to  work  of  this  character,  and  had  been  for  several  years  director  of 
practice  work  in  the  same  school.  Professor  Keith  is  a  graduate  of  the  same  school, 
and  taught  in  one  of  its  departments  for  two  years  before  becoming  a  student  at 
Harvard  University.  His  studies  were  pursued  there  with  reference  to  Normal- 
school  work.  Professor  Parson  had  completed  a  course  of  study  in  the  same  school 
and  had  taught  in  one  of  its  departments  for  three  years.  He  had  also  done  special 
work  at  the  University  of  Chicago.  Miss  Potter  had  also  been  a  teacher  in  the 
school  for  several  years.  Miss  Patten  was  the  sixth  member  of  the  faculty  that  had 
been  identified  with  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University.  Miss  Hoaglin  was  grad- 
uated from  the  Kansas  State  Normal  School  and  Miss  Stratford  had  been  principal  of 
the  Moline  City  Training  School.  It  is  thus  seen  that  the  faculty  was  rich  in  Normal- 
school  experience  and  ready  to  enter  upon  the  work  of  this  new  professional  school. 

It  is  the  traditional  thing  to  dedicate  a  school.  In  this  case  it  was  deemed 
expedient  to  defer  the  dedication  for  two  weeks  after  the  opening.  The  people  of 
De  Kalb  determined  to  celebrate  the  event  by  a  three-days'  jubilee,  the  second  day 
to  be  given  up  to  the  formal  inauguration  of  the  faculty.  The  children  and  the 
notables  came  and  a  brave  procession  was  forming  when  a  most  unwelcome  storm 
drove  the  multitude  from  the  beautiful  grove  to  the  shelter  of  the  building.  The 
dedication  exercises  were  held  in  the  commodious  gymnasium,  the  audience  standing 
through   the   program.     President    Goodrich   of   the   Board   of   Trustees  presided. 


248  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Colonel  Ellwood-made  the  address  of  welcome.  Governor  Tanner  delivered  a  vig- 
orous address,  accepting  the  school  in  behalf  of  the  State  and  taking  the  highest 
grounds  with  regard  -to  popular  education.  Senator  Cullom,  Congressman  Hop- 
kins, State  Senator  D.  D.  Hunt,  State  Senator  O.  F.  Berry  and  Judge  C.  A.  Bishop 
represented  the  interests  of  the  general  public  and  expressed  with  marked  unanimity 
the  satisfaction  which  intelligent  people  must  feel  on  account  of  the  generous  equip- 
ment of  an  institution  which  deals  with  such  fundamental  interests  as  does  the  Normal 
school.  Superintendent  Andrews,  of  Chicago,  President  Draper,  of  the  University 
of  Illinois,  and  Superintendent  O.  T.  Bright,  of  Cook  county,  spoke  especially  for 
the  educational  people.  Judge  Goodrich  formally  accepted  the  building  from  the 
contractor. 

A  pleasing  incident  of  the  occasion  was  the  presentation  to  the  members  of  the 
Board,  to  the  president  of  the  Normal  school  and  to  Representative  Brennan,  of 
Sycamore,  of  canes  skillfully  fashioned  from  wood  imported  from  our  new  dominion. 
The  wood  was  the  Osage  Orange,  which  had  suggested  the  idea  of  the  barb  wire. 
In  behalf  of  Mr.  Haisch  the  presentations  were  made  by  President  Cook. 

Among  the  distinguished  visitors  were  State  Superintendent  Bayliss,  several 
members  of  the  General  Assembly,  the  venerable  Dr.  Edwards,  who  was  the  second 
president  of  the  State  Normal  University,  President  Arnold  Tompkins,  the  successor 
of  Mr.  Cook  at  the  same  institution,  and  George  P.  Brown,  editor  and  publisher 
of  the  widely  known  Public  School  Journal.  County  superintendents,  city  superin- 
tendents, and  representatives  of  all  of  the  various  grades  of  schools,  from  the  country 
school  to  the  university,  were  present  and  joined  with  great  enthusiasm  in  the  events 
of  the  day.  In  the  evening  a  brilliant  assembly  gathered  in  the  spacious  auditorium, 
where  Mrs.  Jessie  Ellwood  Ray,  the  Queen  of  Honor  of  the  Festival  Days,  accom- 
panied by  her  maids,  gave  an  elaborate  reception. 

In  arranging  courses  of  study,  lines  of  work  were  prepared  for  all  classes  of 
students,  from  the  country  school  to  the  university.  It  was  expected  that  the  main 
body  of  students  would  be  drawn  from  graduates  of  the  admirable  high  schools  of  the 
adjacent  territory,  but  it  was  not  deemed  wise  to  limit  admissions  to  students  of  that 
class. 

The  unique  feature  of  the  organization,  so  far  as  it  differed  from  existing  Normal 
schools  in  general,  was  the  amount  of  time  given  to  practice  work  with  children. 
The  city  of  De  Kalb  had  generously  placed  its  schools  at  the  disposal  of  the  institu- 
tion to  be  used  for  that  purpose.  Arrangements  were  made,  therefore,  for  from  seven 
to  ten  months  of  actual  teaching  work  for  half  of  each  day. 

A  sufficient  number  of  advanced  students  entered  the  school  to  make  a  graduating 
class  of  sixteen  the  first  year. 

By  an  arrangement  with  the  city  of  De  Kalb  the  critic  force  was  at  first  drawn 
from  the  regular  teachers  in  the  public  schools.  It  soon  became  necessary  to  increase 
the  force  thus  available.  In  the  second  year,  Mrs.  Lida  B.  McMurry,  the  widely 
known  primary  critic  at  the  State  Normal  University,  came  to  the  institution,  where 
she  still  remains.  Luther  A.  Hatch,  a  graduate  of  the  same  school,  and  for  some  years 
a  principal  at  Moline  and  Oak  Park,  became  the  principal  of  the  training  school 
at  the  Normal  building  with  the  beginning  of  the  second  year.     This  work  had  been 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  249 

done  for  a  portion  of  the  first  year  by  Mr.  Andrew  Melville.  Mr. -Hatch  remained 
in  that  position  for  seven  years,  having  a  leave  of  absence  for  one  year  while  in 
attendance  at  Teachers  College,  New  York  City.  At  the  close  of  his  seventh  year 
he  became  superintendent  of  schools  of  the  city  of  De  Kalb,  and  thus  entered  into 
still  more  helpful  relations .  with  the  Normal  school.  He  made  a  most  unqualified 
success  in  both  positions,  and  died  on  October  31,  1911. 

Teachers  were  added  from  time  to  time  in  the  practice  department  until  the 
number  has  finally  reached  fourteen  besides  the  director  of  the  department. 

The  first  music  teacher  in  the  institution  was  Miss  Rose  L.  Huff,  who  remained 
in  that  position  for  five  years,  and  resigned  to  become  Mrs.  O.  R.  Morgan.  She 
made  a  phenomenal  success  and  was  succeeded  by  her  sister.   Miss  Charlotte  Huff. 

Miss  Ida  S.  Simonson  came  to  the  school  in  the  third  year  to  take  charge  of  the 
rhetoric  and  literature,  and  continues  in  the  same  position. 

Miss  Inez  D.  Rice  came  to  the  school  in  the  second  year  as  teacher  of  geography, 
and  after  a  service  of  four  years  resigned  to  become  Mrs.  Adkinson.  She  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Miss  Marion  Weller,  who  is  still  with  the  school. 

Professor  Keith  severed  his  connection  with  the  institution  after  eight  years  of 
service  to  take  charge  of  the  practice  work  at  the  State  Normal  University.  After 
a  brief  term  in  that  capacity  he  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  the  State  Normal 
School,  at  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin. 

Professor  Charles  served  ten  years  and  was  called  to  the  University  of  Illinois, 
where  he  died  in  the  second  year  of  his  service. 

Professor  Switzer  served  for  several  years  and  resigned  to  engage  in  engineering 
work.  He  is  now  assistant  in  the  engineering  department  of  the  University  of 
Tennessee. 

But  the  limitations  of  space  will  not  permit  an  enumeration  of  all  who  have  been 
connected  with  the  institution.     The  following  is  the  faculty  for  1911-12: 

John  W.  Cook,  A.  M.,  LL.  D.,  Professor  of  Psychology  and  History  of  Education. 

Charles  A.  McMurry,  Ph.  D.,  Director  of  Training  Department. 

Newell  Darrow  Gilbert,  A.  M.,  Professor  of  Pedagogy  and  Assistant  in  Psychology. 

Edward  Carlton  Page,  A.  B.,  Professor  of  History. 

Edith  S.  Patten,  Ph.  B.,  Assistant  in  History. 

Swen  Franklin  Parson,  Professor  of  Mathematics. 

Anna  Parmelee,  Assistant  in  Mathematics. 

Charles  W.  Whitten,  A.  B.,  Professor  of  Physics  and  Chemistry. 

Ralph  E.  Wager,  A.  M.,  Ped.  B.,  Professor  of  Biology. 

Miss  Jessie  R.  Mann,  Assistant  in  Biology. 

Miss  Lola  E.  Swift,   A.  B.,  Laboratory  Assistant. 

Miss  Ida  S.  Simonson,  B.  L.,  Professor  of  Literature. 

Miss  Janet  Dewey,  A.  B.,  Assistant  in  Literature. 

Miss  Jennie  E.  Farley,  Professor  of  Reading  and  Oratory. 

Miss  Marion  Weller,  A.  B.,  Professor  of  Geography. 

Miss  Mary  Ross  Whitman,  A.  M.,  Professor  of  Ancient  Languages. 

William  W.  Wirtz,  A.  B.,  Assistant  in  Languages  and  Athletic  Director. 

Miss  Charlotte  S,  Huff,  Professor  of  Music. 


250  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Miss  Vera  Wiswall,  A.  B.,  Assistant  in  Music. 

Samuel  J.  Vaughn,  A.  B.,  Professor  of  Manual  Training. 

Mrs.  L.  Eveline  Merritt,  Professor  of  Drawing. 

Miss  Alice  Aram,  Assistant  in  Drawing. 

Miss  Edith  Hall,  B.  S.,  Professor  of  Domestic  SciencQ. 

Miss  Charley  Tidd,  B.  S.,  Assistant  in  Domestic  Science. 

Floyd  R,  Ritzman  and  James  Roy  Skiles,  Principals  of  Training  Schools. 

Critics:  Mrs.  Lida  B.  McMurry,  Miss  Addie  L.  McLean,  Mrs.  Cora  T.  Benedict, 
Misses  Carrie  B.  Edmondson,  Tillie  C.  Bale,  Bertha  F.  Huntsman,  Edna  Tazewell, 
Mary  Fitch,  Leonora  Dowdall,  E.  Louise  Adams,  Mabel  Norton  and  student  assis- 
tant. Miss  Thompson. 

Mr.  George  W.  Shoop  was  elected  superintendent  of  buildings  at  the  opening 
of  the  school  and  continues  in  that  capacity  to  the  present. 

Summer  schools  have  been  held  each  summer.  As  now  arranged,  the  terms  of 
the  year  are  fifteen  weeks  in  the  fall,  twelve  weeks  in  the  winter,  twelve  weeks  in 
the  spring  and  six  weeks  in  the  summer.  The  last  summer  term  numbered  five 
hundred  and  fifty. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  follow  the  development  of  the  institution  in  detail.  It  haS 
now  been  in  operation  for  something  more  than  twelve  years. 

It  has  added  to  its  equipment  an  admirable  training-school  building,  a  plant  house, 
additional  space  for  manual  training,  and  facilities  for  advanced  courses  in  music, 
domestic  science  and  art,  manual  training,  art,  postgraduate  courses  leading  to  a 
degree,  and  a  model  country  school  two  miles  away  but  easy  of  access.  .  The  faculty 
has  been  more  than  doubled.  A  large  force  of  critics  takes  care  of  the  practice 
work  in  two  city  schools  with  approximately  six  hundred  children.  Additional 
laboratories  supply  the  facilities  for  science  work.  The  alumni  number  more  than 
seven  hundred  and  fifty.  The  grounds  have  been  beautified.  The  athletic  field 
has  been  supplied  with  a  grand-stand,  and,  in  general,  the  school  has  been  able  to 
keep  pace  with  the  growing  demands  of  the  times.  The  General  Assembly  has 
made  all  appropriations  asked  for. 

The  Board  of  Trustees  has  experienced  few  changes.  Colonel  Ellwood  died  in 
1910,  after  serving  as  a  member  of  the  board  for  fifteen  years.  The  board  at  this 
writing  consists  of  Adams  A.  Goodrich  ;  Leroy  A.  Goddard,  president;  E.  L.  Metzell, 
secretary ;  Jason  C.  Ayres,  W.  L.  Ellwood ;  and  the  ex  officio  member,  Hon.  F.  G. 
Blair,  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

The  graduates  and  undergraduates  are  found  in  many  of  the  States  of  the  Union- 
They  are  serving  as  principals,  superintendents,  grade  teachers,  country  teachers, 
critic  teachers  —  indeed,  they  are  in  all  of  the  departments  of  education.  Large 
numbers  of  them  have  gone  to  universities  where  their  work  at  the  Normal  school 
usually  receives  credit  term  for  term.  Much,  very  much,  remains  to  be  done  and 
the  school  aspires  to  widen  its  usefulness  with  the  years. 

THE  EASTERN  ILLINOIS  STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL. 

The  circumstances  under  which  this  school  was  established  have  been  detailed. 
Attention  has  been  called  to  the  election  of  Hon.  S.   M.  Inglis  to  the  presidency  of 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  251 

the  institution  before  the  termination  of  his  term  of  office  as  Superintendent  of 
PubHc  Instruction  and  before  the  completion  of  the  building.  His  death  neces- 
sitated the  selection  of  another  for  that  office.  His  first  report  appears  in  the  Biennial 
Report  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  for  1898-9.  The  following 
historical  sketch  constitutes  the  larger  part  of  the  report. 

On  July  1,  1895,  the  act  creating  the  Eastern  Illinois  State  Normal  School  became 
a  law.'  On  September  7,  1895,  the  school  was  located  at  Charleston,  and  December 
2,  1895,  a  contract  was  made  to  erect  and  enclose  the  building.  The  comer-stone 
was  laid  with  impressive  ceremonies  on  the  afternoon  of  May  27,  1896.  To  the  people 
of  Charleston  the  occasion  seemed  one  of  the  most  memorable  in  the  history"  of  the 
city,  and  the  local  arrangements  were  commensurate  with  their  views  of  the  event. 
The  interest  of  the  State  at  large  was  shown  by  the  number  of  visitors  who  responded 
to  the  city's  invitation  to  be  present.  Prominent  officials  and  many  other  dis- 
tinguished citizens  of  Illinois  were  among  the  guests  of  honor.  Thousands  of  people 
joined  in  the  procession  to  the  grounds  and  remained,  even  in  the  midst  of  a  gathering 
storm,  to  witness  the  exercises.  The  late  Father  McCann  offered  the  invocation, 
and  appropriate  hymns  were  sung  by  the  Shelbyville  Glee  Club.  The  Hon.  H.  A. 
Neal,  Mayor  of  Charleston,  delivered  the  address  of  welcome.  Other  notable 
addresses  were  made  by  the  Hon.  I.  B.  Craig,  the  Hon.  S.  M,  Inglis,  the  Hon.  Owen 
Scott  and  the  Hon.  F.  M.  Youngblood.  The  Grand  Lodge  of  Masons  of  Illinois 
directed  the  laying  of  the  comer-stone.  The  work  was  carried  on  till  the  comple- 
tion of  the  building  in  1899.  The  cost  of  the  building,  grounds  and  furnishings 
represents  an  expenditure  in  round  numbers  of  $200,000. 

The  building  was  dedicated  on  the  29th  of  August,  1899,  under  propitious  skies 
and  in  the  presence  of  a  throng  that  seemed  to  argue  a  deep  interest  in  the  educa- 
tional progress  of  Illinois.  The  formal  exercises  were  held  in  the  assembly  room 
of  the  Normal  School.  Its  seating  capacity,  though  more  than  fifteen  hundred, 
was  inadequate  for  the  demands  of  the  day.  Probably  twice  that  number  were 
denied  admission.  Such  a  gathering  in  honor  of  a  purely  educational  event  appeared 
to  be  unusual  and  invited  much  hopeful  comment  from  the  various  speakers.  An 
all-day  program  had  been  provided.  In  the  morning,  after  the  singing  of  "  America  " 
by  the  audience  and  prayer  by  the  Rev.  J.  A.  Piper,  the  Rev.  H.  C.  Gibbs  delivered 
the  address  of  welcome.  It  was  acknowledged  by  the  Hon.  A.  H.  Jones,  President 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  President  John  W.  Cook,  of  the  Northern  Illinois  State 
Normal  School,  welcomed  the  president  and  faculty  to  their  new  field  at  Charleston. 
The  president  of  the  school  responded  with  a  statement  of  what  the  new  school 
hoped  to  be  and  do.  Other  musical  numbers  completed  the  program  of  the  forenoon. 
The  afternoon  was  ushered  in  with  a  parade  that  evoked  continuous  applause  along 
the  line  of  march.  The  exercises  at  the  Normal  school  consisted  of  music  by  Spen- 
cer's Band,  prayer  by  the  Rev.  F.  W.  Bumham,  musical  selections  by  the  Maennerchor 
of  Peoria  under  the  direction  of  Frederich  Koch,  the  presentation  speech  by  Miss 
Irma  Martin,  the  accepting  of  the  keys  by  Governor  Tanner,  the  response  for  the 
trustees  by  Hon.  H  A.  Neal,  secretary  of  the  board,  and  a  special  educational  address 
by  Dr.  Richard  Edwards. 

The  school  opened  September  12,  1899,  with  the  following  faculty: 


252  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Livingston  C.  Lord,  President,  Psychology  and  School  Management. 

W.  M.  Evans,  B.  S.,  Litt.  D.,  English. 

J.  Paul  Goode,  B.  S.,  Physics  and  Geography. 

Henry  Johnson,  B.  L.,  Sociology  and  Political  Economy. 

Mrs.  Louise  B.  Inglis,  History. 

Otis  W.  Caldwell,  B.  S.,  Ph.  D.,  Biological  Science. 

Edson  H.  Taylor,  B.  S.,  Mathematics. 

Anna  Piper,  Drawing. 

James  H.  Brownlee,  A.  M.,  Reading. 

Luther  E.  Baird,  Assistant  in  English. 

Francis  G.  Blair,  B.  S.,  Philosophy  of  Education  and  Applied  Psychology. 

Friedrich  Koch,-  !Music. 

Bertha  Hamlin,  Critic  Teacher  in  Grammar  School. 

Edna  T.  Cook,  Critic  Teacher  in  Grammar  School. 

Alice  B.  Cunningham,  Critic  Teacher  in  Primary  School. 

May  Slocum,  Critic  Teacher  in  Primary  School. 

Frances  E.  Whetmore,  Registrar. 

In  his  address  Dr.  Edwards  sketched  the  history  of  the  American  Normal  School. 
He  discussed  its  function  and  the  place  which  it  had  made  for  itself  in  American 
elementary  education.  Who  was  so  well  qualified  to  speak  on  the  theme  assigned 
him!  He  had  been  vitally  connected  with  the  schools  of  that  character  for  a  large 
part  of  their  existence.  The  student  of  the  subject  will  find  valuable  material  for 
his  purposes  in  this  address. 

There  was  no  little  competition  for  the  presidency  of  the  Normal  school.  The 
Board  of  Trustees  showed  their  wisdom  and  independence  b}^  the  employment  of 
Mr.  Lord.  He  had  been  for  some  years  in  charge  of  a  similar  institution  at  Mankato, 
Minnesota.  The  clearness  of  his  view,  the  singular  aptness  of  his  speech,  his  direct 
and  incisive  method  of  attack  and  his  delightful  personality  united  to  impress  the 
Board  with  his  especial  fitness  for  the  position.  The  years  have  justified  their  choice 
and  have  given  to  President  Lord  rare  prominence  in  education  in  the  State. 

The  courses  of  study  offered  were  a  one-year  course  for  graduates  of  reputable 
colleges,  a  two-year  course  for  graduates  of  approved  high  schools  having  four-year 
courses,  a  three-year  course  for  graduates  of  high  schools  of  shorter  courses  and  for 
undergraduates  of  high  schools,  and  a  four-year  course  for  graduates  of  rural  schools. 
These  courses  are  substantially  the  same  as  those  offered  by  the  companion  school 
at  the  north.  Indeed,  as  these  two  schools  were  together  in  their  establishing  so 
they  have  kept  practically  abreast  since.  The  Eastern  School  has  been  somewhat 
the  larger,  while  the  Northern  School  has  graduated  the  larger  classes  because  of  the 
larger  number  of  high-school  graduates  of  advanced  grade.  Perhaps  the  Eastern 
School  has  accented  general  scholarship  more  highly  and  the  Northern  School  the 
element  of  practice  teaching. 

Early  in  the  history  of  his  administration  Dr.  Lord  began  to  agitate  the  question 
of  a  house  for  the  women.  He  was  fortunate  enough  to  get  a  bill  through  the  General 
Assembly,  but  it  experienced  a  veto  at  the  hands  of  Governor  Yates.  He  was  not 
disheartened,  however,  but  made  a  second  attempt  at  the  next  session  of  the  legis- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  253 

lature.  The  bill  was  again  passed  and  Governor  Deneen  approved  it.  The  build- 
ing was  at  once  begun  and  was  pushed  forward  to  completion.  It  has  demonstrated 
the  wisdom  of  the  plan  and  two  more  of  the  State  schools  have  followed  the  sugges- 
tion. Others  will  do  likewise.  Dr.  Lord  was  the  pioneer  in  this  enterprise  and 
deserves  to  be  accredited  with  the  innovation.  In  1911  he  secured  an  appropriation 
for  a  training-school  building  and  it  will  be  erected  within  the  near  future. 

The  site  of  the  school  lent  itself  to  improvement.  It  is  a  level  field  and  has  been 
treated  in  a  very  satisfactory  manner  under  the  artistic  discrimination  of  the  presi- 
dent. It  was  extremely  fortunate  for  the  institution  that  a  man  of  such  excellent 
judgment  was  in  charge  at  so  critical  a  time  in  the  history  of  the  school.  The  grounds 
must  be  accounted  as  beautiful,  to  say  the  least,  as  those  of  any  of  the  similar  schools, 
and  in  the  .opinion  of  many  they  are  regarded  as  the  most  beautiful. 

When  President  Lord  went  to  Charleston  he  took  with  him  several  of  the  men 
who  had  been  with  him  at  Mankato.  It  is  a  fine  tribute  to  his  skill  in  selecting 
his  helpers  that  he  has  not  been  able  to  keep  them.  Professor  Goode  and  Professor 
Caldwell  were  taken  to  the  University  of  Chicago.  Professor  Johnson  was  enticed 
to  Teachers  College,  Columbia  University.  Professor  Blair  has  become  one  of  the 
historic  Superintendents  of  Public  Instruction.  Others  of  fine  ability  have  been 
called  to  take  their  places,  but  it  is  far  from  easy  to  attract  to  the  Normal  schools 
men  of  such  unusual  talents. 

The  following  is  the  faculty  of  the  institution  as  appears  from  the  catalogue  of 
1911: 

L.  C.  Lord,  LL.  D.,  President,  Psychology  and  School  Management. 

E.  H.  Taylor,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D.,  Mathematics. 

Anna  Piper,  Drawing. 

Frederich  Koch,  Music. 

Ellen  A.  Ford,  A.  M.,  Latin. 

Thomas  H.  Briggs,  A.  B.,  Grammar  and  Literature. 

T.  L.  Hankinson,  B.  S.,  Biological  Sciences. 

Caroline  A.  Forbes,  Manual  Training. 

Annie  L.  Weller,  B.  S.,  Geography. 

Albert  B.  Crowe,  A.  M.,  Physics  and  Chemistry. 

J.  C.  Brown,  A.  M.,  Mathematics. 

Florence  V.  Skeffington,  A.  B.,  Rhetoric  arid  Literature. 

S.  E.  Thomas,  A.  M.,  History. 

Lotus  D.  Coffman,  A.  B.,  Ph.  D.,  Supervisor  of  Training  Department. 

Anabel  Johnson,  A.  M.,  German  and  History. 

Edgar  N.  Transeau,  A.  B.,  Ph.  D.,  Biological  Sciences. 

Forrest  Sumner  Lunt,  A.  B.,  Reading. 

M.  W.  Deputy,  A.  M.,  Supervisor  of  Training  Department. 

Clara  Miller,  Mathematics. 

Leonard  Davis,  English  and  Mathematics. 

Edith  Ragan,  Critic  Teacher  in  Grammar  School. 

Isabel  McKinney,  A.  M.,  Critic  Teacher  in  Grammar  School. 

Genevieve  Fisher,  Critic  Teacher  in  Grammar  School. 


254  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Mellie  A.  Bishop,  B.  L.,  Critic  Teacher  in  Primary  School. 
Anna  H.  Morse,  Critic  Teacher  in  Primary  School. 
Elsie  Woodson,  B.  S.,  History  in  the  Grades. 

Mary  J.  Booth,  A.  M.,  B.  L.  S.,  Librarian. 
Alice  M.  Christiansen,  Gymnastics. 

Charlotte  M.  Jackson,  B.  L.  S.,  Assistant  Librarian. 
Grace  Ewait,  Registrar. 

Mary  E.  Hawkins.  Head  of  Pemberton  Hall. 
Walter  Nehrling,  Gardener. 

THE  WESTERN  ILLINOIS  STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL. 

The  struggle  which  was  necessary  to  secure  the  two  new  Normal  schools  has 
been  briefly  described.  It  was  in  marked  contrast  with  the  movement  which  resulted 
in  the  act  establishing  the  fifth  school.  Without  any  especial  effort  on  the  part  of 
the  educational  men  —  indeed,  with  the  knowledge  of  but  a  few  of  them  —  the  bill 
for  the  Western  Illinois  State  Normal  School  was  introduced  and  passed  by  the 
General  Assembly.  This  interesting  event  is  easily  explained.  The  Speaker  of  the 
House,  Hon.  Lawrence  Y.  Sherman,  attended  to  the  matter.  He  should  always  be 
remembered  in  connection  with  the  founding  of  the  institution. 

The  act  declared  that  the  school  should  be  located  west  of  the  fourth  principal 
meridian,  in  what  is  known  as  the  Military  Tract.  It  went  into  efifect  on  the  1st 
day  of  July,  1899.  The  Governor  appointed  a  Board  of  Trustees,  who  were  to  locate 
the  institution,  but  because  of  the  inability  of  the  members  to  agree  upon  a  site 
their  resignations  were  accepted  and  a  new  board  was  appointed  in  July,  1900. 
Macomb  was  selected,  a  beautiful  tract  of  some  sixty  acres  having  been  donated  for 
the  needs  of  the  school.  An  appropriation  of  $75,000  had  been  made  by  the  General 
Assembly  and  with  this  sum  the  work  was  begun.  The  city  had  made  ample  pro- 
vision for  water  supply,  for  drainage,  for  the  construction  of  suitable  walks  and 
pavements  and  for  such  additional  modem  conveniences  as  are  demanded  by  such 
an  institution.     The  comer-stone  was  laid  on  December  21,  1900. 

In  the  address  by  Governor  Tanner  he  reaffirmed  his  faith  in  the  principle  of  the 
wisdom  of  the  professional  training  of  teachers  by  the  State. 

Robert  Bruce  Watson  was  at  that  time  State  Architect.  The  plans  and  speci- 
fications were  therefore  prepared  in  his  office  and  under  his  directions.  He  built 
for  the  centuries.  The  building,  in  point  of  strength  and  durability  and  elegance 
of  finish,  far  surpasses  any  of  the  other  Illinois  State  Normal  School  homes.  In  its 
internal  construction  it  resembles  a  city  school  rather  too  much  for  the  greatest 
convenience  of  a  Normal  school,  but  the  embarrassment  is  slight,  and  it  is  a  notable 
example  of  what  a  State  has  been  willing  to  do  in  the  way  of  a  Normal  school.  Its 
cost  was  about  twice  as  much  as  that  of  any  of  the  other  school  buildings.  Time 
will  demonstrate  the  wisdom  of  the  expenditure  if  any  demonstration  be  needed. 

The  courses  offered  were  about  the  same  as  those  in  the  earlier  schools.  Rather 
greater  emphasis  was  placed  upon  the  preparation  of  country  school  teachers,  pos- 
sibly, but  otherwise  there  was  slight  difference. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  255 

The  following  gentlemen  were  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  who  located 
the  school  and  organized  its  faculty : 

Hon.  Charles  J.  Searle,  Rock  Island,  President. 

Hon.  Frank  E.  Blane,  Petersburg,  Vice-President. 

Hon.  B.  M.  Chipperfield,  Canton,  Secretary. 

Hon.  F.  R.  Jelliff,  Galesburg. 

Dr.  George  W.  Ross,  Carrollton. 

Hon.  Alfred  Bayliss,  ex  officio. 

Considerable  difficulty  arose  when  the  question  of  the  selection  of  the  faculty 
was  to  be  settled.  In  consequence  of  differences  of  opinion  there  were  some  resig- 
nations, but  the  following  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  finally  appointed: 

J.  W.  Henninger,  Psychology  and  School  Management. 

S.  B.  Hursh,  English  Grammar  and  Literature. 

W.  J.  Sutherland,  Geology  and  Geography. 

James  C.  Bumes,  History  and  Civics. 

E.  S.  Wilkinson,  Arithmetic,  Algebra  and  Geometry. 
H.  L.  Roberts,  Biology. 

J.  P.  Drake,  Physics  and  Chemistry. 

F.  J.  Fairbank,  Latin  and  German. 

S.  L.  Smith,  Drawing,  Writing  and  Physical  Culture. 

Miss  Winifred  Swartz,  Director  of  Music  and  Physical  Culture. 

Miss  Margaret  Dunbar,  Librarian. 

Miss  Cora  Hamilton,  Training  Department. 

Miss  Edna  Keith,  Critic  Teacher. 

Miss  Laura  Hazle,  Critic  Teacher. 

Several  of  the  members  of  this  first  faculty  were  teachers  of  admirable  repute  in 
Illinois.  Others  were  less  widely  known.  Mr.  Hursh  and  Mr.  Sutherland  were 
graduates  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  and  Mr.  Roberts  and  Miss  Hazle 
had  been  students  there.  Miss  Hamilton  was  widely  known  as  a  lecturer  and  as 
an  institute  worker.  Mr.  Henninger  had  been  superintendent  of  schools  at  Jackson- 
ville just  before  his  appointment,  and  had  held  other  educational  positions  in  the 
State.      Mr.  Bums  had  served  for  several  years  in  similar  positions. 

The  school  was  opened  September  23,  1902,  although  the  building  was  by  no 
means  completed.  A  good  enrollment  greeted  the  faculty  on  the  first  day,  the 
number  being  one  hundred  and  forty-one  in  the  Normal  department  and  ninety-six 
in  the  training  school.  This  was  a  most  encouraging  beginning.  The  Military  Tract 
greeted  the  new  institution  with  the  utmost  enthusiasm,  and  the  whole  State  regarded 
the  enteiprise  with  the  warmest  interest.  The  plan  adopted  at  the  Eastern  School, 
of  holding  sessions  Saturday  instead  of  Monday,  was  followed  here,  for  the  purpose 
of  giving  an  opportunity  to  teachers  who  are  engaged  in  teaching  to  derive  some 
help  from  the  school.     Summer  sessions  were  also  provided  for. 

The  report  of  the  president  to  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  in  1904 
shows  a  most  prosperous  condition.  Over  four  hundred  were  enrolled  and  a  training 
school  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  had  been  organized,  besides  a  preparatory 
school  of  about  forty.     These  figures  show  the  need  of  an  institution  of  its  kind  in 


5J56  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

that  part  of  the  State.  The  building  had  now  been  completed  for  some  time  and 
its  equipment  was  excellent.  It  had  provided  a  manual  training  department  and 
school  garden  and  was  establishing  itself  on  all  the  lines  of  the  best  modem 
schools. 

In  June,  1905,  President  Henninger  resigned.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  work 
of  director  of  the  institution  by  Samuel  B.  Hursh,  Acting  Principal  and  Professor 
of  English.  Professor  Hursh  had  been  of  the  utmost  assistance  in  the  development 
of  the  school,  and  had  won  the  warm  admiration  and  sincere  respect  of  all  who  were 
in  any  way  connected  with  the  school  or  who  were  informed  as  to  the  work  that  it 
was  doing. 

On  May  8,  1906,  Hon.  Alfred  Bayliss  was  elected  principal,  with  the  understand- 
ing that  he  should  give  to  the  management  of  the  institution  such  time  and  effort 
as  he  could  spare  from  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion. As  his  term  would  expire  at  the  close  of  the  calendar  year  it  was  expected 
that  he  would  then  be  able  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  his  new  position. 

A  reorganization  was  effected  by  which  three  departments  were  organized:  The 
Normal  School;  The  Normal  Elementary  School;  The  Academic  School.  The 
school  year  was  divided  into  four  quarters  of  twelve  weeks  each,  the  summer  quarter 
being  divided  into  two  terms  of  six  weeks  each. 

When  Mr.  Bayliss  assumed  the  management  of  the  school  he  began  to  work  out 
a  scheme  that  was  very  near  his  heart.  He  was  convinced  that  the  country  school 
had  been  neglected  and  he  therefore  determined  to  put  the  Western  Normal  School 
as  near  as  possible  to  the  country  teacher.  He  employed  Miss  Mabel  Carney  as 
teacher  of  a  model  country  school  and  used  it  as  an  illustration  of  what  an  enthu- 
siastic and  capable  woman  can  do  in  such  a  situation.  Her  remarkable  work  gave 
a  great  impulse  to  all  movements  looking  toward  the  improvement  of  the  rural 
schools.  Her  subsequent  services  in  that  direction  have  attracted  much  attention 
from  the  country  at  large. 

Mr.  Bayliss  found  it  necessary  to  reorganize  his  faculty,  and  did  so  in  his  char- 
acteristic way.  Enmities  were  aroused  and  there  was  much  of  criticism,  but  he 
proceeded  quietly  and  modestly  but  persistently.  He  had  a  burden  to  carry,  but  he 
bore  it  as  his  friends  knew  he  would.  Time  brought  him  its  rewards.  He  saw  the 
school  under  his  management  go  through  its  days  of  trial  and  take  an  honored  place 
among  the  institutions  of  its  kind  in  this  country.  The  material  for  its  study  is 
available  to  the  student  of  education  and  need  not  be  recorded  here  where  space 
is  of  necessity  so  limited  for  the  happenings  of  these  recent  years. 

Shortly  before  the  time  for  the  opening  of  the  school  in  September,  1911,  the 
educational  people  read  the  startling  news  that  Alfred  Bayliss  had  received  a  fatal 
injury  and  was  dying.  The  news  proved  to  be  all  too  true.  After  a  short  period 
of  unconsciousness,  interrupted  by  brief  moments  of  semi-consciousness,  this 
admirable  man  passed  out  into  the  shadows.  It  is  not  easy  to  express  the 
sense  of  profound  sorrow  that  was  experienced  because  of  this  most  unfortunate 
event. 

School  and  Home  Education  published  in  the  October,  1911,  number  the  following 
memorial  contributions: 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  257 

We  in  Illinois  knew  Alfred  Bayliss  as  a  teacher;  his  family  knew  him  in  his  manhood  first  as  a 
soldier  and  then  as  a  husband,  father  and  citizen ;  to  them  "He  is  our  dead  soldier,  who  never  flinched 
on  the  firing-line  whether  it  was  guns  or  opinions  that  confronted  him." 

Of  the  teachers  of  Illinois  none  was  intimately  associated  with  him  for  so  long  a  time  as  was 
Professor  S.  B.  Hursh,  of  the  Macomb  Normal.     He  writes  as  follows: 

"The  twenty-five  years  of  my  acquaintance  with  Alfred  Bayliss,  the  latter  part  of  which  brought 
us  much  together,  enabled  me  to  know  him  more  intimately  than  most  men.  Our  rivalry,  if  such 
I  may  assume  to  call  it,  in  the  city  of  Sterling  years  ago,  grew  into  a  genuine  esteem  and  friendship. 
Our  work  in  the  last  ten  years  brought  us  closely  together  and  I  learned  to  know  him  well. 

"He  was  a  man  of  clear  intellect,  not  brilliant  as  that  term  is  generally  understood,  not  quick 
in  reply  or  repartee,  and  never  acting  or  speaking  for  effect ;  but  rather  characterized  by  the  sureness 
of  second  thought,  measured  in  judgment.  His  speech  was  straightforward,  accurate  —  it  was 
himself.     When  the  matter  in  mind  was  vital  he  spoke  with  true  eloquence. 

"Firmne'ss  of  will  was  not  wanting,  yet  he  was  never  obstinate,  never  demonstrative  in  any  act 
of  volition;  yet  he  knew  no  compromise  against  his  judgment. 

"  Mr.  Bayliss  was  not  often  moved  by  emotion  in  what  he  said  or  did;  one  might  well  take  him 
as  the  type  of  a  man  whose  emotions  are  fully  rationalized;  but  an  almost  secret  tenderness  was  a 
constant  part  of  his  social  life.  His  sympathies  were  ready  and  keen  to  any  one  in  need,  especially 
in  need  of  a  'chance.'  He  had  not  much  interest  in  pyrotechnic  patriotism,  but  his  love  of  country 
and  the  flag  was  almost  a  passion. 

"In  a  social  way,  some  who  did  not  know  him  well  thought  him  cold,  and  this  is  not  to  be  won- 
dered at,  for  his  fellowship  was  rather  that  of  the  mind  than  of  the  outward  personality.  His  sense 
of  justice  seemed  unique.  He  was  fair  to  his  friend  and  critically  fair  to  one  who  wronged  him.  He 
would  defend  his  enemy  and  extenuate  his  fault  beyond  that  of  any  man  I  ever  knew. 

"He  saw  deeply  into  questions  of  educational  righteousness,  and  the  State's  obHgation  to  the 
whole  State  was  his  constant  purpose  while  he  served  the  State  as  its  educative  head. 

"The  legislative  measures  he  so  tenaciously  sought  to  have  enacted  were  not  conceived  after  he 
entered  the  office  of  public  instruction;  he  had  clearly  stated  them  many  years  before.  Many  times 
in  conversation  he  had  uttered,  with  the  force  of  conviction,  that  the  State  owes  a  larger  duty  to  the 
'  one-room  school '  than  it  has  yet  assumed,  that  every  boy  and  girl  in  Illinois  should  have  full  high- 
school  education  free,  that  the  consolidation  of  the  rural  school  should  be  steadily  sought  until  it  is 
won.  How  well  he  kept  faith  with  his  own  educational  doctrine  may  be  seen  in  his  work  in  the  last 
fifteen  years. 

"  Mr.  Bayliss's  work  in  the  Western  Illinois  State  Normal  School  is  characterized  by  steady 
progress  in  bringing  the  work  of  the  Normal  school  nearer  to  the  needs  of  the  pubHc  schools,  both 
rural  and  urban,  and  the  policy  he  has  steadily  followed  is  beginning  to  be  felt.  In  this  our  loss  is 
serious,  that  he  has  passed  when  in  the  midst  of  a  work  that  he  better  than  any  other  man  could  carry 
to  completion,  because  it  was  his  work." 

Francis  G.  Blair  succeeded  Mr.  Bayliss  in  the  office  of  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 
He  speaks  as  follows  from  his  acquaintance  with  the  results  of  his  work  as  well  as  long  friendship  with 
the  man : 

"Alfred  Bayliss  kept  his  back  yard  cleaner  than  his  front  yard.  He  was  too  big  a  soul  to  be 
studied  from  just  one  point  of  view.  To  know  him  you  had  to  go  all  around  him.  His  worst  mis- 
fortune was  to  be  misunderstood  by  those  who  caught  only  a  fragment  of  his  meaning  or  purpose. 
Solid  and  compact  in  thought  and  utterance,  he  possessed  a  lofty  imagination.  Yet  many  who  knew 
him  partially  will  insist  that  he  was  matter-of-fact  and  devoid  of  fancy.  But  those  who  knew  him 
best  and  at  his  best  will  remember  the  occasions  when  his  solid  judgment  united  with  his  vigorous 
imagination  to  find  a  way  out  of  a  situation  which  seemed  well-nigh  impossible.  They  will  recall 
with  delight  his  play  of  fancy  which  gave  life  and  tone  to  many  social  gatherings;  his  easy  approach 
to  children  and  ready  entrance  into  their  life  and  thought,  and  his  warm  sympathy  for  and  his  quick 
response  to  those  who  were  in  need  of  help. 

"His  work,  like  his  character,  was  central  and  solid  rather  than  superficial  and  brilliant.  An 
17 


258  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

inborn  mingling  of  caution  and  modesty,  often  mistaken  for  timidity,  gave  a  hidden  subterranean 
character  to  some  of  his  greatest  achievements.  His  abihty  to  seize  upon  the  central  idea  in  a  large 
and  complex  situation  and  to  state  it  in  simple  language  enabled  him  to  accomplish  many  large  things 
so  quietly  that  neither  the  friends  nor  the  enemies  of  the  measure  knew  what  was  going  on.  If  he 
ever  fired  off  a  skyrocket  it  was  done  with  a  long  and  slow  fuse,  which  allowed  him  to  get  so  far  away 
that  some  mere  passer-by  got  the  credit  and  the  glory  of  the  demonstration.  We  are  still  discovering 
the  big  things  done  by  him  during  his  eight  years  as  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  which  at 
the  time  of  accomplishment  attracted  little  or  no  attention. 

"He  had  just  brought  the  Western  State  Normal  School  through  a  most  critical  period  of  its 
existence  and  laid  the  plans  for  its  future  growth  and  development.  The  trustees  had  unanimously 
approved  these  plans,  and  had  shown  their  appreciation  of  his  worth  and  services  by  increasing  his 
salary  from  $4,000  to  $5,000  against  the  protest  of  Mr.  Bayhss.  Although  he  never  drew  the  salary 
much  of  the  thought  and  work  which  made  him  worth  it  will  appear  in  the  development  of  the  school 
during  the  next  quarter  of  a  century.     His  work  always  shows  best  from  the  rear." 

J.  Stanley  Brown  expresses,  in  the  few  sentences  following,  the  sense  of  help  which  so  many  felt 
that  they  received  for  their  own  work  from  contact  with  Mr.  Bayliss: 

"Mr.  Alfred  Bayliss's  tmtimely  death  was  a  distinct  shock  to  his  friends.  He  had  come  to  the 
period  of  his  life  when  we  expected  the  greatest  fruitage. 

■  "He  had  had  a  broad  training,  a  wide  experience,  and  was  a  man  of  vision.  What  he  predicted 
when  he  entered  the  office  of  State  Superintendent  has  begun  to  take  place.  He  was  probably  inter- 
ested more  in  the  problems  of  secondary  education  than  in  any  other  field. 

"He  loved  the  type  of  high  school  represented  by  the  Township  High  School  in  Illinois,  and  often 
remarked  that  the  Township  High  School  had  done  more  to  solve  the  problem  of  unequal  oppor- 
tunities than  any  other  institution. 

"He  labored  long  and  hard  to  secure  high-school  privileges  for  all  girls  and  boys  of  high-school 
age,  regardless  of  their  location.  He  clearly  saw  that  the  boy  who  happens  to  be  bom  on  a  farm  ten 
miles  from  a  high  school  ought  to  have  something  done  for  him  as  well  as  the  boy  who  happens  to  be 
bom  in  a  city,  and  it  was  of  this  type  of  boy  that  he  was  thinking  when  he  so  spoke  of  the  Township 
High  School. 

"Mr.  Bayliss  was  an  optimist.  He  was  a  progressive  in  the  best  sense,  and  wherever  Illinois 
educators  are  gathered,  his  name  and  his  influence  will  have  weight." 

Superintendent  P.  R.  Walker,  of  Rockford,  was  the  first  school  man  in  Illinois  to  take  the  hand 
of  Mr.  Bayliss  when  he  came  to  the  State  as  a  teacher.     He  writes: 

"Alfred  Bayliss  was  a  soldier  in  the  civil  war  and  I  am  glad  that  I  had  the  honor  of  his  friendship 
as  a  teacher,  while  at  Sterling,  and  later  while  in  charge  of  the  Township  High  School,  at  Streator. 
He  was  twice  selected  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  and  later  president  of  the  Macomb  Normal. 
All  of  these  positions  he  held  with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  the  people. 

"He  was  a  true,  active,  upright,  conscientious,  conservative,  yet  progressive  officer  and  man. 
He  formed  his  opinions  with  due  consideration,  so  we  knew  where  he  stood  on  every  educational 
problem.  While  State  Superintendent  he  was  instrumental  in  many  changes  for  improving  the  con- 
ditions in  the  "schools,  as  well  as  leading  the  movement  for  improving  the  social  and  agricultural 
interests  in  the  rural  districts. 

"As  President  of  the  Macomb  Normal  he  was  laying  a  broad  foundation  for  the  best  interests 
of  the  schools  of  the  State." 

Other  words  of  appreciation : 

"He  was  true  to  his  convictions,  strongly  attached  to  his  friends,  and  unflinching  in  whatever 
he  thought  was  right.  I  came  to  know  him  in  an  intimate  way  when  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  with  which  I  was  associated.  At  a  time  when  the  University 
was  expanding  and  upbuilding  rapidly,  when  it  had  to  meet  a  myriad  of  troublesome  questions,  he 
could  always  be  relied  upon,  not  only  for  his  absolute  honesty  and  independence,  but  quite  as  much 
for  his  clarity  of  judgment  and  forcefulness  of  statement."  —  Andrew  S.  Draper,  Commissioner  of 
Education  for  New  York. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  259 

"  There  were  few  that  I  held  in  such  high  esteem,  and  added  to  that  was  an  increasing  fondness." — 
Dr.  L.  C.  Lord,  President  Eastern  Ilhnois  State  Normal  School. 

"The  cause  of  education  has  lost  one  of  its  most  faithful  students  and  most  conscientious  advo- 
cates."—  President  D.  B.  Parkinson,  President  Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  University. 

"The  schoolmaster  has  gone  to  his  reward.  We  honor  him  for  his  fine  services  in  posts  of  high 
responsibility,  and  most  of  all  for  his  genuine  manhood."  —  President  David  Felmley,  Illinois 
State  Normal  University. 

"  Not  only  the  family,  but  education  in  Illinois  will  feel  the  loss  of  Alfred  BayHss."  —  Mrs.  Ella 
Flagg  Young,  Superintendent  Chicago  City  Schools. 

"I  have  but  few  friends,  and  of  that  few  I  felt  that  he  was  the  most  surely  mine."  —  Orville  T. 
Bright,  Assistant  Superintendent,  Chicago  City  Schools. 

"He  was  a  strong  man,  a  good  friend,  and  we  all  loved  him."  —  David  Arnold,  New  York. 

"One  of  Illinois'  most  noble  sons;  a  man  who  filled  to  the  full  every  place  he  was  called  upon  to 
occupy."  —  William  Hawley  Smith,  Peoria,  Illinois. 

"Added  to  all  this  was  a  character  of  sturdy,  straightforward,  manly  independence  and  honesty. 
Nor  was  there  in  this  integrity  and  rectitude  of  character  the  least  iota  of  pedantry  or  narrow  bigotry. 
Setting  a  mark  of  exact  honesty  for  himself  to  follow,  he  always  gave  to  others  the  benefit  of  the  doubt." 
—  W.  H.  Hainline,  Macomb  Journal. 

"It  is  a  great  thing,  after  all,  to  live  like  a  man  and  die  like  a  man.  This  he  did  —  what  more 
can  be  said?"  —  O.  B.  Ryon,  Streator. 

"Alfred  was  my  friend  and  fellow  school  man  for  many  years  and  a  comrade  whom  I  revered."  — 
C.  C.  Duffy,  Dep't  Com.,  G.  A.  R. 

"I  have  known  Mr.  Bayliss  for  nearly  thirty  years  and  have  valued  his  friendship  as  highly  as 
that  of  any  man  I  have  ever  known.  He  was  constant.  He  was  genuine.  He  was  loyal.  He  was 
a  man.  And  so  his  death  is  a  permanent  loss,  not  only  to  his  family  but  to  the  State  and  to  his  host 
of  friends."  —  William  S.  Mack,  Chicago. 

"Illinois  loses  one  of  the  most  tireless  workers  for  better  things  in  our  schools.  He  has  laid  foun- 
dations upon  which  others  will  build."  —  George  A.  Brown,  Editor  School  and  Home  Education. 

The  faculty  of  the  Normal  School  at  Macomb  has  many  precious  memories  of  President  Bayliss. 
Something  of  their  appreciation  finds  expression  in  the  following  words : 

"In  his  relations  with  his  associates  he  exhibited  rare  patience  and  was  most  kind.  He  never 
allowed  any  one  to  exceed  him  in  generosity,  and  always  praised  the  virtues  of  the  unappreciated. 
His  gentle  spirit  filled  the  soul  of  a  friend  with  cheerfulness,  and  he  always  dealt  kindly  and  justly 
with  those  in  opposition.  With  the  subtlest  tactfulness  he  wove  the  threads  of  social  divergence 
into  a  fabric  of  happy  companionship  with  the  delicacy  of  a  genius.  So  perfect  were  his  adjustments 
with  the  members  of  his  faculty  that  none  felt  the  slightest  restraint.  In  whatever  public  relation 
the  school  functioned,  it  found  in  him  a  man  who  presided  with  grace  and  dignity. 

"What  has  been  accomplished  in  the  five  years  of  his  labors  can  not  now  be  expressed.  The 
scholars  of  future  years  will  live  to  declare  it.  Even  now  his  ideas  have  been  incorporated  into  the 
curricula  of  other  Normal  Schools. 

"In  the  days  of  our  sorrow  we  seek  for  an  outward  expression  of  the  true  worth  of  a  great  man, 
but  find  it  not.  We  can  not,  neither  is  human  experience  old  enough,  to  become  accustomed  to  such 
a  loss,  yet  if  we  accept  it  as  an  event  in  the  eternal  plan,  we  will  agree  that  his  life  was  supremely 
beautiful  in  its  fullness  and  completeness.  The  spirit  of  the  man  and  his  works  remain  with  us,  and 
we  accept  their  beneficent  influence  with  sincere  appreciation."  —  The  Faculty  of  the  Western 
Illinois  State  Normal  School. 

John  W.  Cook,  in  these  closing  paragraphs,  draws  a  picture  of  the  man  we  knew,  and  expresses 
the  sense  of  strength  and  of  integrity  which  drew  and  bound  us  to  Alfred  Bayliss  as  a  friend  and  trusted 
counselor : 

"I  can  not  now  recall  when  I  first  met  him.  It  was  many  years  ago,  however,  probably  in  the 
middle  seventies.  When  he  came  to  the  State  Superintendency  I  felt  a  sense  of  personal  intimacy 
although  we  had  not  been  much  together.     After  that  it  was  a  case  of  warm  regard  and  sincere  respect 


260  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

on  my  part.  In  his  personal  appearance  he  was  one  who  caught  the  attention  and  would  not  easily 
be  forgotten.  He  was  a  modest  man,  never  seeking  the  center  of  the  stage,  yet  he  was  not  without 
his  ambitions,  as  his  public  career  demonstrated.  I  am  sure  that  he  never  overestimated  his  capacities, 
and  I  am  impressed  with  the  thought  that  he  did  not  credit  himself  with  the  generosity  that  his  powers 
deserved. 

"For  many  reasons  I  was  especially  anxious  that  he  should  accept  the  presidency  of  the  Western 
Normal  School,  and  I  did  not  hesitate  to  say  so  to  him.  But  he  distrusted  his  fitness  for  the  place, 
and  met  me  with  such  suggestions  as  that  he  was  not  a  Normal  school  man,  that  a  high  school  or 
a  college  would  be  a  more  suitable  place  for  him.  In  answer  it  was  urged  that  he  had  been  on  the 
boards  of  Normal  schools  for  eight  years ;  that  he  knew  of  their  work  and  especially  of  their  spirit, 
and  that  he  was  in  full  sympathy  with  their  ideals.  Doubtless  others  met  his  hesitation  with  similar 
arguments.     At  any  rate,  he  was  finally  convinced  and  undertook  his  delicate  task. 

"I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  he  had  the  most  difficult  situation  to  face  of  any  of  us.  How 
he  met  it  is  a  matter  of  history.  I  do  not  care  to  go  into  the  story,  for  others  know  it  better  than  I. 
Those  of  us  up  this  way  who  knew  him  were  contented  to  wait  with  confidence  until  he  solved  his 
problem,  for  we  were  assured  that  he  would  do  it  in  such  a  way  as  to  satisfy  all  fair-minded  men. 

"He  was  full  score  of  years  in  Sterling  in  charge  of  the  schools  of  the  second  district.  His  is  a 
name  to  conjure  with  over  there.  He  is  enshrined  in  their  hearts.  They  talk  in  the  same  way  about 
him  at  Streator,  where  he  had  charge  of  the  Township  High  School,  although  he  was  there  but  a  com- 
paratively short  time.  The  four  Biennial  Reports  that  he  issued  when  he  was  State  Superintendent 
are  the  permanent  history  of  what  he  did  while  in  that  office.  You  have  but  to  open  the  first  one 
to  discover  where  his  warmest  sympathies  were  enlisted.  The  country  school  was  his  main  solici- 
tude and  he  began  that  campaign  for  its  betterment  that  has  been  so  vigorously  waged  by  his 
successor. 

"When  he  went  to  Macomb  this  idea  was  still  uppermost  in  his  mind.  He  was  the  first  to  take 
over  a  country  school  and  he  gave  Mabel  Carney  a  chance  to  show  what  she  could  do  with  it.  Some 
of  us  are  following  his  example,  and  the  end  is  not  yet. 

"Alfred  Bayliss  is  well  defined  to  the  educational  people  of  Illinois.  The  equities  have  been 
satisfied  wherever  he  has  gone.  He  seemed  to  have  been  ordained  for  Sterling;  he  filled  the  place 
abundantly  at  Streator ;  his  eight  years  were  well  spent  in  Springfield ;  he  was  the  right  man  to  repre- 
sent the  Normal  School  element  of  the  Educational  Commission;  Macomb  needed  him  and  got  him. 
He  was  as  honest  as  the  calculus;  he  had  no  excesses  of  enthusiasm  nor  lapses  of  balance;  he  seems 
never  to  have  been  in  any  false  position  for  which  apologies  were  required.  He  held  the  even  course, 
willing  to  wait  and  willing  to  work,  and  believing,  meanwhile,  in  an  outcome  that  would  be  his  ample 
justification.  The  gentle  cultures  were  ingrained  in  his  life.  He  was  a  gentleman  —  'to  the  manner 
bom '  and  to  the  manner  bred.  His  spirit  is  well  expressed  in  the  following  quotations  from  an  address 
to  one  of  his  classes:  'The  truth  is,  we  can  never  sell  life  for  a  price. '  '  Make  the  real  price  nothing 
if  you  would  receive  all.  Pray  only  for  elbow-room,  insight,  courage,  strength,  and  leave  to  work. ' 
'It  is  the  peculiarity  of  our  work  that  in  a  very  large  sense  it  is  its  own  continuing  and  increasing 
reward.  As  in  hardly  any  other  form  of  human  endeavor  the  workman  both  loses  and  finds  himself 
in  his  work.'  'You  will  not  hurry.  Neither  will  you  rest.  As  well  try  to  hurry  the  stars  in  their 
courses  as  to  hurry  life.  With  this  attitude  of  mind  toward  your  chosen  task,  one  element  of  your 
reward  appears  in  advance.  You  will  belong  to  the  worthy  fellowship  of  men  and  women  who  can 
sing  at  their  work.  In  due  time,  strength  and  insight  and  skill  will  come  to  you,  and  in  the  common 
school,  God's  nursery  of  men,  you  shall  find  a  vantage  ground  for  a  social  service  far  beyond  the 
power  of  silver  and  gold,  and  fame,  and  the  fleeting  acclamations  of  men  to  measure  or  reward.'  " 

"And  to  him  our  last  hail  and  farewell."  —  Class  of  1884,  Sterling,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Bayliss  was  bom  in  Bledington,  County  of  Gloucester,  England,  March  22, 
1847,  and  was  christened  in  the  Episcopal  church  of  the  parish.  When  a  child  of 
six  years  his  parents  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Hillsdale,  Michigan.  Soon 
after  their  arrival  his  mother  died.     She  seems  to  have  been  a  source  of  encourage- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  261 

ment  to  young  Alfred  to  seek  an  education  and  through  her  influence  he  had  already- 
gained  an  esteem  for  books. 

He  began  to  care  for  himself  when  very  young.  He  managed  to  work  his  way 
through  the  academy  and  had  done  some  college  work  when,  in  1863,  at  the  age  of 
sixteen,  he  enlisted  in  the  11th  Michigan  Cavalry  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war. 

Although  the  war  had  interrupted  his  education  he  did  not  allow  it  to  break  up 
his  plans  for  an  education.  When  his  soldiering  days  were  over  he  returned  to  the 
college  and  graduated  about  1869,  after  he  had  earned  his  way  by  teaching  school 
and  doing  odd  jobs  that  opportunity  threw  in  his  way. 

In  1870,  he  was  elected  principal  of  the  La  Grange,  Indiana,  schools  and  later 
became  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  the  county.  While  there  he  married  Miss 
Clara  Kern,  with  whom  he  had  become  acquainted  in  college.  For  some  time  she 
taught  with  him.  She  has  warmly  sympathized  with  him  in  his  career  as  a  teacher, 
and  has  made  a  place  for  herself  as  a  writer  in  current  educational  literature. 

In  1870  Mr.  Bayliss  became  the  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  the  central 
district  at  Sterling,  Illinois.  After  teaching  for  a  time  he  withdrew  from  the  school- 
room and  engaged  in  journalism,  having  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Sterling  Stan- 
dard, but  the  school  board  induced  him  to  leave  a  successful  enterprise  and  return 
to  the  superin tendency,  after  an  interval  of  two  years.  He  retained  the  position 
until  1894,  when  he  resigned  to  make  his  first  canvass  for  the  office  of  State  Super- 
tendent  of  Schools.  Although  popular  favor  was  with  Mr.  Bayliss  he  was  defeated 
in  the  convention.  He  was  for  a  time  identified  with  the  Child  Study  Monthly,  but 
soon  accepted  the  principalship  of  the  Streator  High  School. 

In  1898  he  was  nominated  and  elected  by  the  Republican  party  to  the  office  of 
State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  which  he  held  for  two  terms.  Before 
the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  he  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  the  Western 
Illinois  State  Normal  School  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  position  in  1906  and 
continued  there  until  his  death  by  accident  on  the  26th  of  August,  1911.  He  is 
survived  by  his  wife,  two  daughters  and  a  brother. 


262  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
THE  COUNTY  NORMAL  SCHOOL. 

A  FEW  of  the  States  of  the  Union  have  interested  themselves  in  county  Normal 
schools  as  a  solution  of  the  problem  of  securing  competent  teachers.  In 
recent  years  Michigan  and  Wisconsin  have  taken  the  lead  and  have  indicated 
what  can  be  accomplished  in  that  direction. 

Illinois  has  had  an  interesting  experience  with  institutions  of  this  character.  As 
will  be  seen,  as  this  article  develops,  there  have  been  three  such  schools  in  the  State, 
and  a  law  authorizing  their  organization  has  been  for  many  years  on  our  statute 
books.  Although  these  schools  have  had  their  day  and  have  disappeared,  there 
are  faint  indications  that  they  will  reappear  and  that  they  Will  become  the  agencies 
for  supplying  the  rural  schools  with  competent  teachers. 

In  1869  the  General  Assembly  passed  "An  Act  to  enable  counties  to  establish 
county  Normal  schools."  This  act  was  approved  by  the  Governor,  March  15.  It 
provided  that  the  board  of  supervisors  in  counties  having  township  organization, 
and  the  county  court,  in  other  counties,  may  establish  a  county  Normal  school  for 
the  purpose  of  fitting  teachers  for  the  common  schools.  These  bodies  were  author- 
ized to  levy  taxes  and  appropriate  moneys  for  the  support  of  said  schools,  and  also 
for  the  purchase  of  grounds  and  buildings,  and  all  necessary  material  and  equipment. 
It  was  provided  that  in  counties  not  under  township  organization  the  county  court 
shall  not  be  authorized  to  proceed  until  the  matter  shall  have  been  submitted  to  a 
vote  of  the  people  at  a  general  election  and  approved  by  a  majority  of  all  votes  cast 
at  that  election  on  that  subject. 

The  board  of  control  of  these  schools  is  called  the  County  Board  of  Education, 
and  consists  of  not  less  than  five  nor  more  than  eight  persons,  of  which  the  chairman 
of  the  board  of  supervisors  or  the  judge  of  the  county  court,  as  the  case  may  be, 
and  the  county  superintendent  of  schools,  shall  be  ex  officio  members.  The  other 
members  shall  be  chosen  by  the  board  of  supervisors  or  the  county  court,  and  shall 
hold  their  office  for  three  years. 

Said  board  possesses  the  powers  of  school  boards  generally.  Its  secretary  is  the 
county  superintendent  of  schools.  Two  or  more  counties  are  authorized  to  unite 
in  supporting  a  school. 

The  closing  section  of  the  law  legalized  the  action  of  boards  of  supervisors  that 
have  already  established  Normal  schools  and  gave  to  their  managing  boards  all  of 
the  powers  conferred  by  the  previous  sections  of  the  act.  The  significance  of  this 
action  will  appear  later. 

The  father  of  the  county  Normal  school  in  Illinois  was  John  F.  Eberhart,  the 
first  county  superintendent  of  schools  in  Cook  county.  The  interest  which  he  mani- 
fested in  popular  education  explains  many  of  the  best  features  of  the  school  law, 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  263 

as  he  was  present  at  the  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly  for  sixteen  years,  beginning 
with  1865,  and  was  also  present  at  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1870,  diligently 
striving  to  secure  needed  changes  in  the  fundamental  law. 

Mr.  Eberhart  was  elected  school  commissioner  of  Cook  county  in  1859.  He 
says:  "There  was  but  little  interest  in  education  outside  of  Chicago.  The  county 
schools  were  without  system  and  were  very  inefficient  and  neglected.  There  had 
been  no  school  supervision,  because  the  pay  for  such  services  was  only  $2  a  day. 
Certificates  had  been  given  indiscriminately  at  the  request  of  directors  and  many 
were  teaching  without  certificates.  I  looked  into  the  situation  and  resolved  to  visit 
the  schools,  and  did  so  without  other  money  compensation  for  the  first  year  than  the 
$2  a  day  for  the  hundred  days,  which  was  just  what  it  cost  me  for  a  horse  and  buggy. 
The  second  year  the  Board  of  Supervisors  made  the  compensation  $3  a  day  for  two 
hundred  days.  There  were  then  fifty-five  teachers  in  the  city  and  one  hundred  and 
ninety-eight  in  the  county  outside  the  city.  The  other  compensations  of  the  office 
were  $1  for  each  certificate  issued  and  two  per  cent  commission  on  all  school  moneys 
paid  out. 

"  The  situation  was  not  inviting  at  first.  Much  of  the  territory  about  Chicago 
was  occupied  by  'squatters'  and  renters,  mostly  of  foreign  birth,  who  had  but  little 
interest  in  schools  except  to  get  money  out  of  them.  In  one  district  adjoining  the 
city  one  director  was  paid  $50  a  month  to  superintend  the  erection  of  a  two-room 
schoolhouse ;  his  son  got  $5  a  week  as  janitor,  and  daughter  $50  a  month  as  teacher, 
although  she  had  no  certificate.  In  another  district  two  of  the  directors  signed  the 
teacher's  schedule  by  making  their  mark;  in  another  the  teacher  was  paid  $1,200 
a  year,  and  out  of  that  sum  was  required  to  build  a  $600  schoolhouse  out  of  a  fund 
which  could  be  legally  paid  only  to  teachers  for  their  services.  In  another  district 
there  was  a  complaint  that  the  teacher  got  drunk.  I  visited  the  school  at  2  p.  m., 
and  found  two  or  three  children  playing  outside  the  schoolhouse  and  no  one  inside. 
I  inquired  whether  the  school  was  in  vacation.  They  said  it  was  not,  but  that  '  the 
teacher  was  down  there  at  that  house,'  and  one  of  them  volunteered  to  go  for  him. 
While  the  messenger  was  gone  I  plied  the  other  children  with  questions  and  learned 
that  the  teacher  spent  most  of  his  time  with  friends  out  of  school  and  in  saloons,  and 
that  the  attendance  was  irregular  —  though  his  last  schedule  showed  not  a  single 
absence  for  a  whole  term.  They  also  said  that  he  kept  a  bottle  locked  in  his  desk, 
from  which  he  frequently  took  a  drink.  His  salary  was  $50  a  month  and  he  and  his 
friends  felt  much  aggrieved  when  his  certificate  was  revoked. 

"  In  trying  to  change  things  for  the  better,  of  course,  prejudices  had  to  be  encoun- 
tered. But  it  is  fair  to  say  that  teachers,  school  officers  and  children  were  all  as  good 
as  could  be  expected  under  the  then  existing  conditions.  How  to  better  these  con- 
ditions was  the  great  question  with  me.  For  it  was  soon  made  evident  that  exam- 
inations, however  exacting,  could  not  qualify  teachers.  Application  was  made  to 
the  county  board  of  supervisors,  then  the  financial  authorities  in  the  county,  for 
$50  to  aid  in  holding  a  teachers'  institute.  After  some  parleying  it  was  granted, 
and  the  first  session  of  the  *  Cook  County  Teachers'  Institute,'  still  in  existence,  I 
believe,  was  convened  in  session  at  Harlem,  now  Oak  Park,  April  11,  1860,  with 
an  attendance  of  seventy-five  teachers.     Another  institute  was  held  in  the  fall  at 


264  THE     EPUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Englewood,  and  thereafter  two  each  year.  Frequent  meetings  of  teachers  were  also 
held  in  various  parts  of  the  county,  where  practical  matters  were  discussed  and 
instruction  given;  and  a  number  of  township  teachers'  associations  were  formed. 
In  the  meantime  I  sent  numerous  communications  to  the  board  of  supervisors  on 
the  subject  of  education,  which,  if  they  had  not  been  destroyed  by  the  great  fire, 
would  give  a  correct  early  history  of  the  Chicago  Normal  School  before  it  came  in 
sight  of  the  public.  I  visited  the  schools  of  the  county,  lectured  to  the  people,  and 
personally  visited  the  school  officers  and  members  of  the  board  of  supervisors  at  their 
homes,  and  discussed  '  ways  and  means '  for  a  better  system  of  schools  in  the  county. 
This  created  sentiment  and  interest  and  the  board  of  supervisors  readily  granted  a 
request  for  a  standing  committee  of  education.  Paul  Cornell,  of  Hyde  Park,  was  its 
first  chairman,  and  accompanied  me  in  some  of  my  visitations  in  the  county,  and  his 
reports  to  the  board  were  of  great  benefit  to  the  progress  of  affairs. 

"  After  much  consideration  of  the  subject,  and  being  fully  satisfied  that  there  was 
no  way  to  secure  qualified  teachers  except  by  preparing  them,  a  communication 
was  sent  to  the  board  of  supervisors  asking  for  an  appropriation  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  a  three-months  teachers'  institute  in  which  the  teachers  would  have  free  instruc- 
tion. I  think  the  amount  asked  for  was  only  $600.  I  also  called  it  a  '  Teachers' 
Institute, '  as  the  people  had  become  somewhat  familiar  with  that  title,  while  the  name 
'  Normal  School'  was  not  familiar  to  many  of  them  at  that  time.  The  matter  was 
referred  to  the  committee  on  education  and  was  generally  discussed  throughout  the 
county,  which  increased  an  interest  in  favor  of  the  project. 

"About  this  time  a  new  board  of  supervisors  was  elected  and  a  new  committee 
on  education  was  appointed.  Hon.  E.  J.  Whitehead  was  appointed  chairman.  He 
was  then  a  young  attorney  of  ambition  and  ability,  and  when  asked  by  the  '  political 
gentlemen '  who  gave  out  the  '  jobs '  and  '  positions '  and  arranged  committees,  what 
he  wanted,  he  said  he  would  be  pleased  with  the  chairmanship  of  the  committee  on 
education;  whereupon  the  aforesaid  gentlemen  answered  that  'the  position  don't 
amount  to  anything!'  This  gives  an  idea  of  the  importance  attached  to  education 
by  some  very  intelligent  gentlemen  politicians  of  that  day. 

"  Mr.  Whitehead  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  work  in  hand.  He  accompanied 
me  in  some  of  my  school  visitations,  and  after  many  conferences  and  discussions 
with  him  and  the  committee  and  the  members  of  the  board  of  supervisors,  it  was 
finally  agreed  by  the  committee  to  report  in  favor  of  a  temporary  Normal  school, 
and  Mr.  Whitehead,  chairman  of  the  committee  on  education,  reported  to  the 
board  of  supervisors  a  resolution  for  the  appropriation  of  $2,500  per  annum  for  two 
years  for  an  experimental  Normal  school. 

"  Meantime  I  had  secured  propositions  from  several  towns  to  furnish  rooms  and 
accommodations  for  the  school  free  of  charge  to  the  county.  There  was  quite  a 
competition  for  the  location,  but  Blue  Island  secured  it.  The  school  was  opened 
there  September  2,  1867.  This  was  accomplished  largely  through  the  instrumentality 
of  the  late  Heber  S.  Rexford,  the  supervisor  from  that  town  and  a  warm  and  zealous 
friend  of  education.  Blue  Island  also  offered  the  best  conditions  as  to  rooms,  fix- 
tures, furniture,  etc.  When  the  final  vote  was  taken  on  the  establishment  of  the 
school  there  was  but  one  vote  against  it. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  265 

"  The  question  now  was  where  to  find  the  man  to  place  at  the  head  of  the  school 
for  the  salary  that  we  were  able  to  pay  —  $2,000.  He  must  understand  Normal 
methods  and  be  an  all-around,  first-class  man  and  teacher.  A  county  Normal 
school  was  a  new  departure  and  the  experiment  must  succeed.  Two  things  were 
uppermost  in  my  mind;  that  its  cost  must  be  kept  at  a  minimum  and  its  usefulness 
at  a  maximum,  and  that  the  school  should  be  strictly  professional,  in  exact  and 
technical  knowledge,  and  yet  most  efficient  in  preparing  teachers  for  the  schools  of 
the  county  —  the  object  of  its  creation.  I  did  not  expect  that  it  would  be  an  ideal 
Normal  school  of  advanced  scholarship  and  training,  but  that  perchance  it  might 
be  ideal  in  its  adaptedness  to  the  needs  of  country  schools.  The  course  must  be  short 
and  the  school  cheap  or  the  country  teachers  with  their  low  salaries  could  not  avail 
themselves  of  its  advantages. 

*'  The  city  teachers  at  that  time  did  not  seem  to  think  that  country  schools  of  the 
county  and  State  were  a  large  factor  in  the  system  of  education.  Nobody  appeared 
to  realize  that  the  large  majority  of  the  children  get  all  —  or  at  least  the  first  and 
most  important  part  of  their  school  training  —  in  these  country  schools. 

"  In  most  of  our  large  educational  meetings  the  rural  district  school  was  seldom 
alluded  to,  yet  from  these  oft-times  neglected  country  schools  have  arisen  most  of 
the  great  men  of  the  nation-  Trace  back  the  biography  of  most  of  our  distinguished 
men  and  you  will  find  that  most  of  them  were  bom.  and  bred  on  the  farm  and  had 
the  fires  of  their  ambition  first  kindled  in  the  country  schoolroom.  It  was  these 
country  children  of  less  opportunity  that  I  was  planning  for  in  the  establishment 
of  both  the  township  high  schools  and  the  county  Normal  school. 

"  The  spirit  of  the  school  in  its  earlier  days  was  something  remarkable.  The 
pupils  averaged  high  in  character  and  ability  and  seemed  to  fully  recognize  the  new 
conditions  and  better  opportunities  that  had  come  to  them.  There  was  no  pessimism 
in  the  school.  All  was  hope,  harmony,  determination  and  a  cheerful  expectation 
of  a  better  future.  It  was  a  unified  effort  for  a  great  purpose.  The  teachers  were 
skilled,  faithful  and  energetic,  and  created  an  atmosphere  in  the  schoolroom  in  which 
it  was  easy  to  study.  No  effort  or  sacrifice  was  too  great  for  them  in  the  interest 
of  their  pupils,  and  their  sympathy  for  struggling  students  was  a  great  comfort  and 
strength  to  them. 

"  Mr.  Wentworth  and  myself  created  a  fund  —  by  contributions  from  friends 
of  the  school  —  the  interest  of  which  was  loaned  to  needy  students.  It  was  a  great 
help  to  many  worthy  students  and  so  far  as  I  know  was  always  repaid. 

"A  feature  of  the  school  that  proved  beneficial  was  the  bringing  into  the  school 
of  outside  and  stimulating  influences.  Men  prominent  in  life,  and  especially  dis- 
tinguished educators,  were  frequently  invited  to  visit  the  school  and  address  the 
pupils.  The  county  board  of  supervisors,  and  especially  the  committee  on  educa- 
tion, made  frequent  visits  and  was  thus  made  cognizant  of  its  work.  All  this  served 
as  an  awakening  power  to  the  students,  gave  them  a  truer  estimate  of  their  impor- 
tance in  life  and  a  larger  sense  of  their  own  personal  responsibilities. 

"  The  school  flourished  and  became  very  popular  under  Mr.  Wentworth 's  admin- 
istration. I  also  took  an  especial  interest  in  it  and  visited  it  frequently  and  coun- 
seled with  the  principal  and  teachers,  feeling  that  the  future  welfare  of  the  schools 


266  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

of  the  county  depended  upon  its  success.  In  my  school  visitations  in  the  county 
I  also  advertised  it,  urging  teachers  to  attend,  or  at  least  to  visit  it  and  make  obser- 
vations. The  success  of  the  school  was  so  great  that  during  the  second  year  of  its 
existence  I  made  application  for  its  permanent  establishment  and  the  erection  of  a 
new  building.  The  proposition  was  favorably  considered  and  at  the  request  of  the 
board  of  supervisors  I  had  prepared  plans  for  the  present  building  which  were  adopted, 
but  which,  in  the  course  of  construction,  were  so  changed  that  the  building  when 
completed  cost  about  $140,000  instead  of  $25,000  —  to  which  I  did  not  object. 

"Up  to  this  time  I  had  worked  substantially  alone  in  the  county,  so  far  as  city 
teachers  or  outside  help  was  concerned.  I  had  not  even  discussed  the  matter  of 
Normal  school  with  Mr.  Wentworth  until  after  the  school  was  a  fixed  fact,  and 
I  had  been  appointed  to  secure  a  principal.  About  that  time  he  called  to  congrat- 
ulate me,  and,  when  I  asked  him  how  he  would  like  to  be  principal  of  it,  he  blushed 
like  a  boy  and  said,  '  If  you  want  me  there  is  no  place  in  the  State  I  would  rather 
have. ' 

"  Mr.  Wentworth  was  a  graduate  of  the  Bridgewater,  Massachusetts,  Normal 
School,  and  was  then  principal  of  the  Scammon  school  of  Chicago.  He  ranked  high 
as  a  teacher,  and  possessed  an  energy  and  a  special  ambition  for  this  line  of  work  that 
promised  well  for  the  undertaking. 

"  For  his  assistant  and  head  of  the  training  school  Miss  Mada  G.  Paddock,  of  the 
Oswego  Normal  and  Training  School,  was  selected.  Two  months  later.  Miss  Augusta 
A.  Frost,  later  Mrs.  D.  S.  Wentworth,  was  elected  assistant  teacher  in  the  Normal, 
and  later  on  Miss  Mary  R.  Gorton,  a  graduate  of  the  State  Normal  University. 
These  were  all  first-class  and  live  teachers  in  their  several  departments. 

"  The  original  intention  of  the  school  was,  as  aforesaid,  to  prepare  teachers  for 
country  schools.  It  was  not  expected  that  it  would  rank  with  the  great  Normal 
schools  of  the  land,  but  rather  be  the  rallying  point  for  country  teachers,  where  they 
could  come  and  receive  inspiration  as  well  as  instruction^  and  at  small  expense. 
Could  it  have  remained  in  that  humble,  practical  and  useful  field  of  labor  it  is  possible 
that  it  might  have  avoided  some  of  the  storms  that  it  has  had  to  encounter,  for 
evolution  always  has  its  pangs. 

"  But  I  am  aware  that  in  Cook  county  and  in  Chicago  it  could  not  remain  in  that 
then  practical  field  of  work.  Cook  county  at  that  time  was  a  rural  county,  while 
now  it  is  nearly  all  city  —  urban  and  suburban.  The  Normal  school  was  placed 
eight  miles  from  the  city  center  with  no  thought  that  the  city  would  ever  reach  it. 
Now  it  is  geographically  near  the  center  of  the  city.  The  onward  sweep  of  things 
has  carried  everything  with  it  in  enlarged  conditions.  The  school  has  not  only 
been  a  growth  but  an  evolution  as  well. 

"  It  has  now  passed  from  the  Normal  for  country  teachers  to  the  more  advanced 
Normal  for  city  and  high- school  teachers.  While  I  do  not  see  how  this  course  could 
well  have  been  avoided,  or  that  it  even  was  desirable  to  avoid  it,  it  has  nevertheless 
made  vacant  the  place  in  our  system  of  State  education  that  it  was  intended  to  fill. 
The  other  counties  in  the  State  which  have  been  encouraged  by  our  action  to  take 
steps  in  the  same  direction  have,  since  the  change  of  our  county  Normal  to  a  city 
Normal,  been  discouraged.     Also  the  persistent  attacks  on  the  school,  sent  broad- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  267 

cast  over  the  State  at  that  time,  would  have  been  avoided  had  the  school  remained 
in  the  specific  and  legitimate  work  for  which  it  was  originally  created.  But  this 
is  all  of  the  past  and  can  not  now  be  otherwise.  The  school  now  is,  as  it  should  be, 
for  people  who  live  in  a  city,  and  are  conditioned  to  demand  high-grade  instruction 
and  enjoy  advanced  educational  advantages.  There  was  never  so  much  as  a  ripple 
of  disturbance  during  my  connection  with  the  school  as  county  superintendent. 

"As  the  school  had  been  established  at  Blue  Island  for  only  two  years  the  super- 
visors did  not  consider  the  location  as  fixed  for  any  greater  length  of  time,  so  there 
was  another  lively  contest  for  its  permanent  location.  The  then  town  of  Lake,  by 
giving  the  present  beautiful  site  of  twenty  acres  and  $25,000  in  cash,  won.  This 
matter  was  largely  engineered  by  the  late  H.  B.  Lewis  and  others,  who  advanced 
the  money  to  secure  the  location  of  the  school. 

"  It  may  be  interesting  to  mention  that  the  town  of  Lake  at  first  proposed  to 
give  only  two  and  a  half  acres  for  a  site.  They  raised  their  bid  to  five  acres,  and 
when  I  told  them  that  I  should  strenuously  oppose  locating  the  school  anywhere 
on  less  than  ten  acres  and  that  I  wanted  forty  acres,  and  when  they  were  convinced 
that  a  large  lot  was  desirable,  they  raised  their  bid  to  ten  acres.  In  the  meantime,  I 
induced  Dr.  Beck,  who  had  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  adjoining,  to  add  Another 
ten  acres. 

"  The  value  of  the  present  site,  when  the  matter  of  locating  the  school  was  first 
discussed,  was  about  $40  per  acre.  After  the  location  it  rated  at  from  $150  to  $250. 
Now  it  is  worth  $50,000  an  acre.  The  school  w^as  moved  to  Englewood  in  1869 
and  occupied  rooms  in  the  old  brick  school  building  now  occupied  by  the  Champlin 
school,  named  in  honor  of  Dr.  A.  H.  Champlin. 

"  The  contract  for  the  erection  of  the  new  building  was  let  June  17,  1869.  The 
comer  stone  was  laid  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Illinois.  The  program 
included  a  parade,  a  collation,  and  an  oration  by  Mayor  Rice  on  '  Education,'  and  an 
address  by  John  F.  Eberhart,  County  Superintendent  of  Schools,  on  '  Normal  Schools.' 

"  The  dedication  occurred  September  21,  1870.  Justice  John  Summerfield,  as 
chairman  of  the  committee,  received  the  keys.  Hon.  Lyman  Trumbull  then  delivered 
the  dedicatory  address,  followed  by  addresses  by  ex- County  Superintendent  John 
F.  Eberhart,  on  the  'History  of  the  Rise  and  Progress  of  the  School,'  and  by  A.  G. 
Lane,  County  Superintendent  of  Schools,  on  'The  Present  Condition  and  Influence 
of  the  School.'  These  were  followed  by  short  addresses  by  ex-Governor  Oglesby; 
Hon.  R.  B.  Mason,  Mayor  of  Chicago;  Hon.  Willard  Woodard,  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee on  education  of  the  city  council;  J.  L.  Pickard,  Superintendent  of  the  Public 
Schools  of  Chicago;  J.  C.  Dore,  first  Superintendent  of  the  Public  Schools  of  Chicago; 
Judge  Van  H.  Higgins,  and  other  distinguished  gentlemen. 

"  The  school  when  once  in  the  new  building  assumed  new  airs  and  proportions, 
growing  rapidly  in  numbers,  influence  and  efficiency.  New  furniture",  new  apparatus, 
and  new  scientific  and  historical  collections  were  generously  added. 

"  New  teachers  of  special  qualifications  were  also  added  as  they  were  needed. 
A  few  years  later  the  old  'white  boarding  hall'  gave  way  to  the  new  '  Students'  Hall' 
of  greater  dimensions  and  more  imposing  architecture.     The  school  acquired  not 


268  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

only  a  local  but  as  well  a  State  and  national  reputation,  and  distinguished  educators 
from  all  parts  of  this  country  and  the  world  visited  it. 

"  For  some  years  it  had  smooth  sailing  under  a  clear  sky.  But  later  on  clouds 
arose  in  the  horizon.  The  annual  cost  was  greatly  increased,  and  the  members 
of  the  Board  of  Education,  who  were  not  all  distinguished  educators,  disagreed 
among  themselves  as  to  the  policy  of  the  school.  This  condition  became  so  aggra- 
vated that  in  the  summer  of  1876  there  was  a  hitch  in  the  board  over  the  election 
of  principal  and  teachers.  They  stood  half  and  half  for  and  against  Mr.  Wentworth. 
This  deadlock  continued  and  the  school  was  idle  until  October  27,  when  the  Board 
of  County  Commissioners  took  the  matter  in  hand  and  elected  Mr.  Wentworth  and 
his  full  corps  of  teachers  and  the  school  term  was  finally  opened  October  30,  1876. 
The  next  year  Mr.  Wentworth  was  defeated  and  J.  W.  Larimore  was  elected  principal. 

"  The  cause  of  this  result  is  generally  ascribed  to  politics.  Mr.  Wentworth  and 
his  friends  felt  much  aggrieved,  and  at  the  urgency  and  encouragement  of  some  of 
the  latter  at  Dal  ton,  he  opened  a  private  Normal  school  at  that  place.  The  school 
district  and  people  there  erected  a  fine  building  and  the  school  seemed  to  flourish 
with  a  goodly  attendance.  But  at  the  end  of  one  year  under  a  new  administration 
Mr.  Wentworth  was  again  elected  principal  of  the  County  Normal  School,  and  the 
people  of  Dalton  felt  aggrieved  that  he  should  leave  them  after  the  effort  they  had 
made  and  the  money  they  had  expended.  During  the  year  of  his  absence  from  the 
Normal  school  the  attendance  was  diminished,  though  Mr.  Larimore,  who  had  been 
a  teacher  under  Mr.  Wentworth,  was  said  to  be  a  man  of  high  character  and  fine 
ability. 

"  In  1873,  the  course  of  study  was  changed  from  a  two  to  a  three-year  course. 


"After  m}^  retirement  from  the  office  of  county  superintendent  in  1869,  after 
ten  years  of  service  in  that  capacity,  I  had  no  official  connection  with  the  school 
until  1878,  when  I  was  again  placed,  without  my  knowledge,  on  the  County  Board 
of  Education.  Things  were  now  changed,  enlarged  and  advanced.  Mr.  A.  G.  Lane 
was  again  the  able  and  efficient  superintendent  of  schools,  and  he  and  Mr.  Went- 
worth had  added  to  the  school  many  things  beautiful,  artistic,  useful  and  scientific, 
and  had  made  the  school  broader  and  more  complete  in  its  enlarged  field  of  work. 

"What  seemed  to  me  to  be  the  greatest  need  of  the  school  at  that  time  was  a 
kindergarten  department;  and  as  I  was  always  an  ardent  advocate  of  the  kinder- 
garten as  a  part  of  the  free-school  system  of  the  State  I  went  to  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
and  effort,  while  president  of  the  County  Board  of  Education,  to  have  it  introduced 
into  the  Normal  school.  Mr.  Wentworth  favored  it  —  favored  it  passively  —  and 
Mr.  Lane  was  willing,  but  somewhat  questioned  the  propriety  of  attempting  it  at 
that  time. 

"After  many  interviews  and  discussions  both  personal  and  by  letter  with  Miss 
M.  H.  Ross,  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  as  to  her  plans  and  what  she  thought  she  could  do 
for  us,  it  was  finally  decided  to  employ  her  and  to  establish  a  kindergarten  depart- 
ment in  the  Normal  school.  She  had,  as  she  expressed  it,  'made  a  special  study 
of  grafting  the  kindergarten  into  the  public  schools. ' 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  269 

"  The  Board  agreed  to  guarantee  her  a  salary  of  $600  for  the  balance  of  the 
school  year,  and  all  of  the  pupils  in  the  Normal  Department  were  to  have  free 
access  to  her  lectures.  Mrs.  Ella  Walbridge  was  appointed  as  her  assistant  and 
to  take  charge  of  the  kindergarten  which  was  organized  in  connection  with 
her   work." 

Mr.  Wentworth  was  in  failing  health  for  some  time  and  passed  away  in  Denver, 
in  September,  1882.  Mr.  Eberhart  says  of  him,  "It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that 
he  gave  the  last  and  best  years  of  his  life  to  the  school.  To  say  that  he  was  earnest, 
zealous,  able  and  devoted  does  not  fully  express  it.  His  own  warm,  sympathetic 
life  went  out  to  it  and  touched  the  life  of  every  student."  After  the  death  of  Mr. 
Wentworth,  Professor  William  C.  Dodge,  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  1871,  a  man  of 
high  standing  as  an  educator  and  later  one  of  the  assistant  city  superintendents, 
acted  as  principal  until  the  election  of  Francis  W.  Parker,  who  took  charge  of  the 
school  on  January  1,  1883. 

Mr.  Eberhart 's  paper  closes  with  the  election  of  Colonel  Parker.  The  selection 
of  this  distinguished  educator  marked  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  school  and,  as 
well,  of  education  in  the  West.  There  could  be  no  better  indication  of  the  enthusiasm 
with  which  the  school  was  supported  than  the  engagement  of  a  man  with  a  national 
reputation  to  manage  its  affairs. 

Francis  Wayland  Parker  was  of  New  England  birth.  He  was  bom  October  9, 
1837,  in  the  small  New  Hampshire  village  of  Piscataquog.  He  came  from  a  long 
line  of  teachers  and  preachers.  His 'early  education  was  very  limited,  so  far  as 
attendance  upon  historic  institutions  was  concerned.  He  attended  the  village 
school  and  afterward  a  country  academy.  He  began  to  teach  when  he  was  sixteen 
and  continued  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war.  In  1858  he  had  come  to  Illinois 
and  he  served  for  a  time  as  principal  of  the  school  at  Carrollton.  When  the  call 
for  volunteers  came  he  returned  to  his  native  State  and  enlisted  in  the  Fourth  New 
Hampshire  Volunteers.  He  was  elected  first  lieutenant  and  rose  to  the  rank  of 
colonel.  He  was  universally  known  as  "  Colonel"  Parker.  Wilbur  S.  Jackman,  his 
long-time  friend  and  biographer,  says:  "  Many  avenues  of  success,  political  and 
financial,  were-  open  to  him  at  the  close  of  his  military  service;  but  he  remained 
faithful  to  teaching,  his  chosen  profession.  'I  do  not  remember  the  day,'  he  after- 
ward said,  'when  I  did  not  believe  that  I  should  be  a  teacher.'  " 

In  1872  he  went  to  Germany,  in  pursuance  of  his  purpose  to  devote  his  life  to 
education.  He  was  a  massive  figure,  grizzled  and  bald,  with  a  large  head  and  broad 
face,  and  bore  no  little  resemblance  to  Germany's  great  leader.  He  once  said  that 
he  went  one  evening  in  Berlin  to  a  great  supper  for  boys,  and  when  they  saw  him 
come  in,  the  word,  "Bismark,"  ran  round  the  tables.  He  remained  at  King  Wil- 
liam's University  three  years.  He  was  a  man  of  thirty-five  when  he  entered,  so  it 
is  clear  that  he  knew  what  he  wanted. 

In  1878  he  went  to  Quincy,  Massachusetts,  and  there  began  a  reform  work 
which  made  that  modest  town  a  Mecca  for  school-teachers.  His  work  was  so  unique 
that  his  name  became  familiar  to  all  students  of  elementary  education  and  a  new 
term  —  "  Parkerism"  —  was  added  to  educational  terminology. 

In  1880  he  was  elected  to  a  supervisorship  in  the  Boston  schools  and  served  in 


270  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

that  capacity  until  he  was  enticed  by  the  County  Board  of  Education  of  Cook 
County  to  come  to  Chicago. 

The  County  Board  of  Education  in  1883-4  consisted  of  Henry  F.  Donovan, 
President;  Albert  G.  Lane,  Secretary,  and  John  Summerfield,  F.  M.  Webster,  Dr. 
A.  H.  Champlin,  Max  Stem,  Theo.  Gerstefeld,  and  Joseph  Donnersberger. 

The  faculty  was  as  follows : 

Francis  W.  Parker,  Science  and  Art  of  Teaching. 

H.  H.  Straight,  vScience  and  Manual  Training. 

Will  C.  Dodge,  Physics  and  Chemistry. 

Eleanor  Worthington,  History  and  Literature. 

Emily  J.  Rice,  Language. 

W.  W.  Speer,  Mathematics. 

Helen  R.  Montford,  Drawing. 

Alexander  E.  Fry,  Principal  Grammar  School,  Geography  and  Music. 

Mary  A.  Speer,  Principal  Primary  School,  Primary  Methods. 

Mrs.  Alice  H.  Putnam,  Kindergarten,  Principles  and  Methods  of  the  Kinder- 
garten. 

Mrs.  Frank  Stuart  Parker,  Elocution. 

Lelia  E.  Partridge,  Physical  Development. 

Sarah  E.  Griswold,  Assistant  in  Primary  School. 

Louise  E.  Lay  ton,  Assistant  in  Primary  School. 

George  W.  Fritz,  Master  of  Industrial  Room  and  Out-door  Plays. 

Thomas  M.  Balliet,  Institute  Instructor. 

This  is  an  interesting  list.  The  names  of  many  of  them  have  become  very 
familiar  to  the  students  of  elementary  education  in  America. 

While  the  school  was  not  without  a  program  of  procedure,  it  was  liable  to  fre- 
quent and  radical  change.  It  was  anything  but  conventional.  Colonel  Parker 
could  not  endure  the  thought  of  having  his  hands  tied  even  though  he  tied  them 
himself.  An  indication  of  the  work  of  the  school  may  be  obtained  from  his  first 
report  to  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  It  is  on  pages  35-8,  of  the  report 
for  1883-4. 

There  were  numerous  changes  in  the  faculty  in  the  earlier  history  of  Colonel 
Parker's  administration.  He  was  looking  for  men  and  women  who  thoroughly 
sympathized  with  him  in  his  view  of  education  and  who  were  able  to  put  his  doc- 
trines to  the  test  of  trial.  In  his  report  for  1889-90  the  names  of  William  Giffin 
and  Wilbur  S.  Jackman  appear  for  the  first  time.  He  was  greatly  indebted  to  these 
two  capable  and  faithful  lieutenants.  Miss  Zonia  Baber  came  to  the  school  two 
years  earlier  and  added  materially  to  its  repute.  Flora  J.  Cook,  a  most  capable 
and  enthusiastic  woman,  was  another  genuine  acquisition  in  1889-90.  The  biennial 
reports  successively  expand  and  more  and  more  reveal  what  the  school  is  endeavor- 
ing to  accomplish.  The  fame  of  the  institution  had  now  gone  abroad  and  students 
came  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  Colonel  Parker  and  his  aids  from  all  parts  of  the  country. 

It  was  quite  inevitable  that  the  Cook  County  Normal  School  should  become 
the  Chicago  Normal  School.  This  event  was  consummated  finally  on  the  first  day 
of  January,  1896. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  271 

In  a  description  of  the  school,  County  Superintendent  Bright  says:  "January  1, 
1896,  the  Cook  County  Normal  School,  thus  thoroughly  equipped,  with  its  magnifi- 
cent property  and  splendid  record,  was  transferred  to  the  City  of  Chicago  and 
became  the  Chicago  Normal  School.  Not  only  the  school  property  but  the  entire 
faculty  was  accepted  by  the  city  board  of  education.  It  was  a  memorable  night  for 
the  City  of  Chicago.  The  school  was  adopted  because  the  people  of  Chicago 
demanded  it,  and  this  demand  was  voiced  by  the  Chicago  press.  The  faculty, 
including  Colonel  Parker,  was  retained  in  charge  of  the  school  because  Chicago 
would  not  have  it  otherwise,  and  hundreds  of  them  were  in  attendance  at  the  meet- 
ing, so  that  there  should  be  no  mistake  as  to  what  they  wanted.  The  excitement 
was  intense  and  the  scene  dramatic." 

In  his  biennial  report  to  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  in  that  year, 
the  principal  reviews  briefly  the  history  of  the  institution.  He  pays  a  generous  and 
just  tribute  to  the  men  and  women  who  have  made  his  success  possible  in  the  thirteen 
years  of  his  experience  in  the  school.  He  reveals  the  main  motives  that  have  impelled 
him  in  his  work  and  the  report  is  commended  to  students  of  what  is  often  called  the 
"Parker  Movement." 

In  1899  Colonel  Parker  resigned  the  principalship  of  the  Chicago  Normal  School 
to  take  charge  of  a  new  institution  founded  by  Mrs.  Emmons  Blaine  and  to  be 
known  as- the  Chicago  Institute.  This  school  soon  became  a  part  of  the  University 
of  Chicago  and  its  School  of  Education.  Colonel  Parker  went  with  the  school  and 
remained  at  its  head  until  his  death,  which  occurred  March  21,  1902. 

The  following  characterization  of  Colonel  Parker  and  his  work  uses  material 
from  various  sources  in  addition  to  what  is  contributed  from  the  editor's  long  and 
intimate  acquaintance  with  him.  Especial  obligation  is  acknowledged  to  the  late 
Wilbur  S.  Jackman,  whose  relations  to  him  were  so  close  professionally  and  per- 
sonally. Professor  Jackman 's  article  may  be  found  in  the  report  of  the  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction  for  1901-2. 

Of  Colonel  Parker's  philosophy  and  practice  he  says:  "  His  entire  philosophy  and 
practice  of  education  rested  solely  upon  the  theory  that  democracy  furnishes 
the  highest  and  best  type  of  government  for  an  enlightened  and  self-respecting 
people.  From  this  pregnant  germ  grew  everything  that  he  thought  and  did  in 
the  classroom.  His  conception  at  once  connected  his  ideals  as  a  citizen  with  his 
motives  as  a  teacher,  and  it  linked  the  destiny  of  the  country  with  the  fate  of  the 
schools. 

"He  never  failed  to  inveigh  against  the  selfishness  of  aristocracy.  'Its  design,' 
he  said,  'is  the  complete  subjugation  of  the  masses  to  the  domination  of  the  few; 
its  methods,  to  prevent  human  souls  from  seeking  and  finding  the  truth.'  He 
believed  that  its  methods  of  mystery,  of  force,  of  keeping  the  people  in  ignorance, 
of  the  isolation  of  the  people  into  classes,  of  caste  formation,  of  class  education,  are 
all  diametrically  opposed  to  the  great  axioms  of  democracy.  Holding  that  the 
motive  controls  the  method,  it  was  manifestly  impossible  for  Colonel  Parker,  directly, 
to  incorporate  with  his  own  any  foreign  educational  system.  Aristocracy  seeks  the 
perpetuation  of  an  existing  state  through  an  appeal  to  history  and  tradition;  he 
labored,  rather,  for  a  continuous  evolution  by  turning  the  whole  people  back  upon 


272  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

the  original  springs  of  nature  for  a  constant  clarification  of  inspiration  and  renewal 
of  strength." 

The  article  is  an  elaborate  exposition  of  what  Colonel  Parker  is  supposed  to  have 
held  as  a  system  of  thought.  It  is  doubtful  whether  he  could  have  stated  it  so 
clearly  as  his  friend  has  done  it  for  him.  He  was  not  strong  in  formulating 
philosophic  principles.  He  was  more  of  an  intuitionist  than  a  thinker.  He  was 
sometimes  called  the  American  Pestalozzi,  and  Pestalozzi  did  not  always  see  the 
profounder  meaning  of  what  he  was  doing. 

The  first  thing  that  the  ordinary  visitor  would  observe  in  entering  his  school 
would  be  the  seeming  disorder.  There  were  none  of  the  ordinary  restraints.  The 
children  talked  if  they  were  so  minded.  It  was  a  new  kind  of  a  "loud"  school. 
There  was  no  easier  way  to  arouse  the  " Berserker  rage"  of  the  Colonel  than  to  sug- 
gest that  the  children  should  keep  still.  The  "orderly"  room  was  his  particular 
object  of  scorn  and  ridicule.  The  superficial  observer  would  go  away  with  the 
impression  that  it  was  a  playground  rather  than  a  school  —  that  there  was  a  per- 
petual recess. 

Professor  Jackman  explains  this  condition  by  declaring  it  to  arise  from  an  appli- 
cation of  Colonel  Parker's  theory  of  democracy.  Society  must  rule  itself.  The 
individual  must  be  free  from  constraint  except  so  far  as  he  is  constrained  by  his 
own  moral  control.  There  must  be  no  "authorit}^"  exerted  upon  him  from  with- 
out. The  instant  that  appears,  democracy  disappears.  If  the  citizen  must  be  free 
the  child  must  be  free.  What  looked  like  disorder,  therefore,  was  but  a  stage  of  the 
child's  evolution  as  he  is  on  his  way  to  freedom.  If  left  mainly  to  himself  he  will 
in  time  come  to  understand  just  what  limitations  he  must  put  upon  himself  to  best 
serve  himself,  and  in  best  serving  himself  he  is  best  serving  the  social  order  which 
exists  not  for  itself  but  for  individual  men  and  women. 

He  tried  to  forward  the  project  of  self-control  by  awakening  in  the  young  minds 
the  sense  of  responsibility-  When  they  were  being  dismissed  from  the  morning 
exercises  in  which  they  were  expected  to  catch  a  key-note  for  the  day,  he  would  ask, 
"What  is  the  great  word?"  And  with  a  tumult  of  enthusiasm  they  would  cry  back 
to  him,  "Responsibility."  "Yes,"  he  would  say,  "this  little  boy,  this  little  girl, 
each  one  is  responsible  for  the  whole  school  to-day."  Of  course  there  was  endless 
criticism  and  ridicule.  Professor  Jackman  attributes  the  hostilit}^  of  the  politicians 
to  their  dim  appreciation  of  a  coming  loss  of  control  over  a  people  thus  accustomed 
to  freedom.  They  saw  vaguely  foreshadowed  their  loss  of  empire.  That  element 
may  have  accounted  for  a  part  of  their  resentment.  It  is  quite  possible  that  the 
Colonel's  scathing  characterization  of  their  methods  may  be  an  easier  explanation. 
It  is  less  complimentary  to  their  intelligence  but  more  in  harmony  with  their  ordinary 
rule  of  procedure. 

It  would  be  the  most  obvious  of  deductions  from  what  has  been  said  that  the 
teacher  must  be  free.  A  mere  formula-applier  and  rule-grinder  must  be  denied 
admission  to  the  schoolroom.  The  principals  who  hand  out  their  cut-and-dried 
schemes  to  the  teachers  and  expect  them  to  employ  them  are  cumberers  of  the 
ground.  Let  them  take  their  rules  and  methods  and  arbitrary  requirements  out 
6f  the  sacred  precincts  of  the  hallowed  place  where  children  are  learning  to  live. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  273 

Of  course  there  was  a  loud  outcry.  "Let  the  galled  jade  wince,"  would  be  the  only 
answer.  He  was  for  the  teachers  all  of  the  time.  He  asked  only  that  they  should 
be  willing  to  work  and  to  think,  to  guide  their  lives  by  fundamental  principles,  and 
whatever  blunders  they  might  make  in  their  struggle  to  find  a  right  way  he  would 
gladly  and  cheerfully  overlook,  for  he  felt  sure  that  if  they  would  honestlv  work 
and  honestly  think  they  would  assuredly  learn  a  great  lesson  from  the  children  for 
the  children. 

To  him  "system"  was  rubbish.  He  would  have  it  swept  into  the  garbage  cans 
and  carried  out.  He  could  not  formulate  a  course  of  study  with  its  boundaries  and 
limits.  Records  of  scholarship  were  the  seven  deadly  sins.  The  only  record  of 
value  was  the  ability  of  the  child  to  do  things.  The  things  they  made,  their  writing 
and  their  drawings  and  all  of  that  sort  of  thing  were  preserved  and  taken  to  their 
parents  as  marks  of  their  growth. 

As  the  school  is  society  in  the  process  of  becoming,  it  is  above  all  things  a  social 
institution.  There  all  of  the  occupations  are  to  be  illustrated.  There  all  of  the 
mutual  dependencies  are  to  be  experienced  and  appreciated  and  lifted  into  clear 
consciousness.  There  life  is  to  be  fine  and  natural  and  wholesome  and,  above  all 
else,  happy.  Like  Rousseau,  he  deemed  the  country  the  ideal  place  for  the  rearing 
of  the  young.  He  would  measure  the  worth  of  the  school  by  its  effects  upon  the 
lives  of  the  children  in  their  homes.  If  the  spirit  of  helpfulness  did  not  appear  there 
he  would  regard  his  effort  a  failure.  Parents'  meetings  were  to  him  indispensable. 
The  home  and  the  school  must  work  together  for  the  common  good  of  the  child. 

The  constant  emphasis  which  Colonel  Parker  placed  upon  the  element  of  service 
led  many  to  think  him  unmindful  of  the  inestimable  value  of  knowledge.  This  was 
an  unjust  judgment.  There  can  be  no  adequate  service  without  knowledge.  The 
ignorant  are  bunglers.  But  he  would  not  have  knowledge  for  the  sake  of  knowledge, 
nor  art  for  art's  sake.  Indeed,  he  ransacked  every  comer  for  knowledge.  The  school 
had  a  large  library.  The  clippings  from  current  periodicals  filled  volumes.  The 
museum  represented  all  callings  and  all  products.  It  was  respecting  the  function 
of  knowledge  that  he  differed  with  much  of  current  thought. 

It  is  easy  to  see  that  his  philosophy  of  life  when  applied  to  the  school  tended  to 
revolutionize  conventional  methods.  And  he  cared  little  for  any  philosophy  that 
did  not  act  immediately  upon  the  school.  It  transformed  the  teacher's  methods 
in  every  subject.  Reading  must  be  taught  on  the  basis  of  intrinsic  thought.  Its 
vocabulary  must  be  the  vocabulary  of  the  child  put  into  print.  He  had  his  printing 
press  and  made  his  readers.  In  a  similar  fashion  all  of  the  other  subjects  of  the 
curriculum  developed  naturally  out  of  the  school  as  a  social  center. 

Such  a  school  must  have  a  faculty  of  thinkers.  "Under  his  conception  —  the 
child  the  demand,  God  the  supply,  the  teacher  the  means  —  there  is  scarcely  any 
limit  that  can  be  set  to  what  a  thoughtful  teacher  can  do.  With  the  inspiring 
stimulus  of  new  visions  revealed  by  a  constantly  receding  horizon  it  is  small  wonder 
if  overwork  and  overstrain  were  sometimes  found  in  the  faculty  as  the  result  of  a 
supreme  effort  to  take  one  more  step  in  the  field  of  discovery." 

It  was  in  his  weekly  faculty  meetings  that  all  of  the  multiplied  plans  were  elabo- 
rated and  discussed  and  worked  over.     His  was  the  master  mind  that  planned  and 

18 


274  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

questioned  and  criticized  and  encouraged  and  condemned  and  approved.  It  was 
always  quality,  quality,  quality,  that  he  sought. 

With  such  infinite  variety,  inevitable  with  his  conception  of  freedom,  there  was 
the  most  perilous  possibility  of  utter  chaos.  Some  unifying  principle  was  essential 
to  rescue  the  school  from  dismal  and  tragic  failure.  This  he  endeavored  to  find 
in  the  principle  of  concentration  and  correlation.  His  volume  on  that  subject 
throws  light  upon  his  effort  and  is  in  a  way  a  measure  of  his  success. 

It  was  the  fortune  of  the  writer  to  be  president  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association 
when  Colonel  Parker  was  called  to  Illinois  to  tell  the  people  something  of  "  The 
Quincy  Method."  His  name  was  upon  all  tongues.  In  presenting  the  speaker  to 
his  audience  the  president  remarked  that  here  is  "  The  Quincy  Method."  It  was  the 
personality  far  more  than  any  distinctive  philosophy  of  education.  Of  course  there 
was  a  doctrine;  without  it  there  would  have  been  no  intelligent  procedure.  But  here 
was  a  soul  on  fire  with  a  mission.  He  broke  through  the  cold  conventions  of  estab- 
lished creeds  and  pushed  into  the  warm  and  pulsing  life  of  childhood  and  ministered 
to  its  unfolding.  He  was  a  prophet,  fearless,  splendidly  inconsistent,  inspiring. 
He  made  his  mark  upon  his  time.  No  one  can  pick  up  his  colors  where  they  fell 
from  his  pulseless  hand  and  sa}^  "  I  am  his  successor."  He  was  the  only  one  of  his 
line.  He  taught  us  a  new  way,  but  he  taught  in  a  large  way,  and  we  can  not  write 
it  down  in  formulated  phrase. 

But  it  is  well  to  let  him  speak  for  himself.  The  following  quotations  are  from 
an  account  of  the  Normal  school  which  he  prepared  after  resigning  to  take  charge 
of  the  Chicago  Institute.  It  first  appeared  in  the  memorial  number  of  the  Ele- 
mentary School  Teacher  and  Course  of  Study,  in  June,  1902. 

"  The  history  of  a  school  is  the  history  of  its  faculty.  The  Cook  County  and 
Chicago  Normal  School  is  no  exception  to  this  rule.  Dr.  John  Dewey  says:  'The 
school  is  society  shaping  itself.'  The  function  of  the  teacher,  then,  is  to  make  life, 
society,  the  State,  the  nation,  what  they  should  be;  and  the  function  of  a  Normal 
school  is  to  train  men  and  women  for  these  duties,  which  are  indeed  higher  and  more 
important  than  all  others.  A  Normal  school  should  have  a  much  broader  scope 
than  the  training  of  teachers;  it  should  be  a  laboratory,  an  educational  experiment 
station,  whose  influence  penetrates,  permeates  and  improves  all  education  and 
educational  thinking.  Hence  the  faculty  of  a  Normal  school  should  consist  of  the 
very  best  teachers  —  best  in  education,  best  in  culture,  best  in  professional  training 
and  best  in  experience." 

He  says  of  his  faculty,  "  It  seemed  to  us  true  that  education  as  a  science  was 
in  its  swaddling  clothes;  that  genuine  educative  work  in  the  schoolroom  was  com- 
paratively meager;  that  the  cause  of  this  inefficiency  sprang  from  the  low  grade  of 
demands  made  upon  the  pupils ;  that  the  systematic  cultivation  of  selfishness  through 
bribery  by  means  of  rewards  and  per  cents,  and  the  improper  stimulation  by  pro- 
motion, were  immoral  and  often  rendered  nugatory  the  best  efforts  of  the  teacher; 
that  education,  as  it  was,  aimed,  for  the  greater  part,  at  the  development  of  verbal 
memory,  with  too  little  regard  for  the  evolution  of  thought-power;  that  the  training 
of  the  will  was  left  in  abeyance;  that  the  children  had  little  opportunity  to  choose 
and  execute  for  themselves ;  that  their  reasoning  power  was  not  appealed  to  through 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  275 

the  imposition  of  responsibility;  that  education  was  too  often  mental  and  moral 
starvation;  that  the  needs  of  the  body  were  neglected;  that  the  mind-content  was 
sacrificed  for  vague  word-images;  that  the  moral  power  was  not  strengthened  as  it 
should  be,  owing  to  the  lack  of  proper  opportunity  for  moral  action ;  that  the  common 
schools  were  not  adequate  to  the  demands  of  self-government ;  that  vast  sums  of 
money  and  much  toil  and  drudgery  were  being  expended  for  schools,  with  very  scanty 
results;  in  short,  that  education  left  much  to  be  desired,  and  that  by  proper  means 
it  should  be  infinitely  improved. 

"We  went  to  work  with  enthusiasm  and  earnestness,  determined  to  solve  some 
of  the  immediate  and  pressing  questions  of  school  economy.  Once  a  week,  for  two 
or  three  hours,  we  met  to  discuss  questions  that  were  forced  upon  us  by  our  daily 
teaching  and  training.  Every  teacher  was  required  to  explain  his  teaching  and  give 
reasons  for  it.  He  was  also  required  to  criticize  all  the  instruction  and  plans  of  order 
that  came  within  his  observation.  He  was  asked  to  present  suggestions,  new  plans 
and  devices  which,  in  his  opinion,  would  improve  the  school.  When  the  printing 
establishment  became  available,  each  teacher  made  out  a  syllabus,  which  was  printed 
and  distributed  for  study  at  the  faculty  meetings. 

"Without  the  practice  school  we  could  not  have  taken  one  practical,  efficient 
step  in  the  training  of  teachers.  .  .  .  It  is  the  real  center  and  core  of  a 
Normal  school.  It  requires  the  most  careful  attention  and  study  on  the  part  of  the 
entire  faculty.  I  maintain  that  our  practice  school  was  a  far  better  school  for  chil- 
dren than  schools  in  general. 

"  From  the  inception  of  the  work  we  were  aware  that  there  were  very  grave 
difficulties  before  us.  Corporal  punishment,  fear  of  which  was  for  ages  the  stimulus 
to  study,  had  been  generally  abolished.  The  substitute  for  it  had  been  and  is  mainly 
a  system  of  per  cents,  credits  and  promotions,  based  on  the  lusts  for  rewards;  the 
system  of  marks,  of  quantities  of  knowledge  supposed,  and  only  supposed,  to  have 
been  acquired.  This  pernicious  scheme  of  bribery  is  in  reality  the  systematic  culti- 
vation of  selfishness,  the  controlling  and  root- vice  of  humanity..  Its  use,  in  effect, 
denies  that  pupils  have  any  substantial  enjoyment  in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge 
and  in  the  exercise  of  skill  in  expression.  Bribery  is  the  line  of  least  resistance  for 
the  teacher  in  keeping  the  body  under  constant  repression,  and  in  stimulating  the 
mind  to  startling  vagaries  —  startling  if  they  were  understood.  The  stimulus  of 
credits  keeps  the  boy  in  his  seat;  per  cents  induce  him  to  memorize  words." 

A  kindergarten  was  introduced.  Handwork,  almost  unknown  in  the  schools, 
was  provided.  Nature  study,  as  much  a  stranger  to  the  children,  was  begun.  It 
was  for  the  organization  of  this  work  that  Wilbur  S.  Jackman  was  called  to  the  school. 
The  other  subjects  of  the  curriculum  were  subjected  to  as  rigorous  an  examination 
as  if  they  were  seeking  a  place  in  the  school  for  the  first  time. 

But  space  will  permit  no  further  quotations.     The  whole  article  may  be  found 


276  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

as  indicated  above  and  also  in  Volume  1,  1902,  of  the' report  of  the  United  States 
Commissioner  of  Education.  In  the  same  report  and  chapter  may  be  found  an 
address  on  "The  Quincy  Method"  which  will  still  further  reveal  the  lines  along 
which  the  author  was  working.  It  can  hardly  be  accounted  a  part  of  the  history 
of  education  in  Illinois,  but  Colonel  Parker's  contribution  to  that  history  needs  this 
side-light  in  order  to  understand  it. 

Of  his  work  in  Quincy,  Dr.  Nicholas  Murray  Butler,  now  President  of  Columbia 
University,  said:  "  It  was  an  object  lesson  of  striking  significance  to  see  this  veteran 
soldier,  with  a  German  university  career  behind  him,  putting  forth  all  his  newly 
roused  energies  in  behalf  of  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  elementary  school.  The  change 
in  them  was  startling.  '  Going  to  school  ceased  to  be  a  homesick  tribulation, '  wrote 
Mr.  Adams.  'The  children  actually  went  to  school  without  being  dragged  there. 
The  simple  fact  was  that  they  were  happier  and  more  amused  and  better  contented 
at  school  than  at  home.'  What  had  happened?  Only  the  obvious,  it  seems,  as  we 
look  back  at  it  now.  Mr.  Adams  has  described  it  graphically  and  concisely.  '  Edu- 
cation was  to  recur  to  first  principles.  Not  much  was  to  be  attempted ;  but  whatever 
was  attempted  was  to  be  thoroughly  done,  and  to  be  tested  by  its  practical  results 
and  not  by  its  theoretical  importance.  Above  all,  the  simple,  comprehensible  proc- 
esses of  nature  were  to  be  observed.  Children  were  to  learn  to  read  and  write  and 
cipher  as  they  learned  to  swim,  or  to  skate,  or  to  play  ball.  The  rule  by  which  the 
thing  was  done  was  nothing;  the  fact  that  it  was  done  well  was  everything.'  How 
sensible,  yet  novel;  how  wise,  yet  how  revolutionary!" 

In  1900  there  were  indications  that  Colonel  Parker's  health  was  declining.  He 
had  no  thought  of  giving  up  his  work,  however.  In  the  early  part  of  1902  it  was 
clear  that  he  needed  to  take  radical  measures.  He  first  went  to  Minnesota,  but  the 
trial  was  unsuccessful.  He  went  south  and  died  at  Pass  Christian  on  March  2. 
His  passing  was  a  shock  to  the  educational  public  which  had  not  known  of  his  declin- 
ing health.  On  March  6,  services  were  held  in  his  memory  at  the  University  of 
Chicago.  Addresses  were  delivered  by  President  Harper,  Albert  G.  Lane,  John 
Dewey  and  Emil  G.  Hirsch. 

President  Harper:  "  To  me  he  seems  a  prophet  rather  than  a  philosopher.  The 
courage  and  the  strength  which  he  expended  in  fighting  for  the  highest  ideals  of 
educational  work,  against  opposition  and  in  the  midst  of  difficulties,  marked  the 
prophetic  character.  .  .  .  His  love  for  children  was  extraordinary.  •  The 
satisfaction  with  which  he  studied  the  development  and  growth  of  a  particular  child, 
the  interest  manifested  in  each  individual,  were  the  truest  expression  of  the  joy  and 
gladness  which  seemed  to  fill  his  soul  in  his  close  communion  with  child  life. 

"  I  can  see  him  now  as  he  sits  with  his  hands  crossed,  listening  with  supreme 
delight  to  the  expressions  of  child  thought,  one  following  the  other,  each  illustrating 
some  phase  of  the  child  nature. 

"  He  was  a  man  of  superb  idealism,  unmindful  of  the  present,  provided  that 
there  seemed  to  be  a  promise  of  a  greater  future ;  never  moved  by  motives  of  expe- 
diency, but  holding  out  before  himself,  as  well  as  those  associated  with  him,  a 
high  and  splendid  ideal  toward  the  realization  of  which  he  made  the  most  earnest 
effort." 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  277 

Mr.  Lane:  "  .  .  .  From  the  beginning  of  his  work  in  this  county  he 
strongly  molded  and  influenced  the  ideas,  motives,  plans  and  methods  of  all  who 
came  under  his  instruction.  Nearly  every  graduate  of  his  school  commenced  teach- 
ing with  the  high  ideals  of  the  teacher's  mission  and  a  quickened  power  to  arouse 
in  children  a  keen,  natural  interest  in  any  work  which  was  undertaken.  They 
became  observers  and  students  of  child  nature.  They  sought  to  lead  the  unfolding 
powers  of  childhood  into  channels  of  activity  that  would  make  them  observant  of 
things,  their  relations,  and  uses." 

Dr.  Dewey:  "He  was  accustomed  to  say  that  the  social  spirit  of  the  schoolroom 
does  more  for  the  child  than  the  formal  instruction  given;  that  what  the  children 
learn  from  contact  with  one  another  and  the  teacher  is  more  than  what  they  learn 
from  the  text-book  and  the  lecture.  .  .  .  What  he  did  in  breaking  down 
the  despotism,  formalism,  and  the  rigidity  of  the  old-fashioned  school  he  did,  not 
just  because  of  abstract  theory,  but  because  he  insisted  that  the  love  and  faith, 
which  are  the  tokens  of  the  highest  character  everywhere,  find  a  peculiarly  appro- 
priate place  in  the  contact  of  the  learned  and  the  mature  with  the  little  and  the 
feeble.       ... 

"  The  great  lesson  that  comes  home  to  me  from  Colonel  Parker's  life 
is  what  it  means  really  to  attain  success  in  life.  Colonel  Parker  never  temporized, 
he  never  used  little  expediencies  or  policies.  He  never  got  lost  in  the  smaller  things 
of  life;  he  kept  his  eyes  steadily  on  the  great  things  and  he  fought  onward  with  all 
the  vigor  of  his  personality  for  those  things  which  are  enduring,  invisible  and  worth 
while." 

Dr.  Hirsch:  "To-day  air,  sunshine,  life,  flood  the  schoolroom.  Pupil  and 
teacher  alike  have  been  freed  from  the  house  of  bondage.  Whose  is  the  credit? 
It  is  his,  whose  mortal  remains  will  soon  be  consigned  by  loving  hands  to  the  grave. 
It  was  not  an  easy  task  to  arouse  men  and  women  to  a  better  understanding  of  the 
implications  of  education.  .  .  .  Colonel  Parker  put  the  trumpet  to  his 
mouth  and  declared  to  American  educational  idol-worshippers  their  transgression. 
Prophet  he,  he  sounded  the  alarm  in  no  uncertain  notes." 

These  brief  extracts  indicate  the  sweep  and  burden  of  the  addresses.  Many 
letters  and  telegrams  were  received  by  his  family.  Here  are  some  extracts  which 
show  something  of  their  burden : 

Colonel  Parker  was  an  educational  hero,  devoted  to  the  improvement  of  methods  in  the  elementary 
school.  He  showed  great  fertility  of  resources  in  discovering  devices  to  secure  self -activity  in  the 
pupil.  His  amiability,  his  devotion  to  the  cause,  and  his  contagious  enthusiasm  made  him  a  myriad 
of  friends,  and  many  myriads  of  disciples  who  will  mourn  his  death.  His  good  work  will  live  on  and 
bless  the  generations  yet  to  come.  —  W.  T.  Harris,  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education. 

Colonel  Parker  made  a  distinct  impression  on  American  education  because  he  first  presented  to 
the  intelligence  of  the  country  the  unwisdom  of  mechanical  methods  of  instruction.  .  .  .  He  was 
derided  but  he  commanded  a  hearing;  he  was  opposed  but  opposition  made  him  more  aggressive. 
.  .  .  He  broke  out  new  roads  and  it  could  only  be  done  by  harsh  and  heavy  implements.  He 
was  a  ready  writer  and  an  accomplished,  even  unique  public  speaker.  .  .  .  Half  a  million  Ameri- 
can teachers  will  be  pained  at  the  news  of  his  death  and  would  like  the  sad  privilege  of  laying  a  flower 
upon  his  bier.  —  A.  S.  Draper,  then  President  of  the  University  of  Illinois. 

.     .     .     I  have  watched  him  through  all  the  strain  and  stress  of  his  tireless  career,  and  in  it  all 


278  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

I  detected  that  enthusiasm  for  Hberty,  that  love  of  childhood,  that  devotion  to  progress,  which  made 
him  so  persuasive  an  influence,  his  presence  perhaps  felt  more  at  a  distance  than  near  at  hand.  He 
was  a  pioneer  who  took  the  knocks  that  made  it  easier  for  those  who  follow.  ...  A  brave  heart 
has  ceased  to  beat.      May  the  hearts  of  his  friends  beat  the  more  heroically.  — Jenkin  Lloyd  Jones. 

In  Colonel  Parker  I  lose  a  valued  friend  and  the  young  people  of  the  United  States  one  who  gave 
his  life  to  their  service,  but  while  we  mourn  the  wise  and  gentle  man  gone,  we  rejoice  that  he  has 
so  impressed  his  spirit  and  ideas  on  his  pupils  that  his  work  will  be  carried  on  and  his  influence  will 
spread  in  ever-widening  circles  as  time  goes  on.  — Alexander  Graham  Bell. 

.  .  .  He  was  the  most  interesting  and  original  personality  prominently  identified  with  popular 
education  since  the  time  of  Pestalozzi.  While  he  was  far  more  happily  conditioned  than  the  vSwiss 
reformer,  he  was  at  the  same  time  immeasurably  his  superior  as  a  teacher  and  a  leader.  He  was 
completely  liberated  from  the  old  knowledge  ideal  of  the  Renaissance.  .  .  .  There  is  no  teacher 
in  all  our  common  country  that  his  not  his  debtor.  He  was  always  insisting  with  all  the  vehemence 
of  his  tremendous  power  that  education  is  the  supreme  concern  of  the  State,  and  that  teaching  is 
incomparably  the  m.ost  important  and  the  most  elusively  difficult  of  all  the  arts,  and  that  within 
the  narrow  round  of  the  school  there  is  ample  space  for  the  exercise  of  the  rarest  gifts  that  lift  the 
divinely  selected  souls  above  their  fellows.     He  is  the  last  of  his  race.     .     .     .     John  W.  Cook. 

.  .  .  The  whole  history  of  American  education  has  never  seen  purer  idealism  or  more  sincere 
devotion  than  Colonel  Parker's.  He  believed  in  democracy  with  all  the  fervor  of  his  nature,  and  his 
love  for  the  child  and  for  childhood  knew  no  limits.  As  a  great  inspiring  force  who  was  impatient 
of  artificial  trammels  and  of  formulas  when  life  and  spirit  were  at  stake,  he  has  had  no  equal  in  our 
public-school  service.  His  heroism  in  the  schoolroom  will  be  remembered  long  after  his  unselfish 
service  to  his  country  on  the  field  of  battle  has  faded  into  history.  .  .  .  Nicholas  Murray 
Butler,  President  Columbia  University. 

.  .  ,  The  country  loses  in  him  one  of  the  greatest  educators  we  have  ever  had.  Elementary 
education  in  the  last  twenty  years  owes  more  to  him  than  to  any  other  man.  He  has  been  a  magnifi- 
cent ferment,  stimulating  activity  everywhere,  and  breaking  up  monotony  and  routine,  to  which 
education,  as  by  an  iron  law,  always  gravitates.  .  .  .  G.  Stanley  Hall,  President  Clark  Uni- 
versity. 

Something  more  than  a  month  after  the  services  mentioned  there  was  a  great 
memorial  meeting  of  the  Chicago  and  Cook  county  teachers  in  the  Auditorium. 
The  speakers  were  Orville  T.  Bright,  County  Superintendent  of  Schools,  and  Rev. 
John  Lancaster  Spalding,  Roman  Catholic  Bishop  of  Peoria. 

Mr.  Bright 's  theme  was  Colonel  Parker's  connection  with  the  Cook  County 
Norm.al  School.  He,  of  all  men,  was  best  fitted  to  discuss  that  topic,  as  he  had 
been  county  superintendent  of  schools  and  had  thus  been  officially  connected  with 
the  school  during  ten  of  the  fifteen  years.  His  contribution,  therefore,  is  of  the 
greatest  historic  value.  It  may  be  found  in  full  in  Volume  1,  1902,  report  of  the 
United  States  Commissioner  of  Education. 

In  the  same  chapter  may  be  found  "An  Estimate  of  Colonel  Parker,"  by  Presi- 
dent William  Rainey  Harper,  from  a  report  to  the  National  Council  of  Education, 
July,  1902,  and  an  appreciation  of  his  life  and  character  by  Frank  A.  Fitzpatrick, 
reprinted  from  The  Educational  Review,  of  June,  1902.  The  material  thus  put  at 
the  service  of  the  student  is  of  inestimable  value  for  ascertaining  what  one  man  can 
accomplish  if  that  man  shall  have  the  gifts  and  the  courage  and  the  industry  of  a 
Francis  Wayland  Parker. 

There  is  a  little  volume  of  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  pages,  called  "  School 
Days  in  the  Fifties."     Its  author  is  William  M.  Giffin,  A.   M.,  Ph.  D.     Dr.  Giffin 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  279 

was  connected  most  intimately  with  Colonel  Parker  for  many  years  in  the  Normal 
school.  The  last  thirty  pages  contain  a  very  precious  chapter,  for  it  is  nothing 
less  than  Colonel  Parker's  autobiography,  or,  rather,  so  much  of  an  autobiography 
as  was  dictated  at  a  single  sitting.  Dr.  Giffin  induced  his  friend  to  talk  about  him- 
self for  a  time,  and  so  it  was  that  the  Colonel  told  the  story  of  his  early  life,  with  its 
hardships,  of  his  intense  desire  to  get  an  education  and  what  difficulties  he  encoun- 
tered and  how  he  was  swept  away  into  the  calling  of  the  teacher  because  of  an  irre- 
sistible passion  for  living  in  the'  school. 

It  will  be  a  surprise  to  many  to  learn  with  what  sacrifices  he  acquired  what  little 
he  had  in  the  way  of  education  in  his  boyhood,  his  youth,  and  even  in  his  early  man- 
hood. He  was  a  mature  man  when  he  went  to  Germany  in  quest  of  more  light.  He 
was  essentially  self-educated,  getting  on  with  little  help  from  the  schools. 

Respecting  his  fondness  for  teaching,  he  says:  "All  my  life  I  have  had  a  perfect 
passion  for  teaching  school,  and  I  never  wavered  in  it  in  my  life  and  never  desired 
to  change.  I  never  had  anything  outside  offered  me  that  had  any  attractions  for 
me,  and  never  desired  to  go  outside  of  the  work  and  it  was  sort  of  a  wonder  to  me 
that  I  did  have  such  a  love  for  it.  I  remember  when  I  was  teaching  in  the  Grammar 
School  in  Piscatauquog  I  had  a  little  garden.  Then  we  lived  near  the  old  home 
where  I  was  bom,  and  I  had  a  little  rocky,  gravelly  garden,  that  I  used  to  tend 
and  hoe  at  morning  and  night,  beans  and  com,  and  so  on.  Of  course  when  I  was 
hoeing  I  was  dreaming  and  thinking  of  school.  I  remember  one  day  I  was  hoeing 
beans,  and,  by  the  way,  I  always  liked  to  hoe  beans  the  best,  and  I  remember  just 
where  I  stood,  and  I  said  to  myself,  'Why  do  I  love  to  teach  school?'  And  then 
I  looked  around  on  the  little  growing  plants,  and  I  said,  '  It  is  because  I  love  to  see 
things  grow, '  and  if  I  should  tell  any  secret  of  my  life,  it  is  the  intense  desire  I  have 
to  see  growth  and  improvement  in  human  beings.  I  think  that  is  the  whole  secret 
of  my  enthusiasm  and  study,  if  there  be  any  secret  to  it  —  my  intense  desire  to  see 
the  mind  and  soul  grow." 

In  speaking  of  his  work  at  Quincy  he  says:  "  I  never  had  any  idea  of  any  particu- 
lar fame  that  would  come  from  that  work ;  that  was  entirely  foreign  to  my  feelings. 
I  never  thought  for  an  instant  that  I  was  going  to  do  anything  superior  to  any- 
thing else  that  had  been  done  in  the  school ;  I  simply  wanted  to  carry  out  my  plans. 
My  observations  and  what  I  had  learned  in  Europe  had  convinced  me  that  the 
philosophers  and  thinkers  of  the  ages  were  right;  that  there  was  something  a  great 
deal  better  for  mankind  than  what  /  had  been  doing,  at  least  in  school;  that  there 
was  a  means  of  arousing  the  mental  and  moral  powers  that  I  had  never  tried,  at  least, 
and  I  was  seeking  to  try  to  present  the  conditions  for  higher  growth.  I  knew  from 
what  I  had  read  and  from  what  I  had  seen  that  reading  and  writing  and  numbers 
could  be  taught  in  a  better  way  than  the  old-fashioned  way.  And  from  all  the 
works  that  I  could  get  on  the  subject,  both  English  and  German,  I  found  there 
was  a  great  deal  better  way  of  doing  it  than  anything  I  had  done,  and  of  course 
I  had  a  great  deal  of  enthusiasm  and  a  great  desire  to  work  out  the  plan  and  see  what 
I  could  do.  I  did  not  have  the  faintest  suspicion  that  I  was  going  to  do  anything 
better  than  had  been  done,  that  was  entirely  foreign  to  my  mind,  and  when  our 
schools  in  Quincy  became  famous  and  thousands  of  visitors  poured  in,  and  it  was 


280  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

written  up  in  all  the  papers  and  discussed,  I  was  probably  the  most  astonished  man 
in  the  whole  community 

"  I  have  been  often  asked  what  I  considered  the  best  thing  in  my  education,  and 
I  have  named  two  things  —  the  five  years  on  the  farm  and  the  four  years  in  the 
army.  The  five  years  on  the  farm  gave  me  my  love  for  study  and  my  physical 
strength,  and  the  army  gave  me  some  measure  of  self-control,  not  very  much,  by 
the  way,  but  enough  to  steady  me." 

Colonel  Parker's  successor  in  the  Normal  school  was  Arnold  Tompkins.  He  had 
been  widely  known  as  an  educational  lecturer  and  also  as  a  teacher.  His  educational 
life  had  been  mainly  spent  in  Indiana,  where  he  had  been  connected  with  the  State 
Normal  School  as  a  student  and  teacher.  He  was  at  the  head  of  the  Department 
of  Education  in  the  University  of  Illinois  in  1899  when  the  vacancy  occurred  in  the 
presidency  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University.  The  retiring  president  was 
requested  to  nominate  his  successor  and  named  for  the  position  Arnold  Tompkins. 
The  governing  board  ratified  the  nomination  and  Dr.  Tompkins  remained  with  the 
school  for  a  single  year.  His  success  was  regarded  as  immediate  and  unequivocal. 
He  was  greatly  admired  by  the  faculty  and  the  student  body,  and  his  unexpected 
withdrawal  from  the  school  was  deeply  regretted.  He  accepted  the  headship  of  the 
Chicago  Normal  School,  believing  that  it  offered  a  more  satisfactory  field  of 
labor. 

Dr.  Tompkins  encountered  many  obstacles  in  endeavoring  to  wark  out  his  plans, 
but  he  seemed  to  have  passed  the  trying  years  and  was  looking  forward  to  a  more 
agreeable  administration  when  he  closed  his  career  in  the  summer  of  1905. 

It  was  in  the  later  years  of  his  administration  that  the  noble  building  which  now 
houses  the  school  was  begun.     It  was  completed  shortly  after  his  death. 

Dr.  Tompkins  was  not  identified  with  the  Normal  school  interests  in  Illinois 
long  enough  to  demonstrate  the  practicability  of  his  ideas.  He  was  quite  unrivaled 
as  an  educational  lecturer,  being  in  demand  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the 
other.  He  had  elaborated  a  system  of  thought  based  largely  on  the  fundamental 
doctrines  of  Rosenkranz. 

Dr.  Tompkins  was  succeeded  in  the  principalship  of  the  school  by  Mrs.  Ella 
Flagg  Young,  who  had  been  for  many  years  closely  connected  with  the  schools  of 
the  city.  She  began  her  educational  career  as  a  teacher  in  one  of  the  city  schools, 
rose  to  the  rank  of  a  principalship  and  of  an  assistant  superintendent,  was  for  a  time 
a  teacher  in  the  University  of  Chicago,  and  was  now  recalled  to  the  service  of  the 
city  in  this  fine  capacity. 

Mrs.  Young's  acquaintance  with  the  schools  of  Chicago  peculiarly  fitted  her  for 
the  position.  She  knew  the  needs  of  the  schools  as  well  as  any  one  ever  connected 
with  them.  She  had  distinguished  herself  as  a  leader.  She  had  the  confidence  of 
the  educational  people  and  of  the  general  public.  A  great  success  came  to  her  easily. 
The  years  of  her  administration  have  been  great  years  for  the  school.  She  remained 
in  the  position  until  elevated  to  the  superintendency  of  the  schools  of  the  city.  Her 
successor  is  William  B.  Owen. 

The  school  which  began  its  work  in  so  simple  a  way  more  than  forty-four  years 
ago  is  now  a  great  institution  with  a  noble  history. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  281 

THE  PEORIA  COUNTY  NORMAL  SCHOOL. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  recommendation  of  Superintendent  Bateman 
that  a  county  Normal  school  law  should  be  placed  on  the  statute  books,  and  the 
prompt  action  of  the  General  Assembly  in  adopting  that  recommendation.  This 
act  was  approved  on  March  15,  1869.     Section  5  of  the  law  reads  as  follows: 

"  In  all  counties  that  have  already  established  Normal  schools,  the  action  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  in  so  doing,  and  all  appropriations  made  by  them  for  their 
support,  are  hereby  legalized,  and  said  Board  of  Supervisors  are  hereby  authorized 
and  empowered  to  make  further  appropriations  for  the  support  of  such  schools 
already  established,  until  such  schools  have  been  established  under  the  previous 
sections  of  this  act." 

Although  Illinois  has  had  three  county  Normal  schools  no  one  of  them  was 
originally  established  under  the  provisions  of  this  law.  Section  5  was  introduced 
into  the  bill,  doubtless,  for  the  benefit  of  the  existing  schools.  Two  of  the  schools 
had  a  brief  life  and  the  other  was  taken  over  by  the  City  of  Chicago  as  a  city  Normal 
school. 

It  was  hopefully  expected  that  the  action  of  Cook  county  would  be  followed  by 
other  counties.  Peoria  county  was  the  first  to  profit  by  the  example.  Samuel  H. 
White,  principal  of  the  Brown  school,  Chicago,  was  selected  for  the  principalship 
and  organized  the  school.  He  was  in  many  ways  an  ideal  man  for  such  a  work. 
His  industry  and  conscientiousness  were  without  limit.  He  was  an  excellent  school 
man,  having  had  the  experience  requisite  for  such  a  task.  Writing  under  date  of 
December  1,  1868,  he  says,  as  appears  in  the  Seventh  Biennial  Report  of  the  Super- 
intendent of  Public  Instruction: 

"  The  Peoria  Normal  School  was  established  by  the  joint  action  of  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  of  the  county  and  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  city,  and  is  supported 
by  these  two  bodies ;  the  city  furnishing  a  building  for  its  accommodation  and  defray- 
ing one-fourth  of  the  expenses,  and  the  county  three-fourths.  It  is  under  the  man- 
agement of  a  joint  committee  of  the  two  bodies,  called  the  Normal  Board.  A  sub- 
committee of  this  board,  consisting  of  one  member  of  each,  and  the  superintendents 
of  the  city  and  county  schools,  with  the  principal,  have  the  direct  control.  The 
latter  committee  have  the  power  to  make  all  purchases,  settle  all  accounts,  make 
all  regulations,  etc. 

"  The  school  was  organized  the  9th  day  of  September,  1868.  In  a  few  days  it 
had  forty  pupils.  Of  that  number,  four  are  now  teaching,  and  four  have  found  the 
course  of  study  too  arduous  and  have  left.  The  present  number  of  pupils  is  thirty- 
three.  The  instruction  is  as  yet  confined  entirely  to  the  branches  taught  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  with  methods  of  teaching  each,  and  lessons  in  school  management, 
and  the  development  of  the  mental  faculties.  Preparations  are  in  progress  for 
opening  a  training  department  in  connection  with  the  school,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  next  term. 

"  The  pupils  attending  the  school  vary  greatly  in  their  ages,  from  fifteen  to 
thirty- two  years,  and  in  their  experience  as  teachers,  from  none  at  all  to  eight  years. 
All  are  faithful  in  study,  earnest  in  their  work,  and  apparently  ambitious  to  excel 


282  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

as  teachers.  The  school  has  received  every  encouragement  from  those  in  control, 
and  there  seems  nothing  to  interfere  with  its  successful  progress.  Of  the  desirability 
of  such  institutions  there  seems  to  me  no  doubt." 

Two  years  after  its  organization  it  placed  itself  under  the  provisions  of  the  act 
providing  for  such  institutions.  It  was  managed,  consequently,  by  a  county  board 
of  education.  Section  2  of  the  law  prescribes  the  membership  of  this  board.  The 
chairman  of  the  board  of  supervisors,  or  the  judge  of  the  county  court,  as  the  case 
may  be,  and  the  county  superintendent  of  schools  are  members  ex  officio.  The 
other  members  are  chosen  by  the  board  of  supervisors,  or  the  county  court,  as  the 
case  may  be.  The  term  of  office  is  three  years.  This  board  of  education  exercises 
all  of  the  functions  of  the  ordinary  school  board. 

During  the  first  year  the  school  enrolled  fifty-six  pupils;  in  the  second,  sixty- 
nine.  The  faculty  consisted  of  three  —  the  principal  and  assistant,  and  a  training 
teacher.  Some  of  the  pupils  of  the  advanced  classes  gave  material  assistance  in 
instruction.  The  training  school  contained  ninety  pupils  and  was  a  part  of  one  of 
the  district  schools  of  the  city. 

The  course  of  study  was  two  years,  but  the  actual  time  required  for  graduation 
was  mainly  determined  by  the  ability  of  the  pupils.  In  addition  to  the  studies 
mentioned  above,  the  course  was  extended  to  include  two  terms  of  algebra  and  one 
term  in  each  of  the  following:  Physiology,  mental  philosophy,  methods  of  instruc- 
tion, analysis  of  words,  botany,  geometry,  and  rhetoric.  The  expense  of  the  school 
was  between  $4,000  and  $5,000. 

In  Januar>%  1872,  the  school  took  possession  of  a  building  especially  erected 
for  its  use  by  the  City  of  Peoria.  An  additional  assistant  had  been  provided  and  the 
attendance  had  increased  to  eighty-six. 

The  school  had  a  life  of  eleven  years.  The  attendance  finally  reached  one  hun- 
dred and  sixteen.  Its  work  was  exceedingly  thorough  and  its  graduates  were  suc- 
cessful as  teachers. 

The  faithful  and  accomplished  principal  of  the  Peoria  Normal  School  was  a 
prominent  figure  in  the  educational  meetings  of  the  State.  Reference  has  been 
made  to  his  work  in  connection  with  the  educational  exhibit  at  Philadelphia.  It 
is  difficult,  within  the  necessary  limitations  of  space,  to  give  any  adequate  concep- 
tion of  his  service  to  the  State  and  to  the  communities  in  which  he  lived  and  worked. 

In  figure  he  was  tall  and  spare ;  he  was  serious  in  demeanor  although  not  wanting 
in  mirthfulness  when  suitable  to  the  occasion;  he  was  intensely  earnest  and  so  inde- 
fatigable a  worker  that  the  hard  tasks  seemed  to  go  to  him  by  natural  gravitation. 
His  character  was  so  pure  and  lofty,  so  free  from  any  suggestion  of  selfishness  or 
self-seeking,  that  it  called  forth  the  warmest  admiration  from  all  who  knew  him. 
Most  of  the  following  account  is  taken  from  a  sketch  prepared  by  Dr.  J.  L.  Pickard, 
for  many  years  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Chicago. 

Samuel  Holmes  White  was  bom  in  the  township  of  Lockport,  New  York,  October 
7,  1830.  His  home  was  presided  over  by  a  noble,  intelligent  mother,  with  quick, 
warm  affection  and  almost  Spartan  ideas  of  duty.  This  fact  explains  much  in  the 
life  of  Mr.  White  and  especially  the  most  characteristic  quality  that  he  exhibited. 
The  father  was  highly  respected,  but  severe  and  cold  in  his  family  till  mellowed  by 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  283 

age.     He  had  no  faith  in  his  son's  abiUty  to  profit  by  an  education,  and  so  the  son 
went  out  and  fought  his  way  alone. 

In  1833  his  parents  removed  to  Michigan,  where  Hmited  means  could  secure 
more  land  for  the  growing  family,  as  farming  was  their  chosen  occupation.  The 
boy  Samuel  here  found  only  limited  opportunities  for  education,  but  he  made  the 
most  of  them  and  at  sixteen  was  teaching  a  country  school  at  a  very  small  com- 
pensation, which  was  reduced  after  his  engagement,  on  account  of  his  unpromising 
appearance.  He  continued  to  teach  and  work  on  the  farm  alternately  until  he  was 
twenty- two,  when  he  entered  Michigan  University. 

When  he  left  home  he  carried  with  him  a  $10  gold-piece,  the  gift  of  his  mother, 
but  he  was  never  brought  to  such  need  as  to  feel  the  necessity  of  disposing  of  it. 
He  paid  his  necessar}^  expenses  largely  by  copying  law  papers.  Like  many  enthu- 
siastic seekers  after  education,  he  overworked  and  underfed  himself  and  paid  the 
inevitable  penalty  of  ill  health,  which  left  him  for  the  remainder  of  his  life  with  less 
of  bodily  vigor  than  his  stalwart  frame  indicated  to  the  ordinary  observer. 

After  graduation  he  returned  to  New  York  and  became  a  teacher  in  the  Lockport 
High  School.  While  in  college  his  mind  had  been  turned  to  the  study  of  the  law 
and  he  pursued  that  study  in  the  office  of  a  friend  while  engaged  in  teaching.  Indeed, 
he  was  never  content  unless  doing  the  work  of  two  ordinary  men.  After  two  years 
of  teaching  and  study  he  entered  the  Albany  Law  School  and  completed  his  course. 
The  West  had  made  an  impression  upon  his  mind,  so  he  turned  his  face  in  that  direc- 
tion to  find  a  suitable  community  in  which  to  serve  his  clients  in  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession.  He  had  determined  to  go  to  Iowa  and  must  needs  go  through 
Chicago.  While  spending  a  day  in  that  thriving  town  he  happened  to  see  a  notice 
of  an  examination  that  Vv^as  to  be  held  for  the  selection  of  a  principal  for  a  new  school 
in  the  West  Division.  Quite  as  much  for  the  testing  of  his  knowledge  of  branches 
for  which  his  calling  would  make  slight  demand  as  for  securing  a  position  as  teacher, 
which  was  not  in  mind  especially,  he  appeared  as  one  of  the  competing  candidates 
and  won  the  approval  of  the  examining  board.  He  thereupon  changed  his  plans 
and  entered  upon  what  proved  to  be  his  life-work.  This  was  in  September,  1859. 
Thus  do  seemingly  insignificant  things  change  the  current  of  many  lives.  Here  he 
remained  until  his  selection  for  the  principalship  of  the  Peoria  Normal  School. 

After  a  service  of  eleven  years  at  Peoria,  which,  added  to  his  Chicago  work, 
rounded  a  full  twenty  years  of  teaching,  he  found  himself  obliged  to  engage  in  another 
occupation.  Failing  eyesight  drove  him  from  the  schoolroom  to  the  open  air  and 
to  the  more  vigorous  physical  life  of  a  business  career.  He  became  the  business 
manager  of  a  printing  company,  but  it  was  not  to  his  liking,  and  he  pushed  on  to 
that  Iowa  in  1881  that  he  had  intended  to  make  his  home  when  he  stopped  for  a 
breath  in  Chicago  in  1859.  He  purchased  a  sheep  farm  and  stocked  it  for  business, 
but  in  the  same  year  he  became  a  victim  to  extreme  nervous  prostration  and  died 
on  March  9,  1882. 

"The  fashion  of  Mr.  White's  life  deserves  record  that  it  may  have  a  following. 
The  marked  features  of  his  life  were  simple  and  attainable  by  others.  He  was  an 
industrious  man.  Whatever  his  hand  found  to  do  he  did  with  all  his  might.  He 
knew  no  rest  until  his  work  was  accomplished.     His  brother  writes :   '  As  soon  as  the 


284  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

school  year  closed  at  the  University  he  came  home,  took  the  scythe,  cradle  or  rake 
and  did  as  he  always  did  when  he  had  anything  to  do  —  went  at  it  in  earnest  and 
spent  his  vacation  in  hard  work.'  During  his  life  as  a  teacher  his  vacations  were 
always  spent  in  study  or  in  writing.  In  this  way  he  accomplished  much  out  of  his 
regular  school  work.  Eight  years  given  to  the  editorial  management  of  the  Illinois 
Teacher  attest  his  industry.  He  wrought  upon  his  farm  too  earnestly,  as  his  sick- 
ness and  death  attest.  He  was  a  prompt  man,  always  ready  to  meet  his  engage- 
ments at  the  moment,  whether  literary  or  financial.  His  executive  ability  was 
abundantly  proven.  His  school  was  always  promptly  and  quietly  organized.  He 
never  had  difficulties  with  his  assistants.  In  the  Principals'  Association  of  Chicago, 
in  the  State  Teachers' Association  of  Illinois,  and  in  the  National  Educational  Associa- 
tion his  membership  was  always  active,  his  counsels  timely  and  his  plans  well  digested, 
and  by  subsequent  trial  approved.  The  present  excellent  organization  (1882)  of 
the  National  Association  is  largely  due  to  his  practical  wisdom.  He  saw  that  the 
Association  was  unwieldy  in  the  massing  of  its  varied  interests  and  proposed  a 
modification,  and  as  chairman  of  a  committee  submitted  a  plan  of  division,  diversity 
in  unity.  The  plan  was  immediately  adopted  and  has  been  in  operation  until  the 
present  time.  In  fact  it  is  becoming  the  model  for  State  associations  to  follow. 
When  it  was  proposed  that  the  State  of  Illinois  should  take  her  place  in  the  educa- 
tional exhibit  at  the  Centennial  Exposition,  at  Philadelphia,  Mr.  White  opposed 
the  measure  as  impracticable.  But  when  overruled  by  a  vote  of  the  association,  all 
thoughts  instinctively  turned  to  him  as  the  man  who  could  best  prove  its  prac- 
ticability. 

•  "  The  executive  ability  of  Mr.  White  was  recognized  also  in  his  selection  as 
president  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association,  as  secretary  for  three  terms  of  the 
National  Association,  and  for  one  term  its  president,  and  as  chairman  of  the  Normal 
Section  after  the  reorganization  of  the  association. 

"Of  his  work  in  Peoria,  which  was  of  a  broader  nature  than  his  Chicago  work, 
a  friend  writes:  'His  success  as  an  instructor  was  known  of  all  men.  He  could 
not  have  been  other  than  patient,  exact  and  thorough,  for  painstaking  thoroughness 
was  his  striking  characteristic.  But  this  alone  is  not  enough  to  explain  the  hold 
he  had  on  all  his  pupils  —  his  abiding  influence  over  them.  He  set  to  himself  a 
loftier  task  than  simply  to  ground  his  pupils  in  the  elements  of  a  school  education, 
and  to  fit  them  to  impart  to  others  those  elements  in  return.  No  such  affectionate 
reverence  as  his  pupils  felt  for  him  could  be  accounted  for  if  that  were  all.  What 
impressed  them  most,  and  all  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  know  him,  was  his  sense 
of  duty,  the  high  moral  purpose  that  breathed  life  into  all  his  teaching.  He  was 
not  content  with  making  good  schools  and  good  teachers  out  of  the  half-formed 
youth  who  sought  his  instructions.  He  would  also  have  them  become  noble  men 
and  women.  Such  a  teacher  can  be  enthusiastic.  He  begets  enthusiasm,  gratitude, 
action.  .  .  .  The  rapt  joy  of  the  artist  comes  only  to  him  who,  drawing 
inspiration  from  the  real  of  our  ideas,  fashions  his  clay  into  nobler  form  than  had 
been  hitherto.  The  bom  teacher  finds  his  most  satisfying  work  in  a  singular  field  — 
in  setting  before  his  pupils  new  and  higher  ideas,  in  imparting  purer  motives,  in 
forming  character.     It  was  in  this  field  that   Mr.  White  labored  with  real  ardor. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  285 

Not  alone  the  words  he  spoke,  but  the  Hfe  he  Uved,  the  work  he  did,  the  man  he  was  — 
these  were  a  school,  an  education  to  those  who  sat  under  him.  It  was  this  which 
converted  his  pupils  into  admiring  followers  and  disciples.  By  such  means  sound 
scholarship  is  extended,  and  society  and  the  world  are  made  better.  Thus  would 
I  pay  my  humble  tribute  to  the  man  whose  work  was  of  such  solid  worth  and  whose 
loss  to  the  cause  of  education  I  can  never  cease  to  deplore. 

"  'He  lived  little  in  the  past.'  Perhaps  he  had  little  comfort  in  the  memory 
of  his  early  days.  They  were  days  of  struggle  with  poverty.  His  cherished  pur- 
poses were  often  thwarted  in  the  direction  from  which  he  had  a  right  to  expect 
encouragement  and  help.  He  became  reticent,  scarcely  ever  alluding  to  his  past 
history,  even  to  his  most  intimate  friends.  He  underestimated  his  own  abilities 
and  never  felt  satisfied  with  the  results  of  his  work.  He  seemed  rather  inclined  to 
a  gloomy  view  of  his  surrotmdings,  but  to  his  most  intimate  friends  he  showed  a 
very  quiet  but  deep  fondness  for  sociality.  In  his  home  he  found  constant  delight. 
The  strong  womanly  graces  of  the  wife  who  survived  him  were  to  him  a  cheer  and 
needed  support. " 

THE  BUREAU  COUNTY  NORMAL  AND  MODEL  SCHOOL. 

This  school  followed  close  upon  the  heels  of  the  Peoria  school.  It  was  opened 
in  Dover  Academy,  October  7,  1868.  The  moving  spirit  in  this  enterprise  was 
Albert  Ethridge,  the  county  superintendent  of  Bureau  county.  The  following 
statements  are  taken  from  the  circular  announcing  the  advent  of  the  school: 

The  object  of  this  school  is  to  aid  in  furnishing  our  common  schools  with  teachers  who  will  be 
able  to  make  themselves  successful  in  accomplishing  the  objects  for  which  they  are  sustained.  All 
parties  are  willing  to  acknowledge  that  hitherto  our  efforts  to  give  our  youth  a  good  English  educa- 
tion have  been  a  partial  failure;  and  this  failure  is  largely  owing  to  the  incompetency  of  teachers. 
Experience  has  taught  us  that  we  must  make  the  education  of  teachers  a  distinct  and  special  work;  and 
we  m.ost  earnestly  solicit  the  co-operation  of  all  school  ofificers,  teachers  and  other  friends  of  the  great 
common  school  interest  in  making  this  enterprise  a  success. 

The  course  of  study  will  embrace  Reading,  Writing,  Spelling,  Arithmetic,  English  Grammar, 
the  elements  of  Rhetoric,  Geography,  History  of  the  United  States,  Object  Lessons,  Theory  and 
Art  of  Teaching,  Phonics,  School  Classification,  and  the  elements  of  Physiology  and  Zoology. 

Pupils  will  be  admitted  without  examination,  but  at  the  close  of  the  first  month  all  will  be  examined, 
and  those  whose  daily  records  and  examinations  show  them  incapable  of  doing  the  work  of  the  class 
will  be  dropped.     Students  will  be  admitted  at  any  time  during  the  year  on  four  weeks'  probation. 

The  Board  of  Supervisors  gave  to  the  project  their  cordial  support  and  encour- 
agement. 

Mr.  Ethridge  left  the  teachers'  ranks  to  become  the  agent  of  the  Harpers.  He 
was  a  man  of  unusual  capacity  and  was  very  highly  regarded  as  an  educational 
leader.  His  fondness  for  the  ministry,  however,  did  not  permit  him  to  continue 
his  agency  work  very  long,  and  he  resumed  the  work  of  a  clergyman  which  he  con- 
tinued until  within  a  few  years.     He  now  resides  in  Marseilles. 

The  school  which  he  founded  closed  its  sessions  at  the  close  of  the  first  year  and 
was  merged  into  the  Princeton  Township  High  School,  the  first  school  established 
under  the  law  providing  for  such  schools.  With  the  organization  of  that  school 
it  was  not  deemed  advisable  to  continue  the  Normal  school. 


286  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
DEVELOPMENT  OF  HIGHER  EDUCATION. 

IN  tracing  the  evolution  of  higher  education  in  IlHnois  acknowledgment  must 
be  made  of  the  assistance  rendered  by  the  researches  of  that  tireless  scholar, 
Mr.  W.  L.  Pillsbury,  the  efficient  assistant  to  the  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  who  during  his  incumbency  of  that  office  made  such  valuable  contri- 
butions to  the  biennial  reports.  He  was  so  painstaking  that  it  is  unnecessary  to 
undertake  any  work  of  verification  of  what  he  has  written. 

Illinois  was  originally  a  part  of  the  Indiana  Territory.  In  consequence,  any 
educational  events  of  general  interest  that  occurred  while  it  was  a  part  of  that  larger 
area  must,  in  all  probability,  have  been  participated  in  by  Illinois  men.  It  was 
the  first  General  Assembly  of  the  Territory  that  passed  "An  Act  to  Incorporate  an 
University  in  Indiana  Territory,"  on  the  29th  of  November,  1806.  Two  men  who 
were  to  occupy  conspicuous  places  in  Illinois  history  were  certainly  there,  for  Jesse 
B.  Thomas  was  Speaker  of  the  House  and  P.  Menard  was  pro  tempore  president 
of  the  legislative  council.     And  here  are  the  opening  paragraphs  of  the  Act: 

Whereas,  The  independence,  happiness  and  energy  of  every  repubhc  depend  (under  the  influence 
of  Heaven)  upon  the  wisdom,  virtue,  talents  and  energy  of  its  citizens  and  rulers, 

And  Whereas,  Science,  literature  and  the  liberal  arts  contribute  in  an  eminent  degree  to  improve 
those  qualities  and  acquirements. 

And  Whereas,  Learning  hath  ever  been  found  the  ablest  advocate. of  genuine  Hberty,  the  best 
supporter  of  rational  religion,  and  the  source  of  the  only  solid  and  imperishable  glory  which  nations 
can  acquire, 

And  forasmuch  as  literature  and  philosophy  furnish  the  most  useful  and  pleasing  occupations, 
improving  and  varying  the  enjoyment  of  prosperity,  affording  relief  under  the  pressure  of  misfortune, 
and  hope  and  consolation  in  the  hours  of  death, 

And  considering  that  in  a  commonwealth  where  the  humblest  citizen  may  be  elected  to  the  highest 
public  office,  and  where  the  Heaven-born  prerogative  of  the  right  to  elect  and  reject  is  retained  and 
secured  to  the  citizens,  the  knowledge  which  is  requisite  for  a  magistrate  and  elector  should  be  widely 
diffused. 

Section  1.     Be  it  therefore  enacted  that,  and  so  on. 

The  act  provided  for  the  creation  of  a  corporation  and  a  board  of  trustees  who 
were  thereby  authorized  to  establish  a  university.  William  Henry  Harrison  was 
the  first  chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees.  The  faculty  was  to  consist  of  a  president 
and  not  more  than  four  professors,  and  the  subjects  of  instruction  were  to  be  the 
Latin,  Greek,  French  and  English  languages.  Mathematics,  Natural  Philosophy, 
Ancient  and  Modern  History,  Moral  Philosophy,  Logic,  Rhetoric,  and  the  Law  of 
Nature  and  Nations.  It  was  further  enacted  that  no  particular  tenets  of  religion 
should  be  taught,  but  that  departments  of  Theology,  Law  and  Physics  should  be 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  287 

established  when  the  good  of  the  University  and  the  progress  of  education  required 
them. 

Sections  11  and  13  are  especially  interesting: 

And  Whereas,  The  establishment  of  an  institution  of  this  kind  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  abor- 
igines of  the  country  may  tend  to  the  gradual  civilization  of  the  rising  generation,  and,  if  properly 
conducted,  be  of  essential  service  to  themselves,  and  contribute  greatly  to  the  cause  of  humanity 
and  brotherly  love,  which  all  men  ought  to  bear  to  each  other,  of  whatever  color,  and  tend  also  to 
preserve  that  friendship  and  harmony  that  ought  to  exist  between  the  government  and  the  Indians, 
Be  it  therefore  enacted,  and  it  is  hereby  enjoined  upon  the  said  trustees  to  use  their  utmost  endeavor 
to  induce  the  said  aborigines  to  send  their  children  to  the  University  for  education,  who,  when  sent, 
shall  be  fed,  clothed  and  educated  at  the  expense  of  the  said  institution. 

Be  it  enacted  that  the  said  trustees,  as  soon  as,  in  their  opinion,  the  funds  of  the  said  institution 
will  admit,  are  hereby  required  to  establish  an  institution  for  the  education  of  females,  and  to  make 
such  by-laws  and  ordinances  for  said  institution  and  the  government  thereof  as  they  may  think  proper. 

The  particular  form  of  the  charters  of  several  Illinois  institutions  is  explained 
by  reference  to  this  one.  The  language  of  the  organic  act  of  the  pioneer  university 
is  repeated  again  and  again  in  the  statutes  establishing  educational  institutions  of 
higher  training  in  Illinois  after  her  admission  to  the  Union. 

The  seminary  township  was  devoted  to  its  support  with  the  privilege  of  selling 
four  thousand  acres.  It  was  granted  the  usual  power  of  receiving  donations  and 
bequests  and  was  authorized  to  hold  not  to  exceed  one  hundred  thousand  acres.  It 
is  an  interesting  commentary  on  the  way  the  lottery  was  regarded  that  the  university 
was  permitted  to  raise  $20,000  by  that  method.  As  dates  are  somewhat  interesting 
in  determining  priority  of  establishment  it  is  herewith  recorded  that  the  act  of 
incorporation  was  passed  on  November  29,  1806,  and  that  the  trustees  organized 
on  December  6  of  the  same  year.  General  Harrison  was  its  first  president.  The 
invitation  to  the  Indians  was  unavailing.  "  Tecumseh  was  organizing  them  for  his 
struggle,  and  they  showed  a  far  greater  natural  disposition  for  disfumishing  the 
outside  of  other  people's  heads  than  for  furnishing  the  insides  of  their  own." 

A  department  for  women  was  organized  in  1856  and  merged  with  the  earlier 
department  in  1870.  With  the  erection  of  the  Illinois  Territory,  however,  the 
history  of  the  University  belonged  to  Indiana. 

Fifteen  years  after  the  admission  of  Illinois  to  statehood  an  effort  was  made 
toward  the  establishment  of  a  State  university.  A  bill  was  introduced  into  the 
eighth  General  Assembly  for  the  organization  of  such  an  institution.  The  bill 
provided  for  the  endowment  of  the  university  with  the  college  and  seminary  funds 
and  an  effort  was  to  be  made  to  secure  additional  grants  of  land  for  its  support. 
The  failure  of  the  bill  to  pass  is  explained  at  least  in  part  by  the  attempt  of  the 
Springfield  members  to  carry  it  off  to  that  city.  It  is  also  beyond  a  doubt  that  the 
friends  of  certain  colleges,  that  had  been  organized  but  not  incorporated,  could  find 
no  place  in  their  educational  scheme  for  an  overshadowing  institution  with  its  hands 
in  the  State's  strong  box,  while  the  children  of  their  solicitude  would  be  doomed 
to  rely  upon  the  generosity  of  private  citizens.  Still  another  consideration  had, 
perhaps,  a  determining  influence.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  State  had  bor- 
rowed the  funds  that  were  to  be  appropriated  to  the  proposed  university  and  the 


288  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

passage  of  the  bill  would  necessitate  the  payment  of  these  obligations  that  were  now 
furnishing  funds  for  the  support  of  common  schools.  The  withdrawal  of  this  source 
of. income  meant  the  exercise  of  the  functions  of  the  assessor  and  the  collector, 
not  an  objectionable  proposition,  in  the  abstract,  but  especially  disagreeable  in  the 
concrete.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  argument  the  bill  failed  to  pass.  This 
was  an  epoch  of  development  for  the  colleges  and  four  were  to  be  founded  within 
the  fourth  decade  of  the  century,  but  the  University  of  Illinois  was  not  to  mate- 
rialize for  a  generation. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  marked  difference  between  the  motives  impelling 
the  people  to  develop  the  university  and  those  that  were  effective  in  the  establishing 
of  the  small  college.  The  former  suggested  an  elaborateness  and  magnitude  that 
were  disheartening  to  a  sparse  population,  while  the  latter  could  be  organized  and 
set  going  after  a  good-sized  and  enthusiastic  educational  gathering.  There  are 
always  at  hand  a  few  devoted  college  men  who  are  willing  to  take  the  chances  of 
starving  in  the  capacity  of  professors.  The  self-denial  and  courage  of  the  men  who 
have  done  pioneer  work  in  the  small  colleges  of  Illinois  and  who  are  still  standing 
by  some  of  these  institutions  and  hoping  for  better  days  are  worthy  to  be  inscribed 
on  deathless  pages.  In  the  decade  under  consideration  the  tides  of  travel  were  pour- 
ing into  the  young  State.  The  stories  of  the  fertile  prairies  that  awaited  the  coming 
of  the  immigrant  had  penetrated  to  the  Middle  and  even  to  the  New  England  States. 
The  railroad  was  in  the  future  but  the  Great  Lakes  were  there,  as  they  had  been 
when  La  Salle  and  Marquette  pushed  into  the  perilous  wilds.     Since  the  days  when 

"A  band  of  pilgrims  moored  their  bark 
On  the  wild  New  England  shore," 

there  had  not  been  a  more  intelligent  body  of  men  and  women  following  the  "  course 
of  empire."  The  South  sent  its  quota  as  well,  and  Kentucky  especially  was  neigh- 
borly. 

In  all  of  these  immigrants  there  was  a  strong  religious  sentiment,  and  the  need 
of  religious  teachers  was  keenly  felt.  The  pioneer  preacher  was  satisfactory  to  a 
■certain  type  of  the  newcomers,  but  others  had  lived  within  the  sphere  of  the  edu- 
cated clergy  and  could  not  be  satisfied  to  have  their  young  grow  up  under  the  preach- 
ing of  the  extraordinarily  ardent  but  often  illiterate  circuit-rider  or  local  exhorter. 
The  college  was  their  only  hope,  and  for  the  preparation  of  an  intelligent  ministry 
they  looked  to  such  an  institution.  As  the  religious  sentiment  was  the  explanation 
of  the  rise  of  the  common  school,  so  it  was  the  inspiration  of  the  small  college.  Of 
the  four  colleges  that  sprang  into  life  in  this  decade  two  of  them  were  dtie  to  the 
zeal  of  Eastern  missionaries  in  whole  or  mainly,  while  the  other  two  were  the  product 
of  the  same  sentiment  in  Illinois. 

An  unpublished  manuscript  of  the  National  Bureau  of  Education  on  "  The 
History  of  Higher  Education  in  Illinois,"  edited  by  Edwin  Grant  Dexter,  Ph.  D., 
contains  an  interesting  chapter  on  "  The  Beginnings  of  Higher  Education  in  Illinois," 
by  Prof.  Frank  Smith  Bogardus,  of  the  Indiana  State  Normal  School.  Through 
the  courtesy  of  the  Commissioner  the  writer  has  had  access  to  this  contribution  and 
hereby  acknowledges  his  obligation  to  the  author.     Professor  Bogardus  calls  atten- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  289 

tion  to  the  influence  of  the  location  of  these  schools  upon  the  distribution  of  popula- 
tion. Thus  Illinois  College  and  Knox  College  belong  to  the  first  group  mentioned 
above,  while  Shurtleff  and  McKendree  belong  to  the  second.  They  drew  their  own 
people  about  them  and  thus  gave  a  characteristic  complexion  to  the  part  of  the 
State  in  which  they  were  located.  These  beneficent  institutions  were  denominational 
in  their  foundation  and  thus  enlisted  the  sympathy  of  their  sects  in  remote  regions. 
It  was  by  no  means  an  unusual  occurrence  for  the  contribution  box  to  be  passed  in 
far-away  churches  for  the  assistance  of  struggling  colleges  in  that  distant  West 
to  which  some  of  their  fellow  communicants  may  have  removed.  Knox  and  Illinois 
were  Presbyterian,  and  Shurtleff  and  McKendree  respectively  Baptist  and  Methodist. 

"  That  other  denominations  than  those  mentioned  were  interested  in  the  work 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  Scotch  Covenanters  of  Randolph  county  secured  a 
charter  foi*  Union  College,  in  1833.  In  the  same  year  the  Christian  Church  of 
Southern  Illinois  secured  a  charter  for  Jonesboro  College,  and  a  few  years  later 
Bishop  Chase,  representing  the  Episcopal  Church,  founded  Jubilee  College." 
Although  Union  College  was  authorized  to  begin  the  instruction  of  young  men  it 
never  realized.  Some  untoward  circumstance  discouraged  its  would-be  founders. 
The  same  fate  was  experienced  by  Franklin  College,  as  has  been  recited  on  an  earlier 
page.  It  was  the  first  to  secure  a  charter  which  was  granted  in  1826  and  its  location 
was  to  have  been  in  Edwards  county. 

The  failure  of  Franklin  College  to  become  an  educational  fact  is  a  disappoint- 
ment to  the  historian,  for  Edwards  county  has  a  most  remarkable  record  for  intelli- 
gence and  good  order.  It  was  to  this  county  that  Morris  Birkbeck  and  George  Flower, 
two  wealthy  and  eminent  Englishmen,  directed  a  colony  only  ten  years  before. 
This  was  the  Birkbeck  whose  "  Notes"  and  "Letters"  are  now  so  eagerly  sought  by 
the  students  of  Illinois  history,  and  which  were  read  as  eagerly  in  England  and  on 
the  continent  as  in  the  prairies  that  they  describe.  There  was  so  much  of  romance 
and  adventure  connected  with  the  American  experiences  of  these  philanthropists 
that  it  is  not  easy  to  resist  the  temptation  to  turn  aside  from  the  main  line  of  investi- 
gation and  tell  the  interesting  story  of  these  English  "invaders,"  who  sought  to 
better  the  conditions  of  the  agricultural  population  of  France  and  England  after  the 
Napoleonic  wars. 

The  charter  for  Alton  College,  which  was  passed  on  March  1,  1833,  was  declined 
with  thanks.  Reference  has  already  been  made  to  this  event  on  an  earlier  page. 
There  were  two  conditions  that  for  some  reason  were  creeping  into  these  charters 
that  made  them  objectionable.  One  of  them  was  the  prohibition  of  a  theological 
department  and  the  other  was  the  limitation  of  the  land-owning  power  of  the  cor- 
poration. Since  these  denominational  colleges  had  the  preparation  of  young  men 
for  the  Christian  ministry  as  one  of  their  main  purposes,  the  refusal  to  accept  some 
of  the  charters  is  obvious.  This  antipathy  to  a  theological  department  is  easily 
understood,  as  is  the  close  limitation  of  the  land-holding  ability.  Southern  Illinois 
had  been  largely  settled  from  Kentucky  and  other  Southern  States,  There  was  a 
natural  antagonism  to  the  Northern  immigrant,  and  his  motive  in  getting  college 
charters  was  declared  to  be  only  a  "Yankee"  scheme  for  securing  large  tracts  of 
land.     This  was  effectually  blocked  by  placing  such  limitations  upon  the  ability  to 

19 


290  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

hold  land  that  the  game  was  not  worth  the  candle.  The  objection  to  the  theological 
departments  is  charged  to  the  antipathy  of  the  pioneer  preacher  to  the  educated 
clergy.  The  writer  well  remembers  the  pioneer  circuit-rider  who  arrived  at  a  school- 
house  to  hold  a  religious  service  for  the  members  of  his  sect  but  found  that  another 
congregation  was  in  possession  of  the  premises.  The  courtesies  of  the  situation 
were  not  overlooked  by  the  prior  occupant,  who  was  a  scholar  of  real  merit.  He 
invited  the  brother  to  close  the  services  with  prayer  and  was  regaled  with  a  fervent 
petition  that  the  Lord  would  add  his  blessing  to  "the  sarmon  that  had  jist  been 
read  to  him."  It  was  expected  that  the  necessary  inspiration  would  fill  the  mouth 
of  the  speaker  if  he  reenforced  his  faith  with  his  zeal.  That  there  were  exceptions 
to  the  general  rule  goes  without  saying,  for  among  the  rude  shepherds  of  the  flock 
there  were  men  of  great  ability  and  warm  friendship  to  an  educated  ministry,  who 
regretted  their  own  lack  of  preparation  to  lead  the  people  in  religious  matters. 

The  colleges  that  had  been  unsuccessful  in  obtaining  suitable  charters  bided 
their  time  and  "pooled  their  issues."  In  1835  they  succeeded  in  getting  more 
favorable  charters,  and  Alton,  Illinois,  McKendree  and  Jonesboro  Colleges  were 
incorporated.  There  were  still  illiberal  features  in  the  charters,  but  they  were 
accepted,  and  a  few  years  later  more  liberal  legislatures  removed  them. 

Knox  College  was  incorporated  in  1837.  It  suffered  severe  limitations  in  its 
powers  because  the  charter  contained  the  objectionable  features  described,  but  it 
finally  escaped  from  them  when  a  more  liberal  sentiment  became  dominant.  Many 
of  these  early  institutions  were  short-lived.  In  the  words  of  Professor  Bogardus, 
"Of  seventeen  institutions  incorporated  under  the  name  of  '  College  or  University' 
between  1835  and  1852,  Rush  Medical  College  and  Knox  are  the  only  ones  that 
seemed  to  be  on  a  permanent  basis.  Three  others  seem  to  have  been  incompletely 
organized  and  to  have  done  some  work,  but  they  soon  suspended  operations  for  lack 
of  support.     They  were  Jubilee,  McDonough  and  Illinois  State  University." 

Professor  Bogardus  calls  attention  to  the  "  Manual  Labor  College"  movement 
that  appeared  in  the  late  thirties.  The  student  of  the  session  laws  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  that  period  finds  the  pages  sprinkled  liberally  with  these  bills.  They 
were  chiefly  inspired  by  the  success  of  the  Oneida  Institute  of  Dr.  Gale,  in  central 
New  York.  They  all  went  their  way  in  a  little  time.  Illinois  College  tried  the 
scheme,  but  when  fairly  well  equipped  discovered  that  its  students  were  too  well 
acquainted  with  manual  labor  to  permit  their  time  to  be  drawn  away  from  the  books 
which  they  had  come  to  study. 

As  to  the  priority  of  establishing.  Professor  Bogardus  says:  "  So  many  conditions 
surround  the  foundation  of  a  higher  institution  that  it  is  difficult  to  determine,  in 
such  a  way  as  to  satisfy  all  concerned,  the  question  of  priority.  Each  of  the  insti- 
tutions under  discussion  was  preceded  by  a  school  of  lower  grade;  thus  Shurtleff 
was  preceded  by  Alton  College  and  that  by  Rock  Spring  Seminary.  In  a  similar 
way,  the  forerunner  of  McKendree  College  was  Lebanon  Seminary.  If  we  are  to 
conclude  that  the  colleges  considered  dated  from  the  establishment  of  these  secondary 
schools,  very  different  dates  must  be  given  though  the  beginning  of  real  collegiate 
work  is  considered  as  the  date  of  foundation.  If  the  latter  course  is  to  be  followed 
there  is  little  doubt  that  to  Illinois  College  must  be  given  the  credit  of  being  the  oldest 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  291 

college  in  the  State.  Collegiate  work  began  in  that  college  in  the  fall  of  1830.  Cer- 
tainly no  one  of  the  other  colleges  mentioned  began  within  several  years  of  that  date. 
The  date  of  granting  of  the  charter  has  no  important  bearing  on  the  question,  since 
many  colleges  were  chartered  in  which  no  instruction  was  ever  given,  and  others, 
again,  were  chartered  and  organized  after  a  series  of  years." 

If  colleges  once  get  a  standing  place  they  display  a  vitality  that  is  phenomenal. 
The  amount  of  self-sacrifice  that  is  often  manifested  to  keep  them  going  is  a  tribute 
to  the  hearts  of  those  who  engage  in  such  despairing  tasks,  but  it  occasionally  reflects 
upon  their  heads.  Sometimes  the  case  is  so  hopeless  that  they  are  left  to  their  fate. 
There  are  those  living  who  knew  something  of  McDonough  College.  The  "Old 
School"  Presbyterians  felt  the  need  of  a  college  upon  which  they  could  lavish  their 
affections  and  their  money  in  the  hope  that  they  might  produce  a  body  of  clergymen 
that  would  give  success  to  their  propaganda.  It  received  its  charter  in  1838  and 
began  operations  in  1837.  It  deferred  the  college  idea  until  1848,  contenting  itself 
meanwhile  with  the  work  of  an  academy.  .  Doubtless  it  rendered  excellent  service 
during  that  period  when  secondary  schools  were  so  few  in  number.  In  that  year 
it  secured  a  new  charter  and  struggled  to  its  feet.  Three  years  later  it  called  a 
president  from  Philadelphia,  Rev.  William  F.  Ferguson,  D.  D.  For  a  time  its 
prospects  were  encouraging,  having  an  attendance  as  great  as  that  now  found  in 
some  of  our  existing  colleges,  but  its  following  fell  away  and  soon  after  it  died  from 
complete  exhaustion. 

Jubilee  College,  as  has  been  stated,  was  founded  by  Bishop  Chase,  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church.  He  did  not  at  first  ask  for  a  charter,  for  he  did  not  care  to  have  an 
unfriendly  legislature  place  any  embarrassing  limitations  upon  the  religious  work  of 
the  institution.  He  was  a  most  excellent  solicitor,  for  he  succeeded  in  getting  con- 
tributions to  the  extent  of  some  $4,000  in  money  and  a  large  tract  of  land  —  some 
four  thousand  acres.  Three  buildings  were  erected  and  something  of  a  start  was 
made  in  the  matter  of  instruction. 

The  location  of  Jubilee  was  exceedingly  romantic.  It  was  a  few  miles  west  of 
Peoria  in  the  hilly  region  lying  between  the  river  and  the  open  prairie  beyond.  The 
adjacent  region  had  few  inhabitants  and  for  that  reason,  perhaps,  it  was  thought 
that  the  college  would  attract  students.  It  was  quite  the  fashion  in  those  early 
days  to  locate  educational  institutions  where  the  free  air  could  blow  through  them 
and  where  the  young  men  would  be  free  from  the  temptations  of  town  life,  forgetful 
of  the  fact  that  wherever  they  might  go  they  would  carry  the  world  along  with 
them.  A  visit  to  Jubilee  forty-five  years  ago  revealed  the  buildings  somewhat  the 
worse  for  the  action  of  the  elements,  but  the  students  and  the  professors  alike  had 
fled.  A  charter  was  secured  in  1845,  but  schools  are  in  need  of  something  more  than 
charters.     In  recent  years  it  has  been  reopened  as  a  school  for  boys. 

An  accoimt  of  another  of  the  unsuccessful  colleges  is  contributed  by  ex- President 
W.  E.  Lugenbeel,  of  Austin  College.  This  institution  had  its  beginning  in  1890  as 
a  result  of  the  interest  in  higher  education  on  the  part  of  five  of  the  leading  citizens 
of  Effingham.  These  men  were  Dr.  J.  B.  Walker,  L.  H.  Bissell,  George  M.  Lecrone, 
R.  B.  Truesdale  and  W.  H.  Dietz.  The  community  took  an  interest  in  the  enter- 
prise and  in  a  short  time  a  sufficient  sum  was  realized  to  erect  and  equip  a  building 


292  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

capable  of  accommodating  some  three  hundred  students.  The  school  received  its 
name  from  the  liberality  of  two  wealthy  citizens  of  the  town,  Edward  and  Calvin 
Austin.  A  board  of  trustees  was  organized  which  proceeded  to  erect  the  building, 
equip  it,  employ  a  faculty  and  launch  the  school  on  the  somewhat  uncertain  sea  of 
educational  endeavor.  Effingham  was  already  a  good  school  town.  It  had  felt  the 
impulse  of  the  State  Normal  Schools  and  some  of  their  graduates  were  among  its 
leading  citizens.  If  the  money  could  be  secured  the  project  could  be  made  to  go. 
The  doors  were  opened  to  students  on  July  6,  1891. 

President  Lugenbeel,  of  Borden  College,  Indiana,  accepted  the  presidency.  It 
was  the  purpose  of  the  governing  board  to  develop  a  genuine  college  which  should 
rank  with  any  of  the  existing  institutions  of  that  grade  within  the  State.  "  Three 
classes  of  students  were  kept  in  view  in  planning  the  work  —  graduates  of  the  rural 
schools,  graduates  of  high  schools,  and  older  students  whose  education  was  deficient 
or  who  desired  advanced  work.  The  motto  of  the  institution  was,  '  An  institution 
at  which  young  and  old  may  study  any  subject  they  need.'  " 

In  addition  to  a  preparatory  course  of  two  years  and  a  college  course  of  four 
years.  Normal,  Commercial  and  Music  courses  were  offered.  Opportunities  for 
most  economical  living  were  afforded  and  it  was  ardently  hoped  that  a  large  enroll- 
ment of  students  would  be  secured. 

At  the  end  of  two  years  the  school  had  established  an  excellent  reputation  in  its 
part  of  the  State.  Its  future  seemed  assured  and  its  friends  were  full  of  hope  for 
its  permanent  success.  But  it  encountered  the  financial  storm  of  1893  and  nearly 
experienced  complete  shipwreck.  As  is  often  the  case,  a  rare  spirit  came  to  its  relief 
and  it  outrode  the  gale  under  the  inspiration  of  his  presence  and  influence.  The 
name  of  Henry  B.  Kepley  is  held  in  affectionate  regard  by  all  friends  of  the  school. 
For  the  next  eleven  years  there  was  comparative  prosperity  or  at  least  a  reasonably 
comfortable  status.  At  the  end  of  this  period  the  institution  was  turned  over  to 
the  Educational  Society  of  the  Christian  Church,  in  the  hope  that  the  support  of 
that  vigorous  and  energetic  denomination  would  be  able  to  put  it  upon  a  firm  foun- 
dation. But  the  philanthropists  failed  to  come  to  the  rescue  and  the  enterprise 
was  given  up  in  1905. 

It  is  with  a  sense  of  relief  that  the  chronicler  turns  to  the  history  of  institutions 
that  were  able  to  survive  the  periods  of  financial  depression  and  strike  their  roots 
deeply  enough  into  the  soil  to  maintain  a  healthy  life.  In  narrating  the  experiences 
of  these  colleges  we  may.  anticipate  stories  of  trying  years  when  all  was  dark  and 
failure  seemed  inevitable.  With  a  tithe  of  such  discouragements  in  the  way,  business 
enterprises  would  be  abandoned  and  other  lines  attempted  where  the  chances  for 
success  seemed  more  favorable.  But  educational  institutions  possess  a  strange 
vitality  after  they  have  once  established  themselves  in  the  hearts  of  the  people. 
A  college  is  properly  called  an  alma  mater.  It  gives  one  a  spiritual  mothering  with- 
out which  one  feels  that  a  natural  mothering  loses  a  large  part  of  its  significance. 

ILLINOIS  COLLEGE. 

It  has  been  said  that  Illinois  College  may  justly  claim  to  be  the  oldest  institution 
of  its  kind  in  the  State.     Its  historv  is  a  record  of  heroic  service  in  the  cause  of 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  293 

higher  education.  The  greater  part  of  the  material  here  presented  is  found  in  a 
sketch  of  the  institution  prepared  for  pubHcation  by  the  Bureau  of  Education  by 
President  C.  H.  Rammelkamp,  Ph.  D. 

Of  course  it  is  the  old  story,  the  many  times  a  twice-told  tale.  There  will  be 
sure  to  be  some  man  whose  heart  has  been  touched  by  coals  from  a  high  altar.  In 
this  case  it  is  one  Rev.  John  M.  Ellis.  He  had  been  sent  by  the  young  American 
Home  Missionary  Society  into  the  wilderness  of  Illinois  in  1825.  The  State  was 
sparsely  settled  and  the  churches  were  few  and  feeble.  In  all  there  were  but  three 
Presbyterian  clergymen  with  parishes,  and  they  were  widely  separated.  The 
nearest  Congregational  ministers  or  churches  were  in  northeastern  Ohio. 

There  was  a  feeble  church  of  his  communion  in  Old  Kaskaskia,  and  thitherward 
he  went.  ,He  could  not  but  be  impressed  with  the  scarcity  of  educational  facilities, 
and  yet  there  were  the  youth  of  the  new  commonwealth  coming  forward  to  citizen- 
ship. As  he  had  opportunity  he  presented  to  the  people  whom  he  met  his  dream 
of  a  school  that  should  furnish  the  culture  essential  to  the  production  of  a  superior 
manhood  and  womanhood  and  that  should  at  the  same  time  be  essentially  Christian 
in  its  character. 

Realizing  the  poverty  of  the  pioneer  his  scheme  included  a  plan  for  self-support 
on  the  part  of  the  students.  He  would  have  them  pay  their  tuition  in  produce 
which  they  should  grow  by  the  labor  of  their  hands  in  the  intervals  of  their  school 
work.  Each  student  was  to  have  a  small  area  at  his  disposal  and  there  he  could 
induce  the  generous  soil  to  return  him  a  livelihood  for  his  labor.  A  school  garden 
was  also  a  part  of  the  plan  and  it  was  expected  that  the  energy  that  goes  to  the 
athletic  field  of  the  modern  school  would  expend  itself  upon  the  roots  and  herbs 
that  would  minister  to  the  youthful  appetites. 

In  the  summer  of  1827,  in  company  with  Rev.  Samuel  Giddings,  he  visited  Bond 
county,  where  there  were  a  few  small  Presbyterian  churches.  There  he  found  a 
number  of  young  men  who  desired  to  enter  the  Christian  ministry.  How  should 
they  be  qualified  for  their  sacred  duties  except  by  some  educational  instrumentality 
similar  to  the  one  that  he  had  been  carrying  in  his  heart  as  he  went  about  the  wilder- 
ness of  prairie  and  forest?  He  outlined  his  plan  and  the  dwellers  of  the  cabins 
started  a  subscription  paper,  with  the  idea  that  in  the  course  of  time  it  would  be 
possible  to  establish  an  institution  in  their  midst  embodying  his  ideas.  It  was  thus 
that  the  movement  was  launched,  although  it  seemed  beyond  hope  that  it  could 
achieve  success  where  people  had  enough  to  do  to  keep  above  the  starvation  point. 

At  that  time  the  Presbyterian  churches  of  Illinois  were  affiliated  with  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Missouri,  and  it  was  the  most  natural  of  suggestions  to  seek  the  endorse- 
ment by  that  body  of  the  proposed  enterprise.  This  was  done  a  few  months  later, 
and  a  committee  was  appointed  by  the  Presbytery  to  take  it  under  consideration 
and  report  their  findings  to  the  spring  meeting.  While  the  people  of  Shoal  Creek 
had  shown  great  interest  and  generosity,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  make  a  more 
careful  survey  of  the  territory  which  would  be  tributary  to  the  institution  before 
deciding  upon  a  location.  Accordingly  Mr.  Ellis  and  a  Mr.  Lippincott,  a  warm 
advocate  of  the  Ellis  project,  spent  several  days  in  consultation  with  the  people 
living  in  and  near  Jacksonville  with  regard  to  the  advisability  of  establishing  them- 


294  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

selves  at  that  point.  A  public  meeting  listened  to  the  ideas  of  the  committee  and 
a  sentiment  favorable  to  the  location  of  the  institution  at  that  point  soon  developed. 
The  amount  subscribed  there  was  greater  than  at  any  other  place.  The  extreme 
fertility  of  the  adjacent  laijd  foretold  a  large  and  prosperous  community.  The 
proposed  site  was  extraordinarily  beautiful,  as  any  visitor  may  readily  perceive  for 
himself  after  all  of  these  years  have  passed  since  these  ardent  missionaries  and  the 
leading  spirits  of  the  young  village  were  casting  about  in  the  midwinter  of  1828. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  in  the  spring  the  committee  submitted  its 
report,  with  the  advice  that  the  project  be  sympathetically  fostere'd  and  recommended 
to  the  Christian  public  and  that  a  theological  department  be  adopted  by  the  Pres- 
bytery. It  must  have  been  a  severe  blow  to  the  hopes  of  the  committee  when  their 
recommendations  were  unceremoniously  voted  down.  Indeed,  was  it  not  too  much 
to  expect  that  a  Missouri  Presbytery  would  commit  itself  to  the  task  of  promoting 
the  establishing  of  an  institution  of  learning  in  another  State  when  the  same  thing 
was  so  sorely  needed  in  its  own?  But  the  movement  had  gained  too  much  momen- 
tum to  be  abandoned.  True,  less  than  $3,000  had  been  subscribed  and  subscriptions 
are  far  from  being  cash  in  hand;  as  the  committee  looked  at  that  little  bunch  of 
promises  to  pay,  on  one  hand,  and  then  contemplated  their  elaborate  scheme  of 
primary,  collegiate  and  theological  departments  with  that  economic  device  for  manual 
labor,  on  the  other,  they  must  have  found  some  difficulty  in  repressing  a  smile  as  they 
looked  into  each  other's  eyes.  There  was  but  one  thing  to  do;  they  must  go  to  the 
more  populous  East  and  enlist  the  aid  of  those  whose  financial  condition  would 
permit  subscriptions  and  whose  religious  zeal  would  secure  them.  Mr.  Ellis  reported 
to  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society  the  exact  situation  and  appealed  to  the 
Christian  philanthropy  of  the  East.  His  report  gained  publicity  through  the 
columns  of  the  Home  Missionary,  an  eastern  publication. 

Meanwhile  aid  was  developing  in  an  unexpected  quarter.  The  marvelous 
resources  of  the  West  were  beginning  to  attract  the  attention  of  all  intelligent  people 
in  the  older  East.  The  tides  of  emigration  were  pouring  toward  the  groves  and 
prairies  of  Illinois,  Missouri,  Indiana  and  Michigan.  It  was  unmistakable  that  a 
great  empire  was  developing  in  those  hospitable  States  and  that  those  who  were 
early  in  possession  were  predestined  to  abundance.  The  students  in  the  theological 
seminaries  saw  the  consequent  need  for  missionary  talent,  as  the  church  and  the 
school  always  lag  far  behind  the  pioneer. 

As  it  is  a  legitimate  work  for  a  school  to  locate  its  graduates,  there  was  a  "  Society 
of  Inquiry"  in  the  theological  department  of  Yale  College,  whose  especial  function 
was  to  discover  fields  of  employment  for  its  product.  Weekly  meetings  were  held 
for  the  discussion  and  dissemination  of  the  information  placed  at  its  disposal.  So 
much  interest  and  enthusiasm  were  aroused  that  it  was  inevitable  that  something 
should  come  to  pass  that  would  make  history.  It  is  possible  to  locate  the  epochal 
event.  On  the  evening  of  November  25,  1828,  Theron  Baldwin  appealed  to  his 
brethren  "to  consecrate  their  lives  in  the  true  spirit  of  apostolic  self-denial  to  the 
great  Christian  enterprise  of  universal  evangelization."  He  spoke  to  youthful  hearts, 
buoyant  with  hope  and  in  full  sympathy  with  him  and  his  theme.  As  Mason  Gros- 
venor,  a  member  of  that  society,  was  returning  from  that  meeting  to  his  room,  under 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  295 

the  solemn  majesty  of  a  starlight  evening,  the  thought  occurred  to  him  that  he  and 
his  comrades  must  act  at  once.  It  was  another  of  those  instances  in  which  the  fire 
and  the  tinder  have  got  into  those  relations  which  alone  make  either  of  them  of  any 
significance.  The  relation  of  the  historic  New  England  colleges  to  their  commu- 
nities was  a  matter  of  common  observation.  Why  should  not  these  fine  fellows  go 
forth  to  the  undeveloped  West  and  do  for  that  part  of  their  common  country  what 
men  moved  by  a  kindred  spirit  had  done  for  New  England?  How  inspiring  the 
suggestion!  Mr.  Grosvenor  appealed  to  his  comrades  and  his  plan  met  with  warm 
approval.  And  now,  just  at  the  psychological  moment,  a  copy  of  the  Home  Mis- 
sionary fell  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Baldwin  and  in  it  was  the  Macedonian  call  of  Mr. 
Ellis.  Here  were  the  two  things  that  belonged  together,  people  who  were  burning 
to  go  and  a  field  that  needed  them.  Mr.  Baldwin  at  once  communicated  with 
Mr.  Ellis  and  with  his  friends. 

We  can  easily  imagine  the  impatience  of  the  young  men  while  waiting  for  the 
reply.  At  last  it  came,  and  it  was  what  might  have  been  expected  from  the  faithful 
pioneer  at  the  other  end  of  the  line.  But  little  was  known  of  the  actual  conditions 
in  Illinois.  What  he  wrote  fixed  the  resolution  of  seven  of  the  young  theological 
students,  and  in  the  early  part  of  1829  they  subscribed  their  names  *'to  a  solemn 
pledge  to  devote  their  lives  to  the  cause  of  Christ  in  the  distant  State  of  Illinois. 
These  seven  constitute  the  group  known  and  honored  among  the  friends  of  the 
college  as  the  '  Yale  Band. '  Their  names  were  as  follows :  Mason  Grosvenor,  in 
whose  mind  the  plan  originated ;  Theron  Baldwin,  John  F.  Brooks,  Elisha  Jenny, 
William  Kirby,  Asa  Turner,  and  Julian  H.  Sturtevant." 

It  was  a  peculiar  misfortune  that  the  young  man  who  had  especially  inspired  the 
movement  was  prevented  for  many  years  from  engaging  in  the  work  that  had  so 
attracted  him,  because  of  ill  health.  The  rest  completed  their  courses  at  the  Sem- 
inary and  then  set  out  for  Illinois. 

Meanwhile  they  busied  themselves  in  working  out  in  a  most  painstaking  way 
and  with  the  assistance  of  the  faculty  at  Yale  a  definite  plan  of  procedure  and  con- 
ditions contingent  upon  their  going.  One  of  them,  by  the  way,  required  the  young 
men  to  raise  $10,000.  The  conditions  were  promptly  accepted  by  the  trustees  and 
subscribers.  The  Home  Missionary  engaged  in  the  enterprise  with  great  vigor. 
The  news  of  the  whole  movement  went  abroad  through  New  England  and  attracted 
wide-spread  attention.  In  the  absence  of  details  the  imagination  can  easily  supply 
them.  Illinois  was  receiving  an  amount  of  advertising  that  it  could  not  have  secured 
in  any  other  way.  Jacksonville  was  lifted  out  of  its  obscurity  and  "  set  upon  a  hill. " 
The  men  who  engaged  in  soliciting  the  promised  funds  from  the  Christian  people  in 
the  eastern  and  middle  States  informed  themselves  with  regard  to  the  unknown 
country  and  thus  became  schoolmasters  to  the  public.  Who  can  tell  what  large 
numbers  must  have  been  carried  forward  to  the  point  of  decision  by  what  they  heard  ? 

In  the  fall  of  1829  Mr.  Baldwin  and  Mr.  Sturtevant  removed  to  Illinois  to  com- 
plete their  plans  and  open  the  doors  of  the  new  school.  Mr  Baldwin  did  not  stop 
in  Jacksonville,  however,  but  went  to  Vandalia  for  the  prosecution  of  missionary 
work,  while  Mr.  Sturtevant  settled  down  to  the  task  of  getting  things  going.  The 
institution  was  christened  "  Illinois  College."     A  nominal  tuition  fee  was  determined 


296  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

upon  —  $12  a  year  for  English  branches  and  $16  for  higher  branches.  All  arrange- 
ments were  finished,  and  on  the  4th  day  of  January,  1830,  the  institution  began  its 
sessions  in  a  partially  completed  building.  This  building  —  Beecher  Hall  —  is  still 
standing  and  is  the  oldest  building  for  college  purposes  west  of  the  Ohio  river. 

The  early  days  of  a  college  are  always  of  mtense  interest.  When  looked  back 
upon  from  distant  years  they  are  surrounded  by  that  charming  atmosphere  of 
simplicity  and  devotion  which  are  so  engaging.  Julian  M.  Sturtevant,  the  first 
instructor,  and  predestined  to  link  his  name  with  the  history  of  higher  education  in 
Illinois,  writes  most  charmingly  of  those  primitive  beginnings.  A  few  characteristic 
descriptions  are  culled  here  and  there. 

"  The  first  Monday  in  January,  1830,  was  fixed  upon  for  commencing  instruction. 
Nine  students  had  presented  themselves.  Our  first  business  was  to 
put  up  a  stove,  which  occupied  us  about  two  hours,  carpenters  and  teacher  and 
trustees  and  students  co-operating.  Pupils  were  then  called  to  order.  I  addressed 
them  a  few  words,  and  among  other  things  told  them,  I  remember,  what  my  heart 
felt  and  believed ;  that  we  had  come  there  that  morning  to  open  a  fountain  for  future 
generations  to  drink  at.  We  then  commended  ourselves  and  the  whole  great  enter- 
prise to  God  in  prayer.  It  was  a  season  never  to  be  forgotten,  whatever  the  fate  of 
the  college  may  be.  I  then  proceeded  to  inquire  into  the  intellectual  condition 
of  my  pupils.  Not  one  of  them  had  ever  studied  English  grammar  or  geography, 
a  few  had  learned  the  ground  rules  of  arithmetic,  and  two  had  some  knowledge  of 
the  first  rudiments  of  Latin.  Instruction  was  commenced  accordingly.  The 
number  of  pupils  gradually  increased  during  the  winter  and  spring,  and  though 
I  have  not  now  the  means  of  determining  accurately  it  must  have  averaged  from 
twenty  to  thirty . " 

It  seems  incredible  that  a  man  of  the  qualities  of  Edward  Beecher  could  have 
been  enticed  from  the  pastorate  of  the  Park  Street  Church,  in  Boston,  to  go  into  the 
wilderness  and  assume  the  presidency  of  a  college  without  students  or  faculty  or 
buildings.  Who  can  explain  it  upon  any  other  theory  than  pure  philanthropy? 
What  a  boundless  blessing  it  was  to  this  frontier  school  to  have  him  and  Sturtevant, 
scholars  of  repute,  to  teach  such  boys  as  were  described  in  that  paragraph  above. 
And  it  was  five  years  before  the  college  obtained  a  charter.  The  singular  reluctance 
of  the  General  Assembly  to  deal  generously  with  the  institution  shows  the  settled 
distrust  and  suspicions  of  those  early  Illinoisans.  Candidates  for  office  posed  as 
the  guardians  of  the  people  to  protect  them  from  the  dark  designs  of  these  unfath- 
omable zealots.  The  land  terror  led  them  to  limit  the  holdings  of  the  college  to  a 
single  section  and  the  theological  terror  led  them  to  prohibit  the  organization  of  a 
theological  department. 

The  first  class  was  graduated  in  1835,  and  one  of  the  two  constituting  it  was  the 
gallant  Richard  Yates,  the  great  war  governor  and  the  beloved  of  the  people.  How 
did  he  win  their  hearts  so  completely  ?  There  was  a  natural  growth  in  numbers  and 
in  scholarship.  The  Ellis  scheme  did  not  work  and  there  was  pressing  need  of  more 
room.  An  effort  to  build  brought  lasting  embarrassment  and  the  whole  thing  well- 
nigh  went  by  the  board  in  the  panic  time  of  1837.  There  had  been  a  $100,000  fund 
subscribed  in  the  two  preceding  years,  but  the  depression  almost  made  a  finish  of 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  297 

it,  for  it  was  only  a  subscription.  There  was  land  and  land,  but  there  were  also  taxes 
and  taxes,  and  the  land  brought  no  revenue.  And  so  the  debts  accumulated  and 
hope  sickened.  Ten  years  later  much  of  the  land  was  sold  and  the  debts  were 
reduced,  but  there  would  have  been  a  drowning  had  not  the  generous  East  helped 
to  keep  the  flood  down  or  the  head  up.  As  if  to  add  to  the  gayety  of  nations  charges 
of  heresy  were  brought  against  President  Beecher  and  Professor  Sturtevant  and 
Professor  Kirby.     The  Presbytery  tried  them  but  could  not  find  them  guilty. 

To  help  the  college  out  of  its  financial  troubles  President  Beecher  returned  to 
the  East,  in  1842,  but  once  again  upon  his  native  heath  and  pastor  of  a  prosperous 
church,  in  Boston,  he  did  not  get  back  to  the  western  battle-ground  or  begging 
ground,  and  he  was  succeeded  in  1844  by  that  energetic  and  capable  manager,  Prof. 
Julian  M.  Sturtevant,  who  had  been  with  the  college  from  the  first. 

His  administration  was  in  many  ways  a  notable  one  in  the  history  of  the  insti- 
tution. He  was  a  remarkable  scholar,  a  great  teacher,  and  a  great  preacher.  He 
was  not  a  popular  figure  with  the  students,  however,  as  a  professor,  yet  his  promo- 
tion to  the  presidency  was  greeted  with  the  warmest  approval  by  all  concerned.  He 
gave  himself  to  his  intellectual  pursuits  and  lacked  somewhat  in  that  spirit  of  com- 
radeship which  makes  for  so  much  on  the  frontier,  while  in  the  chair  of  a  professor, 
but  his  presidency  was  the  longest  in  the  history  of  the  college  and  was  in  many 
respects  the  most  important. 

Illinois  was  called  upon  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  religious  quarrels,  if  quarrels  may 
properly  be  termed  religious.  Congregationalists  and  Presbyterians  were  yoke 
fellows  in  the  establishing  of  the  school  but  they  were  not  well  mated.  It  was 
important  to  minimize  sectarian  influence  in  the  management,  for  all  elements  were 
needed  for  success,  and  this  was  the  avowed  policy  of  the  former  sect.  The  situation 
of  the  president  was  indicated  in  an  address  delivered  by  him  on  the  occasion  of  the 
fiftieth  anniversary.  The  paragraph  quoted  by  President  Rammelkamp  is  worth 
reproduction  here:  "During  all  these  years,"  said  Dr.  Sturtevant,  "It  has  been 
regarded  as  an  axiom  by  a  majority  of  our  people,  or,  if  not  an  axiom  a  truth  per- 
fectly demonstrated  by  experience,  that  no  college  can  prosper  that  is  not  under  the 
control  of  some  religious  sect.  I  have  never  accepted  it  as  an  axiom  and  was  never 
farther  from  accepting  it  than  now.  I  do  not  regard  it  as  true.  I  esteem  its  con- 
tradictory as  much  nearer  the  truth,  that  no  college  can  be  in  the  highest  degree 
prosperous  that  is  controlled  and  managed  by  a  sect.  I  am  profoundly  convinced 
that  it  is  necessary  to  the  highest  prosperity  of  a  college  that  its  control  should  be 
as  large-hearted  as  Christianity  itself.  I  heartily  accept  Christianity  as  the  only 
possible  basis  of  free  and  permanent  society ;  and  I  therefore  think  that  all  our  schools 
of  learning  should  recognize  it  and  be  founded  on  it.  But  narrower  than  that  they 
can  not  be,  without  in  a  large  degree  unfitting  them  for  the  best  discharge  of  their 
high  function.  If  you  narrow  a  college  within  the  limits  of  a  sect,  you  deprive  it 
in  a  great  degree  of  the  sympathy  of  the  whole  community.  You  can  not  enlist 
in  its  support  the  heart-throbs  of  the  whole  people.  You  will  be  very  likely  to  make 
it  a  starveling. ' ' 

This  sentiment  reveals  the  character  of  President  Sturtevant,  and  its  liberality 
caused  him  and  his  charge  no  little  trouble  during  his  administration. 


298  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

And  there  was  the  slavery  question  to  deal  with.  The  local  community  and  the 
surrounding  communities  generally  were  proslavery  in  their  sympathies.  That  part 
of  Illinois  had  been  mainly  settled  from  the  South.  These  New  England  professors 
were  of  the  political  faith  of  the  communities  in  which  they  were  born  and  in  which 
thev  had  been  nurtured.  Here  was  a  situation  which  of  necessity  meant  conflict. 
Beecher  and  Lovejoy  were  friends,  and  the  former  was  a  part  of  the  provocation 
that  led  to  the  ignominious  Alton  riot.  The  interests  of  the  college  must  be  con- 
served, but  how  could  a  Beecher  keep  silence  when  the  freedom  of  the  press  and  of 
public  discussion  was  threatened?  Lovejoy  was  at  the  commencement  in  1837. 
The  faculty  were  known  to  be  with  him.  Beecher  was  with  him  when  he  was  foully 
murdered.  It  was  a  hard  time  for  the  institution.  President  Sturtevant  said  in 
1844,  "  I  would  not  consent  to  suffer  what  I  have  suffered  in  the  last  seven  years  and 
am  still  suffering  for  any  other  consideration  than  the  most  imperious  duty."  And 
Prof.  J.  B.  Turner,  destined  to  be  so  conspicuous  in  fighting  for  popular  education 
in  later  years,  was  an  unqualified  abolitionist  and  did  not  hesitate  to  avow  himself 
as  such.  He  helped  many  a  black-faced  fugitive  through  the  subway  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  north  star.  So  there  was  turmoil  in  the  community  and  unrest  among 
the  students  and  the  people  feared  to  see  an  Illinois  man  on  the  platform  lest  there 
should  be  some  "indiscreet"  reference  to  the  "peculiar  institution." 

In  these  early  days  the  college  trustees  seem  to  have  had  more  to  do  with  the 
internal  management  of  affairs  than  the  faculty.  Thus  entrance  requirements, 
library  .rules,  the  character  of  the  government  of  the  pupils,  regulations  respecting 
the  use  of  intoxicants  and  other  "exhilarating  substances,"  religious  ceremonials 
and  about  everything  but  the  hearing  of  classes  seems  to  have  been  regarded  as 
appropriate  material  for  the  board  to  exercise  its  discretion  upon.  Among  other 
things  the  students  were  admonished  to  treat  the  teachers  "with  that,  politeness 
which  is  required  by  the  rules  of  refined  society  and  with  that  respect  and  deference 
which  is  due  them  as  the  executors  of  the  laws  and  constituted  guardians  of  the 
institution." 

In  1844  there  were  four  professors  and  two  instructors;  ten  years  later  there 
were  five  regular  professors  and  two  tutors.  At  the  close  of  the  Sturtevant  admin- 
istration in  1876  there  were  seven  regular  professors,  two  instructors  and  a  librarian. 
Here  is  a  rather  startling  exhibit  of  admission  requirements  as  early  as  1850.  No 
student  was  to  be  admitted  under  fourteen  years  of  age,  yet  all  candidates  for  admis- 
sion to  the  freshman  class  were  to  be  examined  in  the  Latin  and  Greek  grammars, 
Cicero's  Select  Orations,  Virgil,  Sallust,  Greek  Reader,  Arithmetic,  Geography  and 
English  Grammar.  Of  course  this  was  found  to  be  too  stiff  for  the  western  boys 
and  so  it  was  that  with  proper  apologies  the  board  arranged  a  scientific  course  of 
three  years.  In  1843  a  medical  course  was  organized  and  continued  with  quite 
liberal  patronage  for  five  years.     The  graduation  requirements  were  not  rigorous. 

As  has  been  stated,  a  preparatory  department  was  established  at  the  opening 
of  the  college,  but  it  was  discontinued  after  a  time.  In  1869  it  was  again  opened 
under  the  name  of  Whipple  Academy,  Dr.  Samuel  L.  Whipple,  of  Jacksonville, 
having  donated  $10,000  for  that  purpose.  Several  other  features  were  added  to  the 
academy. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  299 

The  civil  war  robbed  the  colleges  of  their  men  and  Illinois  was  no  exception. 
Fire  visited  it  in  1852  and  robbed  it  of  a  building,  but  an  active  campaign  put  a  new 
one  in  its  place  in  1857.  Additional  buildings  came  in  their  own  time.  In  1876 
President  Sturtevant  closed  his  long  term  of  thirty-two  years,  but  retained  a  chair 
in  the  faculty  until  a  short  time  before  his  death.  Prof.  Rufus  Cramp  ton  succeeded 
him  in  the  capacity  of  acting  president,  a  position  which  he  continued  to  hold  for 
six  years. 

In  1882  Prof.  Edward  A.  Tanner  was  elected  president.  The  college  had  not 
been  financially  successful.  An  annual  deficit  had  confronted  tHe  board.  There 
were  no  endowments  in  sight.  A  portion  of  the  campus  had  been  sold  to  meet 
expenses.  It  was  a  gloomy  outlook  and  enough  to  discourage  the  most  stout- 
hearted. But  Professor  Tanner  had  shown  skill  as  a  money-getter.  He  now  demon- 
strated his  peculiar  fitness  for  the  position  to  wliich  he  had  been  called.  He  got 
the  campus  back,  abolished  the  hateful  deficit,  increased  the  endowment,  and  in 
all  ways  improved  the  conditions.  But  his  task  seems  to  have  cost  his  life,  for  he 
died  in  the  spring  of  1891. 

The  subsequent  history  may  be  briefly  told.  There  was  a  brief  interregnum  in 
which  Prof.  H.  W.  Milligen,  M.  D.,  served  as  acting  president.  Dr.  John  E.  Bradley 
was  elected  in  1892  and  served  about  seven  years.  He  came  from  the  superintend- 
ency  of  the  Minneapolis  public  schools  and  was  a  man  of  affairs.  In  his  administra- 
tion the  Jones  Memorial  Building  was  erected.  Pending  the  selection  of  a  president 
Prof.  Milton  E.  Churchill  acted  as  temporary  head  for  one  year. 

In  1900  Rev.  Clifford  W.  Barnes  became  president.  He  served  for  about  five 
years.  Under  the  stimulus  of  a  conditional  offer  of  Dr.  D.  K.  Pearsons,  of  Chicago, 
the  benefactor  of  the  small  colleges,  who  offered  $50,000  for  an  endowment  fund 
if  the-  college  would  raise  $150,000  to  go  with  it,  the  friends  of  Illinois  came  to  the 
rescue  and  the  deed  was  accomplished.  Certain  marked  changes  were  incidents  of 
this  movement.  The  Jacksonville  Female  Academy  became  a  department  of  the 
college.  This  made  the  institution  coeducational  after  seventy  yfears  of  life  as  a 
school  for  men.  It  also  passed  it  over  to  the  Presbyterians.  Its  troubles  were 
not  over,  however,  for  its  increased  responsibilities  were  not  balanced  by  its  increased 
income. 

President  Barnes  was  succeeded  in  1905  by  Mr.  C.  H.  Rammelkamp.  a  Cornell 
man.  He  had  served  on  the  faculties  of  Cornell  and  of  Leland  Stanford,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  election  was  Professor  of  History  in  the  College.  An  incident  of  admin- 
istration was  the  election  of  Hon.  William  J.  Bryan  to  the  presidency i'of  (the  Board 
of  Trustees  in  1905.  A  year  later  the  college  received  a  gift  of  $50,000,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  Mr.  Bryan  retired  from  the  presidency  of  the  board. 

Under  the  excellent  management  of  President  Rammelkamp  Illinois  College 
is  predestined  to  have  the  most  successful  experience  of  its  career.  The  city  in 
which  it  has  spent  its  life  is  known  as  "The  Athens  of  Illinois."  The  college  has 
attracted  a  most  intelligent  body  of  citizens,  or,  it  may  be  more  properly  said, 
has  developed  a  most  intelligent  community.  Good  things  are  in  store  for  the 
brave  little  institution  that  is  so  closely  related  in  its  life  history  with  the  building 
of  a  State. 


300  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

*SHURTLEFF  COLLEGE. 

Shurtleff  College  is  another  of  the  institutions  of  higher  learning  that  belong  to 
the  early  history  of  Illinois,  and  a  fit  companion  of  heroic  Illinois  College.  As  the 
latter  was  due  to  the  enthusiasm  of  the  Congregationalists  and  Presbyterians  so  the 
former  is  a  tribute  to  the  zeal  of  the  Baptists.  The  question  of  priority  of  founda- 
tion is  a  matter  which  each  reader  must  determine  for  himself,  if  he  shall  care  to 
consider  it,  after  the  statements  of  the  historians  are  in. 

President  Riggs  says:  "It  may  be  stated  positively  that  the  Baptists  were  the 
first  Protestant  Christians  to  enter  this  new  country.  In  1796,  the  first  Baptist 
church  in  the  State  of  Illinois  was  founded  in  this  vicinity." 

The  year  that  Illinois  was  admitted  to  the  Union  witnessed  the  organization  of 
the  Illinois  United  Baptist  Association,  with  one  of  its  objects  "the  promoting  of 
common  schools  in  the  western  parts  of  America."  In  the  same  year  Rev.  John 
M.  Peck  was  sent  to  St.  Louis  to  engage  in  missionary  work  in  that  city,  as  well 
as  in  its  vicinity.  This  was  seven  years  before  Rev.  John  M.  Ellis  had  been  sent  to 
a  neighboring  field  by  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society.  In  1822  Mr.  Peck 
went  to  Rock  Spring,  a  point  about  thirty  miles  from  Alton.  It  was  there  that  the 
Rock  Spring  Theological  and  High  School  was  established  in  1827.  President  Riggs 
says:  "It  is  stated"  (he  does  not  give  his  authority)  "that  this  was  the  first  literary 
institution  in  the  State  of  a  higher  order  than  a  common  or  primary  school."  If 
this  be  a  correct  statement  it  attaches  no  little  interest  to  this  frontier  attempt  to 
give  the  pioneers  a  chance  at  something  more  than  the  merest  rudiments  of  learning. 
It  met  with  no  small  degree  of  success  even  if  measured  by  modem  standards,  as  it 
had  a  student  body  of  almost  two  hundred  and  fifty.  After  a  life  of  four  years  it 
was  removed  to  Alton,  where  it  was  subsequently  merged  into  Shurtleff  College. 
Here  is  where  an  issue  is  raised  again  with  respect  to  the  honor  of  being  the  first  bom 
of  Illinois  colleges.  If  Rock  Creek  Theological  and  High  School  was  the  real  parent 
of  Shurtleff,  then  the  latter  must  be  crowned  as  the  rightful  heir  to  the  blessing. 
It  is  not  clear,  however,  as  to  whether  the  Rock  Creek  school  died  because  of  the 
opposition  of  a  new  school  at  Alton  or  was  moved  to  a  more  advantageous  location 
and  thus  was  continued  under  another  name. 

Before  proceeding  with  the  further  story  of  the  college,  space  should  be  given 
for  a  recognition  of 

JOHN   MASON  PECK. 

We  have  already  encountered  him  in  that  historic  educational  meeting  held  in 
the  then  capital  of  the  State,  in  1833.  Mr.  Pillsbury  speaks  of  him  as  "perhaps 
the  most  indefatigable  worker  in  behalf  of  education  that  the  State  has  ever  known." 
At  that  meeting  Mr.  Peck  moved  the  adoption  of  the  following: 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  to  devise  measures  for  obtaining  information 
on  the  subject  of  education  and  to  devise  a  system  of  public  instruction,  and  that  they  report  on 
Monday  evening  next. 


*This  sketch  consists  mainly  of  material  drawn  from  the  History  of  Shurtleff  College,  prepared  by  President 
J.  D.  S.  Riggs  for  the  proposed  publication  of  the  U.  S.  Eureau  of  Education. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  301 

Mr.  Peck  was  appointed  as  a  member  of  that  committee  and  at  the  designated 
time  and  place  presented  its  report.  The  gist  of  it  was  the  recommendation  of  the 
organization  of  the  IlHnois  Institute  of  Education,  which  will  be  further  noticed  in 
the  chapter  relating  to  the  history  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association. 

In  his  "  Brief  History  of  Early  Education  of  Illinois,"  Dr.  Willard  writes:  "  Rev. 
John  M.  Peck  .  .  .  labored  for  the  evangel  of  the  school  as  only  second 
to  the  gospel  of  the  church.  He  founded  Rock  Spring  Seminary;  worked  hard  for 
Shurtleff  College ;  brought  teachers  from  the  East  and  helped  them  to  employment ; 
in  every  way  and  at  every  opportunity  he  used  tongue,  pen,  time,  means  and  influence 
for  the  great  cause.  Put  with- this  the  fact  that  he  was  one  of  the  few  leaders  who 
exerted  themselves  to  the  utmost  when  the  effort  was  made  in  1823-24  to  make 
Illinois  a  slave  State,  when  he  rode  and  preached  and  spoke  everywhere  against  the 
scheme,  and  we  establish  for  Mr.  Peck  a  strong  claim  upon  the  respect  and  gratitude 
of  this  and  future  generations. " 

Again  Mr.  Peck  appears  in  the  record  in  1834,  immediately  before  the  meeting 
of  the  General  Assembly.  Mr.  Peck  was  then  publishing  a  paper  called  The  Pioneer 
and  Western  Baptist.  This  gave  him  a  vantage  point  for  service  to  the  cause  of 
popular  education  and  it  goes  without  saying  that  he  made  the  most  of  it.  He  states 
in  his  paper  that  "during  the  late  contest,"  presumably  the  election  of  members  of 
the  legislature,  "  most  of  the  candidates  have  come  out  decidedly  and  unequivocally 
in  favor  of  a  system  of  common  schools."  He  is,  therefore,  of  the  opinion  that  some- 
thing is  to  be  done  at  the  approaching  session.  He  suggests  a  State  Educational 
Convention  to  be  held  at  Vandalia  at  the  time  of  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Illinois 
Institute  of  Education.  In  consequence  a  large  and  enthusiastic  company  assembled 
at  the  indicated  time,  there  being  present  delegates  from  more  than  half  the  counties 
of  the  State.  The  proceedings  of  this  convention  with  much  additional  information 
of  historical  value  were  printed  by  Mr.  Peck  and  may  be  found  in  the  Report  of  the 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  for  1885-6. 

President  Riggs  quotes  an  imnamed  writer  as  saying  of  him  that  "he  has  done 
more  to  mould  the  character,  not  only  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  but  of  the  great  Mis- 
sissippi Valley,  than  any  other  man  that  ever  lived."  This  is  enough,  if  true,  to 
entitle  him  to  a  place  in  the  Hall  of  Fame,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  no  champion 
arises  to  secure  to  him  his  proper  recognition.  Lyman  Beecher  is  authority  for  the 
statement  that  *'he  had  led  more  families  into  the  West  as  permanent  families  than 
any  other  ten  individuals."  If  what  Governor  Reynolds  and  Governor  Coles  said 
of  him  be  merited,  the  first  of  the  above  statements  seems  really  warranted,  for 
they  declare  that  he  did  more  than  any  other  to  save  the  State  to  freedom  in  the 
doubtful  days  of  1823. 

He  was  of  Connecticut  birth.  He  was  the  author  of  Peck's  "  Guide  to  Emi- 
grants" and  "Gazetteer  of  Illinois."  President  Riggs  says  of  him:  "He  was  a 
leader  in  all  denominational  enterprises;  an  active  missionary,  and  agent  of  the 
American  Bible  Society;  an  agent  of  the  American  Sunday  School  Union  and  a 
Professor  of  Theology  in  Rock  Spring  Seminary.  His  wonderful  energy,  his  indom- 
itable will,  his  unconquerable  perseverance  and  his  steadfast  devotion  to  the  Master 
whom  he  served  made  him  a  power  in  shaping  the  plastic  civilization  of  his  time  and 


302  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

country.  His  monument  in  Belief  on  taine,  St.  Louis,  where  he  was  buried,  was  erected 
through  the  munificence  of  the  late  Hon.  William  M.  McPherson,  of  that  city,  and 
is  a  fitting  recognition  of  his  great  worth." 

An  interesting  anecdote  is  related  of  Mr.  Peck  which  brings  into  one  picture 
himself  and  that  other  pioneer  missionary  who  followed  him  to  the  West  —  Rev. 
John  M.  Ellis.  As  Mr.  Ellis  was  making  his  way  on  horseback  across  the  prairies 
of  the  Sangamon  country,  whose  desolation  was  occasionally  relieved  by  the  "  timber" 
that  marked  the  presence  of  a  stream,  he  came  to  a  clearing  in  the  midst  of  hazel 
brush  and  black-jacks  and  heard  the  sound  of  an  ax.  Of  course  he  saluted  the 
woodsman  and  with  the  question,  "What  are  you  doing  here  stranger?"  "I  am 
building  a  theological  seminary,"  was  the  reply.  "  What,  in  these  barrens? "  "  Yes, 
I  am  planting  the  seed."  Here  was  the  beginning  of  Rock  Spring  Seminary,  which 
was  the  forerunner  of  the  Alton  Seminary,  which  was  the  forerunner  of  Alton  Col- 
lege, which  was  tha  forerunner  of  Shurtleff  College.  The  reader  can  easily  supply 
from  his  imagination  the  material  for  a  historical  picture  to  grace  the  walls  of  the 
College  Chapel. 

ALTON  SEMINARY. 

This  institution  is  of  historical  interest  as  the  beginning  of  the  college  of  which 
it  was  the  forerunner  and,  like  the  biblical  forerunner,  it  was  a  Baptist. ,  Its  Board 
of  Trustees  was  organized  on  the  4th  day  of  June,  1832.  The  movement  was  the 
result  of  the  missionary  endeavor  of  one  Rev.  Jonathan  Going,  of  Worcester,  Mas- 
sachusetts, who  had  been  dispatched  to  the  West  by  Baptists  in  the  East.  Alton 
was  regarded  as  a  strategic  point  for  the  denomination  to  establish  an  educational 
institution.  Rev.  Hubbel  Loomis  was  selected  as  the  principal.  It  came  into 
possession  of  the  effects  of  Rock  Spring  Seminary,  including,  presumably,  whatever 
of  good  will  that  school  had  developed.  Mr.  Loomis  was  a  graduate  of  Union 
College  and  was  another  illustration  of  the  educational  and  denominational  zeal 
that  transported  men  of  superior  culture  to  the  undeveloped  West. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  restrictive  character  of  the  charters  that  the 
General  Assembly  was  disposed  to  hand  out  to  would-be  institutions.  In  addition 
to  the  suggestions  that  have  been  made  with  regard  to  this  peculiar  phenomenon 
it  should  be  said  that  it  is  more  than  a  probability  that  the  Dartmouth  College 
case,  so  famous  in  the  history  of  litigation  and  of  constitution-making,  may  have 
been  a  more  conclusive  explanation  than  the  tentative  theories  already  offered. 
With  the  sacred  inviolability  of  a  charter  securely  established  in  the  settled  prin- 
ciples of  American  jurisprudence  it  behooved  legislative  bodies  to  be  careful  about 
giving  away  what  they  could  not  call  back  if  they  should  happen  to  desire  to  do  so. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  when  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Alton  Seminary  applied  for  a  charter, 
in  1833,  that  should  incorporate  them  as  "  The  Trustees  of  Alton  College  of  Illinois," 
they  were  tendered  one  of  the  limited  sort.  It  barred  the  selection  of  Baptist  trus- 
tees because  they  were  Baptists  and  denied  the  privilege  of  a  theological  depart- 
ment. The  charter  was  not  accepted.  Three  years  later,  along  with  Illinois  and 
McKendree,  a  new  charter  was  granted  and  accepted  although  it  contained  the 
theological  department  limitation.     This  year  thus  marks  the  beginning  of  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  303 

charter  life  of  the  college.  A  little  later,  in  1836,  the  charter  was  so  amended  as  to 
change  the  name  to  Shurtleff  College,  for  the  reason  explained  on  a  previous  page. 
Five  years  later  the  legislature  permitted  an  amendment  to  the  charter  which 
enabled  the  institution  to  establish  its  coveted  theological  department  and  to  exer- 
cise the  function  for  which  it  was  originally  designed. 

And  now  began  the  traditional  period  of  privation  and  struggle.  Here  was  a 
well-spring  of  culture  freely  flowing  for  all,  yet  there  were  few  who  cared  to  drink. 
The  thirsty  were  so  precious,  however,  and  in  potency  and  in  promise  for  the  good 
of  the  commonwealth  that  was  slowly  evolving  were  so  out  of  proportion  to  their 
numbers  that  no  effort  possible  to  be  made  could  be  considered  as  uneconomical. 
Prof.  Washington  Leverett  was  the  acting  president  for  the  first  five  years  of  trial. 
Associated  with  him  was  a  twin  brother,  Warren  Leverett.  They  were  graduates 
of  Brown  University  and  gave  their  lives  to  the  school,  the  former  being  in  vital 
connection  with  it  in  various  capacities  for  fifty- three  years. 

In  the  first  twenty  years  there  were  but  two  presidents  although  they  served  but 
four  and  five  years,  respectively.  The  first  was  Rev.  Adiel  Sherwood,  D.  D.,  and 
the  second  Rev.  Norman  N.  Wood,  D.  D.  Between  them  was  an  interregnum  of 
three  years  which  was  supplied  by  a  resumption  of  the  duties  of  acting-president 
by  Professor  Leverett.  Rev.  S.  Y.  Mc  Masters  served  for  one  year  in  the  same 
capacity  after  the  retirement  of  President  Wood.  Thus  ended  the  first  score  of 
years.  It  does  not  take  long  to  wear  men  out  in  such  strenuous  work  especially 
when  they  are  not  well  fed.  In  all  of  this  period  but  twenty-four  were  graduated. 
Many  came  but  few  were  chosen.  The  scholarship  requirements  were  not  lowered 
to  meet  the  aspiring  but  untrained  students.  Two  buildings  had  been  erected  and 
a  start  made  toward  a  library.  There  was  no  endowment  as  yet  and  there  is  a  strong 
probability  that  the  contents  of  many  a  basket  collection  in  Baptist  churches  in  all 
parts  of  the  country  found  their  way  to  Alton  to  keep  the  breath  of  life  in  the  insti- 
tution and  com  bread  and  bacon  in  the  larders  of  the  patient  teachers. 

A  new  period  in  the  histor}^  of  the  college  began  with  the  administration  of  Rev. 
Daniel  Read,  LL.  D.,  who  was  elected  president  in  1856  and  served  fourteen  years. 
Dr.  Read  left  the  pastorate  of  a  St.  Louis  church  to  go  to  the  help  of  the  struggling 
college.  The  hearts  of  the  friends  of  the  college  were  inspired  with  hope  when  so 
capable  a  man  cast  in  his  lot  with  them.  As  was  expected,  the  faculty  was 
strengthened,  and  rich  men,  two  at  least,  gave  material  assistance.  H.  N.  Kendall, 
a  business  man  of  St.  Louis,  and  Elijah  Gove,  a  Quincy  man  and  a  kindred  spirit, 
were  the  main  benefactors.  The  historian  loves  to  make  a  record  of  such  timely 
benefactions.  Both  served  as  trustees.  The  contributions  of  the  latter  aggregated 
nearly  $100,000  and  those  of  the  former  were  about  half  as  much.  Such  aid  was 
phenomenal  in  those  pre-millionaire  years.  The  college  also  enjoyed  what  is  not 
always  the  good  fortune  of  such  institutions;  it  had  the  cordial  support  of  the  city 
in  which  it  was  located,  and  without  the  generosity  of  many  loyal  friends  it  would 
never  have  survived  the  days  of  storm  and  stress  that  came,  alas !  far  too  frequently. 

It  was  in  the  middle  sixties  that  the  writer  of  these  lines  became  acquainted  with 
Dr.  Reed  while  he  was  supplying  the  pulpit  of  a  pastorless  church  in  one  of  the 
cities  of  central  Illinois.     The  tall,  dignified  and  scholarly  speaker  made  a  most 


304  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

profound  impression  upon  his  mind.  It  was  deemed  a  rare  good  fortune  for  the 
church  to  avail  itself  of  his  admirable  services  although  his  college  duties  prevented 
his  residence  in  the  city. 

In  1863  the  long-contemplated  theological  department  materialized  and  a  number 
of  students  availed  themselves  of  its  facilities.  The  following  year  Rev.  Justus 
Bulkley,  D.  D.,  entered  upon  that  long  and  fruitful  term  of  instruction  which  con- 
tinued until  the  close  of  his  life  in  1899.  At  the  same  time  the  eminent  Dr.  Pattison, 
of  Worcester,  entered  upon  a  five-year  term  of  instruction  in  the  same  department. 

In  1867  the  young  women  began  to  present  themselves  at  the  registrar's  office. 
They  were  welcomed  although  no  especial  preparation  was  made  for  them.  Of 
course  they  have  stayed,  as  they  always  have  when  once  admitted. 

Dr.  Read  resigned  in  1870.  There  had  been  a  period  of  comparative  prosperity, 
but  the  clouds  were  again  thickening.  The  expenditures  of  the  college  had  been 
in  excess  of  its  income.  Friends  were  alarmed  and  contributions  were  meager.  Few 
people  care  to  put  money  into  what  seems  a  losing  venture.  For  two  years  there 
was  no  president.  In  June,  1872,  Dr.  A.  A.  Kendrick,  of  St.  Louis,  assumed  the 
office.  The  election  of  a  new  president  is  usually  regarded  as  an  epochal  event  and 
the  friends  gird  their  loins  for  a  new  endeavor.  If  an  opportunity  appears  to  identify 
the  movement  with  the  expiration  of  a  quarter  century  or  a  half  century  much  is 
made  of  the  coincidence,  as  if  no  new  period  opens  except  in  some  such  phenomenal 
fashion.  These  are  ways  in  which  we  spur  ourselves  to  unusual  action.  Not  long 
after  the  accession  of  Dr.  Kendrick  to  the  presidency  a  rare  psychological  opportunity 
presented  itself.  This  was  the  close  of  the  first  century  after  the  signing  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  It  is  interesting  as  a  psychological  study  to  note 
the  number  of  enterprises  that  were  undertaken  on  the  spur  of  the  occasion.  To 
quote  from  President  Riggs:  "It  was  believed  that  no  more  appropriate  observance 
of  that  significant  event  could  be  suggested  than  thus  to  equip  our  colleges  and 
universities  for  the  larger  opportunities  of  the  second  century  of  our  national  life. 
Providential  circumstances  seemed  to  declare  that  this  institution  ought  to  under- 
take the  raising  of  a  centennial  fund." 

The  matter  was  undertaken  and  by  the  beginning  of  the  school  year  of  1878, 
Rev.  G.  J.  Johnson,  D.  D.,  who  was  peculiarly  fitted  for  the  task,  reported  that 
about  $130,000  had  been  secured  in  cash  and  pledges. 

In  1882  a  third  building  was  added  to  the  two  already  in  service.  As  the  yotmg 
women  continued  to  come,  although  endured  rather  than  solicited,  it  was  thought 
wise  to  provide  a  suitable  home  for  them,  so  a  cottage  was  planned  and  erected. 
In  further  honor  of  their  presence  a  school  of  music  and  art,  as  more  congenial  to 
their  tastes  than  the  severe  disciplines  of  the  humanities,  mathematics  and  logic, 
was  added  to  the  courses  of  the  college. 

As  another  method  of  increasing  the  endowment  a  canvass  was  undertaken  for 
the  establishment  of  thousand-dollar  scholarships.  This  movement  has  also  been 
quite  successful,  twenty-eight  of  them  having  been  secured  at  the  time  President 
Riggs'  paper  was  prepared.  A  gymnasium  of  modest  proportions  was  also  added 
to  the  equipment  through  the  kindness  of  generous  friends. 

At  the  end  of  an  administration  of  twenty- three  years.   President  Kendrick 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  305 

resigned,  in  1894,  to  accept  the  pastorate  of  a  St.  Louis  church.  Four  years  later 
he  returned  to  the  college  to  assume  the  deanship  of  the  theological  department,  but 
he  did  not  long  survive. 

.  As  successor  to  Dr.  Kendrick,  the  Board  of  Trustees  selected  Rev.  Austin  K.  de 
Blois,  Ph.  D.  Dr.  de  Blois  brotight  to  his  new  duties  superior  scholarship  and  the 
strength  and  vigor  of  youth.  He  was  a  speaker  of  unusual  power  and  was  sought 
after  by  prominent  churches  of  his  denomination.  He  served  the  college  for  five 
faithful  years. 

The  usual  interregnum  followed  the  resignation  of  Dr.  de  Blois,  happily  limited 
in  this  instance  to  a  single  year.  His  successor  was  Rev.  Stanley  A.  McKay,  who 
resigned  the  pastorate  of  a  Bloomington  church  to  accept  the  position.  Dr.  McKay 
remained  with  the  college  for  five  years.  At  this  time  there  was  a  bonded  debt  of 
$25,000,  and  it  was  determined  to  extinguish  this  obligation  and  add  as  much  to  the 
endowment  fund.  Both  objects  were  accomplished.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
J.  D.  S.  Riggs,  Ph.  D.,  L.  H.  D.,  President  of  Ottawa  University,  Ottawa,  Kansas. 

Shurtleff  has  seen  adversity.  There  have  been  times  in  her  history  when  bank- 
ruptcy seemed  inevitable.  Such  misfortunes  are  safely  in  the  past.  Annual  deficits 
no  longer  harrow  the  soul  of  the  management.  With  assets  amounting  to  more  than 
a  quarter  of  a  million,  with  an  income  in  excess  of  the  outgo  and  with  encouraging 
indications  of  better  things  yet  to  come,  the  college  goes  hopefully  forward  to  her 
appointed  task. 

Of  course  Shurtleff  belongs  to  the  small  colleges.  The  attendance  averages 
about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five.  The  graduation  classes  have  been  small  and 
the  alumni  body  does  not  number  more  than  four  hundred,  but  several  thousand  in 
the  aggregate  have  been  enrolled  as  students. 

McKENDREE  COLLEGE. 

The  material  in  this  sketch  is  mainly  obtained  from  an  unpublished  sketch  of  the 

college  by  Prof.  G.  W.  Greenwood,  M.  A. 

McKendree  is  another"  of  the  Illinois  colleges  that  will  soon  be  celebrating  its 

hundredth  anniversary.     As  time  is  measured  in  the  West,  it' belongs  to  our  early 

history.     The  child  that  was  bom  in  the  year  that  it  w^as  founded  is  now,  if  living, 

bent  with  age.     It  is  only  the  external  side  of  its  life  that  can  be  recorded  here. 

The  story  of  its  establishment  is  associated  with  the  eccentric  Peter  Cartwright, 

whose  devotion  and  courage  and  practical  wisdom  have  given  him  a  most  unique 

place  in  the  early  history  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Illinois.     He  is  well 

remembered  by  the  editor  of  this  volume,  who  was  one  of  his  most  admiring  auditors 

twoscore  years  ago,  when  he  occasionally  appeared  on  the  lecture  platform  to  recount 

the  stirring  incidents  of  pioneer  days  in  the  Illinois  circuits. 

It  was  in  September,   1827,  according  to  the  writer  of  the  above   mentioned 

manuscript,  that  this  historic  character  "presented  to  the  Illinois  Conference  of  the 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  embracing  all  of  the  territory  west  of  the  Ohio  and 

Mississippi  rivers   and  north   to   the   British  possessions,    excepting  the    Missouri 

Conference,  a  memorial  praying  for  a  Conference  wSeminary. " 

In  answer  to  the  memorial  the  Conference  appointed  a  committee  of  investigation 
20  ■  '  ■  , 


306  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

that  was  to  report  at  the  next  meeting.  The  residents  of  the  Httle  village  of  Lebanon, 
St.  Clair  county,  determined  to  seize  the  opportunity  thus  presented  to  secure  for 
their  community  an  institution  of  higher  learning.  To  that  end  the  people  of  the 
village  assembled  on  the  20th  of  February,  1828,  and  took  the  initial  steps  by  opening 
subscription  books  "for  the  erection  of  an  edifice  for  a  seminary  of  learning  to  be 
conducted,  as  nearly  as  may  be,  on  the  plan  of  Augusta  College,  Kentucky."  This 
was  the  beginning  of  that  venerable  institution  toward  which  so  many  lUinoisans 
look  with  gratitude  for  its  generous  contribution  to  their  lives.  Since  it  has  had  an 
interrupted  life  since  its  original  foundation  it  is  a  claimant  for  whatever  of  honor 
attaches  to  priority  of  organization  among  the  colleges  of  the  State. 

One  has  but  to  reflect  upon  the  conditions  surrounding  the  proposed  site  to  give 
to  the  enterprise  an  appearance  of  ludicrousness.  Who  were  to  foot  the  bills  for 
lands  and  building  and  teachers  ?  Who  would  seriously  face  the  problem  of  manag- 
ing a  school  where  there  were  no  pupils  of  advanced  training  nor  preparatory  schools 
to  furnish  them?  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  there  were  only  occasional  common 
schools  and  that  these  were  supported  on  the  subscription  plan.  Twenty-seven 
years  were  yet  to  pass  before  the  enactment  of  a  free-school  law  in  Illinois.  The 
explanation  lies  in  the  character  of  the  people.  Although  they  were  living  in  the 
wilds  they  had  come  from  older  States  where  the  higher  institutions  had  shed  the 
light  of  learning  and  where  its  inestimable  advantages  were  understood  and  appre- 
ciated. 

Half  of  the  population  of  the  community  signed  the  articles  of  association  and 
as  many  must  have  contributed  of  their  substance  for  the  erection  of  the  school 
building.  Be  that  as  it  may,  a  fund  of  $1,385  was  raised  for  that  purpose  and  soon 
a  college  edifice  was  ready  for  occupancy.  Whatever  of  decoration  it  possessed  the 
writer  gives  no  account,  but  there  is  an  incidental  mention  of  a  debt  to  begin  with. 
There  was  no  educational  institution  of  higher  character  in  the  early  days  of  the 
commonwealth  that  was  free  from  that  incumbrance.  It  was  customary  to  say  in 
those  days,  not  "  Have  you  a  debt? "  but,  "  What  is  the  amount  of  your  debt?" 

"  On  November  8,  1828,  the  stockholders  met  and  adopted  a  constitution, 
by-laws  and  rules,  indicating  the  nature  of  the  work  to  be  done  by  the  institu- 
tion and  emphasizing  the  employment  of  some  one  capable  of  teaching  the  higher 
branches  of  mathematics,  natural  and  moral  philosophy,  and  the  Latin  and  Greek 
languages." 

And  what  did  they  want  of  such  a  curriculum  in  the  St.  Clair  country  ?  Reading 
and  arithmetic  and  history  of  the  United  States  and  spelling,  with  a  little  English 
grammar,  were  the  subjects  most  needed.  No,  they  kept  in  mind  the  notion  of  pre- 
paring an  occasional  religious  teacher  who  should  compass  the  traditional  curriculum 
of  the  eastern  institutions  of  higher  learning,  and  that  meant  the  mastery  of  the 
subjects  enumerated. 

"Two  buildings  were  rented  and  on  November  24,  'Lebanon  Seminary'  opened 
under  the  charge  of  Mr.  E.  R.  Ames  as  principal  and  Miss  Mc  Murphy  as  assistant. 
Mr.  Ames,  in  after  years,  was  made  a  bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  was  a  close  friend  and  adviser  of  Abraham  Lincoln  during  the  trying  ordeal  of 
the  Civil  War."     As  has  been  remarked  in  connection  with  the  institutions  already 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  307 

considered,  there  were  always  scholars  ready  to  go  to  the  front  to  engage  in  the 
work  of  education. 

A  most  surprising  enrolment  greeted  the  "faculty,"  for  seventy-two  appeared 
in  the  course  of  the  first  term.  Among  these  were  five  women.  We  have  seen  that 
one  of  the  two  teachers  was  a  woman.  McKendree  is  in  undisputed  possession  of 
the  honor  of  being  co-educational  from  the  start.  Let  it  be  remembered  to  her 
lasting  credit.  Moreover,  the  woman  in  the  first  faculty  received  the  same  salary 
as  the  man.  The  fact  that  the  compensation  of  each  was  but  $25  a  month  does  not 
change  the  historical  situation. 

In  1830  the  institution  assumed  the  name  by  which  it  has  been  known  for  four- 
score years.  William  McKendree  was  a  bishop  of  the  Methodist  Church  and  in 
the  course  of  his  travels  he  visited  the  seminary.  He  was  so  pleasantly  impressed 
with  what  he  saw  that  he  made  a  most  generous  gift  of  land  — -  480  acres  —  in  the 
immediate  neighborhood.  The  name  is  thus  easily  explained,  for  Lebanon  Seminary 
became  McKendree  College  soon  after. 

If  McKendree  was  to  be  a  college  it  should  have  a  charter.  It  furnishes  another 
illustration  of  the  strange  reluctance  of  the  General  Assembly  to  promote  the  founding 
of  private  schools  of  higher  education.  Indeed,  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  the 
same  body  had  not  yet  had  the  grace  to  pass  a  free-school  law.  It  has  already  been 
related  that  the  charter  came  in  1835  along  with  similar  recognition  for  Illinois  and 
Shurtleff.  It  was  a  clear  case  of  pooling  of  denominational  issues,  as  will  be  recog- 
nized when  the  sects  represented  are  recalled.  "  McKendree  adopted  for  its  motto 
the  last  words  of  the  bishop  for  whom  it  was  named  —  'All  is  well. '  "  In  this  charter 
McKendrean  College  camejnto  legal  existence,  but  in  1839  a  new  charter  was  secured 
and  the  name  was  changed  to  McKendree  College. 

This  second  charter  was  phenomenally  liberal  for  the  time.  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  that  granted  it  and  advised  its  prompt 
acceptance  lest  it  might  be  recalled.  It  conveyed  to  the  college  the  privilege  of  grant- 
ing university  degrees,  of  establishing  any  departments  that  it  might  choose,  and 
of  holding  in  perpetuity  3,000  acres  of  land.  It  gave  the  further  privilege  of  holding 
an  unlimited  amount  of  land  for  the  first  ten  years  of  the  life  of  the  charter,  but  at 
the  end  of  that  period  it  required  that  any  excess  above  the  3,000  acres  should  be 
disposed  of  and  the  proceeds  passed  over  to  the  endowment  fund.  It  would  be 
interesting  to  know  whether  the  college  was  not  indebted  to  Mr.  Lincoln  for  the 
consideration  shown  it  by  the  legislature.  The  charter  was  accepted  within  ten 
days  after  its  passage.     The  event  was  celebrated  in  characteristic  fashion. 

The  first  president  was  Rev.  Peter  Akers,  who  was  elected  in  1835  and  served 
only  a  single  year.  His  salary  was  $500,  This  would  barely  furnish  a  presidential 
wardrobe  now.  Three  years  later  he  received  the  first  lionorary  degree  of  the  Col- 
lege —  D.  D.  Professor  Greenwood  quotes  from  a  letter  of  President  Merrill's  a 
description  of  the  first  commencement,  which  occurred  in  1841,  and  at  which  the  class 
consisted  of  seven,  all  of  whom  had  completed  the  classical  course.  "  Their  orations 
had  been  prepared,  and  in  a  grove  hard  by  the  college  premises,  over  the  road  nearly 
in  front  of  the  college  grounds,  a  stage  had  been  erected,  and  here  an  exhibition  of 
the  three  lower  classes  had  passed  off  well.     The  Commencement  Day  had  arrived, 


308  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

a  large  crowd  had  assembled,  the  trustees  —  charter  and  visiting  —  were  on  the 
stage  with  the  faculty,  the  senior  class  one  by  one  made  their  addresses,  their  diplomas 
were  distributed,  the  degrees  conferred;  and  now  the  first  class  in  McKendree  College 
had  been  admitted  to  the  grade  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  That  was  a  glorious  day  for 
McKendree ! ' ' 

Like  her  sister  institutions  McKendree  could  hear  the  wolf  growling  just  outside 
the  door.  How  to  keep  him  out  —  there's  the  rub !  But  "  Hope  springs  eternal, "  etc. ; 
that  is  peculiarly  true  of  colleges.  If  we  can  by  hook  or  crook  keep  him  out  this 
year  something  will  come  to  our  rescue  next  year.  If  ever  there  were  Micawbers 
outside  of  "David  Copperfield"  they  are  to  be  found  on  college  faculties  and  col- 
lege boards  of  trustees.  One  way  of  getting  money  is  by  discounting  the  future. 
As  early  as  1836  perpetual  scholarships  were  sold  for  $500.  If  one  did  not  have  the 
money  let  him  give  his  note  and  agree  to  pay  ten  per  cent  upon  it  and  he  could  keep 
up  a  perpetual  stream  of  students  one  at  a  time.  This  gave  to  the  college  a  "note" 
endowment  of  nearly  $50,000.  Along  came  a  financial  panic  and  away  went  the 
endowment.  Eighteen  years  later  a  second  attempt  was  made  to  work  out  the  same 
or  a  similar  plan.  An  assortment  of  scholarships  was  put  on  the  market  at  $100, 
$50  and  $30  for  twenty  years,  seven  years  and  three  years  respectively.  This,  as 
might  have  been  expected,  turned  out  badly.  It  is  easy  to  imagine  what  occurred. 
It  was  so  serious  a  cheapening  of  tuition  as  to  be  little  short  of  a  disaster. 

From  the  first  the  college  looked  upon  itself  as  a  child  of  the  Conference  and  it 
derived  no  little  sustenance  from  collections  and  other  solicited  contributions.  But 
the  fact  remained  that  it  was  a  chronic  beggar,  and  people  in  the  course  of  time  grow 
weary  of  attempting  to  support  an  institution  that  made  so  little  progress  in  becom- 
ing self-supporting.  There  were  possible  stories  that  might  have  been  told,  that 
were  never  told,  of  unpaid  salaries  and  ill-supplied  larders  and  self-denial  and  poverty, 
all  that  the  institution  to  which  loyal  hearts  were  giving  their  life  blood  might  sur- 
vive. Doubtless  the  heroism  of  forlorn  hopes  and  charges  of  "Light  Brigades" 
could  easily  be  paralleled  if  the  truth  were  known.  Presidents  came  and  went,  and 
if  they  came  with  money  it  is  probable  that  they  went  without  it.  Of  all  genuinely 
tough  and  indestructible  things  a  college  that  once  gets  its  roots  into  the  ground  is 
toughest  and  most  persistent. 

Hanging  on  and  seizing  every  chance,  four  buildings  were  finally  erected.  About 
the  beginning  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  an  endowment  of  $25,000  was  secured 
and  that  began  to  look  like  permanence.  In  the  hope  of  increasing  the  attendance 
a  nuraber  of  additional  courses  were  off"ered,  but  it  soon  developed  that  this  policy 
of  lowering  the  dignity  of  the  college  did  little  in  helping  the  solution  of  the  money 
problem.  In  1893  the  sky  seemed  more  thickly  clouded  than  ever  before.  The 
following  summer.  Dr.  McKendree  Hypes  Chamberlin,  an  alumnus  of  the  school, 
was  elected  president.  It  often  happens  that  "it  is  the  darkest  just  before  dawn." 
Dr.  Chamberlin  is  a  son  of  one  of  the  founders.  To  him  Professor  Greenwood  gives 
the  credit  of  saving  the  college. 

"  The  indebtedness  was  $7,000  and  the  buildings  were  in  a  dilapidated  condition. 
It  was  necessary  to  raise  the  debt  and  put  the  buildings  in  good  repair;  also,  to 
perform  the  more  difficult  task  of  restricting  the  institution  to  collegiate  work  and, 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  309 

at  the  same  time,  not  to  curtail  the  revenue  so  as  to  imperil  its  existence  during  the 
period  of  transition." 

Dr.  Chamberlin  accomplished  the  seemingly  impossible.  The  debt  was  paid 
within  a  year;  the  physical  condition  of  things  was  radically  changed;  the  "snap" 
courses  were  eliminated ;  the  institution  was  made  a  college  in  fact  as  well  as  in  name. 
The  philanthropic  Dr.  Pearson,  of  Chicago,  held  out  the  tempting  bait  of  $20,000 
with  an  $80,000  string  to  it,  but  the  president  and  friends  cut  the  string  and  now  the 
institution  has  an  endowment  of  approximately  $150,000.  What  a  triumph  of  human 
persistence  against  most  discouraging  obstacles!  The  college  has  weathered  all 
the  storms  and  is  at  last  safe  —  sheltered  in  a  quiet  harbor.  May  her  years  be  count- 
less! 

The  following  list  of  presidents  is  an  exhibit  of  the  scholars  who  have  made  their 
generous  contribution  to  McKendree : 

Rev.  Peter  Akers,  M.  A.,  D.  D.,  1835-6;  Rev.  John  Dew,  1836-8;  Rev.  John  W. 
Merrill,  M.  A.,  D.  D.,  1838-41;  Rev.  James  C.  Finley,  M.  A.,  M.  D.,  1841-5;  Rev. 
Peter  Akers,  M.  A.,  D.  D.,  1845-6;  Rev.  Erastus  Wentworth,  M.  A.,  D.  D.,  1846-50; 
Rev.  Anson  W.  Cummings,  M.  A.,  D.  D.,  1850-2;  Rev.  Peter  Akers,  M.  A.,  D.  D., 
1852-58;  Rev.  Nelson  E.  Cobleigh,  M.  A.,  D.  D.,  1858-63;  Rev.  Robert  Allyn,  M.  A., 
D.  D.,  1863-74;  Rev.  John  W.  Locke,  M.  A.,  D.  D.,  1874-78;  Rev.  Ross  C.  Hough- 
ton, M.  A.,  D.  D.,  1878-9;  Rev.  Daniel  W.  Phillips,  M.  A.,  D.  D.,  1879-83;  Rev. 
William  F.  Swahlen,  M.  A.,  Ph.  D.,  1883-6;  Rev.  E.  A.  Whitwam,  A.  M.,  1886-7; 
Rev.  Isaiah  Villars,  D.  D.,  1887-9;  A.  G.  Jepson,  M.  A.,  Ph.  D.,  Acting  President, 
1889-90;  Rev.  T.  H.  Herdman,  M.  A.,  D.  D.,  Acting  President,  1890-1;  same.  Presi- 
dent, 1891-3;  Morris  L.  Barr,  A.  B.,  1893-4;  McKendree  H.  Chamberlin,  A.  M., 
LL.  D.,  1894;  Rev.  John  F.  Harmon. 

KNOX  COLLEGE. 

Indebtedness  is  hereby  acknowledged  to  Prof.  William  Edward  Simonds,  Ph.  D., 
whose  unpublished  manuscript  with  the  above  caption  has  been  freely  drawn  upon 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  material  of  this  sketch. 

Knox  College,  like  Illinois,  Shurtleff  and  McKendree,  owes  its  existence  to  that 
missionary  spirit  which  in  the  early  history  of  Illinois  led  men  to  assist  in  the  chris- 
tianizing of  the  West  by  the  establishing  of  schools  of  higher  learning  in  which 
young  men  could  be  prepared  for  the  ministry.  The  Presbyterians,  Baptists  and 
Methodists  are  represented  respectively  by  Illinois,  Shurtleff  and  McKendree  Col- 
leges. It  will  be  seen  that  Knox  lacked,  either  for  better  or  worse,  the  distinctive 
sectarian  control  that  marked  the  other  three. 

Rev.  George  W.  Gale,  D.  D.,  a  graduate  of  Union  College  and  of  Princeton 
Theological  Seminary,  was  bom  in  1779,  in  the  State  of  New  York.  When  nearly 
fifty  years  of  age  he  became  greatly  interested  in  the  promotion  of  Christian  ideas 
and  of  methods  of  preparing  young  men  for  the  ministry.  His  home  at  this  time 
was  at  the  village  of  Western,  in  Oneida  county.  New  York.  He  was  a  farmer, 
and  it  occurred  to  him  that  he  might  establish  a  theological  seminary  on  a  small 
scale,  by  taking  into  his  family  a  few  devoted  young  men  whom  he  could  instruct 
suitably  and  who  could  maintain  themselves  meanwhile  by  their  labor.     From  this 


310  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

idea  were  evolved  the  Oneida  Institute  and  Knox  College.  Here  was  his  plan: 
"A  college  to  be  located  on  a  farm,  and  workshops  attached;  all  of  the  students  to 
be  required  to  labor  on  the  farm  or  in  the  shops  for  three  hours  a  day;  the  proceeds 
of  the  labor  to  be  applied  to  the  students'  support;  labor  to  be  compulsory  on  all; 
no  aristocracy  of  idleness  to  be  permitted." 

In  prosecution  of  his  plan  he  succeeded  in  getting  possession  of  a  small  farm  and 
started  his  enterprise.  It  was  entirely  successful  so  long  as  he  was  the  manager. 
Lane  Seminary  and  Oberlin  were  shoots  from  this  parent  stock.  When  the  master 
spirit  withdrew  the  Institute  languished  and  subsequently  made  way  for  another 
school  on  a  different  plan. 

Dr.  Gale  was  fertile  in  plans.  The  Institute  had  appealed  to  many  benevolent 
people  who  had  contributed  to  its  support,  but  solicitations  for  aid  had  been  neces- 
sary. Further,  a  manual  labor  school  required  land  and  shops  and  both  are  expensive. 
Learning  of  the  low  price  of  the  former  in  Illinois,  where  it  could  be  purchased  for 
the  preemption  price  of  $1.25  an  acre,  here  seemed  to  be  the  solution  of  his  problem. 
The  main  element  of  the  requisite  endowment  could  there  be  secured  for  a  trifle  as 
compared  with  what  it  would  cost  in  New  York.  He  made  his  appeal  to  the  public 
through  a  circular  from  which  Professor  Simpnds  makes  the  following  extract: 
"  Hundreds  of  youth  of  talent  and  piety  and  enterprise  stand  ready  to  enter  upon 
the  work  of  preparation,  whenever  a  wide  and  effectual  door  is  opened  for  them. 
The  manual  labor  system,  if  properly  conducted  and  sustained,  will  open  to  them 
the  door.  It  is  peculiarly  adapted,  not  only  to  qualify  men  for  the  self-denying 
and  arduous  duties  of  the  Christian  ministry,  especially  in  our  new  settlements  and 
missionary  fields  abroad,  but  to  call  them  out ;  to  induce  them  to  enter  upon  the  duties 
of  preparation.  It  is  an  important  fact  that  while  other  institutions  are,  many  of 
them,  greatly  in  want  of  students,  these,  with  all  of  the  disadvantages  upon  which 
they  have  to  labor,  are  not  only  filled  but  a  great  many  of  them  are  rejected  for 
want  of  means  to  accommodate  them.  Let  institutions  be  established  on  this  plan, 
having  all  of  the  requisitions  and  facilities  for  profitable  labor,  in  connection  with 
the  advantages  for  literary  acquisitions,  enjoyed  in  our  well  endowed  seminaries, 
and  there  will  be  no  lack  of  students;  especially  if  there  be  added  to  these,  means 
of  gratuitous  instruction  to  the  indigent." 

The  circular  calls  attention  to  the  importance  of  the  higher  education  of  women, 
both  as  suitable  wives  for  the  clergy  and  as  teachers  of  the  young.  The  application 
of  the  principle  which  he  desired  to  apply  had  already  been  made  in  schools  for  women 
and  had  demonstrated  its  feasibility.  He  appealed  to  well-to-do  people  to  establish 
such  institutions  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  outlined  the  plan  under  which  it  could 
be  accomplished  without  difficulty. 

The  first  feature  was  a  subscription  of  $40,000.  Unlike  the  ordinary  method  of  an 
out-of-hand  gift  there  was  to  be  a  manifest  advantage  to  the  donors.  With  the 
money  thus  secured,  lands  were  to  be  bought  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  at  the  govern- 
ment price  and  were  then  to  be  appraised  at  $5  an  acre.  Purchasers,  at  that  price, 
of  an  eighty-acre  tract,  were  to  have  free  instruction  for  one  student  for  twenty-five 
years.  Out  of  this  margin  above  the  cost  of  the  land  the  college  buildings  were  to 
be  erected  and  the  requisite  farm  paid  for. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  311 

By  1835  the  plan  had  been  so  successfully  worked  out  by  Dr.  Gale,  and  so  impres- 
sively explained  to  his  friends  and  other  interested  people,  that  sufficient  funds  were 
in  sight  to  warrant  an  organization,  which  was  effected  on  the  6th  of  May,  1835, 
at  Rome,  New  York.  A  prudential  committee  was  appointed  to  manage  the  enter- 
prise and  two  men  were  selected  to  spy  out  the  land  with  the  view  to  the  most  advan- 
tageous location.  Dr.  Gale  assumed  the  duty  of  general  agent  for  the  further  securing 
of  funds  and  to  induce  families  to  make  the  proposed  migration. 

The  committee  proceeded  to  the  West  but  encountered  unexpected  difficulties. 
It  was  their  plan  to  purchase  an  entire  township  and,  although  they  explored  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  Indiana  and  Illinois,  they  were  not  successful  in  finding  so 
large  a  tract,  in  a  single  body,  that  met  all  of  the  requirements  of  their  plan.  Por- 
tions of  'some  of  the  townships  had  been  sold  and  could  not  be  purchased  at  the  gov- 
ernment price.  In  other  cases  the  location  lacked  in  some  desirable  element.  More- 
over, the  country  was  rapidly  filling  and  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  exercise  some 
expedition  if  they  were  to  accomplish  their  ends  with  the  economy  that  had  been 
anticipated.  Their  instructions  were  finally  changed  and  a  half  township  in  the 
"  Military  Tract"  was  recommended.  It  was  duly  purchased.  It  was  a  part  of 
the  present  township  known  as  Galesburg.  At  a  meeting  held  at  Whitesboro  the 
original  plan  was  carried  out,  the  subscribers  bought  their  several  lots  and  a  college 
endowment  was  provided. 

It  was  at  this  meeting,  which  occurred  on  January  7,  1836,  that  the  college  was 
determined  upon.  It  was  christened  "Prairie  College."  A  little  more  than  a  year 
later  it  was  provided  with  a  charter  under  the  name  of  "  The  Knox  Manual  Labor 
College."  Another  change  of  name  cut  out  "  Manual  Labor"  and  left  the  name  by 
which  it  has  always  been  known  —  Knox  College. 

Section  2  of  the  act  of  incorporation  sets  forth  the  purpose  of  the  College : 

The  object  of  said  corporation  shall  be  to  promote  the  general  interests  of  literature,  and  to  qualify 
young  men  in  the  best  manner  for  the  various  professional  and  business  occupations  of  society,  by 
carrying  into  effect  a  thorough  system  of  mental,  moral  and  physical  education,  and  so  reduce  the 
expenses  of  such  education  by  manual  labor  and  other  means,  as  shall  bring  it  within  reach  of  every 
young  man  of  industry  and  promise. 

In  the  spring  of  1836  the  purchased  land  was  utilized  according  to  the  original 
plan  and  the  village  was  named  after  Dr.  Gale,  the  leader  of  the  migration. 

The  timber  was  at  hand  for  the  construction  of  the  necessary  houses  and  the 
sawmills  soon  converted  it  into  lumber.  A  building  was  erected  for  an  academy 
and  was  occupied  for  that  purpose  in  the  fall  of  1838.  The  first  instructor  was 
N.  H.  Losey.  This  school  was  the  forerunner  of  the  college  and  occupied  a  building 
in  what  was  known  as  Log  City,  where  a  temporary  home  was  made.  The  following 
year  the  colony  removed  to  the  village  which  had  been  building  meanwhile  on  the 
adjacent  prairie.  In  1838  the  college  began  operations  in  the  academy  building 
and  was  conducted  by  Professor  Losey,  although  Rev.  H.  H.  Kellogg  had  been 
elected  president.  He  seems  to  have  done  little  in  the  way  of  instruction,  but 
aided  by  wise  counsel  and  pecuniary  assistance. 

Dr.  Simonds  pays  a  warm  tribute  to  Professor  Losey.  He  says:  "He  was  a 
man  peculiarly  well  fitted  to  organize  the  school  and  carry  it  into  successful  opera- 


312  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

tion.  He  was  a  many-sided  man  and  could  do  and  do  well  whatever  required  to 
be  done.  He  surveyed  the  village  site ;  was  secretary  and  bookkeeper  for  the  College 
board;  was  trustee;  was  professor  of  mathematics,  of  physics  and  of  language  and 
the  natural  sciences,  and  in  the  absence  of  philosophical  and  chemical  apparatus, 
he  devised  and  made  with  his  own  hands  an  outfit  that  enabled  him  to  interest, 
instruct  and  inspire  the  young  people  who  lived  along  the  groves  and  were  drawn 
by  his  experiments  to  attend  the  Yankee  school." 

Dr.  Gale  acted  as  a  teacher  for  a  time  and  in  1842  Innes  Grant  added  his  energies 
to  those  of  the  little  faculty.     He  remained  with  the  college  for  twenty-seven  years. 

President  Kellogg  was  succeeded  in  1845  by  Jonathan  Blanchard,  who  at  the 
time  of  his  election  was  serving  as  pastor  of  one  of  the  Presbyterian  churches  in 
Cincinnati.  It  was  another  of  those  interesting  instances  in  which  highly  capable 
men  were  induced  to  leave  the  city  and  undertake  the  development  of  an  infant 
college  in  the  sparsely  populated  prairies  of  Illinois.  It  was  in  his  administration 
that  the  question  of  sectarian  or  non-sectarian  control  was  determined  and  that  the 
institution  became  undenominational  and  has  always  remained  so. 

President  Blanchard  retired  in  1857  and  was  succeeded  the  following  year  by 
Rev.  Harvey  Curtis,  D.  D.  Dr.  Blanchard  was  in  charge  when  the  first  class,  nine 
young  men,  received  their  diplomas  in  1846.  As  an  indication  of  the  fact  that  the 
College  was  achieving  the  purpose  of  its  founder  it  should  be  stated  that  five  of  the 
yoimg  men  became  ministers. 

Dr.  Curtis  served  for  five  years  and  was  followed  by  Rev.  W.  Stanton  Curtis, 
who  served  for  a  similar  term.  It  was  within  these  administrations  that  the  young 
men  heard  the  call  of  their  country  and  exchanged  the  classroom  for  the  camp. 
Those  were  hard  days  for  the  educational  institutions  that  were  struggling  forward 
through  the  darkness,  but  by  hook  or  crook  they  managed  to  survive,  looking  for 
the  days  when  the  boys  would  come  trooping  back,  bronzed  and  matured,  to  take 
up  the  old  life.  Very  few  of  them  found  their  way  back  to  the  schools,  however. 
It  was  a  new  generation  that  succeeded  them,  a  generation  that  was  obliged  to 
shoulder  their  burdens  in  their  absence,  although  too  young  for  such  responsibilities. 

Rev.  J.  P.  Gulliver,  D.  D.,  served  as  president  from  1868  until  1872.  The 
College  scored  a  material  advance  in  these  years  along  the  lines  leading  to  a  genuine 
college  life.     The  financial  problem  was  a  burden,  but  better  times  were  coming. 

After  an  interregnum  of  two  years  Hon.  Newton  Bateman,  LL.  D.,  was  elected 
to  the  presidency  and  assumed  the  office  in  1875.  Dr.  Bateman  had  been  for  twenty- 
five  years  a  conspicuous  figure  in  public  education  in  Illinois.  For  several  successive 
terms  he  had  been  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  He  had  discussed  educa- 
tional questions  in  a  most  vigorous  and  convincing  manner  from  Cairo  to'  the  Wis- 
consin line.  There  was  not  a  city  or  town  in  which  he  was  not  a  familiar  figure. 
He  was  regarded  as  "  The  Old  Man  Eloquent"  by  the  school  people,  and  Knox  was 
deemed  especially  fortunate  in  enlisting  his  energies  and  abilities  in  her  behalf.  It 
was  believed,  and  subsequent  events  warranted  the  contention,  that  his  accession 
to  the  presidency  would  have  a  tendency  to  unite  the  public  schools  more  closely 
to  the  colleges  than  they  had  ever  been  and  that  it  would  result  in  great  good  to 
both. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  313 

President  Bateman's  term  extended  over  eighteen  years.  In  the  fulness  of 
years  he  retired  to  be  succeeded  by  one  of  the  alumni  of  the  institution,  a  young 
man  who  had  been  but  six  years  out  of  college  —  John  Huston  Finley.  After  a 
term  of  seven  years  he  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Thomas  McClelland,  then  president 
of  Pacific  University,  in  Oregon. 

It  has  been  seen  that  the  founder  of  the  college  was  greatly  impressed  with  the 
manual  labor  idea.  He  was  in  no  sense  a  forerunner  of  the  modem  manual  training 
idea,  for  the  two  conceptions  have  nothing  in  common,  with  the  possible  exception 
of  the  idea  that  work  is  educative.  The  manual  labor  idea  was  the  notion  of  self- 
maintenance  by  agriculture  and  the  further  notion  of  healthful  exercise.  The 
farm  was  to  be  a  gymnasium  as  well  as  a  cornfield  or  a  vegetable  garden.  It  ran 
its  course  with  Knox  College  as  it  has  done  with  all  the  other  institutions  that  so 
hopefully  tried  it  in  the  early  days  when  the  people  were  poor  and  education  was 
expensive. 

Dr.  Gale  was  full  of  the  eastern  notion  of  co-education.  He  was  a  firm  believer 
in  the  education  of  women  and  made  provision  for  it  in  his  scheme,  but  it  was  to  be 
in  a  co-ordinate  institution.  As  early  as  1845  a  lady  had  been  permitted  to  enter 
the  freshman  class  as  a  matter  of  extreme  courtesy,  but  lest  the  public  should  have 
the  impression  that  Knox  was  co-educational  her  name  was  excluded  from  the 
catalogue.  A  course  for  women  was  organized  as  early  as  1848  and  put  in  charge 
of  Prof.  H.  E.  Hitchcock.  Three  years  later  it  graduated  a  class  of  three.  The 
advantages  of  having  the  young  men  and  women  recite  together  was  so  manifest 
that  the  fashion  soon  developed  and  in  1872  the  distinction  disappeared. 

There  was  a  period  when  the  "piping  times  of  peace"  threw  many  army  officers 
out  of  active  service.  The  National  Government  permitted  details  of  a  number 
of  these  officers  to  private  and  State  institutions  on  the  guaranty  that  a  military 
organization  would  be  maintained.  Dr.  Bateman  believed  that  such  an  addition 
to  the  life  of  the  college  would  be  of  material  advantage  and,  in  consequence,  an 
officer  joined  the  faculty  in  1884  and  remained  until  the  beginning  of  the  Spanish 
War. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  unpretentious  academy  building  in  which  the 
college  was  first  housed.  The  Ladies'  Seminary  came  next,  in  1842,  but  it  was 
soon  destroyed  by  fire.  The  first  building  on  the  campus  was  erected  in  1844  and 
was  followed  by  another  in  the  following  year.  Within  recent  years  a  number  of 
buildings  have  been  added. 

The  following  is  a  highly  condensed  statement  of  Dr.  Simonds'  account  of  the 
endowments. 

The  original  land  purchase  was  a  little  less  than  11,000  acres,  and  was  disposed 
of  according  to  the  original  plan.  Donations  were  received  for  several  years  from 
private  sources  for  the  purpose  of  meeting  current  expenses.  There  was  a  very 
material  appreciation  of  the  realty  of  the  college  as  Galesburg  increased  in  population, 
and  some  of  it  was  sold.  Supt.  Henry  Hitchcock,  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad,  Dr.  Pearsons,  Andrew  Carnegie,  and  philanthropic  residents  of 
Galesburg  have  dealt  generously  with  the  school. 

Dr.  Simonds  selects  from  the  list  of  presidents  as  worthy  of  special  mention 


314  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Kellogg,  Blanchard,  Bateman,  Finley  and  McClelland.  Of  Dr.  Finley  he  says: 
"Representing  in  its  finest  type  the  spirit  of  the  institution,  Dr.  Finley,  who,  as  a 
country  boy  fresh  from  the  plow  and  the  routine  work  of  an  Illinois  farm,  had  worked 
his  way  through  college,  receiving  the  highest  honors  of  his  class,  now  holds  a  high 
position  in  the  educational  world  as  president  of  the  strong  and  richly  equipped 
College  of  the  City  of  New  York.  Together  with  S.  S.  McClure,  '82,  proprietor 
of  McClure' s  Magazine,  and  Robert  Mather,  '82,  president  of  the  Rock  Island 
Railroad,  two  other  loyal  sons  of  Knox,  he  worthily  represents  the  college  in  the 
East." 

Among  the  teachers  of  especial  note  one  had,  at  the  time  of  the  writing  of  this 
sketch,  1906,  been  serving  the  college  for  fifty-five  consecutive  years.  This  man 
is  Dr.  Albert  Hurd,  Professor  of  Latin.  "His  classes  are  to-day  what  they  have 
been  for  more  than  a  half  century,  a  place  where  boys  and  girls  learn  the  matter  of 
their  study  —  and,  incidentally,  where  they  learn  also  some  things  of  more  enduring 
value  than  the  mere  rules  of  grammar  or  the  scansion  of  Latin  verse." 

A  significant  feature  of  the  institution  is  Knox  Conservatory,  a  musical  college 
of  high  repute. 

There  are  some  extremely  interesting  historical  associations  with  the  past  at 
Knox.  A  sign  at  the  portal  of  the  main  building  marks  the  spot  where  the  speakers 
stood  in  that  memorable  debate  between  Lincoln  and  Douglas  on  the  7th  of  October, 
1858.  A  generation  later.  President  McKinley  and  his  cabinet  came  to  celebrate 
an  anniversary  of  the  event,  and  stood  near  the  same  spot. 

Respecting  the  campus  Dr.  Simonds  writes  in  this  pleasant  fashion  : 

"  But  two  blocks  from  the  business  center  of  the  city,  by  a  boulevard  lined  with 
the  handsome  public  edifices  which  typify  the  religious  and  educational  influences 
of  Galesburg,  passing  Beecher  Chapel  and  the  west  wing  of  Whiting  Hall,  the  home 
of  the  young  women  attending  College,  one  comes  upon  '  The  Way  to  Knox.'  It  is 
a  pleasant  and  inspiring  sight  to  watch  the  procession  of  some  hundreds  of  students 
as  -they  pass  every  morning  from  chapel  worship  to  the  work  of  daily  recitations. 
In  spring  and  fall  this  elm-shade  walk  through  Standish  Park  and  across  the  front 
campus  to  the  portals  of  historic  '  Old  Main '  becomes  an  avenue  of  beauty  as  well 
as  of  joyous  student  life." 

ROCKFORD  COLLEGE. 

(Condensed  from  an  article  by  President  Julia  H.  Gulliver,  Ph.  D.) 

Rockford  College  is  the  product  of  the  same  missionary  spirit  that  explains  the 
founding  of  Illinois,  Shurtleff,  McKendree  and  Knox.  In  1844  the  Congregational 
and  Presbyterian  churches  of  Wisconsin  and  Illinois,  assembled  in  convention, 
adopted  the  following  resolution:  "The  exigencies  of  Wisconsin  and  Northern 
Illinois  require  that  those  sections  should  unite  in  establishing  a  college  and  a  female 
seminary  of  the  highest  order  —  one  in  Wisconsin  near  to  Illinois  and  the  other 
in  Illinois  near  to  Wisconsin.  In  consequence  of  this  movement  Beloit  was  estab- 
lished in  the  former  and  Rockford  Seminary  in  the  latter. 

The  charter  for  the  Seminary  was  secured  on  February  25,  1847.  The  citizens 
donated  a  site  and  $3,500  for  the  erection  of  a  building.     It  is  not  to  be  understood 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  315 

that  the  name,  Seminary,  was  any  Hmitation  upon  the  institution  in  the  HberaHty 
of  its  cultures.  It  was  authorized  at  the  beginning  to  confer  degrees  of  the  same 
rank  as  the  best  colleges  for  men. 

There  was  the  usual  ill  fortune  in  realizing  on  the  subscriptions  and  the  same 
policy  was  followed  as  had  been  done  in  so  many  other  similar  institutions  —  the 
beginning  was  made  with  a  preparatory  school  which  later  developed  into  the  Semi- 
nary. July  11,  1849,  was  the  natal  day;  Miss  Anna  P.  Sill  was  the  principal  in  charge. 
She  had  been  preceptress  in  Gary  Collegiate  Institute,  in  Western  New  York,  in 
which  there  was  a  woman's  department. 

Miss  Sill  is  described  as  a  woman  of  remarkable  personal  beauty  and  inspired  with 
the  desire  to  engage  in  missionary  work.  The  foreign  field  had  especially  appealed  to 
her,  but  the  West  seemed  to  call  her  and  she  followed  the  beckoning  hand.  Her 
pupils  were  quick  to  appreciate  the  superior  qualities  of  this  remarkable  woman, 
who  had  left  a  home  in  the  more  desirable  East  to  lend  a  hand  in  building  up  the 
new  empire  that  was  slowly  gaining  headway  in  the  rude  and  sparsely  populated 
West.  Finding  the  building  lacking  in  simple  conveniences  she  undertook  to  supply 
them,  and  did  so  out  of  the  profits  of  a  boarding  house  of  which  she  undertook  the 
management.  Discovering  the  needs  of  the  school  and  impressed  by  its  rapid  growth, 
the  ladies  of  the  city  undertook  the  purchase  of  a  campus  at  a  cost  of  $1,000  and  the 
citizens  raised  $5,000  for  buildings. 

In  1851  the  Seminary  began  its  work  with  an  entering  class  of  fifteen.  A  year 
later  the  corner-stone  of  the  first  building  was  laid  by  the  president  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees,  Rev.  Aratus  Kent,  of  Galena.  It  is  one  of  the  main  purposes  of  sketches 
of  this  character  to  make  a  permanent  record  of  the  men  who  have  been  socially 
serviceable  by  their  disinterested  devotion  to  community  needs.  A  biographer  of 
Miss  Sill  declares  Mr.  Kent  to  be  the  "Father  of  the  Seminary,  since  to  him  more 
than  to  any  other  man  it  owed  its  inception  and  development." 

It  is  clear  from  the  description  of  the  conditions  prevailing  in  the  early  history 
of  the  Seminary  that  hardships  were  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception.  The  girls 
did  their  own  work  and  overcrowded  their  narrow  limits.  Carpets  were  an  unknown 
luxury,  furnaces  were  in  the  quite  distant  future  and  the  small  wood  stove  was  the 
main  reliance.  Added  to  these  inconveniences  was  the  constant  fear  of  fire,  which 
necessitated  a  cessation  of  firing  after  eight  o'clock.  But  they  were  a  band  of  zealous 
students  and  teachers  and  these  minor  afflictions  counted  for  little.  It  was  a  source 
of  the  keenest  disappointment  that  the  quarters  could  not  be  so  enlarged  as  to 
accommodate  the  large  number  of  applicants  who  persistently  sought  to  enter. 
Under  the  pressure  of  work  and  anxieties  Miss  Sill's  health  failed  and  she  went  East 
for  rest.  She  could  not  have  been  idle,  however,  for  she  soon  returned  with  $5,000 
that  she  had  succeeded  in  some  way  in  raising  and  with  this  an  additional  building 
was  started  and  money  borrowed  to  complete  it.  She  seems  to  have  had  a  genius 
for  money-getting,  for  $10,000  was  secured  shortly  after  and  mainly  through  her 
effort.  This  subscription  was  received  from  the  West.  The  teachers  pledged 
$1,000  out  of  their  meager  salaries  and  another  building  was  erected  two  years  later. 
Two  years  later  a  third  building  and  a  corridor  connecting  it  with  one  of  the  other 
buildings  was  begun.     Five  years  later  a  corridor  connecting  the  other  buildings 


316  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

was  completed.  Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  rigorous  climate  of  Northern 
Illinois  will  readily  appreciate  the  need  of  these  connecting  structures.  They  have 
since  developed  into  four-story  buildings.  "The  entire  amount  expended  for  these 
earlier  buildings  was  about  $75,000,  of  which  Rockford  and  its  immediate  vicinity 
gave  two-thirds.  Middle  Hall,  Chapel  Hall,  Linden  Hall  and  their  connections  are 
now  known  as  the  main  building.  In  the  winter  of  1886  Sill  Hall  was  finished. 
This  building,  erected  at  a  cost  of  $15,000  with  funds  almost  entirely  provided  by 
citizens  of  Rockford,  contains  the  gymnasium  on  the  second  floor  and  the  music 
rooms  on  the  first  floor. ' ' 

Two  additional  halls  have  been  erected:  Adams  Hall,  in  1892,  mainly  the  gift 
of  J.  Q.  Adams,  of  Chicago,  and  containing  the  laboratories  and  recitation  rooms, 
and  Memorial  Hall,  in  1891,  intended  as  a  residence  for  students  and  given  as  a 
memorial  to  Ralph  Emerson,  Jr. 

Miss  Sill  resigned  the  principalship  of  the  school  in  1884,  after  serving  the  insti- 
tution for  thirty-five  years.  She  was  continued  as  Principal  Emeritus  until  her 
death,  which  occurred  in  1889.  She  closed  her  life  in  the  institution  which  will 
ever  remain  a  monument  to  her  devotion  to  the  noble  cause  to  which  she  freely  gave 
her  life. 

Dr.  Gulliver  quotes  the  following  beautiful  tribute  from  the  pen  of  the  distin- 
guished Jane  Addams,  an  alumna  of  the  school  of  the  class  of  1881 : 

"  From  the  very  first  we  owe  to  her  .  .  .  the  highest  grace  any  institu- 
tion can  possess.  Miss  Sill  gave  it  that  strong  religious  tone  it  has  always  retained. 
She  came  to  Illinois  in  an  unselfish  spirit  —  not  to  build  up  a  large  school,  not  to 
make  an  intellectual  center,  but  to  train  the  young  women  of  a  new  country  for 
Christian  usefulness.  She  unaffectedly  and  thoroughly  made  that  her  aim.  The 
spiritual  so  easily  speaks  over  all  other  voices.  It  arrests  us  at  once.  We  travel 
the  world  over  to  find  spots  associated  with  a  humble  soul,  singly  striving  to  unite 
itself  with  the  unseen.  Salisbury  Plain,  with  magnificent  Stonehenge,  fails  to  stir 
us  as  does  the  tiny  church  on  the  edge  of  it  from  whose  porch  George  Herbert  mused 
and  prayed.  We  are  bound  by  the  tenderest  ties  to  perpetuate  this  primitive  spiritual 
purpose  —  Miss  Sill's  life-motive.  It  will  be  easy  to  do  this  —  we  can  not  other- 
wise; it  is  associated  with  this  spot  by  her  long  life  and  made  bright  by  her  gentle 
death.  Why  did  Thackeray  put  dear  old  Colonel  Newcome  into  Charter  House 
School  to  die,  but  that  he  wished  to  give  to  his  Alma  Mater  the  most  exquisite  finish, 
the  most  consummate  grace  his  genius  could  devise  —  to  associate  with  it  forever 
the  passing  from  earth  of  a  gentle,  unselfish  spirit  whose  work  was  finished.  Provi- 
dence has  granted  us  this  grace,  and  whatever  good  fortune  the  future  may  hold 
for  us,  nothing  can  be  finer  than  what  we  have  already." 

Miss  Sill's  immediate  successor  was  Miss  Martha  Hillard,  A.  B.,  now  Mrs. 
McLeish,  1884-8.  Succeeding  her  were  Miss  Anna  Gelston,  A.  B.,  1888-90;  Miss 
Sarah  F.  Anderson,  now  Mrs.  Ainsworth,  acting  principal  1890  and  principal  1891-6; 
Miss  Phebe  T.  Sutliff,  A.  M.,  President  1896-1901,  for  Rockford  Seminary  became 
Rockford  College  in  1892;  Miss  Emily  K.  Reynolds,  1901-2;  Miss  Julia  H.  Gulliver, 
A.  B.,  Ph.  D.,  1902. 

A  few  years  after  her  accession  to  the  presidency  Dr.   Gulliver  added  to  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  317 

regular  academic  courses  two  additional  departments  which  were  conceived  to  be 
needed  in  our  more  rational  modem  life.  These  were  the  departments  of  Home 
Economics  and  Secretarial  Work.  The  purpose  of  the  first  is  obvious  and  that  of 
the  second  was  to  give  to  young  women  a  good  business  training  along  with  their 
college  course. 

Rockford  College  has  now  won  her  way  to  the  first  rank  in  scholarship.  Of  all 
of  the  leading  women's  colleges  only  one  is  older —  Mount  Holyoke.  It  is  non- 
sectarian  in  its  control. 

A  most  remarkable  event  in  the  life  of  the  College  was  the  celebration  of  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  class  of  1854.  There  were  seven  in  the  class  and  all  were 
present. 

ILLINOIS  WESLEYAN  UNIVERSITY. 

This  institution  is  another  of  the  Illinois  colleges  which  owe  their  origin  to  the 
activity  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  supplying  opportunities  for  higher 
education  to  the  young  men  and  women  of  the  State.  The  sketch  here  given  is  a 
condensation  of  an  article  prepared  mainly  by  Prof.  C.  M.  Moss,  of  the  University 
of  Illinois. 

In  September,  1850,  the  annual  session  of  the  Illinois  Conference  was  held  in 
Bloomington.  The  organization  of  such  an  institution  had  been  considered  for 
several  years  and  it  was  at  this  time  and  place  that  the  Conference  determined  to 
lend  its  patronage  and  assume  the  control  of  the  school.  It  was  in  the  minds  of  the 
projectors  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  genuine  university.  On  December  2,  the 
initial  steps  were  taken  for  incorporation  and  William  H.  Allin  was  directed  to 
complete  the  incorporation  in  accordance  with  the  statute.  This  having  been 
accomplished  the  Board  again  met  on  December  11,  and  completed  its  organization. 
In  the  list  of  members  are  found  the  names  of  several  well-known  citizens  of  McLean 
county  as  well  as  those  of  other  parts  of  the  State.  Isaac  Funk,  Silas  Waters,  C.  P. 
Merriman,  John  Magoun,  William  K.  Holmes,  James  Miller,  Lewis  Bunn,  John  E. 
Ewing,  James  Allin,  Reuben  Andrus,  Wilham  J.  Rutledge,  H.  K.  Fell,  James  Leaton, 
Thomas  P.  Rogers,  Linus  Graves,  John  E.  McClun,  Ezekiel  Thomas,  William  H. 
Allin  —  these  are  household  words  in  McLean  county,  nor  were  they  confined  to 
the  membership  of  the  church  that  was  mainly  interested  in  the  movement. 
Peter  Cartwright  was  a  member  of  the  Conference,  hence  it  is  not  surprising 
that  his  name  should  appear.  The  character  of  the  men  thus  identified  with 
the  school  awakened  the  hope  that  another  college  had  joined  the  list  of  the 
permanents. 

Wisely  concluding  to  proceed  at  once  to  the  organizing  of  the  school  so'  that 
there  should  be  an  obvious  need  of  buildings  and  grounds,  literary  work  was  begun 
at  once  in  the  basement  of  the  Methodist  Church,  in  the  city  of  Bloomington,  under 
the  directions  of  Rev.  Reuben  Andrus,  M.  A.  The  next  logical  step  was  the  appoint- 
ment of  an  agent  to  enter  at  once  upon  the  work  of  soliciting  funds.  Rev.  Thomas 
Magee  was  the  man  selected  for  that  purpose.  The  writer  hereof  well  recalls  the 
conversation  that  he  heard  between  his  parents  a  year  later  as  they  were  holding 
a  famity  council  of  two  over  the  amoimt  that  they  could  spare  from  their  limited 


318  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

store  for  the  new  college  in  Bloomington.     Evidently  they  had  been  favored  with  a 
visit  from  the  agent. 

It  was  nearly  four  years  before  the  location  was  determined  by  the  gift  of  the 
campus  and  the  acceptance  of  the  same  in  the  northern  part  of  the  pleasant  village 
which  has  since  grown  to  the  dimensions  of  a  delightful  little  city  of  some  30,000. 
Judge  David  Davis  appears  as  one  of  the  early  donors  and  seems  to  have  been  some- 
what active  in  the  matter  of  location. 

Meanwhile  the  infant  school  made  little  progress.  In  1851,  Rev.  William  Good- 
fellow,  still  remembered  by  the  old  residents,  was  added  to  the  faculty  of  one  and 
rendered  several  years  of  valiant  service.  Rev.  Erastus  Wentworth  was  elected 
president,  but  did  not  actively  connect  himself  with  the  school.  The  limited  con- 
tents of  the  "strong  box"  are  exhibited  by  the  salary  allowed  Mr.  Andrus  —  $425 
a  year.  But  it  must  be  remembered  that  college  presidents  or  acting  presidents  in 
those  days  deemed  it  a  privilege  t©  serve  institutions  for  nothing  while  they  managed 
at  the  same  time  a  ministerial  charge  which  gave  them  a  moderate  living. 

Quite  at  the  first  the  question  of  admitting  women  was  under  consideration,  but 
it  was  not  favorably  settled  for  twenty  years.  On  July  6,  1852,  the  board  elected 
Rev.  John  Dempster,  D.  D.,  president,  but  he  resigned  at  the  end  of  two  years,  to 
the  detriment  of  the  school,  as  he  was  a  man  of  superior  ability.  At  the  same  time 
the  faculty  was  completed  by  the  election  of  Mr.  Andrus,  Mr.  Goodfellow  and  Rev. 
C.  W.  Sears,  M.  A.,  to  the  chairs  of  mathematics,  natural  science  and  ancient  lan- 
guages respectively.  Meanwhile  the  classes  were  reciting  in  the  basement  of  the 
church  and  there  was  an  encouraging  gain  in  the  enrolment,  but  the  prospect  for 
a  home  for  the  developing  school  was  not  materially  brightening. 

We  have  seen  multiplied  troubles  in  the  histories  of  the  colleges  thus  far  considered, 
but  they  were  but  slight  afflictions  as  compared  to  what  the  "Wesleyan"  was  to 
endure  before  all  fears  of  a  speedy  dissolution  finally  disappeared.  The  final  deter- 
mination of  the  location  of  the  building  was  delayed  because  of  harrassing  com- 
plexities. The  agent  made  a  brave  display  of  some  $18,000  in  the  way  of  subscrip- 
tions, but  for  some  reason  there  was  further  delay.  A  new  charter  was  obtained 
from  the  legislature  granting  more  favorable  conditions  and  the  board  reorganized 
under  its  provisions. 

December  4,  1854,  Rev.  Peter  Akers,  D.  D.,  was  tendered  the  presidency,  but  he 
made  his  acceptance  conditional  on  the  raising  of  a  $15,000  endowment  for  the 
president's  chair.  This  was  not  accomplished  and  the  school  suspended  operations 
for  a  year.  Meanwhile  the  building  had  been  started,  but  debts  had  accumulated 
and  lawsuits  had  developed.  At  this  juncture.  Rev.  C.  W.  Sears,  M.  A.,  on  August 
9,  1855,  offered  to  take  over  the  institution  and  be  responsible  for  its  maintenance 
if  the  existing  debts  could  be  taken  care  of.  This  was  agreed  to  with  that  hopeful- 
ness that  was  so  characteristic  of  such  situations.  Mr.  Sears  was  promptly  elected 
president,  but  at  the  end  of  a  twelve-month  there  were  more  debts  than  ever  and 
no  money  could  be  enticed  out  of  its  hiding-place,  so  nothing  remained  but  another 
suspension,  which  continued  until  the  autumn  of  1857.  It  was  not  a  year  of  inac- 
tivity, however,  for  the  agent  of  the  college.  Rev.  C.  W.  C.  Munsell,  had  been  about 
his  Master's  business. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  319 

In  the  summer  of  1856  the  board  was  so  seriously  disheartened  that  it  was  wilHng 
to  turn  over  the  property  to  any  one  that  would  take  it  and  maintain  a  school.  From 
the  beginning  a  strong  effort  had  been  made  to  enlist  the  active  co-operation  of  the 
Peoria  Conference,  but  with  slight  success.  In  November,  a  committee  representing 
the  two  Conferences  conferred  with  the  board  and  accepted  its  offer  to  turn  over 
to  them  the  exclusive  control  of  the  institution.  The  charter  was  so  modified  as  to 
meet  the  new  conditions,  which  still  continue  to  exist. 

And  now  appeared  upon  the  scene  another  Munsell,  the  brother  of  the  agent. 
Rev.  O.  S.  Munsell  was  a  Methodist  clergyman  of  means  and  capacity.  The  agent, 
when  he  began  his  work,  found  a  debt  of  nearly  $10,000,  half  of  which  was  bearing 
interest  at  the  rate  of  twenty-two  per  cent.  Such  were  the  demands  of  capitalists 
in  "the  good  old  times."  The  assets  consisted  of  a  small  campus  and  an  unfinished 
building.  Something  had  been  done  toward  an  endowment  fund  but  the  fateful 
year  of  1857  came  on  and  about  everything  went  overboard.  What  multitudinous 
hopes  faded  into  nothingness  before  that  blasting  simoon !  Mr.  Munsell  was  elected 
president  and  voluntarily  assumed  the  entire  responsibility  of  the  school  for  three 
years,  the  only  conditions  being  that  all  the  rest  were  to  keep  hands  off.  A  second 
brother.  Prof.  E.  B.  Munsell,  M.  A.,  came  to  his  assistance  and  they  went  to  work 
with  a  will.  They  advanced  the  necessary  money,  put  the  building  into  shape,  and 
opened  it  for  students  in  September,  1857,  with  the  assistance  of  Rev.  J.  T.  Tomlin, 
M.  A.,  as  instructor.  As  an  indication  of  the  devotion  of  these  brothers  to  the 
Wesleyan  let  it  be  recorded  that  C.  W.  C.  Munsell  acted  as  agent  for  twenty  years, 
and  for  fifteen  years  of  that  time  did  not  call  upon  the  school  for  even  so  much  as 
his  expenses.  The  president  and  his  brother,  the  agent,  now  went  to  work  to  wipe 
out  the  debts  and  secure  an  endowment.  There  were  odds  and  ends,  mixed  up 
with  conditions  of  one  sort  and  another,  but  at  the  end  of  three  years  the  debts 
were  paid  and  they  were  $12,500  ahead  in  the  way  of  an  endowment.  This  was  an 
achievement.     Let  them  be  remembered  as  long  as  the  institution  shall  endure. 

In  the  first  graduating  class,  which  contained  two  young  men,  was  one  Harvey 
C.  DeMotte,  who  joined  the  faculty  immediately  after  graduation  and  remained 
with  the  University  for  twenty-three  years.  We  shall  meet  him  later  as  president 
of  Chaddock  College  for  three  years.  He  left  that  position  to  become  superintendent 
of  the  Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home,  at  Normal.  He  served  with  great  acceptance  in 
that  capacity,  being  assisted  materially  by  his  capable  wife.  He  subsequently 
returned  to  the  University,  where  he  remained  until  his  death  in  1904. 

With  the  graduation  of  the  first  class  the  board  assumed  the  financial  respon- 
sibility and,  to  save  much  future  embarrassment,  adopted  a  regulation  suggested  by 
the  Munsells,  to  the  effect  that  the  board  should  be  responsible  for  the  salaries  of  the 
teachers  only  to  the  extent  that  the  income  of  the  institution  should  meet  them. 

The  significant  events  of  the  succeeding  few  years  were  a  destructive  storm, 
whose  ravages  were  repaired  by  the  Munsell  brothers,  gifts  of  valuable  museum  col- 
lections, and  a  sudden  call  for  voltmteers  in  the  spring  of  1862.  There  were  forty- 
three  male  students  in  the  institution  that  were  capable  of  bearing  arms ;  thirty- two 
of  them,  under  the  leadership  of  Professor  De  Motte,  responded  to  the  call  and  the 
school  proceeded  with  the  remaining  eleven. 


320  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  year  1866  was  one  of  good  omen  to  the  University.  It  was  the  centenary 
year  of  the  Church  and  was  celebrated  by  raising  endowments.  That  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  was  increased  to  more  than  $75,000  and  the  aggregate  assets  were  found  to 
be  more  than  $150,000;  $9,000  of  the  increase  was  received  from  the  family  of  Hon. 
Isaac  Funk,  who  had  died  the  previous  year. 

The  next  move  was  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  suitable  building.  All  that 
had  thus  far  been  secured  was  a  modest  two-story  structure  of  small  proportions. 
From  1868  to  1871  the  managers  were  busy  in  their  effort  to  accomplish  this  most 
desirable  result.  When  complete  it  had  cost  $100,000,  which  meant  the  burden 
of  another  debt,  with  all  of  its  distressing  implications.  Happily  it  was  extinguished 
after  the  old  fashion  of  struggling  along  until  the  deed  was  done. 

In  fulfillment  of  the  purpose  to  create  a  university  a  law  department  was  added 
in  1872,  under  the  deanship  of  R.  E.  Williams,  Esq.,  of  Bloomington.  A  musical 
department  soon  after  also  became  a  college  of  the  university.  Both  have  been 
prosperous. 

In  1873  President  Munsell  resigned  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Samuel  Fallows, 
D.  D.,  who  served  for  two  years  and  then  became  Bishop  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal 
Church.  President  Fallows  made  several  notable  additions  to  the  work  of  the 
university,  one  of  them  being  a  system  of  post  graduate  courses  leading  to  degrees 
arid  conducted  through  examinations,  after  the  fashion  of  the  London  University. 

Dr.  Fallows  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  W.  H.  H.  Adams,  D.  D.,  who  served  until 
1887.  The  debts  had  again  become  an  "old  man  of  the  sea,"  but  an  energetic 
administration  again  avoided  shipwreck.  In  1888  Rev.  W.  H.  Wilder,  D.  D.,  an 
alumnus  of  73,  was  elected  president.  He  served  for  nine  years  and  cut  both  ways; 
reducing  the  indebtedness  and  increasing  the  endowments.  He  added  material 
equipments  and  signalized  his  administration  by  unusual  financial  skill.  An  inter- 
regnum occurring  for  a  year.  Prof.  R.  O.  Graham,  the  head  of  the  science  department, 
acted  as  president.  Professor  Graham  deserves  far  more  than  a  passing  mention. 
Any  adequate  history  of  the  university  will  write  his  name  large  in  its  annals. 

In  1897  Dr.  Edgar  M.  Smith,  of  Montpelier,  Vermont,  was  elected  to  the  presi- 
dency and  served  for  the  succeeding  eight  years.  He  was  succeeded  by  Francis 
George  Barnes,  D.  D.,  who  had  made  a  phenomenal  success  of  the  Grand  Prairie 
Seminar}^  at  Onarga,  Illinois.  There  was  great  need  of  energ>^  and  enthusiasm 
and  ability.  He  was  like  one  of  the  western  cyclones  that  sweep  along  everything 
in  its  path.  He  soon  doubled  the  attendance  and,  more,  aroused  a  new  and  most 
cordial  interest  in  the  university,  found  ways  out  of  embarrassing  financial  difficulties, 
established  a  department  of  commerce,  added  a  department  of  domestic  science 
and  scored  an  epoch  in  the  life  of  the  institution.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Theo- 
dore Kemp,  D.  D. 

Within  the  last  fifteen  years  occasional  bequests  have  been  dropped  into  the  lap 
of  the  university.  The  latest  is  from  that  universal  benefactor,  Mr.  Carnegie,  and 
it  has  been  utilized  in  the  erection  of  a  science  building. 

Much  remains  unwritten  in  this  condensation  of  Professor  Moss'  article.  He 
was  for  several  years  connected  with  the  university  as  Professor  of  Greek,  and  is 
one  of  many  men  of  rare  culture  who  have  been  called  to  wider  fields  of  usefulness. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  321 

It  may  now  be  regarded  as  beyond  a  doubt  that  the  institution  is  safely  at  sea  and 
where  the  water  is  deep  and  the  saiHng  good.  Its  friends  are  many,  and  all  wish 
it  the  large  prosperity  that  should  come  to  it  after  its  long  struggle  with  adverse 
conditions. 

LOMBARD  COLLEGE  AND  RYDER  DIVINITY  SCHOOL. 

(From  a  sketch  by  President  Lewis  B.  Fisher,  D.  D.) 

This  institution  was  established  as  an  academy,  at  Galesburg,  1851.  It  was 
empowered  to  confer  college  degrees  in  1853,  was  named  a  university  in  1855,  and 
received  its  present  name  in  1899. 

Like  the  other  colleges  it  owes  its  origin  to  the  desire  to  advance  the  interests 
of  religious  thought  and  practice.  While  the  other  denominations  were  establishing 
schools  for  the  promulgation  of  their  religious  faith,  the  Universalists  determined 
to  follow  their  example.  In  consequence  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  home  of  Amos 
Pierce,  at  Greenbush,  Warren  coimty,  in  1850,  at  which  Rev.  Charles  P.  West,  a 
pioneer  minister  of  the  denomination  in  the  State,  was  authorized  to  formulate  the 
situation  and  present  it  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Spoon  River  Association  of  Uni- 
versalists. This  meeting  was  held  at  the  same  place  on  May  9  of  the  same  year. 
The  meeting  adopted  the  following  statement  submitted  by  Mr.  West : 

Whereas,  The  intellectual  and  moral  improvement  of  our  youth  is  a  subject  of  most  vital  impor- 
tance, not  only  to  our  denomination  but  also  to  the  community  at  large;  and 

Whereas,  Most  if  not  all  of  the  literary  institutions  of  this  State,  higher  than  common  schools, 
established  by  law,  ever  have  been  and  still  are  in  the  hands  of  and  under  the  control  of  our  religious 
opponents;  and 

Whereas,  The  sectarian  influences  of  these  institutions  are  detrimental  to  the  cause  of  free 
inquiry  after  truth : 

Resolved,  That  the  Universalists  of  this  State  ought  immediately  to  adopt  measures  for  the  estab- 
lishing of  a  seminary  of  learning  which  shall  be  free  from  the  above  objections. 

Resolved,  That  the  said  institution  should  be  located  at  Galesburg,  Illinois. 

The  action  of  this  gathering  was  endorsed  by  the  State  convention  of  the  denom- 
ination in  the  same  year  and  all  possible  aid  was  promised.  The  first  step  toward 
the  carrying  out  of  the  plan  was  taken  by  Uzziah  Conger,  who  purchased  a  half 
block  of  land  in  Galesburg,  which  subsequently  became  the  property  of  the  school. 
A  group  of  interested  men  began  an  active  canvass  for  funds  on  a  plan  entirely 
unique  in  the  history  of  the  State.  It  was  determined  to  organize  a  joint  stock 
company  with  a  capitalization  of  $5,000,  divided  into  $25  shares,  with  the  under- 
standing that  when  the  stock  was  half  subscribed  a  permanent  organization  should 
be  effected.  High  hopes  were  entertained  for  the  success  of  the  enterprise,  evidently, 
for  provisions  were  made  for  stock  dividends  from  the  earnings  of  the  school.  The 
stock  was  made  taxable  for  its  support.  On  the  24th  of  October,  1850,  "  The  Uni- 
versalist  Literary  Society  of  Illinois"  was  formally  organized  by  the  election  of 
trustees.  The  board  at  once  perfected  its  organization  by  the  election  of  Alfred 
Brown,  president,  L.  E.  Conger,  treasurer,  and  Rev.  C.  P.  West,  secretary.  A 
building  committee  was  chosen  and  Mr.  West  was  made  general  agent.  Shortly 
after  the  name  was  changed  to  "The  Illinois  Liberal  Institute,"  and  on  February 

21 


322  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

15,  1851,  the  legislature  granted  the  organization  under  that  name.  By  September, 
1852,  a  brick  building  was  erected,  Rev.  P.  R.  Kendall  was  elected  principal  of  the 
school,  Miss  Caroline  S.  Woodbury  was  made  principal  of  the  ladies'  department, 
a  hundred  students  were  present  and  the  work  began.  At  the  next  session  of  the 
legislature  the  college  was  authorized  to  confer  degrees. 

The  question  of  financial  support  soon  pushed  to  the  front.  The  sale  of  stock 
was  discontinued  and  the  oft-tried  scheme  of  the  sale  of  scholarships  was  under- 
taken. It  seems  to  have  been  remarkably  successful,  for  approximately  $80,000 
was  secured.  Additions  were  made  to  the  faculty  and  among  them  was  a  man  who 
made  a  notable  place  for  himself  in  the  early  and  even  the  later  history  of  higher 
education  in  Illinois.  J.  V.  N.  Standish  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  mathematics 
on  November  5,  1854.  Professor  Standish  was  then  twenty-nine  years  of  age. 
He  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  Plymouth  soldier,  was  a  graduate  of  Norwich 
University,  and  was  a  most  impressive  personality.  The  mention  of  Lombard 
recalls  him  at  once  to  the  minds  of  all  who  are  at  all  familiar  with  educational  events. 
He  was  acting  president  from  1854  to  1857,  served  in  a  variety  of  capacities  during 
the  succeeding  thirty-five  years,  was  president  from  1892  to  1895,  and  for  the  whole 
period  of  his  connection  with,  the  school  was  of  inestimable  value  to  its  interests. 

On  the  27th  of  April,  1855,  a  disastrous  fire  swept  away  the  building  and  it  was 
without  insurance.  Fortunately,  Mr.  Henry  Lombard,  a  resident  of  Henry,  Illinois, 
came  to  the  rescue  of  the  well-nigh  disheartened  school,  offering  a  donation  of  $20,000, 
on  the  condition  that  it  should  be  supplemented  by  a  donation  of  $15,000.  The 
conditions  were  quickly  met.  The  gift  included  eighty  acres  of  land  now  within 
the  limits  of  the  city.  The  location  was  changed  from  the  original  site,  near  the 
Burlington  station,  to  the  Lombard  tract  and  the  new  building  was  ready  by  the  fall 
of  1856.  The  name  of  the  institution  became  Lombard  University  in  1855.  Mr. 
Lombard  is  another  illustration  of  the  incalculable  value  of  a  good  man  to  a  com- 
munity. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  presidents  succeeding  Professor  Kendall :  Rev.  Otis 
A.  Skinner,  1857-9;  Rev.  J.  P.  Weston,  D.  D.,  1859-72;  Rev.  Nehemiah  White, 
D.  D.,  1875-92;  Rev.  John  Clarence  Lee,  D.  D.,  four  months;  Dr.  Standish,  1892-5; 
Rev.  Charles  Ellwood  Nash,  1895-1904;  Rev.  L.  B.  Fisher,  1905.  Rev.  William 
Livingston,  who  came  to  the  school  in  1855  as  professor  of  science,  was  made  pro- 
visional president  from  1872  to  1875.     Professor  Rich  had  charge  of  affairs  1904-5. 

The  first  class  was  graduated  in  1856.  It  consisted  of  four  gentlemen  and  two 
ladies.  Lombard  is  thus  seen  to  be  one  of  the  earliest  colleges  in  the  country  to 
offer  higher  education  to  women.  The  institution  has  been  peculiarly  favored  in 
many  ways.  While  not  without  its  days  of  trial  it  has  never  known  the  misfortunes 
of  several  of  its  sister  schools.  It  has  increased  the  number  of  its  buildings,  has 
sent  out  many  men  and  women  who  have  come  to  prominence  and  has  a  comfortable 
endowment  of  $175,000. 

RYDER  DIVINITY  SCHOOL. 

This  divinity  school  became  a  department  of  the  university  in  1869.  Dr.  William 
H.  Ryder,  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  pastor  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  323 

Church,  Chicago,  was  for  many  years  president  of  the  board  of  trustees.  He 
bequeathed  $50,000  to  the  department.  In  1890,  Hon.  A.  G.  Throop,  founder  of 
the  Throop  Polytechnic  Institute  at  Pasadena,  Cahfornia,  gave  $20,000  toward  its 
endowment.     Dr.  White  was  the  head  of  the  school  from  1892  to  1905. 

HEDDING  COLLEGE. 

(From  a  sketch  by  Prof.  Edgar  A.  Steele,  B.  L.) 

When  Abraham  D.  Swarts  laid  out  the  town  of  Abingdon,  in  1836,  he  reserved 
a  tract  of  land  as  the  site  of  a  college.  In  1855,  a  year  after  his  death,  Hedding 
Collegiate  Seminary  was  opened  for  students.  It  was  named  after  Bishop  Elijah 
Hedding,'  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  an  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Swarts  in  his 
early  life.  The  succeeding  year  the  property  was  conveyed  to  the  Peoria  Annual 
Conference. 

The  first  building  was  erected  in  1857  at  a  cost  of  $12,000.  The  charter  then 
received  from  the  legislature  gave  it  the  name  of  Hedding  Seminary  and  Central 
Illinois  Female  College,  with  power  to  grant  degrees  to  women.  There  was  reor- 
ganization, in  1875  when  a  new  charter  was  obtained  and  the  institution  became 
Hedding  College. 

The  first  principal  of  the  school  was  Rev.  N.  C.  Lewis,  A.  M.  One  of  his  assis- 
tants was  the  late  Matthew  Andrews,  well  known  in  later  years  as  a  public  school 
man  of  large  experience.  Mr.  Lewis  was  succeeded  in  1858  by  J.  T.  Dickinson, 
A.  M.,  who  served  the  institution  for  nine  years.  Mr.  Dickinson's  successors  were 
Rev.  M.  C.  Springer,  1867-72;  Rev.  J.  G.  Evans,  D.  D.,  1872-78;  Rev.  G.  W.  Peck, 
1879-82;  Rev.  J.  S.  Cummins,  D.  D.,  1883-6;  Rev.  J.  R.  Jaques,  1887-9;  Rev.  J.  G. 
Evans,  1889-98;  Rev.  H.  D.  Clark,  D.  D.,  1898-1900;  Rev.  U.  Z.  Gilmer,  1900-02; 
Rev.  Harry  B.  Gough,  1902,  and  Rev.  William  Pitt  McVey. 

A  second  building  was  completed  in  1876  at  a  cost  of  $30,000.  A  large  and  well- 
equipped  gymnasium  was  opened  in  November,  1904. 

"  The  location  is  especially  favorable  for  a  Christian  college,  as  Abingdon  has  a 
charter  perpetual  against  the  saloon.  More  than  twenty-five  per  cent  of  the  minis- 
ters of  the  Central  Illinois  Conference  have  been  educated  in  this  college.  Noonday 
prayer-meetings  have  been  held  by  the  students  of  the  college  without  a  break  for 
more  than  thirty-five  years.  The  college  has  a  high  standard  and  especially  aims 
to  develop  the  highest  Christian  character." 

EUREKA  COLLEGE. 

(Condensed  from  a  paper  prepared  by  Prof.  W.  T.  Jackson,  A.  B.) 

Eureka  College  was  chartered  in  1855.  It  was  the  successor  of  Walnut  Grove 
Seminary,  which  was  opened  in  1848  by  A.  S.  Fisher,  a  student  of  Bethany  College, 
Virginia,  who  went  to  Walnut  Grove  for  that  purpose.  Bethany  College  was  pat- 
ronized by  the  people  of  that  community,  as  they  were  largely  of  the  Christian 
Church  and  Bethany  was  of  that  denomination.  A  desire  on  the  part  of  certain 
members  of  the  community  to  have  in  their  midst  a  school  that  would  teach  not 


324  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

only  the  common  English  branches  but  also  some  of  the  more  advanced  work  led 
them  to  guarantee  his  salary  for  the  first  year. 

With  the  beginning  of  the  second  year  the  Seminary  enlarged  its  borders  some- 
what by  soliciting  patronage  and  by  the  employment  of  an  assistant  teacher.  The 
tuition  was  very  moderate,  ranging  from  $8  to  $15  a  year,  while*  board  cost  not  to 
exceed  $1.25  a  week.  In  December,  1849,  the  school  was  incorporated  under  the 
name  of  Walnut  Grove  Academy,  and  in  the  following  year  Elder  John  Lindsey,  an 
evangelist  and  a  graduate  of  Bethany  College,  was  employed  to  teach  the  ancient 
languages. 

As  the  Seminary  owed  its  life  to  the  especial  interest  of  influential  members  of 
the  Church  of  Christ,  and  as  its  teachers  were  of  that  faith,  it  was  quite  to  be  expected 
that  an  effort  would  be  made  to  secure  financial  aid  from  its  church  organizations. 
At  an  annual  Missionary  Convention  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  Illinois,  held  at 
Walnut  Grove,  in  1851,  the  matter  was  broached,  and  at  the  next  annual  meeting,  at 
Abingdon,  the  following  preamble  and  resolution  were  adopted: 

Whereas,  Walnut  Grove  Academy,  now  under  the  control  of  a  Board  of  Trustees,  organized 
under  the  general  law  of  Illinois,  which  has  been  in  successful  operation  for  the  last  four  years,  taught 
by  A.  S.  Fisher,  principal  of  the  department  of  mathematics,  and  John  Lindsey,  principal  of  lan- 
guages, and  which  is  the  only  regularly  organized  institution  of  learning  controlled  by  our  brethren 
in  the  State;  and 

Whereas,  Said  institution  proposes  to  educate  young  men  for  the  ministry  'free  of  tuition  fees'; 
therefore. 

Resolved,  That  we  commend  to  our  brethren  in  Illinois,  this  institution,  and  urge  upon  them 
to  foster  it  by  sending  their  sons  and  daughters  and  donating  to  its  library  and  apparatus,  and  raising 
such  means  as  may  enable  the  trustees  to  place  it  upon  a  sure  and  permanent  basis,  and  be  recognized 
as  the  institution  for  the  brethren  of  the  State. 

The  Church  of  Christ  lacks  that  compactness  of  organization  possessed  by  some 
other  denominations  and,  in  consequence,  such  a  resolution  did  not  bring  the  sub- 
stantial assistance  that  otherwise  might  have  been  expected.  The  town  of  Eureka 
has  given  generously,  however,  and  if  those  who  would  ordinarily  be  regarded  as 
interested  in  the  college  had  done  as  well  it  would  now  be  generously  endowed. 

From  the  first  the  College  has  had  to  devote  no  little  of  its  energies  to  preparatory 
work.  A  three-year  course  made  up  from  the  regular  course  was  provided  for 
young  women.  They  have  always  been  taught  in  the  classes  with  the  young  men, 
but  were  permitted  to  graduate  with  fewer  requirements.  The  young  women  have 
demonstrated  their  ability  to  do  the  work  that  any  one  can  do,  hence  the  short  course 
has  been  abolished  and  there  are  to  be  no  distinctions  in  the  amount  of  work  required 
for  a  degree. 

"  In  1860  a  scientific  course  was  inaugurated,  differing  from  the  classical  by  the 
omission  of  Greek  and  Latin,  and  requiring  less  time.  With  some  variations  this 
course  was  continued  until  1886,  when  it  was  made  a  four-year  course  and  placed 
on  the  same  plane  as  the  classical  course.  Election  was  only  by  courses  till  1891, 
when  juniors  and  seniors  were  allowed  to  elect  about  half  of  their  work.  The  privi- 
lege of  election  was  later  extended  to  the  lower  classes.  At  present  one- third  of 
the  work  is  freely  elective  and  a  portion  of  the  other  two-thirds  is  elective  with  some 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  325 

limitations.  Regular  work  in  German  and  French,  three  or  four  years  in  each,  dates 
from  about  1876." 

In  1866  special  courses  were  offered  for  those  who  were  preparing  for  the  ministry, 
and  they  have  been  continued  in  various  forms  to  the  present,  although  not  con- 
stituting a  complete  theological  course. 

In  1884  Abingdon  College,  located  at  Abingdon,  Illinois,  was  joined  with  Eureka. 
The  productive  endowment  of  the  college  is  estimated  at  about  $50,000  and  the 
equipment  at  about  the  same. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  presidents:  William  M.  Brown,  1855-6;  Charles  Louis 
Loos,  1856-8;  George  Callender,  1858-62;  B.  W.  Johnson,  1862-3;  H.  Vv^.  Everest, 
1863-72;  A.  M.  Weston,  1872-5;  B.  J.  Radford,' 1875-7;  H.  W.  Everest,  1877-81; 
J.  M.  Allen,  1881-7;  Carl  Johann,  1887-96;  J.  H.  Hardin,  1896-1900;  R.  E.  Hierony- 
mus,  1900-10. 

MONMOUTH  COLLEGE. 

(From  a  sketch  by  W.  J.  Buchanan.) 

Monmouth  College,  like  so  many  of  its  kind,  was  evolved  from  an  academy. 
These  academies  were  tentative  propositions,  feelers,  forerunners;  if  the  communities 
were  not  ready  for  the  higher  institutions  the  academies  could  be  continued  or 
abandoned.     In  the  latter  event  no  serious  loss  would  be  incurred. 

It  was  at  a  meeting  of  the  Second  Associate  Presbytery  of  Illinois,  held  in  October, 
1852,  in  the  South  Henderson  Church,  some  twenty  miles  from  Monmouth,  that  the 
suggestion  was  made  that  there  should  be  a  classical  school  in  western  Illinois.  The 
two  men  who  are  responsible  for  the  movement  are  Rev.  J.  C.  Porter,  pastor  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  congregation,  of  Cedar  Creek,  and  Rev.  Robert  Ross,  pastor 
of  a  similar  congregation,  at  South  Henderson.  The  suggestion  met  the  approval 
of  the  meeting  and  it  was  determined  that  the  Presbytery  should  establish  an 
academy  within  its  territory.  A  committee  consisting  of  the  two  pastors  mentioned 
and  Rev.  W.  R.  Erskine  was  appointed  to  formulate  all  details. 

The  Presbytery  met  a  half-year  later  at  Clayton  and  there  located  the  academy 
at  Monmouth  and  appointed  a  board  of  directors  to  take  charge  of  it.  The  board 
selected  Rev.  James  R.  Brown  as  principal,  a  position  which  he  retained  during  the 
existence  of  the  school  as  an  academy.  It  was  opened  on  the  first  Monday  of 
November,  1853,  with  twenty-one  students. 

Two  years  later  the  Presbytery  believed  that  the  time  had  come  to  advance  the 
school  to  the  grade  of  a  college.  The  necessary  steps  were  taken  to  meet  the  needs 
of  the  institution  and  in  January  a  faculty,  consisting  of  Rev.  David  A.  Wallace, 
president.  Rev.  Marion  Morrison,  of  Tranquillity,  Ohio,  professor  of  mathematics, 
and  Rev.  J.  R.  Brown,  professor  of  ancient  languages.  September  3,  1856,  was  the 
opening  day  of  the  college  and  ninety-nine  pupils  were  enrolled  in  the  course  of  the 
first  year.  The  first  four  years  were  spent  in  a  building  in  the  northwest  part  of 
Monmouth.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  Maj.  R.  W.  McClaughry,  the  famous 
prison  warden,  was  the  first  student-janitor  of  the  building.  In  1863  the  college 
was  moved  to  its  present  site,  where  an  excellent  four-story  building  awaited  it. 
Several  additional  buildings  have  since  been  erected. 


326  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Only  four  presidents  have  presided  over  the  college :  Dr.  Wallace  served  twenty- 
one  years,  Rev.  Jackson  Burgess  Mc  Michael  nineteen  years,  Rev.  Samuel  Ross 
Lyons  three  years,  and  Rev.  T.  H.  Mc  Michael  has  now  served  since  1903.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  literary  and  scientific  departments  there  is  a  musical  department. 

The  supervision  of  the  college  is  vested  in  the  Synods  of  Illinois,  Iowa,  Nebraska, 
Kansas,  and  the  Second  Synod  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North  America. 
Its  success  indicates  what  is  possible  under  the  fostering  care  of  a  large  and  influential 
church  organization.  The  corporate  powers  of  control  are  vested  in  a  senate,  com- 
posed of  directors  selected  from  the  territory  of  the  synods  designated  and  from  the 
alumni,  and  in  a  board  of  trustees  who  are  elected  by  this  senate.  The  control  is 
denominational  but  not  sectarian. 

The  sketch  from  which  this  account  is  condensed  was  prepared  in  1906.  Up  to 
that  time  there  had  been  an  enrolment  of  fifteen  thousand  students  and  the  alumni 
numbered  nearly  thirteen  hundred.  Two  of  the  graduates  have  attained  national 
prominence  in  connection  with  the  building  of  the  Panama  Canal  —  John  F.  Wallace 
and  Theodore  P.  Shonts.  The  college  has  been  well  cared  for,  the  endowment 
fimd  now  aggregating  a  quarter  of  a  million. 

The  college  has  been  co-educational  from  the  first.  It  has  always  had  a  pre- 
paratory department,  which  has  also  given  general  courses  for  those  not  expecting 
to  take  the  complete  course.  Like  many  of  the  colleges  that  were  in  existence  at 
the  time  of  the  great  war,  Monmouth  contributed  liberally  of  her  students  to  save 
the  Union.  Major  McClaughry  began  his  military  career  by  the  organization  of  a 
student  company  known  as  the  "  Cadet  Blues." 

Opportunities  for  liberal  culture  are  afforded  and  a  good  degree  of  freedom  is 
allowed  in  the  matter  of  electives.  The  college  had  her  scourge  of  fire  as  so  many 
of  her  sisters  had,  but  she  arose  from  the  ashes  like  the  fabled  bird  that  so  frequently 
adorns  the  rhetoric  of  the  younger  collegian.  Her  first  president  made  a  most  enviable 
record  in  the  early  education  of  the  State  and  will  receive  appropriate  mention 
elsewhere. 

LAKE  FOREST  COLLEGE. 

(From  a  sketch  by  John  J.  Halsey,  LL.  D.) 

The  sketch  by  Dr.  Halsey  is  rich  in  historical  details  and  when  printed  by  the 
Bureau  of  Education,  from  which  the  manuscript  was  obtained  for  this  record,  will 
be  found  of  great  value  to  the  future  historian  of  the  institution. 

The  origin  of  the  university  is  traceable  to  the  suggestion .  of  Rev.  Robert  W. 
Patterson,  D.  D.,  then  pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago.  He 
discussed  with  friends  the  advisability  of  founding  near  the  city  an  institution  of 
learning  under  the  direction  of  the  denomination  with  which  he  was  affiliated.  There 
were  soon  associated  with  him  as  interested  in  the  enterprise  Dr.  Harvey  Curtis, 
pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago,  and  Rev.  Ira  M.  Weed,  of 
Waukegan,  then  agent  of  the  American  Board  of  Christian  Foreign  Missions.  They 
cast  about  for  a  location  and  settled  upon  the  present  site  of  Lake  Forest.  This 
was  in  1854  and  1855. 

Forty  thousand  dollars  were  promised  and  a  selected  agent,   Mr.  J.  J.  Slocum, 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  327 

soon  had  $50,000  more  on  his  books.  Among  the  subscribers  was  the  well  known 
William  Bross,  once  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  State.  The  plan  of  procedure  was 
not  altogether  unlike  that  pursued  by  Knox  College.  The  subscribers  constituted 
"  The  Lake  Forest  Association."  The  idea  seems  to  have  been  to  establish  a  college 
town  for  suburban  residence,  where  the  youth  of  the  community  could  be  educated 
at  home  and  in  most  delightful  surroundings.  Twenty- three  hundred  acres  of  land 
were  purchased.  Thirteen  hundred  acres  were  set  aside  as  Association  property, 
and  on  this  the  town  was  tastefully  designed.  Every  alternate  lot  was  assigned  to 
the  University.  It  was  hoped,  probably,  that  the  increase  in  value  of  these  lots 
would  be  a  most  valuable  asset  of  the  institution.  Forty  acres  in  the  center  of  the 
town  were  set  apart  for  the  college  campus,  ten  acres  adjacent  for  an  Academy  and 
twelve  acres  on  the  lake  front  for  a  Ladies'  Seminary.  All  of  this  was  accomplished 
in  the  years  1857-8-9. 

In  consequence  of  a  liberal  but  conditional  offer  of  Mr.  Sylvester  Lind,  of  Chi- 
cago, a  charter  was  obtained,  bearing  date  February  13,  1857,  for  the  organization 
of  "  Lind  University,"  and  giving  authority  for  the  establishment  of  the  usual  depart- 
ments of  law,  theology,  etc.  February  16,  1865,  the  name  of  the  institution  was 
changed  to  "Lake  Forest  University." 

In  July,  1857,  the  Land  Association  sold  the  six  hundred  and  fifty  acres  which 
it  had  retained  for  $109,000.  A  hotel  was  erected  and  the  town  was  laid  out  by  a 
landscape  gardener.  Meanwhile  a  movement  was  made  to  meet  the  conditions  of 
subscriptions  that  had  been  offered.  Let  it  be  remembered  that  the  year  is  1857 
and  no  further  comment  is  necessary.  When  the  subscription  had  realized  $4,000 
an  academy  building,  instead  of  a  university  building,  was  erected  and  before  the 
end  of  the  succeeding  year  school  opened  with  four  pupils  and  Samuel  F.  Miller  as 
principal.  The  first  year  the  attendance  increased  to  twenty-five  and  the  second 
year  to  forty-nine.      Meanwhile  two  additional  instructors  were  appointed. 

The  year  1861  marks  the  beginning  of  the  college,  a  class  of  five  undertaking 
the  work  imder  Prof.  W.  C.  Dickinson,  who  had  been  a  teacher  in  the  academy  for 
two  years.  The  class  continued  for  two  years  when  the  college  came  to  a  halt. 
In  March,  1859,  certain  physicians  of  the  city  organized  a  medical  college  as  a  part 
of  the  university.     In  1866  it  withdrew  and  became  the  Chicago  Medical  College. 

The  public  received  the  impression,  which  is  quite  likely  to  be  given  under  the 
circumstance,  that  the  university  was  amply  supplied  with  funds  and  that  the  pro- 
moters were  working  a  financial  rather  than  an  educational  scheme,  and,  in  conse- 
quence, it  was  impossible  to  secure  an  endowment  by  an  appeal  to  the  philanthropy 
of  the  people,  beyond  $50,000  for  a  guarantee  fund  for  the  future  president's  salary. 
The  academy  was  not  self-supporting  and  was  encroaching  on  the  funds.  The  land 
endowment  slowly  disappeared  so  that  in  1864  it  was  the  only  school  in  operation. 
Thus  a  magnificent  possibility  seemed  about  to  end  in  hopeless  disaster.  Milford 
C.  Butler  succeeded  Mr.  Miller  as  principal  in  March,  1862,  and  served  for  two 
years.     He  was  succeeded  by  Lewis  M.  Johnson,  who  served  from  1864  to  1868. 

The  Seminary,  which  has  since  become  so  successful  under  the  name  of  Ferry 
Hall,  had  its  forenmner  in  a  school  for  young  women  which  was  opened  in  Septem- 
ber, 1859,  by  Rev.  Baxter  Dickinson,  D.  D.,  with  the  assistance  of  his  four  daughters. 


328  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

He  erected  a  building  on  a  lot  near  the  university  grounds,  being  attracted  to  the 
location  by  the  expected  developments.     He  was  generously  patronized. 

In  the  winter  of  1868  the  financial  condition  was  such  as  to  determine  the  board 
of  trustees  to  build  an  excellent  building  for  a  ladies'  seminary.  In  September, 
1869,  it  opened  as  Ferry  Hall.  It  was  leased  for  a  term  of  years  to  Edward  P. 
Weston  and  sprang  into  quick  popularity.  In  1869,  a  similar  policy  was  adopted 
with  regard  to  the  academy  and.  it  soon  became  self-supporting. 

Early  in  the  history  of  the  enterprise  the  Land  Association  had  built  a  hotel. 
In  1874  the  trustees  purchased  this  building  and  started  the  college.  The  original 
mover  in  the  enterprise  became  president  of  the  university  in  August,  1875.  It 
was  two  years  before  a  freshman  class  materialized.  The  students  came  at  last  and 
work  began.  They  were  no  sooner  well  started  than  the  old  and  familiar  scourge 
of  fire  visited  them.  Their  misfortune  attracted  friends,  however,  among  whom 
were  Hon.  Charles  B.  Farwell  and  his  wife.  An  endowment  fund  of  $100,000  was 
raised,  and  a  new  president  appeared  in  the  person  of  Rev.  Daniel  S.  Gregory,  D.  D. 
Prof.  John  H.  Hewitt  had  come  to  the  institution  as  a  teacher  and  upon  the  retire- 
ment of  President  Patterson  had  served  most  efficiently  in  holding  the  organization 
together  after  the  fire  and  rehabilitating  the  institution.  A  new  building  was  erected, 
and  in  September  the  college  opened  with  a  student  body  of  thirty-seven  and  a 
faculty  of  seven. 

President  Gregory  served  for  eight  years  and  left  the  institution  in  broken  health 
from  his  effort  to  develop  it  in  harmony  with  his  plans.  Something  had  been  accom- 
plished in  the  graduation  of  forty-five  students,  but  financial  support  was  still  a  thing 
of  the  future.  If  it  had  been  a  pure  business  enterprise  it  would  have  been  given 
up  long  before,  but  there  were  a  few  friends  that  could  not  surrender  their  hope  of 
a  college  with  an  ample  endowment  as  the  crown  of  the  original  endeavor. 

And  now  came  Rev.  William  C.  Roberts,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  one  of  the  secretaries  of 
the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Home  Missions,  as  president.  The  board  of  trustees 
determined  to  raise  a  fund  of  $1,000,000  within  the  next  five  years.  At  his  inaugura- 
tion, in  June,  1887,  $155,000  had  already  been  secured.  By  the  beginning  of  1888, 
$200,000  of  the  million  was  on  hand.  The  success  of  the  board  seemed  to  exhaust 
their  energies,  for  in  1888  little  was  done.  In  April,  1889,  D.  K.  Pearsons,  whom 
we  have  met  on  other  auspicious  occasions,  told  the  board  that  if  they  would  raise 
$400,000  by  commencement  day  he  would  make  it  a  half-million.  It  was  accom- 
plished. Mr.  Pearsons  had  a  way  of  enticing  money  from  men's  pockets  by  a  show 
of  money. 

In  the  development  of  the  university  idea  Northwestern  College  of  Dental 
Surgery,  Rush  Medical  College  and  the  Chicago  College  of  Law  were  connected 
with  the  institution  within  the  period  between  1887  and  1903,  when  the  final  separa- 
tion took  place,  and  the  institution  determined  to  devote  itself  to  a  less  ambition 
than  the  realization  of  a  university. 

The  remaining  presidents  were  Rev.  G.  James  McClure,  D.  D.,  pro  tempore, 
1892-3;  the  eminent  scientist,  John  M.  Coulter,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  1893-6;  Rev.  James 
G.  K.  McClure,  D.  D.,  1897-1901,  the  interval  being  supplied  by  Prof.  John  J. 
Halsey;  Rev.  Richard  Davenport  Harlan,  D.  D.,  and  John  S.  Nollen,  Ph.  D. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  329' 

After  Mr.  Pearsons'  gift  the  benefactions  began  to  increase.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henry  Durand  began  a  series  of  gifts  that  were  most  generous.  Mrs.  S.  S.  Reid, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  F.  Warner,  an  unnamed  Chicago  friend  (a  lady),  Mr.  Pearsons 
again,  Mr.  Carnegie,  Mr.  WilHam  Bross  —  so  that  the  institution  is  now  well  supplied 
with  buildings,  has  a  respectable  endowment  fimd  and  has  settled  down  to  the  idea 
that  college  work  is  its  true  function. 

BLACKBURN  COLLEGE. 

(Condensed  from  a  sketch  by  Dean  G.  D.  Walcott,  Ph.  D.) 

Blackburn  College  perpetuates  the  name  of  its  founder.  Rev.  Gideon  Blackburn, 
D.  D.  He  was  associated  with  General  Andrew  Jackson  in  the  Creek  War  and  was 
afterward  engaged  as  a  missionary  among  the  Creeks  in  an  endeavor  to  accomplish 
something  for  their  education.  He  located  at  Carlinville,  Illinois,  and  was  moved 
to  attempt  the  founding  there  of  a  school  with  a  theological  department,  to  be  con- 
nected with  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

His  method  of  endowing  his  proposed  institution  suggests  the  method  twice 
used,  as  has  been  seen,  by  other  schools.  He  proposed  to  enter  land  for  eastern 
purchasers  at  $2  per  acre,  $1.25  to  be  paid  for  the  land,  25  cents  to  be  paid  to  him 
for  his  services  and  the  remaining  50  cents  to  be  used  in  the  purchase  of  land  for 
the  school.  In  this  way  he  accumulated  nearly  seventeen  thousand  acres  to  be  so 
.used.  What  a  magnificent  endowment  this  would  have  furnished  if  it  could  have 
been  retained  for  a  few  years ! 

The  town  of  Carlinville  secured  the  location  of  the  school  by  the  purchase  of  a 
tract  of  land  for  a  campus.  In  1837  Dr.  Blackburn  deeded  the  land  that  he  had 
purchased  to  certain  men  as  trustees  of  the  proposed  institution.  Lands  were  then 
in  slight  demand  because  of  their  relative  abundance.  In  the  first  eight  years 
2,000  acres  were  used  up  in  taxes  and  expenses.  In  1845  it  was  determined  to  give 
up  the  Carlinville  scheme  and  transfer  the  land  to  the  trustees  of  Illinois  College 
for  the  support  of  a  theological  professorship  in  that  institution.  The  court  granted 
a  suitable  decree  and  the  Carlinville  contributors  got  their  money  back.  About 
six  years  later  the  heirs  of  Dr.  Blackburn  attempted  to  get  possession  of  these  lands 
on  the  plea  of  their  misappropriation.  The  court  of  final  resort  decided  that  the 
heirs  could  not  recover,  but  that  the  lands  must  go  back  to  the  trustees  of  Blackburn 
for  the  original  purpose.  Thus  do  the  courts  respect  the  purpose  of  college  founders. 
Illinois  had  sold  part  of  the  lands,  so  they  were  redeemed  and  the  nearly  fifteen 
thousand  acres  went  back  to  Carlinville. 

In  1839  a  charter  had  been  secured,  but  it  was  unsatisfactory  and  it  was  declined. 
We  have  heard  of  similar  experiences  in  other  schools.  In  1857  a  satisfactory  charter 
was  secured  and  is  still  in  force.  The  name  at  first  was  Blackburn  Theological 
Seminary.  A  building  was  erected  and  an  elementary  school  was  started  under 
Mr.  Downer  as  principal  and  Mr.  Clark  as  assistant,  in  1859.  After  two  years  the 
school  was  closed  for  lack  of  patronage.  After  a  year  the  school  was  reopened  with 
Robert  B.  Minton  as  principal  and  Homer  Love  as  assistant.  This  time  the  school 
was  more  successful  and  continues  to  this  day  as  Blackburn  Academy. 


330  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Collegiate  work  was  begun  in  1864.  A  theological  department  was  opened  three 
years  later  with  Dr.  John  W.  Bailey  as  Professor  of  Theology  and  was  continued 
for  several  years.  In  1868  the  name  of  the  school  was  changed  to  Blackburn  Uni- 
versity, by  which  it  is  still  known. 

The  names  of  the  men  who  have  been  connected  prominently  with  the  university 
should  be  remembered.  Professor  Minton  was  connected  with  the  school  for 
twenty-seven  years.  Dr.  Rufus  Nutting  was  a  teacher  for  fourteen  years,  Professor 
Conley  for  nearly  thirty-six  years  and  Dr.  Charles  Robertson  for  almost  as  long  a 
time.  Dr.  Bailey  was  the  first  president,  serving  1871-6.  Dr.  E.  L.  Hurd  served 
from  1877  to  1891.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  eminent  teacher,  clergyman  and  State 
superintendent  of  public  instruction,  Dr.-  Richard  Edwards,  who  served  for  two 
years  and  retired  on  account  of  poor  health.  The  remaining  presidents  are  Dr. 
James  E.  Rogers,  1893-6;  Prof.  W.  H.  Crowell,  acting,  1896-7;  Dr.  Walter  H.  Brad- 
ley, Dean,  1897-05;  Rev.  Thomas  W.  Dingle,  Ph.  D.,  1905. 

In  1903  a  movement  was  started  to  consolidate  Blackburn  with  Illinois.  It  was 
ill-timed  and  injured  the  former. , 

As  has  been  seen,  Blackburn  has  had  something  of  a  problem  to  keep  afloat.  A 
number  of  exceedingly  capable  men  have  been  connected  with  the  school,  however. 
At  present  the  situation  is  far  more  comfortable,  and  although  one  of  the  small 
institutions  it  is  getting  on  well  and  rendering  admirable  service  to  the  cause  of 
education. 

WHEATON  COLLEGE. 

(Condensed  from  a  sketch  by  President  Charles  A.  Blanchard,  D.  D.) 

Wheaton  College  is  the  successor  of  "Illinois  Institute,"  founded  by  the  Illinois 
Conference  of  Wesleyan  Methodist  Churches,  at  Wheaton,  about  1850.  The  first 
building  was  occupied  on  the  14th  of  December,  1853,  with  Rev.  John  Cross  in 
charge.  The  following  April  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  C.  Winship,  who  was  fol- 
lowed a  year  later  by  Rev.  G.  P.  Kimball,  and  still  later  J.  A.  Mertling  became  prin- 
cipal. A  charter  was  obtained  in  1855,  and  in  September,  1856,  Rev.  L.  G.  Matlack 
became  president. 

Having  contracted  debts  beyond  the  power  to  pay,  assistance  was  sought  out- 
side the  denomination.  The  following  action  was  taken  by  the  board  of  trustees 
on  January  9,  1860: 

"  The  college  is  hereafter  to  be  under  the  control  of  orthodox  Congregationalists, 
with  the  co-operation  of  its  founders  and  friends,  the  Wesley ans.  Several  Congre- 
gational gentlemen,  widely  known  in  the  State,  have  accepted  trusteeships  and 
others  are  to  be  appointed.  The  intention  of  the  trustees  is  that  the  instruction 
and  influence  of  the  institution  shall  bear  against  all  forms  of  error  and  sin.  The 
testimony  of  God's  Word  against  slave-holding,  secret  societies  and  their  spurious 
worships,  against  intemperance,  human  inventions  in  church  government,  war,  and 
whatever  else  shall  clearly  appear  to  contravene  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
is  to  be  kept  good." 

The  name  of  the  Institute  was  changed  to  Wheaton  College  and  Rev.  Jonathan 
Blanchard,  recently  president  of  Knox  College,  assumed  the  presidency.     The  first 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  331 

class,  consisting  mainly  of  students  from  Knox,  graduated  the  same  year  —  July 
4,  1860.     With  the  exception  of  1861,  a  class  has  graduated  annually  ever  since. 

A  new  charter  was  secured  February  22,  1861.  Among  the  names  of  the  members 
of  the  board  of  trustees  are  found  Jonathan  Blanchard,  Owen  Lovejoy,  W.  L.  Wheaton 
and  others.  Wheaton  College  was  made  the  legal  successor  of  the  Illinois  Institute 
and  was  granted  all  of  the  powers  usually  devolving  upon  such  institutions.  The 
active  opposition  of  President  Blanchard  to  secret  societies  made  many  enemies, 
and  an  appeal  was  taken  to  the  courts  to  determine  the  legality  of  the  expulsion  of 
students  who  violated  the  rule  of  the  college  against  such  organization.  The  college 
was  fully  sustained,  as  was  President  Blanchard  when  an  attempt  was  made  to 
induce  the  board  to  remove  him. 

In  1878,  the  debts  of  the  college,  mainly  incurred  in  the  erection  of  a  new  build- 
ing, and  amounting  to  about  $22,000,  were  paid  in  full.  It  was  now  possible  to 
manage  the  institution  without  incurring  a  debt  for  current  expenses,  for  the  faculty 
generously  agreed  to  remit  such  portion  of  their  salaries  as  could  not  be  provided 
for  by  the  income. 

President  Blanchard  resigned  in  1882,  and  left  the  college  in  a  comfortable  con- 
dition as  to  buildings  and  endowment.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son.  Prof.  Charles 
A.  Blanchard,  who  for  ten  years  had  been  connected  with  the  college.  In  1890  the 
college  building  was  enlarged,  in  1895  the  women's  building  was  erected,  and  in 
1898,  the  gymnasium.  In  1902  the  central  building  was  reconstructed,  at  a  cost 
of  $40,000.  Among  the  many  donors,  R.  J.  Bennett,  LL.  D.,  of  Chicago,  was  espec- 
ially generous. 

The  women's  building  was  made  possible  by  a  gift  of  $10,000  by  John  Quincy 
Adams,  of  Wheaton,  who  also  gave  $6,000  toward  the  gymnasium  and  $500  toward 
the  purchase  of  the  organ. 

It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  college  to  become  an  active  agent  in  the  promulgation 
of  Christian  principles  and  practice.  Systematic  study  of  the  Bible  is  pursued  in 
the  academy  and  in  the  college,  all  pupils  are  required  to  attend  church  and  Sunday- 
school,  and  are  urged  to  engage  heartily  in  the  voluntary  Christian  work  of  the 
school.     There  are  the  usual  literary  societies  and  Christian  organizations. 

The  college  plant  now  consists  of  five  buildings,  the  endowment  amounts  to 
something  more  than  $75,000,  and  the  property  is. conservatively  valued  at  $250,000. 
A  movement  is  on  to  secure  an  additional  $100,000  of  endowment. 

AUGUSTANA  AND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 

(Condensed  frogi  a  sketch  by  President  Gustav  Andreen,  Ph.  D.) 
This  institution  was  founded  in  1860.  It  is  owned  and  controlled  by  the  Evangel- 
ical Lutheran  Augustana  Synod.  The  Augustana  Synod  was  organized  in  1860,  at 
Clinton,  Rock  county,  Wisconsin.  It  was  composed  of  the  Chicago,  the  Mississippi, 
and  Minnesota  Conferences  and  contained  about  half  as  many  Norwegians  as  Swedes. 
An  important  change  occurred  in  1870  by  the  separation  of  the  Norwegian  element 
and  the  organization  of  a  synod  for  themselves.  The  synod  is  very  strong,  having 
had  a  very  remarkable  growth,  numbering  approximately  twelve  hundred  con- 
gregations. 


332  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  most  important  step  taken  at  the  CHnton  Conference  was  the  founding 
of  a  theological  seminary  at  Chicago  for  the  preparation  of  young  men  for  the  minis- 
try. L.  B.  Esbjorn  was  chosen  the  first  professor  and  president  of  the  seminary  and 
continued  in  that  position  for  three  years.  The  institution  contained  a  preparatory 
department  as  well  as  the  seminary. 

The  first  session  of  the  seminary  opened  September  1,  1860.  In  the  first  year 
there  was  an  enrollment  of  twenty-one.  Like  many  other  institutions  it  suffered 
a  loss  of  students  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  and  did  not  reach  forty  until  the  last 
year  of  the  war.  During  the  entire  service  of  President  Esbjorn  he  was  the  only 
regular  professor,  but  received  material  assistance  from  time  to  time  from  Chicago 
pastors  and  advanced  students.  In  the  summer  of  1863  he  retired  from  the  position 
and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  T.  N.  Hasselquist,  president  of  the  synod;  the  appoint- 
ment, which  was  at  first  temporary,  was  soon  after  made  permanent  and  he  held 
the  position  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1891. 

At  the  convention  of  synod  held  in  Chicago  in  1863,  the  institution  was  incor- 
porated under  the  general  laws  of  the  State  and  removed  to  Paxton,  Illinois,  where 
a  school  building  was  purchased  and  a  new  one  erected  on  grounds  donated  by  ■  Mr. 
Hasselquist.  On  February  16,  1865,  the  seminary  was  granted  a  charter  by  the 
General  Assembly.  Four  years  later  the  charter  was  amended,  the  supplementary 
act  bearing  date  March  10,  1869.  The  name  was  changed  thereby  to  Augustana 
College  and  Theological  Seminary  and  the  institution  was  authorized  to  confer  the 
ordinary  collegiate  degrees.  It  now  comprised  three  departments  —  a  preparatory 
department  with  a  three-year  course,  a  collegiate  department  with  a  four-year  course, 
and  a  theological  department  with  a  two-year  course.  This  organization  occun'ed 
one  year  after  obtaining  the  second  charter.  In  1897  the  theological  department 
extended  its  course  to  three  years. 

At  the  Galesburg  convention  of  Synod,  in  1872,  it  was  determined  to  remove 
to  Moline  or  Rock  Island.  A  fine  location  was  purchased  in  Rock  Island  and  the 
directors  were  instructed  to  erect  suitable  buildings.  As  there  was  no  building  fund 
and  as  there  was  a  debt  for  the  purchase  of  the  land  the  undertaking  involved  no 
small  degree  of  difficulty.  Three  years  later,  in  the  fall  of  1875,  the  library  and 
other  property  of  the  institution  were  removed  to  Rock  Island,  and  on  the  22d  of 
September  the  first  session  was  held  in  the  new  building,  which  was  solemnly  dedi- 
cated to  God  and  the  Church  on  the  14th  of  October,  1875. 

And  now  came  happy  and  prosperous  days  for  the  college.  Its  first  class  grad- 
uated in  1877.  A  new  building  was  soon  needed  and  was  ready  for  occupation  in 
February,  1888,  although  not  formally  dedicated  tmtil  June  12,  1889,  in  connection 
with  the  thirtieth  annual  convention  of  the  synod,  which  was  held  at  the  building. 
Thirty  thousand  of  the  $80,000  necessary  for  the  erection  of  this  building  was  the 
gift  of  Mr.  P.  L.  Cable,  of  Rock  Island. 

A  conservatory  of  music,  a  business  college  and  a  Normal  department  have  been 
added  to  the  institution.  As  an  indication  of  the  work  which  has  been  accomplished 
by  the  theological  department  it  is  only  necessary  to  say  that  more  than  six  hundred 
of  its  students  have  been  ordained  to  the  ministry. 

President  Hasselquist  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Olsson  in  1891  and  served  in  that 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OFILLINOIS  333 

capacity  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1900.  Dr.  C.  W.  Foss.  directed  affairs 
until  1901,  when  Dr.  Gustav  Andreen,  of  Yale  University,  was  elected  to  the  presi- 
dency. 

Augustana  has  won  a  fine  reputation.  The  success  of  the  institution  has  been 
phenomenal.  Unlike  some  of  her  sister  schools,  she  has  had  the  enthusiastic  sup- 
port of  the  churches  of  the  synod.  She  broadly  illustrates  what  is  possible  with 
united  and  loyal  effort. 

There  are  now  eight  departments:  The  Preparatory  Department;  the  Academic 
Department  with  a  three-year  course;  the  Collegiate  Department  with  a  four-year 
course;  the  Normal  Department  with  a  three-year  course;  the  Theological  Depart- 
ment with  a  three-year  course;  the  Post-graduate  Department;  the  Conservatory^ 
of  Music  'and  Art  School,  and  the  Business  College  and  School  of  Phonography. 

ST.  FRANCIS  SOLANUS  COLLEGE. 

(From  a  sketch  by  Rev.  Silas  Barth,  O.  F.  M.) 

This  college  was  founded  in  1860  by  members  of  the  order  of  Friars  Minor,  belong- 
ing to  the  Province  of  the  Holy  Cross  in  Germany,  who  had  been  invited  to  the 
diocese  of  Alton,  Illinois,  by  its  bishop,  the  Right  Reverend  Damien  Junker,  D.  D. 
Upon  their  arrival,  in  1858,  they  were  sent  to  Teutopolis,  where  they  engaged  in 
religious  work,  as  well  as  in  other  parts  of  the  State.  Especially  were  they  called 
to  Quincy  by  the  bishop  to  engage  in  some  church  and  mission  work  and  also  to  open 
a  school  for  the  higher  education  of  young  men.  In  consequence  of  this  invitation, 
in  1860  a  day  school  was  opened  under  the  direction  of  Rev.  Servatius  Altmicks, 
O.  F.  M.,  in  a  private  residence  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Main  and  Eighth  streets, 
but  a  few  months  later  it  was  transferred  to  the  monastery  newly  erected  on  what 
was  known  as  "The  Prairie,"  at  the  intersection  of  Vine  and  Eighteenth  streets. 
The  site  for  the  building  was  donated  by  Mr.  Christian  Borstadt. 

The  school  soon  approximated  a  hundred  students  who  desired  to  pursue  the 
study  of  elementary  instead  of  higher  branches,  having  been  deprived  of  educational 
opportunities  in  their  earlier  lives.  This  was  a  most  disappointing  beginning  for  a 
college  and  the  enterprise  was  near  an  abandonment.  It  was  finally  determined 
to  accept  the  situation  and  conduct  the  school  as  a  high  school  for  a  time  at  least. 

In  1863  Rev.  Anselm  Mueller,  O.  F.  M.,  was  appointed  president  and  immed- 
iately gave  new  life  to  the  school.  Lack  of  funds  had  necessitated  the  acceptance 
of  the  hospitality  of  other  institutions,  so  the  classes  were  held  in  the  monastery 
for  the  first  year,  at  the  end  of  which  the  better  quarters  in  the  St.  Aloysius'  Orphan 
Asylum  were  occupied,  and  there  the  school  remained  until  1865,  when  a  new  build- 
ing, which  had  been  erected  by  the  congregation  attached  to  the  monastery,  became 
available. 

In  consequence  of  the  improved  conditions  that  slowly  appeared  in  the  public 
and  parochial  schools  the  institution  was  enabled  to  take  on  more  and  more  the 
character  of  a  college,  and  by  1869  the  number  of  students  had  so  largely  increased 
as  to  make  a  new  building  a  necessity.  In  consequence  a  commodious  and  beautiful 
structure  was  ready  for  occupation  on  September   10,    1871.     A  season  of  great 


334  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

prosperity  followed,  and  in  1873  the  college  received  a  charter  authorizing  it  to  confer 
the  ordinary  academic  degrees. 

Among  many  worthy  of  mention,  Rev.  Francis  Albers,  O.  F.  M.,  is  remembered 
as  a  man  of  great  piety  and  learning.  He  began  his  work  in  the  college  in  1865  and 
served  it  with  great  faithfulness  for  the  succeeding  twenty-five  years. 

The  close  of  the  first  quarter-century  of  the  life  of  the  college  was  made  the 
occasion  of  a  jubilee  extending  over  three  days.  The  following  extract  from  the 
report  of  the  president  indicates  the  degree  to  which  the  hopes  and  plans  of  the 
devoted  founders  had  been  realized:  "  The  college  is  in  the  most  prosperous  condi- 
tion. Its  literary  standing  is  most  favorably  recognized,  and  its  financial  affairs 
are  on  a  solid  and  satisfactory  basis.  The  spacious  apartments  are  filled  to  their 
utmost  capacity  and  additional  buildings  would  be  required  but  for  the  determina- 
tion of  the  managers  not  to  increase  the  number  of  boarders  beyond  a  fixed  limit." 

In  1893,  after  a  faithful  service  of  thirty  years,  the  Rev.  President  retired  and 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Nicholas  Leonard,  O.  F.  M.  He  had  seen  the  institution 
develop  from  an  elementary  school  to  a  reputable  college  and  mainly  through  his 
own  endeavor.  His  withdrawal  was  for  nine  years,  when  he.  again  engaged  in  the 
management  of  its  affairs. 

It  was  in  the  presidency  of  Father  Leonard  that  the  college  building  was  com- 
pleted according  to  the  original  idea  and  that  the  institution  found  itself  at  home 
in  a  superior  four-story  building  ifi  harmony  with  its  needs.  Its  annual  catalogue 
expresses  the  purpose  of  its  existence  —  to  instill  into  the  hearts  of  its  pupils  the 
principles  of  their  holy  religion  and  assist  them  in  forming  a  character  which  will 
enable  them  to  pass  through  life  as  faithful  children  of  the  Church,  loyal  citizens  of 
the  United  States  and  useful  members  of  society.  To  do  this  no  pains  are  spared 
and  all  of  the  means  suggested  by  the  best  authorities  are  faithfully  employed. 

NORTHWESTERN  COLLEGE  AT  NAPERVILLE. 

(From  a  sketch  prepared  by  Miss  M.  S.  Bucks,  Professor  of  English  Language  and  Literature.) 

At  the  annual  session  of  the  Illinois  Conference  of  the  Evangelical  Association, 
held  in  1861,  a  resolution  was  adopted  inviting  the  Wisconsin,  Indiana  and  Iowa 
Conferences  of  the  same  denomination  to  unite  with  them  in  the  founding  of  a  col- 
lege. It  would  seem  that  the  time  was  most  unfavorable  for  the  beginning  of  such 
an  enterprise,  when  the  young  men  of  the  country  were  enlisting  for  military  service 
in  the  South,  yet  there  was  a  cordial  response  on  the  part  of  these  conferences  and 
the  venture  was  launched.  A  site  was  offered  by  the  village  of  Plainfield,  and  a 
building  then  in  course  of  erection.  The  offer  was  accepted  and  the  institution 
was  called  Plainfield  College.  An  organization  was  at  once  effected,  and  a  pre- 
paratory department  opened  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  with  an  encouraging  attend- 
ance and  with  three  teachers.  They  were  John  Rhodes,  A.  M.,  John  Miller,  A.  B., 
and  Miss  C.  Harlacher.  The  first  president  of  the  school  was  Rev.  Augustine  A. 
Smith,  A.  M.,  of  Greensburg,  Ohio,  who  began  his  work  in  the  fall  of  1862. 

In  1864  the  name  was  changed  from  Plainfield  College  to  Northwestern  College, 
and  six  years  later  the  location  was  changed  to  Naperville,  which  had  made  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  335 

enticing  offer  of  a  campus  of  eight  acres  and  $25,000  in  money.  Plainfield  was 
several  miles  from  a  railroad,  and  the  institution  suffered  a  severe  handicap  in  con- 
sequence, A  spacious  building  was  at  once  erected  and  the  school  began  operations 
in  its  new  quarters  in  1870. 

Like  nearly  all  institutions  of  its  kind  it  began  as  a  preparatory  school  and  grad- 
ually developed  college  classes.  It  was  not  until  1869  that  these  were  all  represented. 
Additional  departments  were  added  from  time  to  time  and  among  them  Union  Bib- 
lical Institute,  which  opened  in  1876.  The  Institute  has  a  separate  organization, 
but  its  connection  with  the  college  is  so  close  that  it  performs  the  office  of  its  theo- 
logical department. 

After  twenty-one  years  of  service,  President  Srhith  was  succeeded,  in  1883,  by 
H.  H.  Rasweiler,  A.  M.,  who  served  the  college  for  the  succeeding  five  years.  This 
was  the  transitional  period  in  the  life  of  the  college.  H.  J.  Kiekhoefer,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D., 
succeeded  to  the  presidency  in  1890,  and  with  his  administration  the  college  period 
began.  A  new  building  was  completed  in  his  first  year  and  in  the  following  years 
another  was  added. 

The  continued  growth  of  the  school  soon  necessitated  additional  buildings,  and 
they  found  their  place  on  the  campus  through  the  generosity  of  Mr.  Carnegie  and 
Dr.  Albert  Goldspohn,  of  Chicago. 

By  the  addition  of  other  conferences  to  the  college  corporation  the  constituency 
of  the  institution  was  greatly  enlarged  and  with  the  expected  advantages.  It  was 
thus  possible  to  increase  the  endowment,  which  at  the  date  of  the  preparation  of 
this  sketch  amounted  to  about  $200,000.  Its  permanency  was  thus  insured,  for 
when  an  educational  institution  gets  that  amount  of  money  behind  it  there  will  be 
more. 

The  closing  paragraph  of  the  sketch  exhibits  the  purpose  of  the  founders  and 
present  management.  "  Northwestern  College  stands  for  Christian  education  in 
the  broadest  sense.  In  an  age  produced  by  Christian  civilization  no  apology  is 
needed  for  emphasis  upon  '  Christian'  in  higher  education.  Its  aim  is  to  produce 
sound  scholarship  and  genuine  nobility  of  character.  The  purpose  of  education  is 
life  rather  than  livelihood;  hence  it  implies  a  symmetrical  development  of  the  mental, 
moral,  and  physical  powers  of  the  student.  While  laboring  to  establish  a  vigorous 
intellectual  activity,  the  college  endeavors  to  foster  a  healthy  Christian  life  and 
spirit,  and  recognizes  in  the  blending  of  these  elements  the  crowning  excellency  of 
its  work." 

WESTFIELD  COLLEGE. 

(From  a  sketch  by  President  B.  F.  Daugherty,  A.  M.) 

At  a  meeting  of  Old  Wabash  Conference  of  the  United  Brethren  of  Illinois,  held 
at  New  Goshen,  Indiana,  in  1858,  a  committee,  consisting  of  Revs.  J.  R.  Shuey, 
S.  C.  Steward  and  S.  Mills,  was  appointed  to  consider  the  purchase  of  a  Methodist 
College  located  at  Clinton,  Indiana.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Lower  Wabash  Con- 
ference, held  in  the  spring  of  the  following  year  at  Westfield,  Illinois,  this  committee 
reported  against  the  purchase,  whereupon  another  committee,  consisting  of  Revs. 
J.  R.  Shuey,  W.  C.  Smith  and  J.  W.  Nye,  was  appointed  with  authority  to  locate 


336  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

and  organize  a  seminary  within  the  boundaries  of  the  Conference.  At  the  Confer- 
ence of  1860  the  committee  reported  that  it  had  decided  upon  Westfield  as  a  loca- 
tion. In  1861  a  site  was  purchased  and  a  building  begun.  In  order  that  there 
might  be  a  school  for  the  building  when  completed  an  organization  was  effected  and 
recitations  began  in  September  in  the  old  United  Brethren  Church,  with  Rev. 
George  W.  Keller  as  first  principal. 

Westfield  College  charter  was  granted  by  the  legislature  on  February  15,  1865. 
The  principals  of  the  Seminary  were  Mr.  Keller,  1861-3;  Rev.  F.  J.  Fisher,  1863-4, 
and  Rev.  W.  T.  Jackson,  1864-9.  It  is  thus  seen  that  Principal  Jackson's  term  as 
principal  reached  over  some  four  years  into  the  life  of  the  college.  With  his  with- 
drawal S.  B.  Allen  was  elected  as  the  first  president  of  the  college  and  the  faculty 
was  fully  organized.  President  Allen  served  for  fourteen  years  and  his  successors 
are:  Rev.  Lewis  Bookwalter,  1883-5;  Rev.  I.  L.  Kephart,  D.  D.,  1885-9;  Rev.  W.  H. 
Klinefelter,  D.  D.,  1889-95;  Rev.  B.  L.  Seneff,  D.  D.,  1895-7;  Rev.  W.  S.  Reese, 
D.  D.,  1897-1902;  Rev.  J.  A.  Hawkins,  D.  D.,  1902-3;  Rev.  W.  R.  Shuey,  Ph.  D., 
1903-6;  Rev.  B.  F.  Daugherty,  1906. 

The  original  building,  completed  in  1863,  was  enlarged  and  modernized  in  1898. 
The  endowment  is  approximately  $25,000.  This  will  be  materially  increased  in  the 
near  future.  The  preparatory  department,  which  was  the  beginning  of  the  college, 
has  been  maintained  and  several  departments  have  been  added  to  the  regular  college 
course. 

The  college  has  always  emphasized  a  positive  Christian  influence  and  a  thorough 
mental  discipline.  It  holds  an  honored  place  in  the  Federation  of  the  colleges  of 
Illinois.  The  courses  are  equal  to  the  best  and  are  conducted  b}^  first-class  teachers. 
The  Upper  and  Lower  Wabash  and  the  Illinois  Conferences  are  the  supporting  body 
though  they  may  elect  trustees  from  their  membership  or  from  outside.  The  college 
has  never  been  sectarian. 

ST.  JOSEPH'S  SERAPHIC  COLLEGE. 

(From  a  sketch  by  Eugene  Hagedorn,  O.  F.  M.) 

The  college  is  situated  at  Teutopolis,  Efhngham  county.  Its  purpose  is  to  give 
Catholic  students  who  wish  to  become  Franciscan  priests  a  thorough  religious  and 
classical  education  preparatory  to  their  entering  the  Franciscan  novitiate.  Its 
instruction  is  limited,  therefore,  to  students  deemed  worthy  to  become  priests  in 
the  Franciscan  order.  Its  charter  is  dated  March  5.  1881.  It  is  directed  by  the 
Father  of  the  Franciscan  Province  of  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus. 

In  1858  the  Franciscan  Fathers  took  charge  of  the  parish  at  Teutopolis.  Realiz- 
ing that  the  religious  and  educational  training  of  the  growing  youth  demanded 
particular  attention  and  that  something  must  be  done  to  supply  the  dearth  of  priests, 
the  Fathers  laid  the  foundation  of  the  school  in  1861.  A  building  was  erected  and 
in  1862  the  college  and  seminary  began  their  work  with  the  Very  Rev.  P.  Heribertus 
Hoffman,  O.  F.  M.,  as  Rector,  and  a  faculty  of  five  Franciscan  Fathers  and' one 
secular  professor. 

As  the  number  of  Fathers  was    small,  and  as  thev  were  also  overburdened  with 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  337 

missionary  work,  it  was  determined  to  confine  the  work  of  the  school  to  the  giving 
young  men  a  good  classical  education  and  a  superior  moral  training.  The  second 
Rector  was  the  universally  beloved  P.  Mauritius  Klosterman,  O.  F.  M.,  who  had 
been  a  teacher  in  Germany.  One  year  after  his  accession  the  seminary  was  closed 
and  the  course  of  study  made  exclusively  classical,  a  one-year  preparatory  course 
and  a  five-year  classical.  Subsequently  a  commercial  course  was  added.  Because 
of  the  prosperity  of  the  school  the  size  of  its  building  was  nearly  doubled  in  1877. 
In  1881  the  college  was  incorporated  and  was  thus  authorized  to  confer  the  degrees 
of  A.  B.  and  A.  M. 

In  the  summer  of  1882  Rev.  P.  Michael  Richardt,  O.  F.  M.,  succeeded  to  the  man- 
agement. In  1884  another  addition  to  the  building  was  erected.  The  capacity 
was  now  increased  to  170  students.  Three  years  later  still  further  additions  were 
made. 

The  succeeding  Rector,  Very  Rev.  Nicholas  Leonard,  O.  F.  M.,  remained  until 
January,  1893,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  Rectorship  of  St.  Francis  Solanus, 
as  we  have  seen  in  a  preceding  sketch.  His  successor,  the  Very  Rev.  P.  Hugoline 
Storfi,  O.  F.  M.  (January  1891 -September,  1900),  also  made  material  additions  to 
the  buildings.  In  1898  the  commercial  course  was  dropped  and  a  sixth  year  added 
to  the  classical  course. 

The  following  are  the  subsequent  Rectors:  The  Very  Rev.  P.  Samuel  Macke, 
O.  F.  M.,  September,  1900-January,  1905;  The  Very  Rev.  P.  Christopher  Guithues, 
O.  F.  M.,  January,  1905-August,  1906;  The  Very  Rev.  P.  Hugoline  Storff,  O.  F.  M., 
August,  1908. 

LINCOLN   COLLEGE,   AT  LINCOLN,  AND  JAMES    MILLIKEN 
UNIVERSITY,  AT  DECATUR. 

(From  a  sketch  by  President  A.  R.  Taylor,  Ph.  D.) 

The  James  Milliken  University  is  composed  of  two  colleges:  Lincoln  College,  at 
Lincoln,  Illinois,  and  Decatur  College  and  Industrial  School,  at  Decatur. 

Previous  to  the  Civil  War  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  had  no  higher 
institution  of  learning  north  of  the  Ohio  river.  As  early  as  1862  the  idea  of  a  college 
for  the  three  synods  of  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Iowa  was  advocated  by  several  clergy- 
men of  the  denomination.  In  the  fall  of  1863  the  synods  took  the  preliminary 
steps  for  the  organization  of  a  college  by  appointing  a  commission,  which,  after 
mature  deliberation,  selected  Lincoln  as  a  proper  location.  That  city  offered  $21,000 
as  a  cash  bonus  and  a  campus  of  ten  acres,  and  made  a  promise  to  raise  the  whole 
amount  to  $45,000  if  possible. 

The  school  was  chartered  as  Lincoln  University,  and  the  first  board  of  trustees 
organized  in  1865  with  G.  H.  Campbell  as  president  and  R.  B.  Latham  as  vice- 
president.  The  first  faculty  was  appointed  on  March  8,  1866,  with  Rev.  Azel 
Freeman,  D.  D.,  as  president.  On  November  of  the  same  year  the  university  was 
formally  opened  with  about  one  hundred  students. 

President  Freeman  was  succeeded  in  1870  by  Rev.  J.  C.  Bowdon,  D.  D.,  who 
served  for  three  years.     His  successor  was  Rev.  A.  J.    McGlumphy    D.   D.,  who 

22 


338  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

retired  at  the  close  of  the  college  year  of  1887.  Prof.  Albert  McGinnis  was  elected 
vice-president  and  managed  the  institution  for  the  following  year.  Prof.  A.  E. 
Turner  was  elected  president  in  1888.  His  administration  was  highly  successful, 
the  attendance  in  the  collegiate  department  doubling  in  the  succeeding  five  years 
as  a  consequence  of  his  energy  and  tact.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  L.  Good- 
knight  in  1890.  In  addition  to  the  usual  college  courses  the  university  offered  courses 
in  theology,  law  and  business,  but  their  success  did  not  warrant  their  continuance. 
The  courses  in  fine  arts  and  music  became  permanent  features  of  the  institution. 
A  preparatory  department  has  also  been  maintained.  The  university  has  met 
with  good  patronage  and  has  escaped  many  of  the  misfortunes  of  the  small  college, 
although  the  financial  problem  has  always  been  a  source  of  anxiety.  Its  productive 
endowment  is  about  $120,000,  and  its  realty  and  equipment  are  worth  as  much. 

On  April  30,  1901,  the  charter  of  the  university  was  so  amended  as  to  change 
the  name  to  The  James  Milliken  University,  the  university  becoming  Lincoln  Col- 
lege as  a  part  of  Milliken.  This  change  is  explained  by  the  offer  by  James  Milliken, 
of  Decatur,  of  $200,000  and  a  site  to  the  synods  interested  in  Lincoln  University, 
for  the  establishment  at  Decatur  of  an  institution  including  industrial  education,  on 
condition  that  a  similar  amount  be  subscribed  by  the  city  of  Decatur  and  the  Church. 
The  two  institutions  at  Lincoln  and  Decatur  were  united  and  the  conditions  met 
within  a  year.  Before  the  plan  was  fully  agreed  upon  Mr.  Milliken  offered  $50,000 
to  the  endowment  fund  of  Lincoln  College  upon  the  condition  that  the  citizens  of 
Lincoln  and  Logan  county  raise  $25,000  for  a  new  building.  This  offer  was  also 
accepted  and  the  fund  promptly  raised. 

The  corporate  body  in  which  the  whole  property  is  vested  is  elected  by  the 
patronizing  synods.  It  elects  the  president  of  the  university  and  the  boards  of 
managers  of  the  local  colleges. 

On  June  11,  1901,  A.  R.  Taylor,  Ph.  D.,  was  elected  the  first  president  of  the 
James  Milliken  University.  Dr.  Taylor  had  served  for  ten  years  as  professor  of 
sciences  in  Lincoln  University  and  for  nineteen  years  as  president  of  the  Kansas 
State  Normal  School.  He  devoted  the  first  two  years  to  the  planning  and  con- 
struction of  the  new  buildings  at  Decatur  and  Lincoln,  and  to  the  working  out  the 
plans  for  the  college  at  Decatur.  In  1905  J.  H.  McMurry  became  the  dean  and 
executive  officer  of  Lincoln  College. 

The  first  group  of  four  buildings  at  Decatur  was  completed  in  1903,  and  dedicated 
on  June  12  by  President  Theodore  Roosevelt.  On  the  opening  day,  September 
5,  1903,  candidates  for  admission  to  all  of  the  departments  appeared,  so  that  the 
institution  had  no  infancy  in  the  ordinary  use  of  that  term  in  connection  with  col- 
leges.,    The  attendance  the  first  year  aggregated  more  than  seven  hundred. 

The  college  offers  courses  in  the  liberal  arts,  in  civil,  mechanical,  and  electrical 
engineering,  domestic  economy,  library  science,  commerce  and  finance,  pedagogy, 
instrumental  and  vocal  music,  drawing,  painting,  and  so  following.  The  preparatory 
department,  in  addition  to  the  usual  preparatory  subjects,  offers  a  large  range  of 
subjects  substantially  identical  with  those  offered  by  the  best  manual  training  and 
industrial  schools. 

The  President  of  the  University  resides  at  Decatur  and  is  its  executive  officer. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  339 

EWING  COLLEGE,  AT  EWING. 

(From  a  sketch  by  President  J.  A.  Leavitt,  D.  D.) 

The  village  of  Ewing  is  near  the  geographical  center  of  Southern  Illinois.  It  is 
an  educational  settlement,  the  college  being  the  center  of  its  life. 

On  April  15,  1867,  John  Washburn  opened  a  select  school  in  the  Frezil  Prairie 
Baptist  Church.  On  July  5  of  the  same  year  it  became  the  Ewing  High  School, 
with  a  board  of  trustees.  Seven  years  later  the  board  took  a  charter  as  a  college. 
Since  then  the  school  has  been  known  as  Ewing  College.  The  first  building  was  a 
small  two-story  brick,  erected  in  1869-70.  Through  the  benevolence  of  Mrs.  S.  A. 
Wakeman,  it  was  subsequently  made  a  three-story  building.  It  is  now  used  as  a 
dormitory  for  boys  and  is  known  as  Wakeman  Hall.  In  1873-4  a  second  building 
was  erected,  but  it  was  subsequently  dismantled.  In  1893  Willard  Hall  was  dedi- 
cated. It  is  a  commodious  three-story  building  and  serves  the  general  purposes  of 
the  college.  Two  ladies'  cottages  have  been  added  through  the  generosity  of  Wil- 
liam Huddleson.  The  organization  was  at  first  a  joint-stock  company,  the  shares 
being  $10  each  and  each  shareholder  being  allowed  a  vote  for  each  share.  These 
shares  being  held  by  local  people,  the  school  was  of  purely  local  character.  To 
remedy  this  defect  the  charter  was  amended  in  the  early  nineties,  doubling  the  number 
of  trustees  and  thus  rendering  it  possible  to  appoint  trustees  from  without  the  State. 

The  institution  at  first  was  undenominational,  but  in  1877  it  was  transferred  to 
the  Baptists.  It  has  courses  leading  to  a  B.  A.  and  a  B.  S.  degree,  a  Normal  course 
for  teachers,  a  domestic-science  department  and  a  business  college  and  a  school  of 
music. 

The  college  has  had  the  following  presidents:  Dr.  John  Washburn,  the  founder, 
nineteen  years;  Prof.  J.  W.  Paten,  one  year;  Rev.  William  Sheldon;  J.  A.  Leavitt. 

ST.  VIATEUR  COLLEGE,  AT  BOURBONNAIS. 

(From  a  sketch  by  E.  T.  Rivard,  C.  S.  V.) 

Near  the  banks  of  the  Kankakee  River,  about  fifty-five  miles  south  of  Chicago, 
is  situated  the  quaint  little  village  of  Bourbonnais  Grove.  The  place  itself  has 
few  attractions;  neither  the  whistle  of  the  locomotive  nor  the  hum  of  the  factory 
ever  breaks  the  stillness.  It  is  an  old  landmark,  having  been  settled  more  than 
sixty  years  ago,  by  one  Levasseur.  Surrounding  the  village  is  a  most  fertile  tract 
of  prairie  and  the  inhabitants  are  mostly  retired  farmers.  The  Kankakee  at  this 
point  has  cut  itself  a  deep  winding  valley,  through  which  it  leisurely  makes  its  way 
to  the  Illinois  River  thirty-five  miles  northwest.  Dense  groves  line  the  river  on 
both  sides.  The  village  stands  high  above  the  river  and  glimpses  of  it  may  be  seen 
from  the  distant  trains  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railway. 

In  1865  Rev.  Father  Gati,  the  pastor  of  the  people  of  Bourbonnais  Grove,  made 
application  to  the  Provincial  of  the  Commtmity  of  St.  Viateur,  in  Canada,  for  teachers 
for  their  children.  In  the  summer  of  the  same  year  three  members  of  the  order 
arrived  from  Canada  and  arranged  for  the  erection  by  the  parish  of  a  parochial 
school  building.  One,  Father  Beaudoin,  was  appointed  pastor  of  the  village  church,' 
and  the  school  was  taken  in  charge  by  Father  Thomas  Roy. 


340  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Four  years  later,  the  school  having  prospered,  Father  Roy  determined  to  found 
a  college.  The  comer-stone  was  laid  on  the  30th  of  April,  1869.  He  was  thus  its 
founder  and  became  its  first  president.  He  was  a  bom  ruler,  yet  of  so  mild  a  dispo- 
sition that  he  won  the  hearts  of  all.  But  the  severity  of  the  labors  incident  to  his 
enterprise  broke  him  down  and  he  was  obliged  to  retire  at  the  end  of  ten  years  of 
intense  labor.  The  beautiful  chapel,  erected  by  the  alumni,  is  a  fitting  memorial 
of  the  devoted  priest  and  of  his  untiring  zeal  for  education. 

In  1874  the  college  was  invested  with  the  power  of  a  university.  The  faculty 
is  composed  mainly  of  members  of  the  Community,  who  devote  their  time  exclusively 
to  teaching.  To  favor  still  more  the  success  of  the  body  in  America  a  novitiate  was 
opened  in  1882  by  the  Superior  of  the  United  States.  From  this  house  the  univer- 
sity obtains  many  teachers.  The  courses  taught  are  commercial,  classical,  scientific 
and  theological.  The  professors  and  students  form  one  family  under  one  roof.  It 
is  the  only  Catholic  boarding  college  for  boys  in  the  archdiocese  of  Chicago. 

On  the  death  of  Rev.  Thomas  Roy,  C.  S.  V.,  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  M.  J. 
Marsile,  C.  S.  V.,  who  held  the  place  for  nearly  thirt}^  years,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  John  P.  O'Mahoney,  C.  S.  V. 

ST.  IGNATIUS'  COLLEGE,  AT  CHICAGO. 

(From  a  sketch  by  President  Henry  J.  Dumbach,  S.  J.) 

St.  Ignatius'  College  is  so  interestingly  unique  that  it  merits  more  space  than 
can  be  allotted  to  it  here.  It  is  a  type  of  the  wonderful  schools  established  by  the 
Society  of  Jesus,  which  had  its  origin  in  1540,  and  which  became  the  main  instrument 
of  the  counter- Reformation  movement. 

"St.  Ignatius'  College  is  a  gymnasium,  one  of  those  mental  training  schools 
which  have  been  proven  by  a  long  experience  to  be  the  best  educators  and  are  con- 
firmed as  such  by  the  present  strong  reaction  setting  in  on  all  sides  in  favor  of  the 
humanities.  Its  object  is  not  to  train  specialists,  but  to  prepare  students  for 
eminence  in  that  department  of  life  into  which  his  maturer  mind  will  lead  him, 
whether  towards  a  commercial  calling  or  a  further  preparation  for  a  scientific  or 
professional  career." 

"  As  a  means  to  attain  this  happy  result  she  has  no  imcertain  guide.  The  '  Ratio 
Studiorum,'  or  Method  of  Studies,  is  the  matrix  in  which  the  Jesuit  courses,  the 
world  over,  have  been  moulded.  This  earliest  of  Normal  books,  the  result  of  one  of 
the  greatest,  the  most  deliberate,  and  most  exact  psychological  studies  that  have 
ever  occurred  in  the  world's  history,  has,  up  to  the  present,  in  great  part  been  mis- 
understood by  educators  throughout  this  country.  Writers  adverse  to  the  Society 
of  Jesus,  and  one  especially  whose  works  are  text-books,  have  attributed  many  of 
its  good  qualities  to  others,  have  misstated  parts,  and  so  distorted  its  precepts 
generally  that  those  who  know  the  'Ratio'  best  could  never  recognize  it  in  theSe 
descriptions  but  for  the  name.  A  recent  work  in  Scribner's  Great  Educator  Series, 
'Loyola,  or  the  Educational  System  of  the  Jesuits,'  has  cleared  away  many  of  these 
mistakes,  and  will  doubtless  go  further  in  making  the  subject  understood. 

"He  who  knows  the  'Ratio'  understands  the  main  features  of  every  Jesuit  col- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  341 

lege,  while  he  who  has  not  mastered  that  little  volume  can  hardly  comprehend  the 
methods  of  one  of  them." 

The  college  has  strictly  adhered  to  the  'Ratio,'  although  it  has  no  endowment. 
It  relies  upon  its  tuition  fees,  and  its  building  was  erected  by  small  contributions, 

"  The  causes  that  led  to  the  opening  of  a  college  here  are  long  to  seek.  They 
flow  from  all  sides,  from  remote  as  well  as  recent  dates,  each  contributing  its  quota 
without  which  the  others  would  be  insufficient  to  produce  the  result.  Ordinary 
chroniclers  would  mark  September  5,  1870,  as  the  day  of  its  inception.  Its  doors 
were  then  opened  to  welcome  its  first  students.  Others  who  study  the  history  of 
education  in  men  rather  than  in  buildings  would  begin  their  narration  with  the  arrival 
in  Chicago  of  the  Rev.  Arnold  Damen  in  1857.  For  thirteen  years  this  famous 
missionary  and  educator  labored  here  in  building  up  a  whole  circuit  of  efficient  schools, 
until  he  saw  in  them  material  for  a  college,  waiting,  as  ripened  grain,  to  be  gathered 
in  by  him.     He  was  president  of  the  college  during  the  first  two  years. 

"But  there  was  a  Jesuit  in  Chicago  before  'Father'  Damen.  James  Van  de 
Velde,  S.  J.,  was  called  by  obedience  in  1848  to  occupy  the  episcopal  see  of  Chicago, 
its  second  bishop.  The  change  in  condition  made  no  change  in  the  character  of 
his  life.  As  bishop  not  less  than  as  a  simple  Jesuit  he  devoted  himself  to  the  foster- 
ing of  education  as  well  as  religion. 

"Others  would  find  the  origin  of  St.  Ignatius  in  the  dim  border  region  between 
the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries.  In  1670,  just  two  hundred  years  before 
the  present  college  was  opened,  the  great  Marquette  received  orders  to  establish  the 
missions  of  Illinois.  The  works  he  then  set  on  foot  were  sustained  by  his  religious 
brethren  after  his  death,  and  these  missions,  especially  that  of  Kaskaskia,  grew  and 
flourished  and  became  for  a  time  the  most  successful  in  the  West.  Did  the  mission- 
aries establish  a  college  at  Kaskaskia?  Tradition  says  yes;  but  history  is  silent  or 
answers  only  in  a  faint  whisper  and  is  not  heard.  If  they  did,  as  I  think  not  improb- 
able, we  may  claim  for  Illinois  not  only  the  first  college  in  the  West,  but  one  of  the 
very  earliest  in  the  United  States." 

"  The  memory  of  the  pioneer  missionaries  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  exercised  no 
little  influence  in  bringing  the  sons  of  Loyola,  of  later  date,  into  the  same  field.  These 
could  not  help  looking  upon  that  land  as  blessed  which  had  been  hallowed  by  the 
labors  of  so  many  men  who  ever  aimed  at  and  realized  in  themselves  the  high  ideals 
after  which  they  were  still  to  strive  and  struggle." 

The  college  was  built  in  1869,  received  its  charter  with  power  to  confer  university 
degrees  in  1870,  completed  its  building  in  the  third  school  year,  and  in  1895  was 
obliged  to  build  an  additional  building  to  accommodate  its  students.  It  has  devel- 
oped an  admirable  and  most  carefully  selected  library,  a  very  valuable  museum  and 
cabinet  of  natural  history,  and  has  collected  the  instruments  for  the  equipment  of 
its  laboratories. 

A  commercial  course  is  maintained  mainly  for  the  inculcation  in  our  future 
business  men  such  Christian  doctrine  as  will  make  for  their  betterment  as  citizens. 
The  course  is  regarded  as  a  concession  to  the  needs  of  the  time  and  confers  no  degree. 

The  maintenance  of  the  classical  course  is  the  dominant  purpose  of  the  college. 
It  is  here  that  the  methodical  procedure  of  the  "Ratio"  is  followed  with  scrupulous 


342  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

exactness  and  where  one  may  find  displayed  the  comprehensive  plan  of  the  founder 
of  the  system  for  the  evolution  of  the  completely  educated  man  of  the  type  involved 
in  the  ideal.  In  the  presence  of  this  elaborated  scheme  our  modem  college  courses 
show  to  a  seeming  disadvantage.  A  study  of  its  catalogue  is  especially  commended 
to  our  readers. 

As  might  be  expected  from  the  stress  laid  upon  moral  and  religious  training  the 
college  has  never  been  disturbed  by  those  unmannerly  disorders  that  have  shamed 
so  many  of  our  higher  institutions  of  learning.  In  addition  to  the  members  of  the 
student  body  belonging  to  the  Catholic  communion  there  is  always  a  large  repre- 
sentation of  Protestant  students,  as  there  was  in  the  great  days  of  the  Jesuit  schools 
of  the  seventeenth,  eighteenth  and  nineteenth  centuries  in  Europe. 

At  the  time  of  the  great  fire  in  the  city  this  school,  like  many  others,  changed 
from  a  school  to  a  relief  station.  "  In  the  first  three  days  of  suffering  8,000 
persons  are  said  to  have  been  fed  and  one  -  tenth  as  many  clothed.  The 
orphans  of  the  diocese,  whose  asylum  had  been  destroyed,  lived  here  for  about 
two  months." 

In  1895  the  college  had  so  large  a  patronage  that  more  room  became  a 
necessity.  It  was  decided  to  purchase  a  larger  tract  of  land  and  thereupon 
erect  an  additional  college. 

EVANGELICAL  PROSEMINARY,  AT  ELMHURST. 

(From  a  sketch  by  President  Irion.) 

Elmhurst  College  is  a  boarding-school  with  three  buildings  and  a  campus  of 
twenty-nine  acres.  It  was  organized  in  1870  under  a  charter  of  the  church  corpora- 
tion of  earlier  date.  It  is  one  of  the  schools  of  the  German  Evangelical  Synod  of 
North  America.  It  was  formally  opened  January  17,  1871,  in  temporary  quarters 
in  Evansville,  Indiana,  and  removed  to  its  present  location  in  December  of  the 
same  year. 

The  college  is  without  endowment,  but  receives  material  help  from  the  Eden 
Publishing  House  at  St.  Louis,  which  belongs  to  the  church.  It  receives  assistance 
from  the  various  congregations  of  the  Evangelical  Synod,  also,  and  these  sources  of 
revenue,  with  the  addition  of  the  tuition  fees,  serve  to  sustain  it. 

The  college  offers  two  courses  —  a  classical  course  and  a  Normal  course.  The 
former  course  prepares  young  men  for  admission  to  Eden  College,  the  theological 
seminary  of  the  church,  at  St.  Louis.  It  is  on  the  accredited  list  of  the  University 
of  Illinois,  where  its  graduates  are  admitted  on  their  diplomas.  The  latter  course 
prepares  young  men  for  teaching  in  the  parochial  schools  of  the  church.  Its  grad- 
uates are  given  a  certificate  to  teach  in  such  schools. 

It  has  graduated  more  than  six  hundred  and  most  of  them  engage  either  in  the 
ministry  or  in  teaching  in  the  schools  of  the  church. 

Rev.  C.  Kranz  was  the  first  president,  1871-5.  His  successors  have  been  Rev. 
F.  Ph.  Meusch,  1875-80;  Rev.  P.  Goebel,  1880-7;  Rev.  D.  Irion,  D.  D.,  1887.  The 
members  of  the  faculty  generally  have  been  connected  with  the  college  for  many 
years.     The  library  has  3,000  volumes. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  343 

CARTHAGE  COLLEGE. 

(From  a  sketch  by  Rev.  F.  L.  Sigmund,  D.  D.) 

Carthage  College  was  organized  in  1870.  Articles  of  incorporation  were  taken 
out  by  a  stock  company  of  the  citizens  of  Carthage,  the  amount  of  stock  to  be  limited 
to  $300,000.  A  campus  of  seventeen  acres  was  purchased  and  a  three-story  brick 
building  was  erected  in  1870-1.  Meanwhile  a  classical  school  was  opened  in  rented 
rooms  and  school  was  opened  on  September  5,  1870,  imder  the  management  of 
Prof.  L.  F.  M.  Easterday.     This  marks  the  official  beginning  of  the  college. 

But  colleges  do  not  spring  spontaneously  from  the  organization  of  stock  com- 
panies, as  it  is  easy  to  find  investments  which  yield  a  larger  financial  return.  Like 
all  of  the'  institutions  that  have  thus  far  been  considered,  it  was  the  child  of  the 
Church.  What  would  have  been  the  condition  of  higher  education  in  Illinois  but 
for  the  zeal  and  self-sacrifice  of  religious  denominational  bodies  ? 

"This  institution  is  conducted  under  the  auspices  of  the  General  Synod  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  in  the  United  States.  Two  previous  efforts  had  been 
made  by  this  branch  of  the  Lutheran  Church  to  establish  an  institution  of  higher 
education  in  Illinois,  one  at  Hillsboro  and  one  in  Springfield.  The  school  at  Hills- 
boro  was  chartered  in  1847  under  the  title  of  'A  Collegiate  and  Theological  Institute 
of  the  Far  West, '  but  it  was  more  generally  known  as  the  Hillsboro  College.  In  the 
spring  of  1852  this  institution  was  removed  to  Springfield  and  the  name  was  changed 
to  Illinois  State  University.  On  account  of  financial  difficulties,  however,  the  work 
of  the  university  was  discontinued  some  time  in  1867  and  the  property  was  sold  a 
few  years  afterward. 

".  This  left  the  English-speaking  Lutherans  of  Illinois  without  an  institution  for 
the  education  of  their  children  for  the  training  of  the  ministry.  Accordingly  a  meet- 
ing of  commissioners  from  various  synods  connected  with  the  general  synod,  and 
located  west  of  Indiana,  met  in  Dixon,  Illinois,  in  1869  to  plan  for  the  establishment 
of  another  institution.  Upon  recommendation  of  this  conference  commissioners 
were  appointed  by  the  various  synods  interested,  with  full  power  to  act.  These 
commissioners  met  in  Carthage,  Illinois,  in  December,  1869,  and  accepted  the 
proposition  of  the  citizens  of  that  town." 

The  following  persons  have  served  as  presidents  of  the  school:  Rev.  David  H. 
Tressler,  Ph.  D.,  1873-80;  John  A.  Kunkleman,  D.  D.,  1881-3;  J.  S.  Detweiler,  D.  D., 
1883-4;  Edward  F.  Bartholomew,  D.  D.,  1884-8;  Holmes  Dysinger,  D.  D.,  1888-95; 
John  M.  Ruthrauff,  D.  D.,  1895-1900;  Frederick  Sigmund,  D.  D.,  1900-9. 

As  indicated  above,  the  first  president  was  elected  in  1873.  The  control  of  the 
school  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  original  commissioners  until  1880,  when  a  majority 
of  the  stock  was  transferred  to  the  synods  interested,  who  assumed  control  of  the 
institution  and  have  since  managed  its  affairs. 

The  list  of  presidents  indicates  frequent  changes  in  the  management.  Such  a 
policy  is  fatal  to  the  best  interests  of  an  institution.  During  the  seven  years  of  the 
presidency  of  Dr.  Tressler  the  college  was  prosperous.  His  untimely  death  was  a 
blow  to  the  young  college.  The  attendance  decreased  and  the  life  of  the  institution 
was  often  in  jeopardy,  but  a  few  years  later  a  vigorous  young  faculty  did  much  to 


344  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

restore  the  lost  repute.  With  the  addition  of  other  departments  the  attendance 
increased,  although  the  chronic  poverty  of  institutions  of  that  character  at  that  age 
was  not  escaped.  It  is  the  old  story  repeated  —  the  right  man  appeared  in  the 
person  of  Dr.  Dysart. 

In  later  years  Carthage  has  shared  with  her  sister  institutions  in  the  prosperity 
of  the  country.  The  academy  has  been  strengthened  and  new  buildings  have  been 
erected.  At  the  writing  of  the  sketch,  1906,  the  college  embraced  six  departments 
of  instruction;  it  had'  a  faculty  of  seven  professors  and  seven  instructors,  and  a 
student  body  for  the  year  of  250. 

Mr.  Henry  Denhart,  of  Washington,  Illinois,  has  been  a  most  liberal  patron, 
contributing  in  twenty  years  more  than  $45,000.  He  has  also  made  a  conditional 
offer  of  $100,000.  Mr.  Carnegie  has  not  forgotten  Carthage  in  his  many  beneficences, 
having  offered  to  erect  a  $20,000  science  building. 

In  1906  a  gymnasium  costing  $1,500  was  erected.  The  succeeding  year  two 
athletic  instructors,  a  lady  and  a  gentleman,  were  added  to  the  faculty.  In  1907 
the  John  C.  Martin  Foundation  added  a  Bible  Training  Department  to  the  equip- 
ment. In  1908  the  endowment  was  increased  $200,000.  In  1909  H.  D.  Hoover 
succeeded  to  the  presidency. 

ST.  STANISLAUS'  COLLEGE. 

(From  a  sketch  by  E.  G.  McFadden,  A.  M.) 

The  college  was  established  in  1890,  in  Chicago,  and  was  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  Illinois.  It  is  conducted  by  the  Resurrectionist  Fathers  and  is  located  on 
Division  and  Holt  streets.  It  is  empowered  by  its  charter  to  teach  preparatory  and 
college  branches  and  to  confer  the  usual  degrees. 

Its  student  body  is  exclusively  of  the  Polish  race,  of  whom  there  are  a  great 
number  in  the  city.  Upon  completion  of  their  work  in  the  parochial  schools  there 
was  no  institution  of  their  race  and  faith  to  which  they  could  go  for  higher  culture, 
so  they  were  obliged  to  seek  it  elsewhere  and  to  the  neglect  of  the  ideas  and  traditions 
that  are  very  dear  to  their  parents. 

"  The  aim  of  the  college  is  threefold: 

"1.  To  give  to  its  students  secular  instruction  as  good  as  can  be  obtained  in 
any  of  the  small  colleges  in  the  country. 

"2.  To  give  religious  instruction  and  maintain  a  standard  of  discipline  that 
will  be  thoroughly  Catholic. 

"3.  By  giving  courses  in  Polish  language  and  literature  to  keep  alive  in  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  the  Polish  youths  in  America,  the  glorious  history  and  unselfish 
ideal  of  their  fathers." 

It  is  not  difficult  to  realize  the  difficulties  that  present  themselves  in  the  founda- 
tion of  a  college  without  a  substantial  endowment.  Buildings,  grounds,  equipments 
of  various  kinds,  all  of  which  are  expensive,  the  employment  of  teachers,  etc.,.  demand 
large  expenditures.  This  college  was  obliged  to  depend  upon  the  income  from 
students'  fees,  and  these,  of  necessity,  were  made  as  low  as  possible  on  account  of 
the  limited  means  of  those  whom  the  college  was  founded  to  serve.  All  of  these 
obstacles  to  success  were  successfully  met. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  345 

At  the  head  of  the  school  is  Rev.  John  Kosinski.  To  him  the  college  is  indebted 
more  than  to  any  one  else  for  its  material  prosperity  and  for  the  admirable  spirit 
that  pervades  it. 

There  are  three  courses  offered  to  the  students  —  the  classical,  the  scientific,  and 
the  commercial.  There  is  a  well  organized  preparatory  school  and  the  classical 
course  is  four  years  long  and  consists  of  prescribed  studies. 

"  The  discipline  is  mild  yet  firm.  The  students  are  required  to  be  regular  in 
attendance,  and  prompt  and  diligent  in  the  performance  of  every  duty  assigned 
them." 

The  college  illustrates  the  close  supervision  and  constant  watchfulness  of  the 
faculty,  both  of  which  are  in  quite  striking  contrast  with  the  method  of  the  American 
school.  The  students  are  accompanied  in  their  visits  to  interesting  places  in  the  city 
by  one  of  the  prefects.  They  are  often  accompanied  in  their  games  by  the  prefects 
and  professors.     A  constant  effort  is  made  to  develop  strength,  honesty  and  bravery. 

GREENVILLE  COLLEGE,  AT  GREENVILLE. 

(From  a  sketch  by  Prof.  C.  A.  Stoll,  Ph.  B.) 

Greenville  College  began  its  history  as  Almira  College,  being  named  after  Mrs. 
Almira  Blanchard  Morse,  its  chief  beneficiary.  It  was  founded  in  1855  as  an  effort 
to  give  to  women  the  opportunity  of  higher  education.  Two  young  men  of  New 
Hampshire  birth  met  as  fellow  students  at  New  Hampton  in  their  native  State, 
where  they  were  preparing  for  college.  A  life-long  friendship  grew  up  between  them 
and  they  often  discussed  the  injustice  of  denying  to  women  the  liberal  education  so 
coveted  by  men.  They  determined  to  use  their  united  efforts  in  securing  for  her 
what  was  so  unjustly  denied  her. 

Together  they  pursued  their  course  at  Brown  University,  graduating  in  1828. 
Both  began  the  study  of  the  law,  Mr.  White  removing  to  Greenville  in  1836  and 
engaging  there  in  practice.  Two  years  later  he  accepted  the  presidency  of  a  southern 
college,  where  he  remained  for  fifteen  years.  Mr.  Morse  also  became  a  teacher,  but 
subsequently  engaged  in  mercantile  business,  removing  also  to  Greenville,  arriving 
there  in  1840.     Three  years  later  he  married  Miss  Almira  Blanchard. 

In  1854,  upon  invitation  of  Mr.  Morse,  Mr.  White  visited  Greenville.  What  was 
more  natural  than  that  the  old  ideas  and  ambitions  should  be  revived.  The  citizens 
of  Greenville  were  cordially  favorable  and  made  generous  subscriptions.  Mrs. 
Morse  happily  came  into  a  legacy  of  six  thousand  dollars  which  she  at  once  put  at 
the  disposal  of  the  proposed  enterprise.  This  made  the  realization  of  the  scheme 
possible ;  the  natural  surroundings  of  Greenville  made  it  a  desirable  location. 

In  the  summer  of  1855  Mr.  Morse  came  to  Greenville  and  entered  upon  the 
management.  The  school  was  founded  in  1855,  as  has  been  stated,  and  received 
a  charter  two  years  later.  In  1857  Miss  Elizabeth  Wright  joined  Mr.  White  as  his 
wife,  and  devoted  herself  to  the  internal  management  of  the  school. 

It  was  ten  years  before  the  college  building  was  finally  completed.  During  all 
of  this  time  the  institution  was  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity,  as  it  was  during  all 
of  the  twenty-three  years  of  Professor  White's  presidency.     He  had  an  excellent 


346  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

corps  of  teachers.  It  was  necessary  to  maintain  a  preparatory  department,  for  the 
pubUc  schools  were  poor  and  there  were  very  few  high  schools.  This  extended  the 
course  to  six  years,  yet  a  fair  percentage  completed  the  course.  It  was  also  an 
important  social  factor  in  the  life  of  the  community.  Professor  White  was  peculiarly 
fitted  for  such  an  enterprise  and  was  extremely  popular.  He  was  absent  for  two 
years  in  war  time,  serving  as  chaplain  in  an  Illinois  regiment,  and  Rev.  D.  P.  French 
took  his  place. 

In  1870  grave  business  reverses  came  to  Mr.  Morse  and  he  removed  from  the 
State.  A  debt  that  the  school  had  carried  since  the  completion  of  the  building  was 
a  grave  embarrassment,  although  the  school  had  been  prosperous.  Moreover,  Pro- 
fessor White  was  broken  in  health  because  of  his  army  service,  and  the  school  was 
sold  to  Mr.  James  P.  Slade  and  Mrs.  Florence  K.  Houghton,  who  conducted  it  imtil 
1892,  when  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Central  Illinois  Conference  of  the  Free 
Methodist  Church  to  be  used  as  a  co-educational  institution. 

Rev.  W.  T.  Hogue  became  president  under  the  new  management.  A  number 
of  new  departments  were  added  to  the  course  of  study.  Several  bequests  have  fallen 
into  the  lap  of  the  school,  so  that  it  has  been  quite  well  provided  with  means  of  sup- 
port. In  1903  President  Hogue  retired  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  A.  L.  Whit- 
comb.  Additional  buildings  being  needed,  the  friends  of  the  school  rallied  to  its 
support  and  furnished  the  meafis  for  the  erection  of  a  new  administration  building 
and  heating  plant.     The  annual  registration  reaches  about  three  hundred. 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO. 

(From  a  sketch  by  Prof.  Francis  Way  land  Shepardson,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.) 

'•  During  the  years  1857  to  1886  there  was  in  the  city  of  Chicago  what  was  called 
the  University  of  Chicago,  an  institution  founded  by  the  Hon.  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
who  earnestly  hoped  that  the  principal  city  of  his  State  might  become  the  seat  of 
a  great  institution  of  learning.  Financial  difficulties  surrounded  this  university 
almost  from  its  inception,  and  finally,  after  a  heroic  struggle  of  nearly  thirty  years, 
its  trustees  were  compelled  to  close  its  doors  in  1886,  leaving  behind  a  record  of 
substantial  work  established,  as  evidenced  by  a  list  of  alumni,  many  of  them  men 
and  women  of  prominence  in  the  growing  city.  This  '  Old  University, '  as  it  is  called, 
had  hardly  closed  its  doors  before  efforts  were  begun  to  establish  a  new  institution, 
freed  from  financial  difficulties  but  working  substantially  on  the  lines  of  the  old. 
When  the  plans  for  the  new  university  were  formulated,  one  of  the 
conditions  which  were  made  by  the  trustees  was  that  the  alumni  of  the  old  University 
of  Chicago  might  be  recognized  as  graduates  of  the  new  university,  if  they  made  formal 
request  for  such  recognition. 

"In  addition  to  this  collegiate  basis  in  past  history,  there  fiourished  between  the 
years  1860  and  1892  what  was  known  as  the  Baptist  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
started  as  an  adjunct  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  and  established  during  the  first 
years  of  its  history  just  across  the  street  from  the  campus  of  the  university  proper. 
The  institution  was  located  afterward  in  Morgan  Park,  a  suburb  about  fourteen 
miles  away." 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  347 

It  was  understood  that  if  the  new  university  should  become  a  reahty  the  seminary 
would  be  its  divinity  school. 

Although  the  new  University  of  Chicago  has  no  legal  relation  to  the  old  university 
it  has  at  least  a  highly  sympathetic  relation.  The  unhappy  ending  of  the  latter 
seemed  a  temporary  suspension,  and  a  conviction  obtained  quite  generally  that  in  some 
way  it  would  be  resuscitated  and  started  upon  a  new  career  of  usefulness.  How 
can  a  college  really  die  when  it  has  a  body  of  living  alumni  who  are  people  of  affairs 
in  the  world?  Is  it  not  more  than  probable  that  the  former  institution  was  in  his 
mind  when  Mr.  John  D.  Rockefeller  held  a  conference  with  Prof.  William  R.  Harper, 
of  Yale  University,  with  regard  to  the  advisability  of  establishing  a  new  college? 

It  was  the  custom  of  Professor  Harper  to  run  up  to  Vassar  for  a  Sunday  sermon 
once  in  a  while.  It  was  also  the  custom  of  Mr.  Rockefeller  to  accompany  him 
betimes,  and  on  these  little  journeys  a  common  theme  of  conversation  was  the 
dreamed-of  college.  Many  places  were  discussed,  but  their  minds,  after  each  mental 
excursion,  returned  to  Chicago  as  the  logical  location.  It  was  in  1888  that  these 
events  were  occurring.  The  same  year  a  movement  was  on  in  the  Baptist  Church 
to  strengthen  the  hands  of  the  educational  institutions  of  that  denomination,  and 
also  to  establish  a  new  college  in  Chicago.  The  organization  that  was  to  give  coher- 
ence to  the  forces  acting  for  these  ends  was  the  American  Baptist  Education  Society, 
organized  in  Washington  in  May  of  that  year.  The  plan  of  the  society  in  inducing 
contributions  was  the  one  often  foimd  to  be  so  efficacious  —  the  offer  of  a  sum  of 
money  to  an  institution  with  the  challenge  to -its  friends  to  meet  it  with  an  equal 
or  other  specified  sum.  It  is  thus  seen  that  this  Education  Society  had  the  matter 
of  the  new  college  in  hand. 

In  1889  matters  began  to  take  shape.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  go  over 
the  whole  ground  and  report  progress.  Among  the  names  of  the  committee  are 
found  such  educational  household  words  as  William  R.  Harper,  Alvah  Hovey,  Presi- 
dent Taylor,  E.  B.  Andrews  and  others  whose  names  are  less  familiar  to  the  school 
people.  They  made  their  report  which  was  promptly  adopted  and  the  Society 
decided  to  go  on  with  the  enterprise.  It  was  shortly  after  this  that  Mr.  Rockefeller 
appeared  with  an  offer  of  $600,000  as  an  endowment  for  the  new  college,  on  the  con- 
dition that  his  offer  should  be  met  by  a  subscription  of  $400,000  with  which  to  pur- 
chase land  and  to  erect  buildings.  When  the  committee  began  their  canvass  for 
the  required  $400,000  they  found  the  money  coming  in  so  fast  that  it  soon  became 
evident  that  it  would  be  unwise  to  organize  anything  less  than  a  university,  and 
that  upon  the  broadest  and  most  comprehensive  grounds.  Never  before  were  such 
astonishing  results  realized.  When  the  appeal  was  made  for  money  to  erect  the 
needed  building  to  begin  with,  over  $1,000,000  was  subscribed  within  ninety  days. 

A  charter  had  been  received  from  the  legislature  and  the  necessary  governing 
body  chosen.  Dr.  Harper  was  elected  president  and  a  suitable  faculty  employed. 
On  October  1,  1892,  in  the  simplest  fashion,  the  doors  were  opened  and  500  students 
flocked  into  the  waiting  halls.  There  was  no  haunting  fear  of  failure,  for  several 
millions  of  dollars  in  the  way  of  endowment  were  in  the  strong  box  of  the  institution. 

The  university  was  the  very  antithesis  of  all  others  of  its  kind.  They  had  come 
to  the  fulness  of  experience  of  power  through  great  tribulation  and  possible  centuries 


348  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

of  history.  It  was  to  spring  into  a  full  equipment,  or  at  least  a  very  liberal  one,  in  a 
single  bound.  Wiseacres  shook  their  heavy  heads  with  doubt.  Meanwhile,  the 
officials  were  ransacking  the  world  wherever  a  university  could  be  found  and  taking 
an  inventory  of  the  qualities  that  gave  it  virility,  and  not  less  of  the  elements  that 
had  become  obsolete  and  that  deserved  elimination.  It  was  a  masterpiece  of  diplo- 
macy that  accomplished  such  remarkable  results.  It  might  have  been  called  the 
Eclectic  University,  for  it  selected  the  choicest  features  of  all  universities  and 
attempted  to  combine  them  at  Chicago.  Moreover,  it  gathered  choice  talent  from 
as  wide  an  area  as  it  had  investigated,  and  thus  became  suddenly  old  and  ven- 
erable in  the  amount  of  experience  that  it  put  into  its  faculty. 

A  series  of  bulletins  had  announced  the  policy  of  the  university  and  also  had 
invited  criticism.  The  plan  of  organization  may  be  set  forth  in  a  few  statements. 
It  provided  for  three  great  departments:  The  university  proper,  the  university 
extension,  and  the  university  publication  work.  The  university  proper  provided  for 
a  considerable  number  of  departments  and  thus  anticipated  every  interest  that  might 
need  developing.  The  extension  work  has  become  so  familiar  as  to  need  no  exposi- 
tion here.  The  publication  department  contemplated  not  only  the  publication  of 
announcements  and  bulletins  but  also  periodicals  and  special  studies,  and,  in  fact, 
the  latest  utterances  of  members  of  its  distinguished  staff. 

That  the  plant  might  be  utilized  to  the  greatest  extent  possible  the  quarter 
system  was  adopted.  For  the  further  convenience  of  students  the  quarter  is  divided 
into  halves.  By  this  arrangement  and  by  the  adoption  of  a  credit  system  based 
upon  the  number  of  studies  taken  instead  of  the  years  of  attendance,  students  are 
enabled  to  attend  for  a  portion  of  the  year  and  engage  in  some  earning  employment 
for  the  rest.  Further,  highly  capable  students  are  able  to  win  their  degrees  in  less 
than  the  usual  time.  By  this  arrangement  members  of  the  faculty  are  so  distributed 
about  through  the  year  as  to  enable  them  to  take  their  vacations  in  different  years 
at  different  times.  Service  is  expected  for  but  three  quarters,  and  if  one  wishes  to 
work  for  an  additional  quarter  so  as  to  increase  his  income  or  accumulate  a  vacation 
he  has  that  privilege. 

It  is  obvious  that  this  system  is  a  practical  abolition  of  the  class  system  so  nearly 
universal  in  American  colleges.  As  one  may  enter  at  any  time  so  he  may  graduate 
at  any  time.  This  necessitates  a  new  basis  for  comradeship.  The  author  of  the 
sketch  is  not  yet  prepared  to  pass  finally  upon  the  effect  that  this  arrangement  may 
have  on  the  loyalty  of  the  alumni. 

The  details  of  organization  and  management  are  too  complex  to  admit  of  full 
treatment  in  these  pages.  The  curious  may  obtain  the  information  from  the  univer- 
sity bulletins,  or  from  direct  communication  with  the  proper  officer. 

If  one  may  not  go  to  the  university  the  university  will  come  to  him  by  means 
of  its  extension  department.  He  may  engage  in  lecture  study  or  in.  correspondence 
study.  The  former  method  is  carried  on  by  lecturers  who  go  about  from  place  to 
place  giving  courses  of  six  or  twelve  lectures  upon  a  single  subject.  Aids  to  study 
are  supplied  in  the  way  of  syllabi  and  small  libraries  and  by  numerous  other  devices. 
Methods  of  estimation  determine  the  value  of  the  work  done  by  the  students  and 
credits  are  awarded  accordingly.     Twenty-five  thousand  people  annually  avail  them- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  349 

selves  of  this  opportunity  of  enlarging  their  culture.     The  work  is  managed  through 
local  centers  that  select  the  lecturers  and  attend  to  various  details. 

The  correspondence  study  department  deals  with  individuals  and  may  go  "the 
world  over  wherever  one  wishes  to  engage  in  it.  Hardly  a  country  that  has  not 
representatives.     The  annual  appropricition  for  the  support  of  this  work  is  $50,000. 

An  attempt  was  made  for  a  time  to  carry  out  a  system  of  class  instruction  in 
Chicago  by  sending  teachers  to  groups  assembled  off  the  campus,  but  it  was  finally 
turned  over  to  another  department  of  the  university. 

In  more  or  less  intimate  connection  with  the  university  are  the  affiliated  schools 
and  the  cooperating  schools. 

The  University  Press  is  in  effect  a  large  publishing  house.  It  publishes  thirteen 
magazines,  .all  of  which  are  owned  by  the  university,  with  a  single  exception.  It 
makes  books-  for  others  and  sells  books  for  itself. 

The  property  of  the  university  mounts  into  the  many  millions.  Its  city  campus 
contained  sixty-six  acres  in  1906.  There  are,  besides,  the  extensive  lands  connected 
with  the  Yerkes  Observatory  and  the  Morgan  Park  property.  It  is  difficult  to  keep 
run  of  the  endowment  funds.  Great  buildings  are  always  in  process  of  erection  on 
the  campus. 

The  principal  benefactor  has  been  Mr.  John  D.  Rockefeller.  His  contributions 
aggregate  something  like  thirty  millions.  Miss  Helen  Culver  has  given  a  million, 
as  has  Mrs.  Emmons  Blaine.  In  the  long  list  of  additional  generous  contributors 
are  the  names  of  Mr.  Martin  A.  Ryerson,  Mr..  Sydney  A.  Kent,  Mr.  Charles  T. 
Yerkes,  Mr.  Marshall  Field,  Mr.  Silas  B.  Cobb,  Mr.  George  C.  Walker,  Mrs.  Charles 
Hitchcock,  Mrs.  Caroline  E.  Haskell,  Mrs.  Ehzabeth  G.  Kelly,  Mrs.  Mary  Beecher, 
Mrs.  Henrietta  Snell  and  Mrs.  Nancy  S.  Foster,  Mr.  Adolphus  C.  Bartlett,  Mr.  Leo 
Mandel,  Mr.  John  J.  Mitchell,  Mr.  Charles  L.  Hutchinson,  and  the  trustees  of  the 
estate  of  William  B.  Ogden.  Many  of  the  names  are  associated  with  buildings  on 
the  campus  which  explain  the  disposition  of  their  gifts.  Indeed,  the  generosity  of 
men  and  women  that  have  linked  their  names  to  the  university  is  nothing  short  of 
wonderful. 

In  addition  to  the  undergraduate  colleges  there  are  numerous  graduate  schools, 
professional  schools,  and  affiliated  schools.  Appropriate  degrees  are  conferred  by 
these  various  institutions.  The  President's  Decennial  Report,  published  in  1901, 
gives  the  history  of  the  university  for  its  first  ten  years. 

"  The  master  mind  of  the  university  from  the  time  of  its  inception  until  his  death 
on  January  10,  1906,  was  that  of  the  first  president,  William  Rainey  Harper.  He 
advised  with  the  founder  of  the  institution  before  its  establishment.  He  was  one 
of  the  committee  of  nine  which  outlined  its  scope  and  plan.  He  forecast  its  develop- 
ment in  a  remarkable  series  of  preliminary  publications.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees  for  fifteen  years.  He  was  a  prime  factor  in  the  raising  of  funds 
for  buildings  and  grounds.  He  selected  the  faculty,  personally  investigating  the 
qualifications  of  each  instructor.  He  guided  the  work  of  administration  with  remark- 
able power,  keeping  in  close  touch  with  details  in  a  surprising  way.  He  rendered 
the  teaching  service  of  a  full  professor.  He  was  wonderfully  fertile  in  plans  for  the 
development  and  enlargement  of  the  institution.      His  personality  dominated  the 


350  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

university,  winning  respect  everywhere  and  inspiring  a  devoted  allegiance  and 
enthusiasm  on  the  part  of  his  colleagues  which  was  the  wonder  of  the  educational 
world.  To  his  masterful  mind,  his  industrious  activity  and  his  stimulating  leader- 
ship the  accomplishments  of  the  university  are  largely  due." 

After  a  period  of  some  months  during  which  the  imiversity  was  under  the  man- 
agement of  Dr.  Harry  Pratt  Judson,  Head  Professor  of  Political  Science  and  Dean 
of  the  Faculties  of  Arts,  Literature  and  Science,  on  February  20,  1907,  Dean  Judson 
became  President  Judson. 

Since  the  beginning  of  President  Judson 's  administration  the  university  has 
moved  forward  in  its  development  in  too  many  ways  to  be  recoimted  here.  All  that 
is  attempted  in  this  brief  sketch  is  to  indicate  how  it  sprang  into  splendid  power  and 
stature  in  a  few  years  under  the  magic  touch  of  a  man  who  was  willing  to  give  it 
money  and  of  another  who  had  the  genius  to  utilize  that  money  in  a  wise  way.  The 
history  of  this,  the  youngest  of  all  of  the  great  universities  of  the  country,  demon- 
strates that  it  is  not  necessary  to  wait  for  centuries  in  order  that  a  great  center  of 
culture  and  influence  shall  slowly  evolve. 

NORTHWESTERN  UNIVERSITY,  AT  EVANSTON. 

(From  a  sketch  by  Prof.  Arthur  Herbert  Wilde,  Ph.  D.) 

The  first  overt  act  in  the  founding  of  Northwestern  University  was  a  meeting 
of  a  few  gentlemen  at  the  office  of  Grant  Goodrich,  Esq.,  in  Chicago,  on  May  21, 
1850.  A  committee  of  five  was  appointed  by  this  company  to  prepare  a  charter 
for  the  incorporation  of  a  university  to  be  located  in  Chicago  and  to  be  under  the 
control  and  patronage  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  This  committee  was 
also  directed  to  mem,Orialize  the  Rock  River,  Wisconsin,  Michigan  and  Northern 
Indiana  Conferences  of  the  Church  to  take  part  in  the  government  and  patronage 
of  the  imiversity.  The  meeting  also  appointed  a  committee  of  three  to  ascertain 
what  could  be  done  in  the  collection  of  funds  for  the  furtherance  of  the  enterprise. 

The  charter  reported  by  the  committee  received  the  sanction  of  the  legislature 
January  28,  1851,  and  was  accepted  by  the  trustees  on  June  14. 

In  1851  a  plan  of  organization  was  agreed  upon,  one  feature  of  which  was  the 
appointment  'of  an  executive  committee  in  which  was  the  greater  part  of  the  admin- 
istration of  the  afi^airs  of  the  university. 

In  1853  the  work  of  securing  an  endowment  began  to  be  worked  out.  The  plan 
adopted  we  have  seen  attempted  in  some  of  the  other  colleges  that  have  claimed 
attention.  It  was  proposed  to  secure  $100,000  from  the  sale  of  perpetual  scholar- 
ships at  $100  each  and  a  second  $100,000  by  subscription.  One-half  of  this  fund 
was  to  be  expended  for  grormds  and  buildings  and  the  other  half  was  to  be  set  apart 
for  the  payment  of  the  faculty. 

In  1853  the  executive  committee  purchased  three  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
land  twelve  miles  north  of  Chicago.  A  portion  of  this  tract  is  now  used  for  the 
imiversity  campus  and  the  rest  of  it  constitutes  a  portion  of  the  city  of  Evanston. 
The  executive  committee  had  previously  purchased  a  lot  on  the  northwest  comer 
of  La  SalleTstreet  and  Jackson  boulevard,  in  Chicago.     These  were  wise  purchases, 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  351 

for  they  have  constituted  the  major  part  of  the  university  endowment  and  have 
rapidly  increased  in  value. 

The  trustees  adopted  a  liberal  policy  with  regard  to  the  Evanston  property, 
believing  that  the  best  way  to  enhance  the  value  of  the  lots  was  to  assist  in  building 
up  the  town.  It  retained  a  portion  of  every  block  to  be  leased  and  sold  the  rest  at 
the  best  prices  available.  It  was  expected  that  a  large  endowment  would  result 
from  its  land  investment,  but  in  that  particular  there  has  been  a  grave  disappoint- 
ment. 

The  first  facult}^  was  organized  in  June,  1854,  with  Dr.  Clark  T.  Hinman  as 
president  and  professor  of  moral  philosophy  and  logic,  and  a  faculty  of  three  addi- 
tional professors,  one  of  whom  did  not  assume  the  duties  of  the  position  to  which  he 
had  been  elected.     President  Hinman  died  after  a  few  months  of  service. 

The  curriculum  included  three  courses  —  a  classical,  a  scientific,  and  an  elective 
course. 

The  first  thought  was  to  build  a  building  in  the  city,  but  it  was  determined  in 
1855  to  erect  a  frame  structure  in  Evanston.  The  opening  to  students  occurred 
on  November  5,  1855.  Randolph  S.  Foster  was  elected  to  the  presidency  in  1856. 
In  the  same  year  Professor  Bonbright  was  appointed  Professor  of  Latin ;  he  served 
the  institution  for  more  than  fifty  years. 

In  1856  the  university  began  its  policy  of  assimilating  other  institutions  for  the 
purpose  of  granting  degrees.  Rush  Medical  College  and  Garrett  Biblical  Institute 
were  the  first  institutions  that  were  invited  to  join  the  university. 

The  following  list  records  the  names  of  the  presidents  with  their  terms  of  service : 

Clark  T.  Hinman,  1853-4;  Randolph  S.  Foster,  1856-60;  Henry  Sanborn  Noyes, 
vice-president,  1860-8,  acting  as  president;  David  H.  Wheeler,  acting  as  president, 
1867-9;  Erastus  O.  Haven,  1869-72;  Charles  H.  Fowler,  1872-6;  Oliver  Marcy,  act- 
ing president,  1876-81;  Joseph  Cummings,  1881-90;  Henry  Wade  Rogers,  1890-1900; 
Daniel  Bonbright,  acting  president,  1900-2;  Edmund  James,  1902-4;  Thomas  F. 
Holgate,  acting  president,  1904-6;  Abram  Weingardner  Harris,  1906. 

The  leading  benefactors  of  the  -university  have  been  Dr.  John  Evans,  William 
Deering,  Orrington  Hunt,  Mr.  D.  K.  Pearsons,  Mr.  J,  B.  Hobbs,  Mr.  D.  D.  Fayer- 
weather,  Mr.  G.  S.  Swift,  Mr.  Edward  F.  Swift,  Mr.  M.  H.  Wilson,  and  Mr.  Charles 
E.  Slocum.  Trustees,  members  of  the  faculty  and  other  friends  have  made  many 
gifts  to  the  institution. 

In  1855  the  charter  of  the  university  was  so  amended  as  to  free  the  institution 
from  taxation  of  its  property.  This  was  a  matter  of  the  greatest  importance,  for 
otherwise  the  taxes  upon  its  unproductive  property  would  be  a  grave  financial  bur- 
den. Attempts  of  the  municipalities  to  collect  .taxes  were  resisted  by  the  university, 
but  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois  held  against  it.  An  appeal  was  taken  to  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  and  that  tribunal  sustained  the  contention  of 
the  tmiversity. 

The  university  has  been  coeducational  since  1869.  In  1873  the  Evanston  College 
was  absorbed.  Miss  Frances  Willard  was  the  Dean  of  the  Woman's  College  until 
her  resignation  in  1874. 

Up  to  1869  the  University  consisted  of  the  College  of  Liberal  Arts  and  the  Pre- 


352  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

paratory  School.  In  1871  a  civil  engineering  course  was  established  and  three 
years  later  a  school  of  technology,  but  they  were  not  successful  and  after  a  few 
years  were  abandoned.  In  recent  years  a  technological  course  of  two  years  has 
been  offered. 

Little  effort  has  been  expended  in  the  development  of  a  post-graduate  depart- 
ment. It  has  been  deemed  wiser  to  center  the  energies  of  the  faculty  upon  tmder- 
graduate  work.  President  Rogers  started  an  interest  in  that  direction  and  it  has 
gained  steadily,  but  the  number  enrolling  has  never  been  large. 

The  Northwestern  University  Medical  School  was  first  organized  as  the  Medical 
Department  of  Lind  University,  which  will  be  remembered  as  the  forerunner  of  the 
Northwestern.  Certain  mutual  obligations  and  concessions  characterized  the  rela- 
tions of  the  school  to  the  university  and  the  connection  continued  until  the  trustees 
found  themselves  imable  to  fulfill  a  contract  that  had  been  made  with  reference  to 
the  erection  of  a  building  for  the  Medical  School.  In  consequence  the  contract  was 
abrogated  in  1863  and  the  medical  faculty  undertook  the  continuance  of  the  school 
as  an  independent  enterprise.  A  building  was  erected  on  State  street  near  Twenty- 
second,  and  the  school  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  Chicago  Medical 
College.  In  1869  it  became  necessary  to  change  the  location  and  an  arrangement 
was  again  made  with  the  Northwestern  University  by  which  it  became  an  autono- 
mous department. 

The  College  of  Law  has  had  a  somewhat  varied  career.  It  first  became  the  law 
department  of  the  old  University  of  Chicago  through  a  gift  of  $5,000  in  1859  by 
Hon.  Thomas  Hoyne.  Hon.  Henry  Booth,  LL.  D.,  was  the  first  dean  of  the  school 
and  continued  in  that  capacity  for  more  than  thirty  years.  Hon.  Harvey  Bostwick 
Hurd,  LL.  D.,  served  the  school  almost  continuously  as  professor  for  more  than 
forty  years. 

In  1873  it  passed  under  the  joint  control  of  the  Northwestern  University  and  the 
University  of  Chicago  tmder  the  name  of  the  Union  College  of  Law.  As  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago  passed  out  of  existence  in  1886  the  college  was  half-oi~phaned  and 
in  1891  became  a  department  of  the  Northwestern  University. 

In  its  long  career  of  half  a  century  it  has  played  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  legal 
education  of  young  men.  Many  eminent  men  have  been  connected  with  the  school 
as  students,  teachers  and  members  of  the  board  of  trustees.  Among  the  names  are 
found  those  of  Hon.  John  M.  Wilson,  Hon.  Lyman  Trumbull  and  James  L.  High. 

In  1892  a  marked  advance  was  made  in  the  extension  of  the  curriculum,  the 
lengthening  of  the  course  and  the  improvement  of  the  method  of  teaching. 

In  1891  the  Illinois  College  of  Pharmacy  became  a  department  of  the  university. 
As  early  as  1886  the  executive  committee  had  taken  action  with  regard  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  such  a  school.  It  had  from  the  first  the  most  extensive  equipment  of  any 
similar  school  in  this  country.  It  began  its  work  on  the  southwest  comer  of  Lake 
and  Dearborn  streets  in  Chicago.  In  six  years  it  outgrew  its  quarters  and  removed 
to  the  University  Medical  Building  at  2421  Dearborn.  It  again  became  too  large 
for  its  quarters  and  removed  to  its  present  quarters  in  the  University  Building, 
Lake  and  Dearborn. 

The  school  took  the  lead  of  all  schools  of  pharmacy  in  the  country  in  the  intro- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  353 

duction  of  laboratory  methods  of  instruction.  It  now  employs  a  large  teaching  force 
whose  entire  time  is  devoted  to  the  school  —  a  condition  not  existing  in  any  other 
such  school  in  the  country.  It  is  the  largest  of  all  university  schools  of  pharmacy 
and  second  in  attendance  of  all  pharmacy  schools.  The  course  of  study  is  too 
extended  to  find  vSpace  in  these  pages. 

The  Northwestern  University  Dental  School  is  the  successor  of  the  University 
Dental  College,  which  was  organized  under  a  charter  from  the  State  in  1887. 
An  arrangement  was  effected  with  the  university  and  the  medical  college  by 
which  a  part  of  the  instruction  in  the  dental  school  was  cared  for  by  those 
institutions. 

The  college  was  situated  near  the  medical  college.  Three  years  of  seven  months 
each  were  .required  for  the  completion,  and  as  no  other  school  was  so  exacting  in  its 
demands  it  secured  but  few"  students.  Although  this  requirement  was  modified,  still 
the  patronage  was  insufficient  to  maintain  the  school  and  at  the  end  of  the  school 
year  of  1891  the  faculty  resigned.  This  event  opened  the  way  for  the  organization 
of  a  dental  department  of  the  university,  so  the  old  college  was  reorganized  and 
assimilated  by  the  university.  Later  the  Medical  College  of  Dental  Surgery  was 
consolidated  with  the  University  Dental  College  and  in  1898  the  Northwestern 
Dental  School  represented  the  two.  It  is  now  housed  in  the  New  University  Build- 
ing —  the  old  Tremont  House.  . 

The  School  of  Music  became  a  department  of  the  university  in  1876  under  the 
management  of  Oren  E.  Locke.  The  school  was  for  several  years  a  prosperous  enter- 
prise, but  a  decline  began  about  1887,  and  in  1891  Mr.  Locke  resigned.  In  the  same 
year  the  school  was  reconstructed  by  Mr.  P.  C.  Lutkin,  who  greatly  expanded  the 
scope  of  the  school  and  added  highly  capable  teachers  to  the  corps  of  instructors. 
Two  years  later  the  school  was  still  further  enlarged  and  a  choral  society  of  students 
organized.  ' 

In  1897  the  Music  Hall  was  completed,  the  faculty  numbered  fifteen  teachers, 
and  the  school  had  become  very  prosperous.  A  preparatory  department  is  main- 
tained in  which  the  students  of  the  School  of  Music  have  an  opportunity  to 
acquire  skill  by  a  system  of  practice  teaching  after  the  manner  of  the  best  Normal 
schools. 

Like  many  of  its  kindred  institutions  the  university  has  maintained  a  preparatory 
department.  For  the  larger  part  of  its  history  the  academy  on  the  campus  was  the 
only  one.  It  was  here  that  the  eminent  Herbert  Franklin  Fisk,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 
served  so  efficiently  for  thirty-one  years  and  thus  made  for  himself  a  conspicuous 
place  in  the  annals  of  secondary  education  in  Illinois.  In  1901  the  university  acquired 
Grand  Prairie  Seminary,  at  Onarga,  and  two  years  later  the  Elgin  Academy.  These 
schools  are  feeders  of  the  university. 

The  School  of  Oratory  is  the  outgrowth  of  the  work  of  Prof.  Robert  McLean 
Cumnock.  It  occupies  a  building  on  the  campus  that  was  provided  for  the  depart- 
ment through  the  liberality  of  Mrs.  G.  F.  Swift,  of  Chicago. 

To  furnish  instruction  for  women  in  the  science  and  practice  of  medicine  the 
Woman's  Medical  School  of  Chicago  was  made  a  department  of  the  imiversity  in 
1892.     After  ten  years  of  life  it  was  abandoned. 

23 


354  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

PROFESSIONAL   AND    TECHNICAL    SCHOOLS   ON    A    PRIVATE 

FOUNDATION. 

.  THE  Mccormick  theological  seminary. 

(Condensed  from  a  sketch  by  Miss  Kela  B.  Parker.) 

This  institution  was  first  a  theological  department  of  Hanover  College,  Indiana. 
It  was  opened  in  the  spring  of  1830,  when  Rev.  John  Matthews,  of  Virginia,  began 
his  work  with  two  students.  In  1840  it  was  'removed  to  New  Albany,  Indiana, 
where  an  endowment  became  available  through  the  generosity,  of  Mr.  Elias  Ayres, 
who  gave  $15,000  to  the  struggling  institution,  which  was  subsequently  called  the 
New  Albany  Theological  Seminary.  In  1856  it  was  removed  to  Chicago,  where 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick  had  tendered  an  endowment  of  $100,000.  It  was  granted  a 
charter  by  the  Legislature  of  Illinois  on  March  21,  1857,  under  the  name  of  the 
Presbyterian  Seminary  of  the  Northwest.  After  a  recess  of  two  years  the  seminary 
was  reopened  on  the  1st  of  September,  1859,  under  the  supervision  of  the  Assembly, 
to  which  it  had  been  transferred  as  a  final  settlement  of  the  difficulties  which  it  had 
encountered  because  of  the  slavery  question.  In  1886  the  name  was  changed  to 
the  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  honor  of  the 
man  whose  generosity  has  enabled  it  to  attain  so  marked  a  degree  of  success.  The 
contributions  of  Mr.  McCormick  and  his  family  had  amounted  to  nearly  or  quite 
two  millions  of  dollars.  Others  have  also  made  generous  contributions.  Among 
them  are  Messrs.  People  and  Ridgeway,  of  Evansville,  and  Tuthill  King,  of  Chicago. 
In  1905  the  first  president  of  the  institution  was  elected  —  Rev.  James  G.  K.  McClure, 
D.  D.,  LL.  D.     The  whole  number  of  graduates  approximates  2,000. 

As  incentives  to  study,  special  fellowships  have  been  donated.  Among  these  are 
The  Bernadine  Orme  Smith  Fellowship,  established  by  Col.  Dudley  C.  Smith,  of 
Bloomington;  The  Nettie  F.  McCormick  Fellowship,  by  herself;  The  T.  B.  Black- 
stone  Fellowship,  by  Mrs.  Blacks  tone. 

Six  buildings  are  occupied  by  the  seminary.  The  above  statements  need  no 
commentary  as  they  indicate  very  clearly  the  good  fortune  that  has  come  to  the 
institution. 

THE  UNION  BIBLICAL  INSTITUTE,  AT  NAPERVILLE. 

(From  a  sketch  by  Professor  Gamertsfelder.) 

This  is  the  main  divinity  school  of  the  Evangelical  Association .  It  is  under  the 
supervision  of  the  General  Conference,  the  supreme  legislative,  body  of  the  Church. 
It  was  incorporated  on  the  15th  of  March,  1873. 

Twelve  States  and  Canada  have  conferences  that  are  represented  in  the  cor- 
poration. The  representatives  of  these  conferences  raise  the  finances  and  appoint 
the  faculty. 

The  active  work  of  the  institute  began  in  the  fall  of  1876.  Bishop  J.  J.  Esher 
was  the  first  principal  and  served  three  years.  He  was  succeeded  in  1879  by  Rev. 
Reuben  Yeakel.  Upon  his  retirement  in  1883  Bishop  Esher  was  again  appointed 
;  nd  served  until  1891.     He  was  succeeded  by  Bishop  Thomas  Bowman. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  355 

CHICAGO  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,  AT  CHICAGO. 

(From  a  sketch  by  Dean  George  H.  Geberding.) 

This  institution  was  established  to  train  a  ministry  to  preach  the  old  faith  of  the 
Fathers  in  the  language  of  their  children.  The  man  who  was  mainly  responsible  for 
the  movement  that  resulted  in  the  founding  of  the  seminary  was  Dr.  W.  A.  Passa- 
vant,  of  Pittsburgh.  After  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  persistent  effort  he  persuaded 
the  General  Council  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  to  undertake  the  enter- 
prise. This  was  done  in  1869.  But  the  "  Great  Fire"  and  other  unfortunate  con- 
ditions delayed  the  beginnings  so  that  the  seminary  was  not  fully  opened  until  1891. 

It  began  without  buildings  or  endowment.  A  mission  chapel  was  rented  and 
the  start  was  made.  From  that  simple  beginning  the  institution  has  won  its  way 
to  the  possession  of  a  number  of  buildings  upon  which  there  are  no  embarrassing 
mortgages  and  which  are  worth  $175,000.  Three  years  are  required  to  complete 
the  course.  A  correspondence  school  for  non-resident  pastors  enrolls  a  hundred 
pupils  a  year.  There  are  special  courses  in  Pedagogy,  Sunday-school  Work,  Elocu- 
tion, Architecture,  Church  Music  and  Hymnology. 

The  number  of  students  is  increasing  every  year  and  endowments  and  new 
buildings  will  be  provided  soon. 

ARMOUR  INSTITUTE,  AT  CHICAGO. 

(From  a  sketch  by  Victor  C.  Alderson.) 

Armour  Institute  is  the  product  of  the  philanthropic  spirit  of  Philip  D.  Armour. 
The  organization  of  such  an  institution  was  suggested  by  the  work  which  had  been 
accomplished  by  his  brother,  Joseph  F.  Armour,  in  the  establishing  of  the  Armour 
Mission,  on  Thirty-fifth  street  in  Chicago. 

It  is  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  that  a  little  mission  Sunday-school 
was  located  near  where  the  Institute  now  stands.  Joseph  F.  Armour  became  warmly 
interested  in  this  enterprise  and  under  his  fostering  care  it  grew  rapidly  and  in  a 
little  while  larger  quarters  became  a  necessity.  They  were  secured  on  State  street, 
but  Mr.  Armour  determined  to  make  of  the  school  a  permanent  institution.  He 
therefore  erected  a  building  for  its  use  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Thirty-third  street 
and  Armour  avenue.  The  building  was  especially  designed  for  the  Mission  and  was 
therefore  designed  with  regard  to  its  needs.  It  was  opened  for  occupancy  on  the  6th 
of  December,  1886.  As  an  endowment  for  the  support  of  the  Mission,  Mr.  Armour 
erected  a  block  of  apartment  buildings  containing  213  flats,  near  the  Mission,  and 
secured  a  charter  under  the  laws  of  Illinois  incorporating  the  management  under  the 
name  of  Armour  Mission.     In  his  will  he  bequeathed  $100,000  to  the  Mission. 

In  the  meantime,  Philip  D.  Armour,  an  older  brother,  had  become  warmly  inter- 
ested in  the  work  which  his  brother  had  begun.  He  soon  became  convinced  that  the 
work  of  the  Mission  should  be  so  extended  as  to  prepare  young  men  and  young 
women  for  better  self-support  by  affording  them  an  opportunity  for  technical  edu- 
cation. To  that  end  he  erected  a  building  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Armour 
avenue  and  Thirty-third  street  and  formed  a  governing  corporation  imder  the  name 
of  Armour  Institute  of  Technology.     The  board  of  trustees  is  the  same  as  that 


356  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

controlling  the  Mission.  The  first  acquired  property  is  held  by  the  Mission  and  the 
last  by  the  Institute.  The  Institute  was  opened  for  classes  in  September,  1893, 
with  the  distinguished  Rev.  Frank  W.  Gunsaulus,  D.  D.,  as  president.  The  first 
board  of  trustees  consisted  of  Philip  D.  Armour,  J.  Ogden  Armour,  Philip  D.  Armour, 
Jr.,  John  C.  Black  and  William  J.  Campbell. 

The  following  is  the  organization  of  the  Institute  at  its  opening  in  1893: 

1.  The  Technical  College,  including  courses  in  mechanical  engineering,  electrical 
engineering,  library  economy,  and  architecture,  the  latter  being  managed  in  con- 
nection with  the  Art  Institute. 

2.  The  Scientific  Academy,  which  prepared  students  for  the  college. 

3.  The  Associated  Departments  of  Domestic  Arts  and  Sciences,  Commerce, 
Music,  and  Kindergarten  Normal  Training. 

In  1896  the  Department  of  Library  Science  removed  to  the  University  of  Illinois, 
the  Department  of  Commerce  was  discontinued,  and  a  course  in  civil  engineering 
was  added  to  the  Technical  College. 

In  1900  the  Kindergarten  Department  was  separated  from  the  Institute  and 
became  an  independent  school  in  the  center  of  the  city.  The  following  year  the 
same  plan  was  followed  with  regard  to  the  Departments  of  Domestic  Arts  and 
Sciences  and  of  Music. 

In  1901  the  trustees  decided  to  admit  no  more  girls,  but  permitted  all  in  attend- 
ance to  complete  the  course  if  they  so  elected.  The  same  year  a  course  in  chemical 
engineering  was  added  to  the  college  courses,  and  the  name  of  the  Technical  College 
was  changed  to  that  of  the  College  of  Engineering.  With  the  beginning  of  the 
succeeding  year  two  important  additions  were  made  to  the  work  of  the  institution. 
In  October,  evening  classes  in  engineering  were  organized  for  the  benefit  of  young 
men  who  were  unable  to  attend  at  any  other  time.  This  proved  to  be  a  most  suc- 
cessful innovation,  as  254  students  enrolled  for  the  first  term  and  the  number  was 
materially  increased  the  winter  term.  The  second  addition  was  an  extension  of  the 
privileges  of  the  college  to  those  who  could  not  attend  at  any  time,  by  co-operating 
with  the  American  School  of  Correspondence  in  such  a  way  as  to  use  the  members 
of  the  faculty  in  aiding  students  through  correspondence. 

The  first  class  was  graduated  in  1897.  The  institutioQ  has  had  a  steady  growth 
and  now  ranks  most  honorably  among  the  schools  of  its  kind  in  this  country.  Its 
financial  prosperity  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  in  1903  the  assets  of  the  Institute 
and  the  Mission  aggregated  more  than  four  millions  of  dollars.  The  buildings  have 
been  constructed  under  the  intelligent  supervision  of  the  eminent  president,  who 
has  been  resolute  in  securing  the  best  quality  of  instruction.  He  has  realized  that 
in  order  to  accomplish  that  end  he  must  be  guided  by  sound  pedagogical  principles. 
These  principles  are  exemplified  in  the  constructing  and  arrangement  of  the  rooms 
and  their  apparatus.  The  advantages  of  the  class-room  instruction  and  of  the  shop 
instruction  are  united. 

Dr.  Gunsaulus  has  been  for  years  in  the  thick  of  the  life  of  the  great  city.  He 
was  never  satisfied  until  he  had  planted  a  great  church  in  the  down-town  district, 
near  the  hotels  and  places  of  business.  Thousands  of  eager  listeners  crowd  the  vast 
Auditorium  on  the  Sabbath.     Actuated  by  the  same  spirit  in  its  relation  to  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  357 

industrial  life  of  the  city,  he  was  not  content  until  he  had  a  school  whose  purpose 
was  the  better  equipment  of  the  man  who  must  work  and  that  was  located  where  it 
heard  the  din  of  traffic  and  the  call  of  the  mill.  When  Mr.  Armour  was  moved  to 
contribute  to  the  bettering  of  the  industrial  conditions  Dr.  Gunsaulus  was  ready  to 
join  hands  with  him  and  to  work  out  the  details  of  a  practical  scheme.  The  early 
plans  aimed  at  providing  such  technical  instruction  as  was  afforded  nowhere  else 
in  the  city.  This  idea  explains  the  organization  of  the  Departments  of  Library 
Science  and  of  Domestic  Arts  and  Sciences.  The  Institute  was  certainly  an  educa- 
tional experiment  station.  The  school  of  library  science  was  then  a  novelty.  It 
was  assumed  that  there  were  superior  ways  of  managing  a  library  and  the  purpose 
of  the  school  was  to  discover  that  way  and  then  to  teach  it  to  those  who  were  seeking 
work  of  that  character.  Its  success  was  so  marked  that  in  two  years  the  University 
of  Illinois  took  it  over.  Similarly  the  classes  in  cooking,  sewing,  dressmaking  and 
millinery  were  radical  departures.  They,  too,  w^ere  immediately  successful.  As 
soon  as  their  practicability  was  established  they  were  made  separate  schools  and 
sent  down  town.  All  of  the  time  there  had  been  a  strong  inclination  toward  engineer- 
ing, and  in  1901,  as  has  been  stated,  the  Institute  decided  to  limit  its  work  to  that 
particular  field.  By  1903  the  institution  was  thoroughly  organized  for  its  special 
work.-  Since  then  it  has  gone  forward  with  characteristic  energy.  It  has  made  its 
contribution  to  the  composite  life  of  the  city  and  that  contribution  has  been  a  notable 
one.  Large  numbers  of  young  men  who  would  have  been  condemned  to  rely  for  a 
livelihood  upon  the  labor  of  their  untrained  hands  have,  through  the  ministry  of 
this  noble  school,  noble  in  its  conception  and  in  its  administration  and  achievement, 
become  leaders  in  our  modern  scientific-industrial  life. 

LEWIS  INSTITUTE,   CHICAGO. 

(From  a  sketch  by  Prof.  C.  W.  Mann,  A.  M.) 

The  Lewis  Institute  was  opened  for  students  on  September  21,  1896.  It  was 
founded  upon  a  bequest  by  Allen  C.  Lewis.  Mr.  Lewis  came  to  Chicago  in  the 
early  fifties  and  engaged  in  the  land  business,  in  which  he  acquired  a  fortune.  His 
fortune  was  greatly  increased  in  1875  by  an  inheritance  from  a  brother,  John  Lewis. 
Some  two  years  later  Mr.  Allen  C.  Lewis  died,  leaving  his  estate  to  certain  designated 
persons  who  were  to  permit  it  to  increase  in  value  until  it  should  reach  $800,000, 
when  it  was  to  be  used  for  the  purposes  indicated  in  his  will. 

Mr.  Lewis  was  an  invalid  for  several  years  preceding  his  death.  Although  quite 
well  known  in  Chicago  his  plans  were  kept  to  himself  while  he  quietly  and  efficiently 
perfected  them.  In  the  later  seventies  there  were  but  three  superior  technical 
schools  in  this  country  and  all  were  in  the  East.  That  there  was  a  demand  for  such 
institutions  was  indicated  by  the  fact  that  some  of  the  universities  and  colleges  in 
the  West  were  beginning  to  announce  courses  in  answer  to  the  evident  needs  of  the 
time.  Frequent  reference  to  such  an  institution  for  Chicago  had  appeared  in  the 
public  press  and  the  hope  was  expressed  that  some  man  of- means  would  be  induced 
to  supply  the  funds  for  such  an  enterprise.  It  appears  that  the  project  was  a  favorite 
one  with  the  brothers  and  it  was  assumed  that  it  was  their  purpose  to  imite  their 
accumulations  and  devote  them  to  this  philanthropic  end. 


358  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  plan  of  Mr.  Lewis  as  indicated  in  his  will  was  to  unite  upon  a  single  founda- 
tion four  connected  institutions.  The  immediate  purpose  was  the  establishment 
of  a  school  that  should  enable  young  men  and  young  women  to  so  increase  their 
efficiency  as  to  make  their  services  of  greater  value  to  the  community  and,  of  conse- 
quence, to  themselves.  To  this  end  a  night  school  of  suitable  character  was  to  be 
established.  A  second  feature  of  his  plan  was  the  furnishing  to  the  general  public 
a  library  and  reading  room  and  also  a  course  of  public  lectures,  the  character  of  which 
was  to  be  determined  by  the  needs  of  the  community.  The  crowning  feature  of  the 
gift  was  to  be  a  thoroughly  equipped  school  of  technology,  to  be  established  as  soon 
as  the  estate  should  increase  to  such  dimensions  as  to  make  the  plan  feasible.  Since 
he  left  some  $550,000  it  is  obvious  that  the  desire  of  the  donor  would  be  actualized 
within  a  few  years  after  his  death. 

The  first  trustees  under  the  will  were  James  M.  Adsit,  Henry  F.  Lewis  and  Hugh 
A.  White.  John  A.  Roche  and  George  M.  Bogue  succeeded  respectively  Mr.  Adsit 
and  Mr.  Lewis.  Mr.  Bogue  subsequently  resigned  and  the  remaining  trustees  man- 
aged the  estate  for  a  time.  It  is  a  fine  tribute  to  the  intelligence  of  the  trustees  and 
to  their  faithfulness  as  well  to  record  the  fact  that  the  property  almost  trebled  in 
value  within  a  few  years.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  White,  Christian  C.  Kohlsaat 
and  John  McLaren  were  appointed  trustees,  and  as  the  conditions  had  been  realized 
that  Mr.  Lewis  had  anticipated,  and  very  richly  realized,  arrangements  were  made 
to  carry  out  the  large  plans  of  the  donor. 

The  board  of  trustees  was  peculiarly  well  fitted  to  execute  its  trust,  as  its  members 
were  men  of  affairs  and  were  familiar  with  the  needs  and  resources  of  the  city.  Before 
deciding  upon  details  they  carefully  examined  existing  institutions,  consulted  experts, 
and  informed  themselves  thoroughly  with  respect  to  the  best  methods  of  procedure. 
Prominent  citizens  were  called  to  their  assistance  to  help  them  in  determining  what 
the  intelligent  men  of  the  city  expected  of  the  trustees.  Opinions  varied  between 
the  establishment  of  a  trade  school  and  of  a  superior  polytechnic  school.  All  united 
in  the  idea  that  an  institution  that  should  help  young  men  and  young  women  to  do 
some  one  thing  well  was  the  main  object  to  be  kept  in  mind. 

Careful  thought  and  deliberation  were  given  to  the  planning  of  a  suitable  build- 
ing, and  when  it  was  completed  a  board  of  managers  was  selected,  two  of  whom  were 
William  R.  Harper  and  Albert  G.  Lane,  men  who  were  so  closely  identified  with 
elementary,  secondary  and  higher  education  as  to  set  at  rest  any  possible  doubt  as 
to  the  suitable  organization  and  management  of  the  institution.  The  remaining 
members  of  the  board  of  managers  were  Oliver  H.  Horton,  Thomas  Kane,  William 
J.  Chalmers,  Christopher  Hotz,  and  Henry  M.  Lyman.  In  May,  1895,  the  work 
was  properly  launched  by  the  employment  of  a  man  peculiarly  -fitted  for  the  position 
of  director  —  Mr.  George  Noble  Carman. 

The  courses  extended  from  the  beginning  of  the  secondary  school  to  the  junior 
year  of  the  college.  The  school  was  thus  joined  to  the  grammar  school  below  and 
the  third  year  of  the  college  above.  Three  lines  of  work  were  opened  —  the  courses 
in  arts,  science,  and  technology.  It  was  determined  to  make  the  system  sufficiently 
flexible  to  meet  the  demands  of  those  who  were  to  be  served  and  thus  to  avoid  any 
possibility  of  exclusiveness  and  class  distinction.     The  school  day  was  extended  to 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  359 

eight  hours,  arranged  in  two-hour  periods,  thus  giving  to  the  laboratories  and  shops 
the  greatest  possible  efficiency.  Classes  were  limited  to  about  twenty-five  and  the 
elective  system  of  studies  was  so  adapted  as  to  realize  the  greatest  range  of  advan- 
tageous choice. 

Information  respecting  the  facilities  ofi^ered  by  the  Institute  is  so  readily  avail- 
able as  to  preclude  the  necessity  of  any  extended  description  of  its  equipment  and 
courses  of  study.  It  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  great  agencies  for  the  preparation 
of  men  and  women  for  superior  work  in  the  industrial  enterprises  that  seek  for  their 
assistance.  It  would  be  a  difficult  task  to  indicate  the  value  of  its  work.  It  has 
lifted  large  numbers  of  wageworkers  out  of  the  common  and  imremunerative  employ- 
ments, and  has  made  of  them  highly  intelligent  and  extremely  capable  experts,  thus 
multiplying  their  social  efficiency  many  times  over  and  opening  to  them  lines  of  life 
which  are  closed  to  the  imtrained  man  and  woman. 

CHICAGO  LAW  SCHOOL,   CHICAGO. 

(From  a  sketch  by  Chancellor  J.  J.  Tobias,  Ph.  D.) 

On  December  15,  1895,  a  number  of  prominent  lawyers  of  Chicago  held  an 
informal  meeting  to  consider  the  advisability  of  organizing  a  new  school  of  law  in 
the  city,  that  should  exhibit  in  its  management  the  most  advanced  ideas  in  that 
department  of  professional  education.  A  careful  study  was  made  of  the  reports  of 
the  Committee  on  Legal  Education  of  the  American  Bar  Association  for  light  on  the 
best  methods  of  teaching  law  as  a  science  and  for  the  most  approved  method  of  its 
acquisition.  This  meeting  resulted  in  the  incorporation  of  the  Chicago  Law  School 
some  three  months  later.  Among  the  names  of  the  distinguished  men  who  consti- 
tuted its  first  Board  of  Administration  are  Judge  Magruder,  Senator  Cullom,  Gov- 
ernor Tanner,  Judge  Tuthill,  Bishop  Merrill,  and  ten  others.  The  first  dean  was 
George  W.  Warvelle;  the  first  treasurer,  T.  M.  Bates;  the  first  secretary,  J.  J.  Tobias. 

The  alumni  now  number  some  eight  hundred  or  more  and  are  practicing  in  almost 
every  State  in  the  Union.  The  school  was  located  in  the  Schiller  Building,  on 
Randolph  street,  where  the  accommodations  are  of  the  most  excellent  character. 

Chicago  is  an  ideal  location  for  such  an  institution.  State  and  Federal  courts 
are  in  session  during  the  school  year  and  students  are  thus  enabled  to  witness  all 
of  the  varied  aspects  of  litigation  and  to  hear  the  most  distinguished  advocates  of 
the  country.  The  complex  life  of  a  great  city  furnishes  in  itself  opportunities  for 
superior  culture. 

The  school  has  an  admirable  library  and  is  in  close  proximity  to  the  great  Public 
Library.  Much  stress  is  laid  upon  the  familiarizing  of  the  students  with  these 
priceless  volumes,  upon  which  they  will*so  largely  be  obliged  to  rely  in  the  conduct 
of  their  practice. 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS.* 

This  institution,  which  has  taken  so  prominent  a  place  in  the  intellectual  life  of 
the  West,  owed  its  existence  primarily  to  an  educational  movement  whose  chief 
purpose  was  the  promotion  of  instruction  and  scientific  research  in  the  industrial 

♦From  a  sketch  by  Prof.  Evarts  Boutell  Greene,  Ph.  D.,  and  from  the  article  by  W.  L.  Pillsbury,  A.  M.,  in 
1887-8,  report  of  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction;    - 


360  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

arts.  It  is  one  of  that  notable  group  of  universities  that  are  the  joint  product  of 
national  and  state  aid.  We  have  noted  the  grant  of  the  two  townships  for  an  insti- 
tution of  learning  and  the  percentage  of  the  sale  of  public  lands  that  was  set  aside 
for  the  same  purpose.  Notwithstanding  these  generous  donations  the  State  did  not 
feel  itself  able  to  enter  upon  the  scheme  of  higher  education  until  a  half  century 
after  it  had  assumed  the  dignity  of  statehood.  An  occasional  ripple  of  interest  was 
manifested  in  the  utilization  of  the  endowment  within  the  first  score  of  years,  but 
it  came  to  nothing  of  value.  The  private  colleges  were  in  the  field  and  they  were 
regarded  as  satisfying  the  demand  for  higher  training. 

No  attempt  was  made  to  establish  an  institution  of  learning  upon  the  proceeds 
of  the  land  grants  until  1833.  That  year  a  bill  was  introduced  into  the  General 
Assembly  with  the  following  as  its  first  section: 

Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  That  there  shall  be  and 
hereby  is  created  and  established  a  university  for  the  education  of  the  youth  in  the  English,  learned 
and  foreign  languages,  the  useful  sciences  and  literature,  to  be  known  hy  the  name  and  style  of  the 
Illinois  University,  and  to  be  governed  and  regulated  as  hereinafter  directed. 

Subsequent  sections  provided  for  the  powers  usually  conferred  upon  governing 
boards. 

Section  7  provided  for  freedom  of  religious  opinion  by  teachers  and  students.  It 
also  declared  that  no  sectarian  tenets  or  principles  shall  be  taught  or  inculcated  at 
the  institution. 

Section  10  provided  for  the  appropriation  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  the  college 
and  seminary  lands  for  the  support  of  the  university. 

Section  11  located  the  institution  at  Springfield. 

The  location  of  the  institution  at  Springfield  did  much  to  defeat  the  bill,  for 
Springfield  was  then  in  the  field  for  the  Statehouse  and  Vandalia  could  find  forces 
enough  ready  to  combine  against  the  overweening  ambition  of  her  rival. 

There  were  other  objections  to  the  measure.  McKendree,  Shurtleff  and  Illinois 
Colleges  were  then  endeavoring  to  find  a  place  to  stand  and  the  idea  of  a  richly 
endowed  State  university  as  a  rival  naturally  excited  the  fears  of  the  friends  of  these 
institutions.  There  was  yet  another  objection  and  it  had  weight  among  influential 
men.  The  State  was  using  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  these  lands  for  running  expenses 
and  taxation  was  correspondingly  diminished.  The  party  in  power  always  regards 
any  increase  of  the  tax  levy  as  a  menace  to  its  continuance  in  office.  The  opposition 
to  the  bill  was  led  by  Zadok  Carey,  who  succeeded  in  getting  it  amended  so  as  to 
provide  for  four  colleges,  and  that  meant  its  sure  defeat. 

Governor  Duncan  recommended,  in  his  message  the  succeeding  year,  that  a 
State  university  be  established,  but  nothing  came  of  it.  In  1835  the  legislature 
provided  that  the  interest  on  these  borrowed  funds  should  be  loaned  to  the  common 
school  fund  and  distributed,  and  that  settled  the  matter  of  the  university  for  many 
years. 

In  the  fifties,  however,  certain  educational  leaders  began  to  trouble  the  waters. 
The.  most  conspicuous  of  the  advocates  for  the  establishing  of  a  university  was  a 
man  whose  name  has  appeared  already  in  these  pages  —  Jonathan  Baldwin  Turner, 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  361 

for  many  years  a  professor  in  Illinois  College.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  although 
he  was  occupying  a  chair  in  a  college  whose  courses  of  study  were  laid  out  on  the  old 
classical  and  mathematical  lines  his  warmest  interest  was  in  the  scientific  and  pro- 
fessional training  of  the  industrial  classes.  He  was  conspicuously  at  the  front  of 
that  movement  that  so  engrosses  the  thought  of  the  present. 

Professor  Turner's  relations  to  the  movement  will  be  more  fully  shown  in  a 
sketch  of  his  life  on  a  later  page. 

Professor  Turner  sought  every  opportunity  to  arouse  the  agricultural  commu- 
nities to  an  appreciation  of  the  needs  of  scientific  education  along  the  lines  of  effort 
in  which  they  were  engaged.  At  the  Granville  Convention  of  1851  the  response 
to  his  contention  came  in  the  quite  unanimous  decision  to  distribute  his  "Plan  for 
the  State' University. "  He  would  have  been  the  last  to  deprecate  the  old  culture, 
but  he  was  pleading  for  a  new  species  of  discipline  for  which  a  new  type  of  school 
was  needed  —  a  school  for  the  industrial  classes,  the  farmers,  artisans  and  merchants. 
He  was,  therefore,  the  prophet  of  a  new  dispensation,  and  his  success  marked  the 
beginning  of  a  new  era  in  education. 

His  message  attracted  the  attention  of  the  East  as  well  as  of  the  West.  An 
Industrial  League  was  organized  and  in  the  succeeding  year,  1852,  it  appealed  to 
Congress  for  public  land  grants  "to  establish  and  endow  industrial  institutions  in 
each  and  every  State  in  the  Union."  The  movement  is  thus  seen  to  be  taking  on 
a  national  character.  At  the  next  session  of  the  General  Assembly  a  resolution  of 
the  same  character  was  passed. 

In  1855  a  bill  was  introduced  into  the  State  legislature  to  incorporate  the  "Illi- 
nois Universit}^"  with  two  departments.  One  of  them  was  to  be  for  training  in 
industrial  callings,  and  the  other  for  the  training  of  teachers  for  common  schools. 
This  bill  failed  to  pass,  but  at  the  next  session  the  bill  for  the  establishing  of  the 
Illinois  State  Normal  University  became  a  law. 

One  of  the  aims  having  been  realized,  the  friends  of  industrial  education  succeeded 
in  carrying  through  the  thirty-fifth  Congress  a  bill  making  appropriations  of  public 
lands  for  the  support  of  institutions  in  harmony  with  the  resolutions  of  the  Gran- 
ville Convention.  President  Buchanan  vetoed  the  bill  upon  constitutional  grounds. 
Two  years  later  a  similar  bill  became  a  law,  receiving  the  signature  of  President 
Lincoln  on  July  2,  1862.  This  was  the  celebrated  "Land  Grant  "  act  which  gave 
to  each  of  the  loyal  States  30,000  acres  of  land  for  each  senator  and  each  representa- 
tive. The  conditions  of  the  law  required  each  of  the  States  to  appropriate  this  fund 
"  to  the  endowment,  support  and  maintenance  of,  at  least,  one  college  where  the  lead- 
ing object  shall  be,  without  excluding  other  scientific  and  classical  studies,  and 
including  military  tactics,  to  teach  such  branches  of  learning  as  are  related  to  agri- 
culture and  the  mechanic  arts,  in  such  manner  as  the  legislatures  of  the  States  may 
respectively  prescribe,  in  order  to  promote  the  liberal  and  practical  education  of  the 
industrial  classes  in  the  several  pursuits  and  professions  in  life." 

The  legislature  formally  accepted  the  gift  on  the  14th  of  February,  1863,  and 
shortly  after  it  received  the  land-scrip  entitHng  it  to  480,000  acres  —  a  princely 
domain.  This  was  the  legislature  that  behaved  itself  so  badly  that  Governor  Yates 
sent  it  home  with  a  bee  in  its  ear.     He  did  not  prorogue  it  a  day  too  soon,  for  it  was 


362  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

proposing  to  distribute  this  splendid  fund  among  the  colleges  of  the  State.  Of 
course  the  friends  of  the  industrial-education  movement  were  up  in  arms  about  it, 
for  they  were  holding  their  ground  for  an  independent  institution  of  a  strictly  indus- 
trial type.  Professor  Turner  was  on  the  alert  for  such  a  diversion  of  the  fund,  and 
as  chairman  of  a  committee  appointed  for  that  purpose  drew  a  bill  which  was  sub- 
stantially identical  with  the  charter  granted  in  1867. 

And  now  the  contest  over  the  site  came  on,  as  there  were  several  competing 
localities.  Jesse  W.  Fell,  the  man  who  more  than  any  other  htindred  men  deter- 
mined the  location  of  the  Normal  University  ten  years  before,  was  again  in  the 
field.  McLean  county  and  the  city  of  Bloomington  made  a  most  generous  bid, 
aggregating  nearly  a  half  million  of  dollars,  but  for  some  reason  not  then  understood 
the  legislature  accepted  the  offer  of  Champaign  county  and  to  Urbana  the  univer- 
sity went. 

The  act  incorporated  "  The  Illinois  Industrial  University."  It  was  approved  by 
Governor  Oglesby  on  February  28,  1867,  hence  this  is  the  natal  day  of  an  institution 
of  which  every  loyal  Illinoisan  is  justly  proud.  The  board  of  trustees  consisted  of 
five  members  from  each  of  the  three  judicial  grand  divisions  of  the  State  and  one 
from  each  congressional  district.  The  idea  evidently  was  to  win  needed  popularity 
for  the  institution  by  locating  the  members  of  its  governing  body  in  all  parts  of  the 
State.  These  members  were  all  appointed  by  the  Governor  and  for  a  term  of  six 
years,  one-third  to  retire  each  biennium.  In  addition  there  were  four  ex  officio 
members;  they  were  the  Governor,  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction, 
the  President  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society  and  the  Regent  of  the  University. 
The  Regent  was  elected  by  the  board  for  two  years  and  was  its  presiding  officer  and 
the  chairman  of  its  executive  committee  —  a  somewhat  extraordinary  arrangement. 

The  powers  of  the  trustees  in  furnishing  courses  of  study  have  been  indicated.  It 
is  interesting  to  read  the  official  utterances  of  the  board.  As  Professor  Greene  has 
suggested,  there  was  a  " sturdy  Industrial  spirit"  at  work,  for  a  schedule  was  required 
that  would  give  the  students  an  opportunity  to  attend  to  their  work  at  home  during 
the  spring  and  summer,  and  it  was  enjoined  upon  the  management  that  no  student 
be  permitted  to  remain  about  the  university  "without  full  mental  or  industrial 
occupation."  Degrees  were  associated  in  the  minds  of  the  members  of  the  board 
with  the  old  ideas  of  education,  in  which  the  preparation  of  men  for  the  learned  pro- 
fessions was  the  main  motive ;  it  was  therefore  decreed  that  they  should  not  be  intro- 
duced, but  that  a  simple  certificate  should  suffice.  The  requirements  for  admission 
were  very  low,  as  the  examination  covered  only  the  common  branches. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  trustees,  on  March  12,  1867,  Dr.  John  M.  Gregory 
was  unanimously  elected  Regent.  Other  officers  necessary  to  the  organization  of 
the  institution  were  selected,  and  the  dream  of  Professor  Turner  and  his  group  was 
now  approaching  a  genuine  realization.  One  can  not  but  feel  something  of  the 
exultation  that  these  faithful  friends  of  labor  experienced  as  he  realized  what  had 
been  accomplished.  Some  two  months  later  Dr.  Gregory  accepted  the  appointment 
and  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  The  board  declared  that  Champaign 
county  had  met  its  obligations,  hence  the  university  was  formally  located  at  Urbana. 

The  actual  work  of  instruction  began   March  2,  1868,  and  inaugural  exercises 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  363 

were  held  on  March  11.  It  was  a  notable  occasion.  The  eloquent  State  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction,  Hon.  Newton  Bateman,  made  an  address  in  which 
Professor  Turner  received  the  praise  that  he  so  well  deserved  and  the  newly  elected 
Regent  followed,  discussing  the  significance  of  the  achievement. 

One  can  easily  read  between  the  lines  of  the  utterances  of  the  men  most  active 
in  the  new  movement  no  little  apprehension  respecting  the  outcome  of  the  enter- 
prise. The  industrial  group  were  afraid  of  the  "scholars."  They  feared  that  the 
school  for  which  they  had  fought  might  be  but  another  of  the  traditional  colleges, 
devoted  to  " culture"  and  thus  unmindful  of  the  interests  of  the  men  for  whom  they 
had  made  their  great  campaign.  The  more  conservative  group  feared  on  their  part 
that  the  "  University"  might  be  doomed  to  dole  out  small  commonplaces  and  thus  be 
rendered  unable  to  give  that  large  and  comprehensive  view  of  the  industrial  situation 
that  the  civilization  of  the  time  really  demanded. 

Professor  Greene  calls  the  first  period  of  thirteen  years  the  "formative  period." 
In  1873  the  unwieldy  board  of  thirty-two  was  reduced  to  eleven,  only  two  of  whom 
were  ex  officio  members  —  the  Governor  and  the  President  of  the  State  Board  of 
Agriculture.  Especial  praise  is  awarded  to  Hon.  Emery  Cobb,  of  Kankakee,  who 
was  a  member  for  twenty-six  years. 

Regent  Gregory  was  a  man  of  large  abilities  and  of  unusual  power  as  a  public 
speaker.  Illinois  has  known  no  greater  apostle  of  education  if  platform  ability  is 
to  be  regarded  as  a  criterion.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Union  College,  had  been  a 
student  of  law  and  of  theology,  served  for  a  time  as  a  Baptist  clergyman,  was  principal 
of  a  classical  school  in  Michigan,  president  of  one  of  her  colleges  and  rose  to  the 
dignity  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  At  first  suggestion  it 
would  seem  that  he  would  not  be  an  ideal  selection  for  the  regency  of  an  industrial 
institution,  yet  he  had  the  fine  intelligence  which  enabled  him  to  seize  the  salient 
features  of  the  situation  and  acquit  himself  with  distinction. 

Three  other  men  deserve  especial  mention  at  the  hands  of  the  historian,  in  con- 
nection not  only  with  the  early  but  also  with  the  later  life  of  the  school.  Dr.  Thomas 
Jonathan  Burrill  was  a  member  of  the  first  faculty.  He  is  still  (March,  1911)  one 
of  its  most  highly  valued  teachers  and  administrative  officers.  Here  are  the  posi- 
tions that  he  has  successively  held:  Assistant  professor  of  natural  history,  professor 
of  botany  and  horticulture,  dean  of  the  graduate  school  and  vice-president,  and  three 
times  for  considerable  periods  'serving  as  the  acting  head  of  the  imiversity.  He 
went  to  the  institution  with  a  careful  training  as  a  teacher,  being  a  graduate  of  the 
State  Normal  University,  and  thus  introduced  into  its  life  at  the  first  a  highly  superior 
method  of  instruction. 

The  second  of  these  pioneers  is  Samuel  W.  Shattuck,  who  also  began  at  the  first 
as  assistant }  prof essor  of  mathematics.  For  more  than  thirty  years  he  was  the 
financial  manager /of  the  institution.  His  name  is  inseparably  connected  with  the 
history  of  the  imiversity. 

The  third_[of  [this  distinguished  trio  was  Professor  Edward  Snyder.  Like  Pro- 
fessor Shattuck,  he  had  been  a  soldier,  but  this  service  had  been  rendered  not  alone 
to  the  cause  of  the  Union  in  the  great  Civil  War,  in  which  he  served  for  three  years, 
but,  being  a  native , of  ^Austria-Poland,  he  also  saw  service  in  the  Italian  campaign  of 


364  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

1859.  Although  devoted  to  modem  languages  he  was  ready  to  serve  anywhere,  and 
the  early  necessities  of  the  institution  compelled  him  to  serve  in  many  different 
capacities.  Professor  Greene  says  of  him,  "  As  a  teacher  he  could  arouse  the  genuine 
enthusiasm  of  his  classes,  but  he  will  be  longest  remembered  as  the  sympathetic 
advisor  and  friend  of  the  students.  He  constantly  gave  or  lent  them  money  from 
his  modest  income  and  on  his  retirement  established  the  loan  fund  which  bears  his 
name." 

Dr.  Gregory's  administration  lasted  until  1880.  The  following  condensed  state- 
ment will  serve  to  indicate  the  growth  of  the  institution  for  this  period. 

In  the  first  decade  three  buildings  —  University  Hall,  a  building  for  shop  practice, 
and  the  chemical  laboratory  —  were  erected.  The  increase  in  instructors  and  stu- 
dents was  rapid  at  the  first,  showing  twenty-four  of  the  former  and  400  of  the  latter 
at  the  end  of  the  fifth  year.     In  the  next  seven  years  there  was  slight  gain. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  ten  years  there  were  four  main  " colleges"  —  Agriculture, 
Engineering,  Natural  Sciences,  and  Literature  and  Science.  There  were  also 
"schools"  of  Military,  Science,  Commerce,  and  Domestic  Science.  It  is  interesting 
to  note  that  after  all  of  the  contention  that  Professor  Turner  and  his  friends  had 
made  for  instruction  in  agriculture  when  the  subject  was  offered  by  the  university 
very  few  came  to  avail  themselves  of  the  available  instruction.  The  virgin  soil  of 
Illinois  was  so  fertile  that  the  farmer  thought  there  was  little  need  for  scientific 
treatment  of  the  soil.  The  professorship  of  agriculture  was  vacant  during  a  large 
part  of  the  first  decade  and  the  number  of  students  was  very  small.  As  late  as  1880 
there  were  but  17  students  in  that  department  in  an  entire  enrolment  of  381. 

The  engineering  courses,  however,  developed  rapidly.  Stillman  W.  Robinson 
was  the  first  professor  and  may  be  regarded  as  the  founder  of  the  college.  Shop 
work  was  strongly  emphasized  from  the  first.  So  imbued  were  the  founders  of  the 
institution  with  the  idea  that  everybody  should  engage  in  manual  labor  that  it  was 
a  requirement  upon  all  students  that  they  should  perform  a  certain  amount  of  work 
for  which  they  received  a  nominal  compensation.  This  requirement  was  soon 
abandoned,  but  Professor  Robinson  had  a  high  appreciation  of  the  educational 
possibilities  of  shop  work,  and  rdade  it  a  regular  part  of  the  engineering  instruction. 
Dr.  Peabody,  writing  of  it  later,  said  of  this  work,  "  It  is  probable  that  tool  or  machine 
instruction  was  first  given  in  America  at  the  Worcester  Free  Institute,  which  was 
formally  inaugurated  in  November,  1868,  six  months  after  the  inauguration  of  this 
imiversity.  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  that  Professor  Robinson's  practice  shop 
had  any  other  predecessor  in  this  country. ' '  Closely  associated  with  Professor  Rob- 
inson in  this  pioneer  work  was  Prof.  N.  C.  Ricker,  who  organized  a  highly  successful 
school  of  architecture  and  was  the  second  dean  of  the  engineering  college. 

As  Professor  Robinson  was  a  pioneer  in  the  introduction  of  the  shop  so  Professor 
Burrill  gave  a  prominence  to  the  laboratory  then  unusual  in  American  colleges.  In 
the  literary  college  the  humanities  received  rather  scant  encouragement.  The  school 
of  commerce  and  the  school  of  domestic  science  died  for  lack  of  encouragement. 
The  military  training  has  been  continued  by  making  drill  compulsory  for  the  male 
students  for  a  certain  portion  of  the  course.  In  1878  an  officer  was  detailed  by  the 
government  for  the  requisite  instruction. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  365 

Admission  requirements  were  low  at  first  and  the  faculty  were  obliged  to  give 

.  suitable  instruction  to  fit  the  students  for  college  work.     They  were  slowly  advanced, 

however,  a   preparatory  department    developing   for    the  preparatory  work.     The 

system  of  accrediting  schools  was  finally  adopted,  the  Princeton  High  School  being 

the  first  to  receive  that  recognition. 

Dr.  Gregory  greatly  favored  the  elective  system  for  college  students,  and  large 
liberty  was  at  first  allowed.  There  was  a  reaction  from  this  policy,  however,  and 
diplomas  were  awarded  only  to  those  who  had  completed  an  outlined  course.  The 
legislature  indicated  its  fear  that  the  institution  was  in  danger  of  forgetting  its 
purpose  and  in  1873  required  by  law  that  all  students  should  take  some  work  relating 
to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  original  plan 
did  not  provide  for  the  granting  of  degrees.  In  1877  that  error  was  corrected  by 
providing  for  the  awarding  of  degrees  "when  certain  specific  courses  were  completed. 
This  policy  discouraged  the  somewhat  free  election  of  studies  that  had  been  the 
fashion  in  the  earlier  period. 

Dr.  Gregory  inaugurated  the  plan  of  student  government,  but  it  was  abandoned 
after  his  resignation. 

As  an  indication  of  the  survival  of  old  ideas  with  regard  to  co-education  in  uni- 
versities it  is  interesting  to  note  that  women  were  not  admitted  to  the  university 
until  1870.  Only  fifteen  were  at  first  admitted.  The  main  solicitude  seems  to  have 
been  over  the  anticipated  difficulty  of  finding  suitable  homes  for  them.  For  their 
supervision  Miss  L.  C.  Allen  was  appointed  in  1874  to  the  position  of  instructor  in 
the  school  of  domestic  science,  and  preceptress.  In  1880  she  became  the  wife  of  the 
Regent  and  the  position  lapsed. 

Much  solicitude  was  felt  in  certain  quarters  lest  the  absence  of  denominational 
control  of  a  college  would  result  in  an  irreligious  institution.  The  history  of  the 
university  long  since  put  an  end  to  all  apprehensions  in  that  direction.  There  has 
always  been  a  strong  religious  influence  at  work  among  the  students,  and  in  recent 
years  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has  been  provided  with  a  building  and  a  strong  association 
has  been  maintained  by  the  students. 

Although  a  State  institution  the  university  was  not  to  escape  the  pangs  of  poverty. 
The  large  grant  of  land  did  not  secure  by  its  sale  an  adequate  endowment.  Much 
of  it  sold  for  70  cents  an  acre.  Champaign  county  had  furnished  a  fund  of  $100,000 
in  bonds.  Something  was  derived  from  tuition  fees  and  the  State  doled  out  meager 
appropriations.  The  available  revenues  for  the  support  of  the  general  expenses  in 
1873  were  about  $40,000. 

So  it  was  that  this  pioneer  Regent  had  his  troubles.  He  was  a  man  of  lofty 
ideals  and  high  ambitions.  The  failure  of  the  State  to  sustain  the  institution  properly 
must  have  been  a  sore  disappointment  to  him.  The  closing  years  of  his  administra- 
tion were  shadowed  by  the  difficulties  of  his  position.  The  income  had  shrunk  and 
he  was  unable  to  retain  his  faculty.  There  were  disorders,  also,  among  the  students. 
Unwilling  to  endure  the  annoyances  that  seemed  to  be  so  unnecessary  he  resigned 
in  1880. 

Dr.  Gregory  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Selim  H.  Peabody.  He  had  served  in  capaci- 
ties that  acquainted  him  with  many  features  of  the  work  cut  out  for  the  tmiversity 


366  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

and  he  desired  to  foster  the  neglected  Hterary  departments.  He  was  conservative 
rather  than  otherwise,  however,  and  some  of  the  Gregory  experiments  were  aban- 
doned. Perhaps  it  was  better  in  the  unhappy  conditions  then  existing.  Nor  did 
he  favor  research  in  an  institution  of  this  character,  beheving  that  instruction  rather 
than  experimentation  was  the  true  poHcy  of  such  an  institution.  That,  too,  may 
have  been  wise  in  those  early  days,  but  in  the  later  history  of  the  university  its 
experimentation  has  been  the  life-blood  of  its  agricultural  department.  The  financial 
decline  continued  and  the  strong  men  in  the  faculty  were  many  of  them  going  else- 
where. Yet  in  the  face  of  all  of  the  discouragements  the  Peabody  administration 
was  one  of  real  progress.  In  1881  the  legislature  began  the  policy  of  supplementing 
the  income  from  the  funds  by  making  a  small  appropriation  for  current  expenses. 
However  small  it  was,  it  was  the  beginning  of  that  policy  which  now  makes  biennial 
appropriations  running  into  millions.  There  was  a  further  strengthening  of  ths 
scientific  department  when  in  1885  the  State  Laboratory  of  Natural  History  was 
transferred  to  the  university  and  its  director  was  made  professor  of  zoology.  This 
added  to  the  faculty  the  distinguished  Dr.  S.  A.  Forbes,  one  of  the  most  widely  and 
most  favorably  known  zoologists  of  the  country. 

In  1887  the  federal  government  came  to  the  further  assistance  of  the  land-grant 
colleges  by  the  establishment  of  agricultural  experiment  stations,  in  connection  with 
the  universities,  thus  placing  upon  a  sure  and  liberal  foundation  the  research  feature 
of  the  true  imiversity.  In  1890  Congress  voted  to  the  same  institutions  an  annual 
appropriation  of  $15,000,  which  was  to  increase  gradually  to  $25,000,  and  the  depart- 
ments of  liberal  arts  were  thus  enabled  to  develop  into  something  more  in  harmony 
with  the  current  ideas  of  a  higher  institution. 

In  1885  the  name  was  changed  from  the  "Industrial  University"  to  the  "Uni- 
versity of  Illinois."  That  this  change,  which  was  regarded  by  so  many  of  the  old 
group  with  grave  suspicions,  was  of  great  benefit  to  the  institution  is  now  plainly 
evident. 

But  the  university  was  disturbed  by  internal  troubles.  The  dormitory  was  the 
scene  of  frequent  disorders.  It  was  finally  torn  down  and  the  students  sought 
homes  among  the  people  of  the  community.  A  lawsuit  resulted  from  the  require- 
ment to  attend  chapel.  It  was  fought  through  all  of  the  courts  and  the  university 
authorities  were  sustained.  Then  Dr.  Peabody  was  strongly  opposed  to  fraternities, 
and  although  the  board  at  first  supported  him  it  later  changed  its  policy.  Finally, 
in  1887,  the  legislature  changed  the  governing  body  from  an  appointive  to  an 
elective  body.  In  consequence  an  unfriendly  board  came  into  power.  There  was 
something  approaching  a  mutiny  in  the  cadet  battalion.  The  Regent  was  not 
maintained  in  a  case  of  discipline,  and  he  retired  from  the  field  as  his  sense  of  personal 
dignity  demanded  that  he  should. 

The  above  recital  brings  the  history  of  the  university  down  to  the  year  1891. 
In  the  succeeding  thirteen  years  the  progress  of  the  institution  resembled  the  march 
of  a  triumphant  army.  In  consequence  of  political  changes  in  the  State  many  new 
members  came  into  the  board.  Governor  Altgeld  rendered  signal  service  by  aiding 
in  securing  generous  appropriations. 

For  three  years  Dr.  Burrill,  who  had  in  many  ways  demonstrated  his  large  worth, 


THE    EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  367 

acted  as  Regent.  He  was  an  inspiration  to  the  student  body  and  possessed  the  con- 
fidence and  affection  of  the  alumni.     These  were  fertile  years  for  the  university. 

In  1894  Dr.  Andrew  Sloan  Draper  began  his  memorable  decade  of  service.  He 
was  peculiarly  fitted  for  the  presidency,  possessing  the  especial  order  of  ability  that 
was  needed  at  this  particular  period.  He  had  been  a  practicing  lawyer,  a  member 
of  the  New  York  Legislature,  chairman  of  the  Republican  State  Campaign  Committee 
and  member  of  the  court  of  Alabama  Claims.  In  1886  he  was  elected  by  the  Legis- 
lature of  New  York  to  the  office  of  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  and 
made  a  remarkable  success  in  the  administration  of  that  important  office.  In  1892 
he  was  elected  to  the  superintendency  of  the  Cleveland  schools,  an  office  of  especial 
importance  because  of  the  powers  conferred  upon  that  officer. 

The  limitations  of  this  sketch  do  not  permit  such  a  discussion  of  tha  Draper 
administration  as  it  merits.  It  must  suffice  to  say  that  under  his  management  the 
imiversity  entered  upon  a  career  of  great  prosperity  in  all  ways.  The  legislative 
appropriations  were  greatly  increased.  The  attendance  advanced  by  leaps  and 
bounds.  His  experience  in  the  administration  of  educational  affairs  enabled  him  to 
establish  close  relations  between  the  university  and  the  schools.  He  was  greatly 
admired  by  the  student  body.  Strong  men  entered  the  faculty,  notably  Prof.  David 
Kinley,  who  succeeded  Professor  Snyder,  and  Dean  Eugene  Davenport,  who  has 
made  so  remarkable  a  success  in  the  management  of  the  College  of  Agriculture. 
Several  important  buildings  were  added  to  those  already  on  the  campus.  Graduate 
work  was  entered  upon,  fellowships  were  instituted,  several  professional  schools  were 
affiliated  with  the  university  and  a  school  of  law  was  organized  in  immediate  con- 
nection with  the  university  at  Urbana.  The  School  of  Library  Economy  connected 
with  Armour  Institute  was  removed  to  Urbana  and  was  placed  under  the  direction 
of  Katherine  L.  Sharp,  the  founder  of  the  school,  who  thus  became  also  the  librarian 
of  the  university.  An  elaborate  system  of  government  was  developed.  Athletics 
and  inter- collegiate  contests  were  encouraged.  The  organization  of  college  fraterni- 
ties was  not  only  tolerated  but  was  furthered.  The  social  life  was  enriched  and  the 
religious  interests  were  fostered.  Miss  Violet  D.  Jayne  was  elected  dean  of  the 
women  with  a  seat  in  the  Council  of  Administration.  A  somewhat  similar  measure 
was  adopted  with  reference  to  male  students  by  the  assignment  of  Thomas  Arkle 
Clark  to  the  position  of  dean  of  the  undergraduate  men. 

In  1904  Dr.  Draper  received  the  distinguished  honor  of  election  to  the  commis- 
sionership  of  education  in  New  York,  although  a  nonresident,  and  retired  from  the 
presidency. 

He  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Edmund  Janes  James,  president  of  the  Northwestern 
University.  Dr.  James  had  spent  his  life  in  universities  in  America  and  Europe. 
He  was  formally  installed  in  October,  1905,  and  the  occasion  was  memorable  because 
of  the  large  number  of  American  and  foreign  universities  represented  by  delegates. 
A  series  of  conferences  on  various  questions  of  educational  policy  was  held  in  con- 
nection with  the  installation  exercises. 

The  remarkable  progress  which  characterized  the  Draper  administration  has  been 
fully  equaled  under  the  administration  of  Dr.  James. 

The  appropriations  of  the   General  Assembly  have  greatly  increased.      Many 


368  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

buildings  have  been  added  so  that  the  campus  has  been  for  years  the  scene  of  intense 
building  activities.  In  all  departments  of  the  university  notable  extensions  of  facili- 
ties have  occurred.  The  institution  has  at  last  won  the  confidence  of  the  people. 
It  is  in  the  closest  touch  with  the  industrial  interests  of  the  State.  Farmers  and 
farmers'  sons  and  daughters  gather  by  the  hundreds  for  short  courses.  The  teachers 
in  the  department  of  agriculture  and  the  workers  in  the  State  laboratory  cover  the 
State  with  their  investigations  and  hold  many  institutes  and  deliver  countless  lec- 
tures for  the  instruction  of  the  people.  Original  investigations  that  demand  the 
attention  of  the  world  have  been  conducted  by  men  of  the  character  of  Dr.  Forbes 
and  Dr.  Hopkins  in  their  respective  departments.  The  little  college  that  something 
more  than  twoscore  years  ago  began  its  work  in  an  old  building  in  Urbana  is  now 
one  of  the  great  universities  of  the  world  and  is  rapidly  adding  to  its  renown.  Would 
that  Professor  Turner  could  know  of  the  fruition  of  his  hopes. 

Many  interesting  details  of  the  long  struggle  which  ended  so  triumphantly  in  the 
establishing  of  the  University  of  Illinois  and  of  the  first  twenty-five  years  of  the 
history  of  the  institution  may  be  found  in  Mr.  Pillsbury's  article  already  alluded  to. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  369 


CHAPTER  XV. 
STATE  AND  SECTIONAL  TEACHERS'  ASSOCIATIONS. 

THE  first  of  the  series  of  educational  conventions  that  finally  resulted  in  the 
State  Teachers'  Association  seems  to  have  been  held  in  February,  1833,  in 
Vandalia.  The  occasion  of  this  meeting  was  the  presence  at  the  capital 
of  one  James  Hall,  a  State  celebrity  as  a  writer,  who  was  about  removing  to  another 
State.  The  legislature  was  in  session  and  it  is  probable  that  some  friend  of  education 
seized  the  opportunity  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  some  of  the  lawmakers  the 
supreme  importance  of  better  legislation  respecting  schools,  for  that  was  the  theme 
discussed  by  the  speaker.  Rev.  J.  M.  Peck,  already  characterized,  in  the  language 
of  Mr.  Pillsbury,  as  "perhaps  the  most  indefatigable  worker  for  education  the  State 
has  ever  known,"  deemed  the  occasion  opportune  for  the  organization  of  an  educa- 
tional society.  A  report  of  the  meeting  may  be  found  on  pages  CIX-CXI,  of  the 
Illinois  School  Report  for  1885-6,  in  Mr.  Pillsbury 's  "Early  Education  in  Illinois." 
The  eminent  Sidney  Breese  was  chairman  of  the  meeting.  Mr.  Peck  moved  the 
appointment  of  a  committee  "to  devise  measures  for  obtaining  information  on  the 
subject  of  education,  and  to  devise  a  system  of  public  instruction."  This  com- 
mittee was  instructed  to  report  the  following  Monday. 

A  few  evenings  later  there  was  a  meeting  of  citizens  from  various  parts  of  the 
State.  To  this  meeting  the  committee,  of  which  Mr.  Peck  was  chairman,  made  an 
elaborate  report.  It  recommended  the  organization  of  an  association  to  be  known 
as  the  Illinois  Institute  of  Education,  and  submitted  a  constitution  for  its  government. 
Annual  meetings  at  Vandalia  were  provided,  to  be  held  the  Friday  after  the  first 
Monday  of  December.  John  Goudy  was  elected  president,  a  number  of  distin- 
guished men  were  made  vice-presidents,  and  the  remaining  offices  were  as  well  filled. 
One  of  the  main  purposes  in  the  mind  of  Mr.  Peck  was  the  gathering  of  information 
to  be  used  in  guiding  legislation.  The  General  Assembly  expressed  its  approval 
of  the  measure  by  joint  resolution  and  appointed  the  secretaries  with  others  as  a  com- 
mittee to  investigate  and  report  at  its  next  session. 

The  next  year  the  legislature  was  to  convene.  Mr.  Peck  was  again  at  the  front 
with  suggestions  for  legislation.  As  editor  of  The  Pioneer  and  Western  Baptist  he 
could  reach  the  people.  The  election  for  members  occurred  in  August.  Shortly 
after  the  election  he  announced  that  most  of  the  candidates  had  been  favorable 
to  a  system  of  common  schools.  He  was,  therefore,  very  hopeful  that  something 
worth  while  would  be  done.  He  suggested  the  wisdom  of  another  State  Educational 
Convention  at  Vandalia,  for  the  first  Friday  of  December,  which  would  probably 
coincide  with  the  date  of  the  Institute  of  Education.  More  than  half  the  counties 
sent  delegates.     This  is  known  as  the  "Second  Illinois  Educational  Convention." 

24 


370  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  "Proceedings,"  the  "Address  to  the  People  of  IlHnois,"  and  the  "  Memorial 
to  the  Legislature,"  are  to  be  found  in  Mr.  Pillsbury's  article.  It  will  be  recalled 
that  Stephen  A.  Douglas  was  present  and  served  as  "Secretary  pro  tern.''  This 
convention  had  an  immediate  effect,  as  has  been  narrated,  in  that  Senator  William 
J.  Gatewood,  from  Gallatin  county,  proposed  a  plan  for  a  uniform  system  of  schools 
and  seminaries.  The  seminaries  were  to  be  established  and  maintained  by  the 
combined  assistance  of  philanthropic  individuals  and  the  interest  of  the  college  and 
seminary  funds.  What  multiplied  educational  schemes  those  funds  suggested!  But 
the  legislature  seemed  to  think  of  nothing  but  keeping  taxation  at  the  lowest  possible 
limit  and  the  project  that  issued  from  the  meeting  was  of  no  avail. 

As  early  as  1836  an  occasional  notice  appeared  announcing  a  meeting  of  teachers 
for  mutual  help.  So  there  would  be  accounts  of  lectures  on  education  here  and 
there,  showing  that  the  leaders  were  still  sowing  the  good  seed  in  the  hope  of  a  harvest 
at  some  good  time  in  the  future.  Mr.  Pillsbury  quotes  the  following  from  the 
Sangamo  Journal,  of  August  13,  1836:  "  The  annual  commencement  of  Jacksonville 
College,  September  21,  1836.  N.  B. — A  convention  of  teachers  will  be  held  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  preceding  day  to  discuss  measures  for  the  cause  of  education  in  this 
State."  He  adds:  "At  this  meeting  was  organized  the  Illinois  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, the  minutes  of  which  for  four  years,  given  me  by  the  secretary,  the  venerable 
John  F.  Brooks,  who  has  for  fifty-five  years  been  a  teacher  in  Illinois,  are  here  given." 
.The  Association  met  in  Jacksonville  on  the  18th  of  September,  1837 ;  on  the  17th 
of  the  same  month,  in  1838  ;  and  on  the  12th,  in  1839.  Here  are  a  few  of  the  recurring 
names:  E.  Beecher,  J.  M.  Sturtevant,  John  F.  Brooks,  Rev.  John  Bachelor,  L.  P. 
Kimball,  Prof.  J.  B.  Turner,  Rev.  Theron  Baldwin,  and  the  name  of  one  woman  — 
Mrs.  Sarah  P.  Mosely. 

In  the  Sangamo  Journal  of  November  27,  1840,  a  call,  signed  by  A.  T.  Bledsoe, 
William  Brown,  J.  M.  Sturtevant  and  J.  W.  Jenks,  announced  a  convention  to  be 
held  at  Springfield,  to  begin  on  the  16th  of  December,  for  the  purpose  of  urging  the 
organization  of  a  system  of  schools.  The  legislature  had  been  called  to  meet  in 
special  session  two  weeks  in  advance  of  the  regular  time  and  would  thus  be  in  good 
working  order  by  the  time  the  convention  should  assemble.  It  was  in  this  session 
that  Mr.  Lincoln  offered  the  resolution  instructing  the  committee  on  education  to 
inquire  into  the  expediency  of  examining  teachers  before  permitting  them  to  draw 
public  money.  The  sentiment  of  the  time  on  this  subject  may  be  inferred  from  the 
fact  that  the  resolution  escaped  being  laid  on  the  table  by  a  vote  of  only  seven  in 
a  total  vote  of  eighty-nine. 

The  convention  met  pursuant  to  the  call,  and,  after  a  session  of  one  evening, 
adjourned,  having  appointed  a  committee  to  consider  the  propriety  of  a  permanent 
organization  and  to  report  at  a  future  meeting.  At  a  meeting  held  two  weeks  later, 
December  28,  The  Illinois  State  Education  Society  was  organized.  This  meeting 
memorialized  the  legislature  with  regard  to  many  matters,  among  which  were  the 
compensation  of  teachers  from  public  funds,  the  examination  of  teachers  and  the 
State  Superintendency. 

In  1844,  John  S.  Wright,  to  whom  reference  has  been  made  on  earlier  pages, 
proposed  through  the  columns  of  the  Prairie  Farmer,  of  which  he  was  editor,  that 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  371 

an  educational  convention  should  be  held  in  Peoria,  October  9,  1844.  He  followed 
up  his  call  and  was  aided  by  others  who  were  always  interested  in  anything  looking 
toward  the  needed  legislation.  Mr.  Wright  was  very  active  in  this  meeting,  which 
continued  for  two  days.  The  minutes  may  be  found  in  the  article  so  frequently 
referred  to  in  these  pages.  The  educational  situation  was  thoroughly  discussed  and 
Mr.  Wright  was  appointed  to  draw  up  a  memorial  to  the  legislature.  This  memorial 
is  said  to  have  been  written  with  great  ability.  It  has  been  referred  to  already  in 
connection  with  the  movement  to  secure  a  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  it  was  at  the  session  of  the  legislature  following  this 
meeting  that  the  law  was  so  amended  as  to  provide  for  the  State  and  County  Superin- 
tendencies. 

As  might  be  expected,  many  associations  of  teachers  were  organized  as  soon  as 
there  was  an  official  to  urge  such  improvements  in  teaching  as  result  from  comparison 
of  ideas  and  instruction  in  method. 

The  Peoria  convention  adjourned  to  meet  in  Jacksonville  in  June,  1845.  Mr. 
Wright  faithfully  reported  this  meeting  in  the  Prairie  Farmer  and  the  proceedings 
may  be  found  in  the  article  here  followed.  There  was  a  persistent  policy  being 
pursued  by  the  educational  leaders  to  keep  the  educational  needs  before  the  people, 
by  lectures,  conferences,  newspaper  articles  and  personal  appeals.  It  was  at  this 
meeting  that  it  was  resolved  that  a  county  school  convention  should  be  held  at  Win- 
chester for  Central  Illinois,  in  the  succeeding  September,  that  a  general  school  con- 
vention should  be  held  in  Chicago  at  some  time  in  the  fall  of  1846  and  also  in  Spring- 
field in  December  of  the  same  year.  The  meetings  had  accomplished  great  good  and 
their  efficacy  was  relied  upon  to  secure  further  reforms.  The  Central  Illinois  con- 
vention was  held  at  Winchester  and  adjourned  to  meet  at  Jacksonville  in  January, 
1846.   ' 

Great  preparations  were  made  for  the  Chicago  meeting.  On  the  16th  of  July 
there  was  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Chicago  to  prepare  for  the  coming  of  the 
teachers.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  see  that  every  visitor  had  a  place  of  enter- 
tainment. They  were  requested  upon  arrival  to  register  at  the  office  of  the  Prairie 
Farmer.  John  S.  Wright's  name  is  found  at  the  head  of  the  list  of  the  committee. 
It  is  an  interesting  list,  as  several  of  the  names  became  household  words  in  the  later 
Chicago. 

As  an  extra  inducement  to  be  present  the  committee  announced  that  the  eminent 
Henry  Barnard,  Superintendent  of  Schools  in  Rhode  Island,  and  Professor  Dewey, 
of  Rochester,  New  York,  were  expected  and  that  Horace  Mann  was  a  possible  guest. 
It  was  further  announced  that  at  the  conclusion  of  the  convention  an  institute 
would  be  organized,  to  continue  from  one  to  two  weeks.  "At  the  East  they  have 
been  tried  for  the  last  few  years  with  the  happiest  results." 

The  accoimt  of  the  convention  was  published  in  the  November  number  of  the 
Prairie  Farmer.  It  was  pronounced  the  best  convention  in  the  history  of  the  State. 
The  account  speaks  of  "an  imparalleled  sickness  which  has  prevailed  all  over  the 
country. "  This  is  said  to  have  prevented  the  attendance  of  many  who  were  expected 
and  thus  to  have  disappointed  the  projectors  of  the  movement  somewhat,  Mr. 
Barnard  was  there,  as  was  Mr.  Phelps,  of  Albany,  and  Mr.  Pierce,  of  New  York. 


372  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  Teachers'  Institute  had  an  attendance  of  from  sixty  to  eighty.  This  is  pre- 
sumably the  Mr.  Phelps  who  was  a  candidate  for  the  principalship  of  the  State 
Normal  University  in  1857,  and  was  defeated  by  a  single  vote,  Charles  E.  Hovey 
being  the  successful  candidate.  Governor  French  addressed  a  letter  to  the  associa- 
tion assuring  the  teachers  that  he  would  aid  them  in  improving  the  common-school 
system  of  the  State.  Another  convention  was  called  to  meet  at  Springfield,  Decem- 
ber 16.  The  Institute  continued  for  one  week.  It  was  probably  the  first  of  its 
kind  in  Illinois. 

The  Northwestern  Educational  Society  was  organized  at  this  meeting,  with 
William  B.  Ogden  as  president,  G.  W.  Meeker  recording  secretary,  and  John  S. 
Wright  corresponding  secretary.  Nine  States  were  represented  and  a  vice-president 
was  elected  for  each  State.  Subsequent  meetings  of  this  society  were  held  in  Mil- 
waukee and  Detroit,  in  1847  and  1848. 

The  institute  feature  of  the  Association  seems  to  have  commended  itself  to  the 
teachers.  The  first  county  institute  was  held  in  Will  county,  being  called  by  H.  B. 
Marsh,  the  Superintendent  of  Common  Schools,  to  convene  "at  the  stone  school- 
house  in  Joliet,  on  Tuesday,  the  19th  day  of  October  next,  and  to  continue  two 
weeks."  It  may  be  said,  in  passing,  that  an  institute  was  held  in  Ottawa,  in  October, 
1849,  which  continued  for  three  weeks,  and  one  was  held  in  Pike  coimty,  in  1850, 
which  was  conducted  by  Professor  Turner  and  John  Shastid.  They  soon  multiplied 
and  were  held  in  all  parts  of  the  State. 

The  Springfield  convention  met  on  the  16th  of  December.  Seventeen  counties 
were  represented.  It  continued  the  agitation  for  free  schools  and  for  a  more  adequate 
system  of  supervision.  A  State  Education  Society  was  organized.  Meetings  were 
held  in  the  senate  chamber  on  the  evenings  of  January  14  and  16,  1847,  at  which 
resolutions  pressing  upon  the  attention  of  the  General  Assembly  the  crying  need  for 
legislation  were  passed.  The  executive  committee  was  instructed  to  ascertain 
whether  a  sufficient  amoiint  of  money  could  not  be  raised  by  private  subscription 
to  employ  an  educational  agent  to  go  about  the  State  and  arouse  an  interest  in 
common  schools.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Simeon  Wright  was  later  employed 
for  that  purpose  by  the  State  Teachers'  Association. 

An  interesting  meeting  of  this  society  was  held  on  the  12th  of  February,  inter- 
esting because  of  the  presence  of  former  Governor  Slade,  of  Vermont,  who  was  then 
acting  as  the  agent  for  the  Ohio  Central  Committee  for  the  advancement  of  common- 
school  education.  The  purpose  of  this  committee  was  the  supplying  of  teachers 
for  schools  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  The  executive  committee  of  the  society 
was  directed  to  discover  localities  in  which  teachers  were  wanted  with  the  purpose 
of  supplying  them  through  the  assistance  of  the  committee  represented  by 
Ex- Governor  Slade.  In  the  course  of  the  twelve  years  during  which  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  committee,  he  brought  west  five  hundred  teachers,  one  hundred 
of  whom  came  to  Illinois.  They  were  ladies  of  culture  and  had  been  prepared  for 
the  work  of  teaching.  In  consequence  they  were  a  valuable  contribution  to  the 
educational  work  of  the  State. 

The  Illinois  Education  Society  held  its  annual  meeting  on  January  15,  1849.  The 
program  contained  topics  of  the  most  practical  character.     Here  are  some  of  them: 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  373 

1.  Should  the  property  of  the  State  be  taxed  to  educate  the  children  of  the  State? 

2.  The  necessity  of  creating  the  office  of  State  Superintendent  separate  and  apart  from  any 
other  office  of  the  State. 

3.  The  propriety  of  paying  the  county  school  commissioners  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  their 
duties  as  ex  officio  superintendents  of  schools  of  their  counties. 

4.  The  propriety  of  devoting  a  portion  of  the  college  and  seminary  funds  for  the  education  of 
teachers. 

5.  The  necessity  of  adopting  the  township  organization  under  the  new  constitution  to  aid  the 
cause  of  popular  education. 

Two  memorials,  prepared  by  the  society  or  elsewhere,  were  circulated  among 
the  people.  They  are  interesting  as  illustrating  the  persistence  with  which  the 
leaders  were  following  up  their  campaign  for  the  State  Superintendency  and  for  the 
County  Superintendency,  and  for  public  taxation  for  the  support  of  schools.  One 
of  them  urged  the  •  establishment  of  a  State  Normal  School  for  the  preparation  of 
teachers. 

There  seem  to  be  no  records  of  State  school  meetings  for  the  years  1850  or  1851. 
Since  they  were  not  discoverable  by  the  vigilant  scholar  from  whose  article  these 
records  are  obtained  it  is  altogether  probable  that  the  organizations  noted  dissolved. 
The  meetings  for  the  promotion  of  agricultural  education  will  be  noted  elsewhere. 

THE  ILLINOIS  STATE  TEACHERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

"  The  organization  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association  was  brought  about 
by  two  principals  of  private  schools  and  a  book  agent;  and  its  first  president,  vice- 
president  and  secretary  were  ministers  of  the  gospel.  In  the  fall  of  1853,  Henry  W. 
Lee,  principal  of  the  Garden  City  Institute,  of  Chicago,  and  James  A.  Hawley,  of 
Dixon,  an  agent  for  an  eastern  book  house,  met,  by  chance,  at  the  home  of  Daniel 
Wilkins,  principal  of  the  Central  Illinois  Female  Institute,  of  Bloomington.  The 
condition  of  education  in  the  State  naturally  became  a  subject  of  conversation  and 
it  was  their  opinion  that  a  convention  of  the  educators  of  the  State  would  greatly 
advance  the  cause.  Consequently,  they  drew  up  a  call  for  such  a  convention,  and 
Mr.  Wilkins,  through  correspondence,  secured  thirty- two  signatures.  In  pursuance 
of  this  call  a  convention  met  in  the  Methodist  church  at  Bloomington  on  the  evening 
of  December  26,  1853,  where  this  association  was  organized."  Thus  writes  Mr. 
William  L.  Steele  in  his  inaugural  address  as  president  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  at  the  end  of  the  first  half  century  of  its  existence. 

It  was  at  the  close  of  the  convention  called  as  above  indicated  that  those  who 
were  favorably  disposed  were  asked  to  remain  and  assist  in  the  organization  of  the 
new  association.  A  constitution  was  adopted  that  opened  with  the  following 
preamble : 

Whereas,  Believing  that  the  organization  of  a  State  Teachers'  Institute  is  not  only  essential 
to  raise  the  standard  of  teaching,  but  conducive  to  the  promotion  of  the  greatest  diffusion  of  knowledge 
throughout  our  State;  we  do,  therefore,  agree  to  form  ourselves  into  an  Association  to  be  governed 
by  the  following  constitution. 

This  constitution  provided  for  annual  meetings,  for  the  customary  officers  required 
by  deliberative  bodies,  for  three  corresponding  secretaries  and  for  committees  on 


374  THE     EDUCATIO-NAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Exercises,  School  Government,  and  Books  and  Libraries.  The  corresponding  secre- 
taries were  to  collect  statistics  on  all  matters  of  interest  respecting  the  cause  of 
education  in  their  vicinities,  hold  educational  meetings,  promote  the  formation  of 
county  institutes,  auxiliary  to  the  State  Institute,  and  communicate  all  matters 
of  importance  to  the  recording  secretary,  and  assist  him  in  keeping  the  minutes  of  the 
regular  sessions  of  the  Institute, 

The  various  committees  were  to  report  to  the  Institute  annually  with  respect 
to  matters  that  came  under  the  several  captions  indicated  by  their  names.  It  is 
evident  that  this  organization  cut  out  for  itself  a  large  piece  of  work. 

The  first  president  was  Rev.  W.  Goodfellow,  Bloomington,  one  of  the  faculty 
of  the  new  Illinois  Wesleyan  College.  The  recording  secretary  was  Rev.  Daniel 
Wilkins,  mentioned  above.  The  date  of  the  organization  was  December  28,  1853. 
The  corresponding  secretaries  were  H.  O.  Snow,  A.  M.,  Peoria ;.H.  L.  Lewis,  Esq., 
and  C.  W.  Hawthorn,  Esq.,  Peoria. 

"For  more  than  twenty  years,"  says  Mr.  Steele,  "the  friends  of  education  had 
been  attempting  to  organize  such  an  association.  Five  distinct  efforts  at  State 
organization  had  been  made,  viz.:  in  1833,  1841,  1844,  1846,  1849;  but  none  of  them 
survived  longer  than  a  second  meeting.  How  near  this  association  came  to  adding 
one  more  to  the  list  of  failures  may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that  at  its  first  annual 
meeting  not  one  of  the  officers  was  present.  But  for  the  efforts  of  these  pioneers 
in  the  twenty  years  preceding,  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  the  pioneers  in  the 
year  1853  to  form  a  perfect  organization." 

The  first  annual  meeting  was  held  in  Peoria,  on  December  26-8,  1854.  As  has 
been  noted,  the  officers  were  conspicuous  by  their  absence.  W.  H.  Powell,  a  future 
State  Superintendent  and  all  unconscious  of  his  coming  honors,  was  elected  presi- 
dent pro  tern. 

Volume  I,  No.  1,  of  The  Illinois  Teacher  furnishes  a  detailed  report  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  meetings.  It  was  fitting  that  it  should  open  its  first  number  with 
such  a  report,  for  it  was  one  of  the  immediate  outcomes  of  the  session.  The  method 
of  its  launching  upon  the  uncertain  sea  of  educational  journalism  will  appear  in  the 
chapter  on  "School  Journalism  in  Illinois."  Two  other  matters  received  especial 
attention.  One  of  them  was  the  proposed  school  law,  submitted  by  Superintendent 
Edwards,  who  was  present,  and  addressed  the  Institute,  and  the  other  was  indicated 
by  the  following  resolution : 

Resolved,  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  Convention  that  the  University  and  Seminary  Funds  should 
be  appHed  to  the  estabhshment  of  a  State  University  and  a  Normal  School. 

The  resolution  received  an  excellent  airing  but  was  not  passed.  The  members 
of  the  Institute  were  not  quite  ready  to  make  such  a  disposition  of  these  precious 
funds.  More  time  and  more  agitation  were  needed,  but  they  were  to  come  in  their 
own  good  time. 

The  Edwards  bill  was  referred  to  a  committee  which  approved  the  principle  of 
supporting  the  schools  by  a  direct  ad  valorem  tax,  which  agreed  with  the  Superin- 
tendent in  the  absolute  necessity  of  Normal  schools  to  the  efficiency  and  success 
of  the  common  schools  and  with  his  suggestion  that  the  courses  of  instruction  in  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  375 

Normal  school  must  be  materially  modified  by  the  predominance  of  agricultural, 
mechanical  and  commercial  interests  in  the  State. 

The  convention  put  itself  on  record  as  favoring  co-education  and  uniformity  in 
text-books  in  the  public  schools  and  directed  its  committee  to  examine  and  recom- 
mend for  the  approval  of  the  Institute,  at  its  next  session,  a  complete  course  of  text- 
books. 

The  attendance  at  this  meeting  was  not  large,  but  the  quality  was  excellent, 
as  was  demonstrated  by  subsequent  events.  The  patient  Daniel  Wilkins,  always 
zealous  in  educational  work,  was  to  prove  himself  an  efficient  county  superintendent 
for  many  years  in  McLean  county.  Simeon  Wright  was  to  be  one  of  the  most 
capable  and  successful  of  lobbyists  in  securing  the  enactment  of  the  Normal  school 
law  and  was  to  have  his  name  perpetuated  in  that  institution  in  connection  with 
one  of  the  literary  societies.  To  the  early  students  of  the  institution  he  is  affec- 
tionately remembered  as  "Uncle  Sim."  Professor  Turner,  of  Jacksonville,  had 
already  become  a  conspicuous  educational  figure  and  was  to  be  prominently  identified 
with  the  establishment  of  the  Normal  School  and  of  the  State  University.  Newton 
Bateman  was  to  be  for  many  years  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  and 
later  the  president  of  Knox  College.,  He  is  remembered  in  the  school  annals  as  the 
"Old  Man  Eloquent"  when  educational  themes  were  under  discussion.  C.  E. 
Hovey,  a  new  comer  to  the  State  from  the  classic  shades  of  Dartmouth,  was  to 
become  a  most  interesting  and  unique  figure,  as  will  be  seen  later.  Then  there  were 
Bronson  Murray,  and  George  W.  Minier,  W.  F.  M.  Amy,  O.  C.  Blackmer  and  C.  C. 
Bonney,  only  names  to  the  present  generation  yet  stalwart  soldiers  for  the  cause 
in  those  far-away  years. 

The  Institute  was  firmly  established  in  the  regard  of  the  school  men  of  the  State, 
and  from  that  time  to  this  it  has  never  skipped  a  meeting  date.  It  soon  changed 
its  name  to  the  State  Teachers'  Association.  It  met  annually  between  Christmas 
and  New  Year's  Day  and  sauntered  about  the  State  in  its  easy-going  fashion,  making 
its  visits  to  one  locality  and  another,  and  thus  not  only  calling  upon  the  teachers 
at  their  homes  but  enticing  the  laymen  to  come  and  hear  what  the  teachers  had  to 
say  for  themselves.  It  was  an  event  of  no  small  importance  to  have  its  sessions 
held  in  a  town,  and  those  who  participated  in  its  exercises  were  well  worth  hearing. 
The  evening  addresses  were  often  delivered  then,  as  now,  by  the  most  distinguished 
talent  available  in  the  country  within  the  teaching  profession.  The  members  were 
entertained  by  the  citizens  at  their  homes  and  no  charge  was  made. 

Since  1880  the  Association  has  called  the  Capitol  at  Springfield  its  home.  In 
1910  it  met  in  Chicago  as  a  compliment  to  its  distinguished  president,  Mrs.  Ella  F. 
Young.  Previous  to  that  time  it  had  visited  fifteen  Illinois  towns  and  had  been  to 
several  of  them  more  than  once.  Rockford  was  its  northern  limit  and  Springfield  its 
southern.  It  began  with  an  effort  to  secure  a  State  Superintendent  and  it  has  fought 
for  all  of  the  reforms  that  have  come  to  pass.  Its  organization  antedates  the  free- 
school  law,  the  Normal  School,  the  University  of  Illinois,  the  State  Superintendency 
as  a  distinct  office,  the  public  high  school,  the  Teachers'  Institute,  and  the  educa- 
tional press. 

Quoting  again  from  Mr.  Steele:    "As  to  measures  adopted  and  men  brought  into 


376  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

prominence,  the  Springfield  meeting  of  1855  must  be  given  the  first  place  in  the  history 
of  the  Association.  The  greatest  step  in  the  educational  history  of  Illinois,  the  pas- 
sage of  the  free-school  law,  had  been  taken  since  its  last  meeting,  and  the  question 
now  before  it  was  how  to  make  the  law  most  effective.  To  this  end  the  establish- 
ment of  a  Normal  school  and  the  organization  of  teachers'  institutes  in  the  different 
counties  of  the  State  were  considered  as  the  most  essential  means;  and  it  has  been 
along  these  two  lines  that  this  Association  has  done  its  most  persistent  and  efficient 
work. 

"The  Normal  school  proposition  brought  about  a  three-cornered  contest;  the 
public-school  men  wanted  to  use  the  college  and  seminary  fimds  for  a  Normal  school, 
the  Industrial  University  men  wanted  to  use  them  for  a  State  University  with  a 
Normal  school  department,  and  the  denominational  college  men  wanted  to  use  them 
for  the  existing  colleges,  they  to  conduct  Normal  departments.  .  .  .  The 
conclusion  reached  in  the  meeting  was  expressed  by  a  resolution  in  these  words: 
*  That  the  Institute  does  not  wish  to  discuss  any  university  question,  but  to  occupy 
itself  with  the  interests  of  common  schools  and  Normal  schools. ' 

"  To  aid  in  organizing  county  institutes,  the  Association  so  amended  its  constitu- 
tion as  to  make  the  corresponding  secretary  a  State  agent,  whose  duty  was  to  hold 
educational  meetings,  to  promote  the  formation  of  county  institutes  auxiliary  to  the 
State  Association,  and  to  act  as  agent  and  corresponding  editor  of  the  Illinois  Teacher, 
for  which  services,  if  he  devoted  his  whole  attention  to  it,  he  was  to  receive  a  salary 
of  $1,200  per  annum  and  his  necessary  traveling  expenses.  Would  the  members  of 
this  Association  individually  pledge  themselves  to  raise  such  a  sum  to  further  the 
cause  of  education?  It  is  true  that  this  measure  brought  financial  embarrassment 
and  the  State  Agent  was  discontinued  in  1858,  .  .  .  but  in  those  three 
years  he  succeeded  in  organizing  institutes  in  more  than  fifty  counties  of  the  State. 

"At  the  same  meeting  a  State  Board  of  Education  was  created  by  an  amend- 
ment to  the  constitution. 

"  The  two  men  who  did  the  most  to  mould  the  educational  policy  of  the  State 
came  to  the  front  at  this  meeting  —  Newton  Bateman,  the  Horace  Mann  of  the 
West,  and  Charles  E.  Hovey,  the  founder  of  our  Normal  schools.  They  were  both 
young  men,  about  thirty  years  old.  The  former  was  principal  of  the  west  side 
union  school,  in  Jacksonville,  and  the  latter  the  principal  of  the  public  schools  in 
Peoria.  The  convention  recognized  the  ability  of  both.  It  elected  Hovey  president 
of  the  Association  and  editor  of  the  Illinois  Teacher,  and  Bateman  the  State  Agent 
and  its  first  choice  for  State  Superintendent,  an  honor  that  has  been  conferred  upon 
no  other  man. 

"  The  third  annual  meeting  was  held  in  Chicago,  December  22,  1856.  It  was 
an  ambitious  one;  it  partook  of  the  spirit  of  the  place;  it  Was  almost  national  in  its 
character;  to  it  were  invited  the  leading  educators  of  the  entire  country;  Henry 
Barnard  was  present  and  took  a  prominent  part.  Think  of  the  Chicago  hotels 
giving  free  entertainment  to  visiting  school  teachers  and  of  the  Chicago  teachers 
banqueting  them  at  the  close  at  the  Tremont  House,  with  all  of  the  clergy  of  the 
city  and  members  of  the  press  as  invited  guests  —  five  hundred  in  all ! 

"A  State  Normal  School  was  the  absorbing  question  at  this  meeting,  and  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  377 

leading  features  of  the  bill,  which  soon  after  became  a  law,  were  considered,  defined 
and  adopted.  This  happy  result  was  brought  about  through  the  able  generalship 
of  Charles  E.  Hovey  and  by  the  graceful  surrender  of  Prof.  J.  B.  Turner,  represent- 
ing the  industrial  university  party.  It  would  seem  that  Dr.  Bateman  acted  as  the 
medium  in  this  case,  for  he  brought  a  letter  from  Professor  Turner,  who  did  not 
attend  the  meeting,  and  read  it  at  the  opportune  time  in  the  discussion.  The  other 
historic  event  of  this  anniversary  was  the  great  banquet,  which  was  followed  by  a 
regular  program  of  twenty-four  toasts,  and,  in  addition,  seventeen  volunteer  toasts, 
after  which  the  company  rose  and  sang,  for  a  benediction,  '  Auld  Lang  Syne.' 

"  The  next  meeting  was  held  in  Decatur.  In  the  records  of  this  meeting  is  found 
for  the  first  time  the  name  of  our  beloved  Dr.  Edwards,  who  five  years  later  came 
across  the  river  from  St.  Louis  and  became  one  of  the  State's  most  brilliant  educators. " 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Association  provided  a  State  Board  of  Education. 
It  had  been  busy,  evidently,  since  the  preceding  meeting.  It  recommended  the 
organization  of  teachers'  institutes,  the  formation  of  school  libraries,  and  the  intro- 
duction into  the  course  of  study  of  physical  culture,  physiology  and  hygienics.  It 
especially  urged  the  revival  of  the  State  Agent  scheme,  and  the  Association  provided 
means  for  securing  for  him  a  salary  of  $1,200  and  his  necessary  traveling  expenses. 
And  here  is  an  item  worthy  of  large  caps. :  1,885  subscriptions  to  the  Illinois  Teacher 
were  pledged.  They  did  things  in  a  large  way  in  "the  brave  days  of  yore."  B.  G. 
Roots  was  made  president  of  the  Association,  Simeon  Wright  State  Agent,  and 
Newton  Bateman  editor  of  The  Teacher.  The  membership  was  the  largest  in  the 
history  of  the  Association. 

The  1858  meeting  was  held  in  Galesburg.  The  session  was  a  stormy  one,  and  the 
conclusions  somewhat  reactionary.  It  is  not  surprising  when  the  policy  of  the 
organization  is  considered.  It  had  undertaken  to  furnish  to  the  State  a  State  Agent 
whose  salary  came  from  its  treasury  and  from  the  free-will  offerings  of  its  members. 
It  had  also  attempted  to  run  a  school  journal.  Both  measures  were  now  given  up 
and  small  blame,  if  any,  can  attach  for  such  a  change  in  its  policy. 

Mr.  Steele  sums  up  the  achievements  of  the  Association  thus  far  as  follows: 
"With  this  meeting  ends  the  first  period  in  the  history  of  the  Association,  if  it  be 
possible  to  fix  such  a  date.  It  was  the  period  of  organization,  of  construction,  when 
the  foundations  of  our  educational  system  were  laid.  All  that  has  come  since  has 
been  a  natural  growth  from  the  creations  then  made.  The  office  of  State  Superin- 
tendent was  created,  the  free-school  law  was  enacted,  the  State  Normal  School  was 
established,  the  coimty  institute  was  organized,  and  school  journalism  was  launched. 
Each  of  these  owes  its  origin  to  this  Association  more  than  it  does  to  any  and  all 
other  influences;  and  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  these  were  all  of  the  distinctively 
constructive  measures  espoused  by  the  Association  up  to  this  time  save  that  of  the 
township  system." 

Superintendent  Steele  includes  in  the  second  period  of  the  Association  the  suc- 
ceeding twenty-two  years,  ending  with  its  permanent  location  at  the  capital  of  the 
State.  This  period  of  activity  received  its  main  coloring  from  the  influence  of  the 
State  Normal  School.  In  consequence  the  program  assumed,  a  more  technical 
aspect  and  the  discussions  were  largely  devoted  to  the  practical  problems  of  the 


378  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

schoolroom.  Illustrative  exercises  in  teaching  with  the  members  of  the  Association 
endeavoring  to  perform  the  impossible  task  of  becoming  children  again  were  a  familiar 
feature.  Echoes  from  Oswego  gave  object  lessons  a  prominence  in  an  early  part 
of  the  second  period.  The  kindergarten  made  its  first  appearance  at  Peoria  in  1868. 
It  was  also  at  this  meeting  that  the  policy  of  dividing  into  sections  for  a  part  of  the 
time  was  introduced.  Language  lessons  were  introduced  by  W.  B.  Powell,  in  the 
1869  meeting.  The  subject  of  supplementary  reading  in  primary  grades  was  first 
agitated  in  the  year  1874.  Here  are  the  names  of  some  of  those  who  were  prominent 
in  these  years:  S.  H.  White,  principal  of  the  Peoria  County  Normal  School,  of  whom 
we  shall  hear  more;  Dr.  J.  M.  Gregory,  president  of  the  University  of  Illinois;  Dr. 
Newton  Bateman,  superintendent  of  public  instruction;  Dr.  J.  L.  Pickard,  super- 
intendent of  the  Chicago  city  schools;  J.  B.  Roberts,  superintendent  of  the  Gales- 
burg  schools;  Dr.  Richard  Edwards,  president  of  the  State  Normal  School;  Edwin 
C.  Hewett,  a  professor  in  the  Normal  School  and  later  its  president;  W.  B.  Powell, 
superintendent  of  the  Peru  schools  and  later  of  the  Aurora  schools  and  of  the  schools 
of  Washington  city;  S.  M.  Etter,  later  superintendent  of  public  instruction;  Dr. 
J.  A.  Sewall,  of  the  State  Normal  School;  John  F.  Eberhart,  the  first  county  super- 
intendent of  Cook  county;  D.  S.  Wentworth,  principal  of  the  Cook  County  Normal 
School;  George  Sherwood,  at  one  time  a  Chicago  teacher  and  later  the  head  of  a  pub- 
lishing house ;  Jonathan  Piper,  a  book  agent  of  pedagogical  renown,  and  many  others 
whose  names  will  appear  elsewhere  in  this  history. 

iMr.  Steele  narrates  an  event  belonging  to  the  war  times  that  should  find  a  place 
here.  It  occurred  in  1863.  "  The  meeting  was  in  the  capital  city  of  the  State. 
It  was  the  tenth  anniversary  of  the  Association.  Newton  Bateman  was  president. 
He  began  his  address  as  if  he  were  about  to  give  a  history  of  the  Association,  but 
in  a  moment  or  so  he  was  all  afire  with  the  subject  of  patriotism,  and  words  never 
fell  from  his  eloquent  lips  with  more  force  and  rhythm.  One  acquainted  with  his 
gentle  and  loving  spirit  is  startled  as  he  reads  some  of  the  passages  of  this  address. 
Hear  this  anathema :  '  I  believe  that  Jeff  Davis  ought  to  be  hanged  on  a  gallows 
as  much  higher  than  Haman's  as  his  crime  is  greater,  and  he  is  in  a  fair  way  to  meet 
that  doom  in  an  early  day,  unless,  like  a  coward,  he  flies  the  country  he  has  tried 
to  ruin,  or  else,  stung  by  remorse,  imitates  Judas  Iscariot,  the  only  villain  that  ever 
lived  that  would  not  be  disgraced  by  a  comparison  with  him.'  Listen  to  his  words 
of  censure:  '  Teachers,  too,  there  are,  who  with  pitiable  and  appalling  pusillanimity, 
dare  not  tell  their  pupils  that  next  in  sacredness  to  the  love  of  God  is  the  love  of 
country,  and  that  treason  to  their  government  is  second  only  in  guilt  and  infamy 
to  treason  to  their  ilVIaker;  nay,  whose  own  position  is  so  contemptibly  equivocal 
and  cowardly  that  even  acquaintances  and  friends  know  not  with  certainty  on  which 
side  of  the  dividing  line  between  patriots  and  traitors  to  class  them.'  " 

The  effect  was  electrical.  The  Association  voted  to  ask  Governor  Yates  to 
administer  to  them  the  oath  of  allegiance.  It  invited  the  county  superintendents, 
who  were  in  session  in  the  next  room,  to  join  them  in  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  government  of  the  United  States,  to  be  administered  by  the  Governor  of 
Illinois.  Dr.  Edwards,  as  chairman  of  the  committee,  presented  the  invitation. 
After  a  long  and  warm  discussion  it  was  finally  accepted  by  a  vote  of  twenty-four 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  379 

to  seventeen.  Accordingly,  at  the  appointed  time,  Governor  Yates  came  into  the 
hall  and  was  introduced  by  the  president.  The  Association  sang  "America,"  after 
which  Governor  Yates  administered  the  oath  of  allegiance.  Then,  in  response  to 
repeated  calls,  he  delivered,  it  is  said,  '  a  most  spirited,  eloquent  and  patriotic  address.' 
On  motion  of  County  Superintendent  Knapp,  of  Knox  county,  the  Association  arose, 
gave  three  rousing  cheers  for  the  Governor  and  three  for  the  Union ;  adopted,  without 
debate,  a  set  of  stirring  resolutions ;  sang  '  The  Star  Spangled  Banner, '  and  adjourned. 
With  Charles  E.  Hovey  leaving  the  head  of  the  Normal  University  after  the  battle 
of  Bull  Run,  to  join  the  Normal  regiment,  known  in  the  army  as  the  Brain  Regiment, 
and  leading  them  to  honor  and  himself  to  fame  in  assaults  upon  Vicksburg  and 
Arkansas  Post,  the  patriotism  of  the  Association  is  complete." 

Mr.  Steele  characterizes  the  remaining  years  of  the  Association  as  the  philosoph- 
ical period,  in  which  the  contributions  of  the  other  two  are  being  reflected  upon, 
modified,  enriched  and  worked  out."     The  characterization  seems  an  appropriate  one. 

List  of  Presidents,  Secretaries  and  Treasurers  of  the  Association,  with  Places  of 
Meeting. 

The  Association  was  organized  under  the  name  of  "The  State  Teachers'  Institute,"  at  Bloom- 
ington,  December  28,  1853.  President,  Rev.  W.  Goodfellow;  secretary,  Rev.  Daniel  Wilkins ;  treasurer 
Prof.  C.  W.  Sears.     All  were  residents  of  Bloomington. 

1.  Peoria,  December  26-8,  1854.  W.  H.  Powell,  president  pro  tem. ;  W.  F.  M.  Arny,  secretary 
and  treasurer  pro  tem. 

2.  Springfield,  December  26-8,  1855.  W.  H.  Powell,  president;  J.  C.  Pickard,  secretary  and 
treasurer. 

3.  Chicago,  December  22-4,  1856.  C.  E.  Hovey,  president;  0.  V.  Jones,  secretary;  Simeon 
Wright,  treasurer. 

4.  Decatur,  December  27-9,  1857.  Simeon  Wright,  president ;  Newton  Bateman,  secretary; 
Chauncey  Nye,  treasurer. 

5.  Galesburg,  December  28-30,  1858.     Benaiah  G.  Roots,  president;  T.  J.  Conaty,  secretary. 

6.  Ottawa,  December  27-9,  1859.     William  H.  Haskell,  president;  J.  A.  Johnson,  treasurer. 

7.  Quincy,  December  26-8,  1860.  J.  V.  N.  Standish,  president;  S.  A.  Briggs,  secretary;  N. 
Woodworth,  treasurer. 

8.  Bloomington,  December  26-8,  1861.  W.  H.  Wells,  president;  S.  A.  Briggs,  secretary;  Ira  J. 
Bloomfield,  treasurer. 

9.  Rockford,  December  31,  1862.  William  M.  Baker,  president;  W.  Woodford,  secretary;  J.  D. 
Parker,  treasurer. 

10.  Springfield,  December  29-31,  1863.  Newton  Bateman,  president;  W.  W.  Davis,  secretary; 
James  P.  Slade,  treasurer. 

11.  Monmouth,  December  27-9,  1864.  Richard  Edwards,  president;  W.  W.  Davis,  secretary; 
C.  H.  Flower,  treasurer. 

12.  Joliet,  December  26-8,  1865.     S.  M.  Etter,  president;  A.  J.  Anderson,  secretary. 

13.  Jacksonville,  December  25-7,  1866.  Samuel  H.  White,  president;  E.  L.  Wells,  secretary; 
William  B.  Powell,  treasurer. 

14.  Galesburg,  December  24-6,  1867.  Andrew  M.  Brooks,  president;  E.  L.  Wells,  secretary; 
Enoch  A.  Gastman,  treasurer. 

15.  Peoria,  December  29-31,  1868.  John  M.  Gregory,  president;  E.  C.  Smith,  secretary;  Wil- 
liam B.  Powell,  treasurer. 

16.  Ottawa,  December  28-30,  1869.  George  Howland,  president;  J.  V.  Thomas,  secretary; 
H.  C.  Demotte,  treasurer. 


380  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

17.  Decatur,  December  27-9,  1870.     Thomas  H.  Clark,  president;  Joseph  A.  Sewall,  secretary; 
B.  P.  Marsh,  treasurer. 

18.  Dixon,  December  26-9,  1871.     James  H.  Blodgett,  president;  Jephtha  Hobbs,  secretary; 
J.  B.  Roberts,  treasurer. 

19.  Springfield,  December  25-7,  1872.     J.  B.  Roberts,  president;  William  Jenkins,  secretary; 
P.  R.  Walker,  treasurer. 

20.  Bloomington,  December  29-31,  1873.     J.  L.  Pickard,  president;  John  W.  Cook,  secretary; 
E.  A.  Gastman,  treasurer. 

21.  Chicago,   December  29-31,   1874.     John  Hull,  president;    Mary  M.  Whiteside,  secretary;, 
James  P.  Slade,  treasurer. 

22.  Rock  Island,  December  29-31,  1875.     Wilham  B.  Powell,  president;  Mary  M.  Whiteside, 
secretary ;  James  P.  Slade,  treasurer. 

23.  Champaign,  December  27-9,  1876.     Edwin  C.  Hewett,  president;   Mary  A.  West,  secre- 
tary; James  P.  Slade,  treasurer. 

24.  Springfield,  December  26-8,  1877.     Leslie  Lewis,  president;  Sarah  E.  Raymond,  secretary; 
James  P.  Slade,  treasurer. 

25.  Springfield,  December  26-8,  1878.     Robert  Allyn,  president;  Sarah  E.  Raymond,  secretary; 
James  P.  Slade,  treasurer. 

26.  Bloomington,  December  29-31,  1879.     Alfred  Harvey,  president;  Joseph  Carter,  secretary; 
Enoch  A.  Gastman,  treasurer. 

27.  Springfield,  December  27-9,  1880.     John  W.  Cook,  president;  John  Hull,  secretary;  Enoch 
A.  Gastman,  treasurer.     All  subsequent  meetings  at  Springfield. 

28.  December  27-9,  1881.     Enoch  A.  Gastman,  president;  A.  C.  Courtney,  secretary;  Matthew 
Andrews,  treasurer. 

29.  December  26-8,  1882.     N.   C.  Dougherty,  president;   Mary  A.  West,  secretary;  Matthew 
Andrews,  treasurer. 

30.  December  26-8,  1883.     Henry  L.  Boltwood,  president;  J.  W.  Hays,  secretary;  P.  R.  Walker, 
treasurer. 

31.  December  29-31,  1884.     Matthew  Andrews,  president ;  S.  S.  Kimble,  secretary ;  P.  R.  Walker, 
treasurer. 

32.  December  29-31,  1885.     James  H.  Brownlee,  president;  Lenore  Franklin,  secretary;  P.  R. 
Walker,  treasurer. 

33.  December  28-30,  1886.     Charles  I.  Parker,  president;  Elizabeth  L.  Howes,  secretary;  P.  R. 
Walker,  treasurer. 

34.  December  28-30,  1887.     Joshua  Pike,  president;  William  Jenkins,  secretary;  P.  R.  Walker, 
treasurer. 

35.  December  26-8,  1888.     *A.  F.  Nightingale,  president;  F.  T.  Oldt,  secretary;  P.  R.  Walker, 
treasurer. 

36.  December  26-7,   1889.     **S.  H.  Peabody,  president;  Flora  Pennell,  secretary ;  Clarence  0. 
Scudder,  treasurer. 

37.  December  29-31,   1890.     P.  R.  Walker,  president;  J.   M.  Bowlby,  secretary;  Clarence  O. 
Scudder,  treasurer. 

38.  December  29-31,    1891.     Alfred  Kirk,  president;  J.    M.  Bowlby,  secretary;   Clarence  O. 
Scudder,  treasurer. 

39.  December  27-9,  1892.     George  R.  Shawan,  president;  J.   M.  Bowlby,  secretary;  Clarence 
0.  Scudder,  treasurer. 

40.  December  26-8,  1893.     Joseph  H.  Freeman,  president;  J.   M.  Bowlby,  secretary;  Clarence 
O.  Scudder,  treasurer. 

41.  December  26-8,  1894.     T.  C.  Clendenen,  president;  J.  M.  Bowlby,  secretary;  Clarence  O. 
Scudder,  treasurer. 


*President  absent.      William  H.  Ray  presided. 

**President  absent  in  Europe.     Miss  Sarah  E.  Raymond  and  others  presided. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  381 

42.  December  27-9,  1895.  William  Jenkins,  president;  J.  M.  Bowlby,  secretary;  Clarence  O. 
Scudder,  treasurer. 

43.  December  26-8,  1896.  Homer  Bevans,  president;  J.  M.  Bowlby,  secretary;  Clarence  O. 
Scudder,  treasurer. 

44.  December  28-30,  1897.  J.  W.  Hayes,  president;  J.  M.  Bowlby,  secretary;  Clarence  0. 
Scudder,  treasurer. 

45.  December  27-9,  1898.  J.  H.  Collins,  president;  J.  M.  Bowlby,  secretary;  W.  R.Hatfield, 
treasurer. 

46.  December  26-8,  1899.  Albert  G.  Lane,  president;  J.  M.  Bowlby,  secretary;  W.  R.  Hat- 
field, treasurer. 

47.  December  28-9,  1900.  A.  V.  Greenman,  president;  J.  M.  Bowlby,  secretary;  W.  R.  Hat- 
field, treasurer. 

48.  December  26-7,  1901.  David  Felmley,  president;  J.  M.  Bowlby,  secretary;  J.  M.  Frost, 
treasurer. 

49.  December  29-31,  1902.  F.  N.  Tracy,  president;  J.  M.  Bowlby,  secretary;  J.  M.  Frost, 
treasurer. 

50.  December  29-31,  1903.  William  N.  Steele,  president;  Caroline  Grote,  secretary;  R.  N. 
Stotler,  treasurer. 

51.  December  27-9,  1904.  Edwin  G.  Cooley,  president;  Caroline  Grote,  secretary;  R.  N. 
Stotler,  treasurer. 

52.  December  26-8,  1905.  L.  C.  Lord,  president;  Caroline  Grote,  secretary;  R.  N.  Stotler, 
treasurer. 

53.  December  26-8,  1906.  J.  A.  Mercer,  president;  Caroline  Grote,  secretary;  R.  N.  Stotler, 
treasurer. 

54.  December  26-8,  1907.  D.  B.  Parkinson,  president;  Caroline  Grote,  secretary;  Charles 
Hertel,  treasurer. 

55.  December  29-31,  1908.  Edmund  J.  James,  president;  George  W.  Conn,  Jr.,  1st  vice- 
president;  E.  E.  Van  Cleve,  2d  vice-president;  Gertrude  M.  Gregg,  3d  vice-president;  Caroline  Grote, 
secretary;  Charles  Hertel,  treasurer;  E.  C.  Rosseter,  R.  R.  secretary. 

56.  December  28-30,  1909.  C.  M.  Bardwell,  president;  A.  H.  Hiatt,  1st  vice-president;  Marietta 
Neel,  2d  vice-president;  W.  L.  Meeker,  3d  vice-president;  Caroline  Grote,  secretary;  Charles  Hertel, 
treasurer;  Edward  C.  Rosseter,  R.  R.  Secretary. 

57.  December  25-7,  1910.  Ella  Flagg  Young,  president;  Gerard  T.  Smith,  1st  vice-president; 
Anna  Lois  Barbre,  2d  vice-president;  G.  P.  Randle,  3d  vice-president;  Caroline  Grote,  secretary; 
Charles  Hertel,  treasurer;  W.  J.  Harrower,  R.  R.  secretary.     Met  in  Chicago. 

58.  December  27-9,  1911.  H.  W.  Shryock,  president;  C.  L.  Gregory,  1st  vice-president;  J.  Rose 
Colby,  2d  vice-president;  Ida  Migbell,  3d  vice-president;  Caroline  Grote,  secretary;  W.  J.  Harrower, 
R.  R.  secretary;  W.  E.  Herbert,  treasurer. 

Members  of  the  Executive  Committee. 

The  numbers  at  the  right  indicate  the  attendance  and  the  expenses  of  the  meeting. 

1854.  Lucius  Loring,  D.  Wilkins,  D.  Brewster. 

1855.  Simeon  Wright,  C.  E.  Hovey,  D.  E.  Trimper. 
1857.     D.  S.  Wentworth,  J.  L.  Hodges,  I.  Stone,  Jr. 

1859.  P.  P.  Heywood,  L.  M.  Cutcheon,  Simeon  Wright. 

1860.  L.  M.  Cutcheon,  E.  C.  Delano,  O.  Springstead. 

1861.  Isaac  Stone,  Edwin  C.  Hewett,  William  Baker. 

1862.  J.  B.  Kerr,  W.  H.  Haskel,  Samuel  L.  Heslet. 

1863.  James  Johonnot,  S.  H.  White,  P.  P.  Heywood. 

1864.  W.  W.  Davis,  Edwin  C.  Hewett,  W.  Woodford. 

1865.  J.  F.  Eberhart,  Edwin  C.  Hewett,  I.  D.  Low. 

1866.  J.  M.  Gow,  Andrew  M.  Brooks,  Robert  Allyn. 


382  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

1867.  Henry  L.  Boltwood,  W.  H.  V.  Raymond,  M.  Andrews.     61.     $13.80. 

1868.  Edwin  C.  Hewett,  E.  W.  Coy,  E.  A.  Gastman.     180.     $87.50. 

1869.  S.  M.  Etter,  W.  A.  Jones,  D.  S.  Wentworth.     189.     $108.05. 

1870.  William  B.  Powell,  I.  S.  Baker,  James  H.  Blodgett.     208.     $86.05. 

1871.  J.  E.  Dow,  J.  A.  Sewall,  S.  M.  Etter.     120.     $71.80. 

1872.  Henry  L.  Boltwood,  Aaron  Gove,  William  B.  Powell.     116.     $76.30. 

1873.  John  Hull,  E.  L.  Wells,  Robert  Allyn. 

1874.  Leslie  Lewis,  Alfred  Harvey,  J.  H.  Freeman.     231.     $126.50. 

1875.  S.  A.  Forbes,  J.  F.  Everett,  M.  Andrews.     345.     $151.35. 

1876.  Robert  Allyn,  C.  L  Parker,  Francis  Hanford.     170.     $198.96. 

1877.  O.  S.  Westcott,  N.  C.  Dougherty,  E.  A.  Haight.     141.     $173.55. 

1878.  Joshua  Pike,  T.  J.  Burrill,  James  Hannan.     $155.90. 

1879.  John  Hull,  W.  H.  Smith,  J.  H.  Loomis.     85.     $144.10. 

1880.  P.  R.  Walker,  Charles  L  Parker,  Samuel  Harwood.     209.     $116.65. 

1881.  C.  E.  Mann,  A.  F.  Nightingale,  M.  L.  Seymour.     176.     $217.25. 

1882.  A.  R.  Sabin,  Joseph  Carter,  S.  B.  Hood.     282.     $487.81. 

1883.  James  Hannan,  J.  H.  Brownlee,  George  E.  Knepper      265.     $353.36. 

1884.  S.  M.  Inglis,  O.  S.  Cook,  William  Brady.     204.     $349.44. 

1885.  O.  S.  Cook,  S.  Y.  Gillan,  Emil  Dapprich.     406.     $288.75. 

1886.  A.  G.  Lane,  F.  N.  Tracy,  W.  Y.  Smith.     334.     $304.19. 

1887.  W.  H.  Hatch,  J.  M.  Bowlby,  David  Felmley.     287.     $575.77. 

1888.  W.  S.  Mack,  J.  W.  Hays,  Ann  C.  Anderson.     363.     $294.88. 

1889.  O.  E.  Latham,  Flora  Pennell,  J.  H.  Collins.     431.     $432.50. 

1890.  WilHam  Jenkins,  Laura  Hazle,  T.  C.  Clendenen.     593.     $561.30. 

1891.  T.  C.  Clendenen,  Geo.  C.  Miner,  Cora  E.  Lewis.     613.     $509.35. 

1892.  George  F.  Miner,  Cora  E.  Lewis,  William  C.  Payne.     711.     $1,010.98. 

1893.  Cora  E.  Lewis,  William  C.  Payne,  M.  Moore.     537.     $703.72. 

1894.  William  C.Payne,  M.  Moore,  Mrs.  Lida  B.  McMurry.     826.     $937.03. 

1895.  M.  Moore,  Mrs.  Lida  B.  McMurry,  A.  V.  Greenman.     815.     $1,217.58. 

1896.  Mrs.  Lida  B.  McMurry,  A.  V.  Greenman,  W.  L.  Steele.     1,007.     $1,515.83. 

1897.  .A.  V.  Greenman,  W.  L.  Steele,  Mrs.  Ella  F.  Young.     1,145.     $987.70. 

1898.  William  L.  Steele,  Miss  Martha  Buck,  David  Felmley.     1,028.     $1,228.68. 

1899.  Miss  Martha  Buck,  David  Felmley,  E.  G.  Cooley.     1,024.     $1,029.13. 

1900.  David  Felmley,  E.  G.  Cooley,  Miss  Elizabeth  L.Howes.     1,138.     $1,624.32. 

1901.  E.  G.  Cooley,  Miss  Elizabeth  L.  Howes,  Henry  W.  Shryock.     1,238.     $1,225.62. 

1902.  Miss  Elizabeth  L.  Howes,  Henry  W.  Shryock,  C.  M.  Bardwell.     1,166.     $1,284.75. 

1903.  Henry  W.  Shryock,  C.  M.  Bardwell,  Cora  M.  Hamilton.     1,487.     $1,405.38. 

1904.  C.  M.  Bardwell,  Cora  M.  Hamilton,  B.  E.  Nelson.     909.     $1,454.27. 

1905.  Cora  M.  Hamilton,  Edmund  J.  James,  D.  B.  Parkinson.     1,166.     $1,295.40. 

1906.  D.  B.  Parkinson,  Edmund  J.  James,  M.  A.  Whitney.     1,100.     $1,261.55. 

1907.  M.  A.  Whitney,  Edmund  J.  James,  Frank  D.  Thomson.     1,292.     $1,080. 

1908.  S.  B.  Hursh,  F.  D.  Thompson,  J.  E.  Wooters. 

1909.  F.  D.  Thompson,  J.  E.  Wooters,  John  E.  Miller.     1,063.     $1,115.00. 

1910.  J.  E.  Wooters,  John  E.  Miller,  E.  C.  Rosseter.     5,555.     $1,809.58. 

1911.  John  E.  Miller,  E.  C.  Rosseter,  M.  G.  Clark. 

There  have  been  but  three  railroad  secretaries:    Homer  Bevans,   1887-96;  William  C.  Payne, 

1896-1901 ;  Edward  C.  Rosseter,  1901-7. 

SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS  TEACHERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

The  man  who  is  credited  with  the  initial  move  for  the  organization  of  the  Southern 
IlHnois  Teachers'  Association  is  G.  W.  Smith,  County  Superintendent  of  Schools, 
Clay  county.     In  the  vsummer  of  1881  he  issued  a  call  for  the  teachers  of  Southern 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  383 

Illinois  to  meet  at  Flora  on  the  16th  of  August  of  that  year,  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
sidering the  advisability  of  effecting  the  organization  of  such  an  association.  On 
the  day  designated  several  teachers  met  at  Flora.  Mr.  Smith  was  chosen  chairman 
of  the  meeting,  and  J.  F.   McKibben,  of  Marion,  was  made  secretary. 

After  a  free  discussion  of  the  subject  by  a  number  of  prominent  teachers  it  was 
unanimously  agreed  that  the  interests  of  education  in  Southern  Illinois  demanded 
the  organization  of  an  association  whose  meetings  should  be  more  accessible  to  the 
teachers  of  that  portion  of  the  State  than  those  of  the  State  Association. 

On  motion  of  J.  W.  Henninger,  a  committee  consisting  of  one  from  each  of  the 
coimties  represented  at  the  meeting  was  appointed  to  formulate  a  plan  of  action. 
This  committee  consisted  of  the  following  persons:  N.  L.  Scovell,  Jasper  county; 
J.  W.  Henninger,  Fayette  cotmty;  Rollin  Smith,  Marion  county;  A.  M.  Elliott, 
Wayne  county;  M.  L.  Sabin,  Clay  county. 

The  committee  reported  to  the  meeting  a  series  of  resolutions  giving  a  reason 
for  the  organization  of  the  new  association,  assuring  the  State  Association  that  there 
was  no  spirit  of  rivalry  in  the  enterprise,  urging  the  educational  people  to  give  it 
cordial  support,  and  recommending  that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to  make 
arrangements  for  the  first  meeting.  The  temporary  officers  were  made  the  per- 
manent officers. 

Pursuant  to  the  arrangements  made  by  the  executive  committee  the  first  meeting 
of  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association  convened  at  Flora  on  the  29th  of 
December,  1881. 

Superintendent  George  H.  Smith  called  the  meeting  to  order.  B.  F.  Shipley 
was  elected  secretary.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  draft  a  constitution  and 
by-laws  for  the  government  of  the  association.  The  committee  presented  its  report 
at  a  later  session  and  it  was  adopted. 

The  following  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year:  President,  Dr.  Robert 
Allyn;  vice-presidents,  S.  M.  Inglis  and  C.  F.  Stratton;  recording  secretary,  E.  A. 
Bryan;  financial  secretaries,  S.  M.  Scovell  and  J.  W.  Henninger;  treasurer,  George 
W.  Smith;  executive  committee —  George  L.  Guy,  B.  F.  Shipley,  John  Washburn, 
J.  B.  Ward,  and  W.  E.  Mason. 

The  resolutions  adopted  by  the  association  constituted  an  educational  platform 
on  which  the  teachers  were  agreed  and  which  could  be  widely  disseminated  through 
the  territory  of  the  membership,  through  the  assistance  of  the  press,  and  which  would 
tend  to  awaken  an  educational  sentiment  favorable  to  better  schools  and  better 
teachers. 

The  names  of  the  leading  participants  indicate  who  were  prominent  teachers  in 
that  portion  of  the  State  thirty  years  ago.  In  addition  to  those  mentioned  there 
were  J.  F.  Arnold,  long  a  coimty  superintendent  in  Jasper  county;  Superintendents 
Vest,  of  Bond;  Mann,  of  Effingham;  Patterson,  of  Saline;  Harris,  of  Jasper.  And 
"there  were  others."  An  interesting  event  of  the  meeting  was  an  address  by 
W.  H.  H.  Adams,  president  of  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University,  at  Bloomington. 
President  Adams  was  a  popular  speaker  on  any  theme  and  was  well  known  in 
Illinois  college  circles  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  several  years  later. 

The  second  meeting  of  the  association  was  held  in  Vandalia,  and  began  August 


384  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

30,  1882.  Dr.  Allyn,  the  president-elect,  presided.  In  the  absence  of  the  secretary. 
Prof.  D.  B.  Parkinson  was  elected  to  fill  his  place.  The  practical  character  of  the 
discussions  is  indicated  in  the  themes:  "  What  Have  the  Schools  of  Southern  Illinois 
Accomplished  This  Last  Year  and  What  Is  Needed  for  Their  Improvement?" 
"Practical  Education  and  Business  Methods  in  Country  Schools,"  "School  Appli- 
ances and  School  Libraries,"  "  Qualifications  of  School  Officers,"  "  Qualifications  of 
teachers."     Prominent  among  the  speakers  were  B.   G.  Roots,  of  Tamaroa;  Charles 

F.  Stratton,  S.  M.  Inglis,  J.  F.  Norton,  D.  B.  Parkinson,  S.  G.  Burdick,  G.  L.  Guy, 
George  W.  Smith,  President  John  Washburn,  John  Hull. 

The  officers  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  were:  President,  S.  M.  Inglis;  vice- 
presidents,  J.  H.  Brownlee  and  G.  L.  Guy;  recording  secretary,  Anna  L.  Jackson; 
corresponding  secretary,  D.  B.  Parkinson;  treasurer,  Nannie  B.  Anderson;  financial 
secretaries,  F.  B.  Abbott  and  J.  F.  Norton;  executive  committee,  J.  W.  Hen- 
ninger,  Robert  Pence,  E.  S.  Clark,  G.  W.  Smith  and  John  Trainer. 

The  association  was  now  well  laimched.  A  group  of  intelligent  men  and  women 
would  henceforth  care  for  its  interests.  The  subsequent  meetings  with  the  officers 
follow : 

1883.  Carbondale.  President  and  other  officers  as  above  with  the  exception  of  one  of  the 
financial  secretaries.  R.  A.  Haight  was  elected  to  fill  his  place  and  John  T.  Bowles  was  elected  rail- 
road secretary. 

1884.  Centralia.  President,  E.  E.  Edwards;  vice-presidents,  J.  W.  Henninger  and  D.  B.  Park- 
inson; recording  secretary,  Etta  L.  Elam;  corresponding  secretary,  R.  A.  Haight;  treasurer,  George 
L.  Guy;  executive  committee  —  S.  M.  Inglis,  E.  W.  Mills,  J.  T.  Bowles. 

1885.  Greenville.  President,  J.  W.  Henninger;  vice-presidents,  L.  H.  Deneen,  J.  P.  Slade, 
Martha  Buck,  A.  P.  Manley,  Bertha  Kitchell,  J.  A.  Arnold,  W.  B.  Davis;  recording  secretary,  S.  G. 
Burdick;  railroad  secretary,  Mrs.  J.  T.  Bowles;  treasurer,  George  L.  Guy;  executive  committee — -S. 
B.  Hood,  John  Martin,  Miss  Clem  Cole. 

1886.  Du  Quoin.  President,  James  P.  Slade;  vice-presidents,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith,  John  W. 
Wood,  S.  E.  DeHaven,  G.  E.  Ayres,  L.  S.  Kilbourn;  secretary,  O.  J.  Bainum;  treasurer,  L.  Messick; 
executive  committee  —  D.  B.  Parkinson,  George  L.  Guy,  J.  C.  Bums. 

1887.  Chester.  President,  George  L.  Guy;  vice-presidents,  George  W.  Powell,  T.  W.  McDon- 
ough,  C.  P.  White,  James  McQuilkin,  S.  B.  Hood,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith;  secretary,  J.  G.  Smith;  treasurer. 
Miss  Martha  Buck;  executive  committee — ^  R.  B.  Anderson,  R.  B.  Thacker,  J.  C.  Burns. 

1888.  Nashville.  President,  J.  C.  Burns;  vice-presidents,  all  county  superintendents  present; 
secretary,  Julia  A.  Sebastian;  treasurer,  Martha  Buck;  executive  committee  —  T.  C.  Clendenen, 
W.  J.  HofiFman,  Miss  A.  C.  Anderson. 

1889.  Cairo.  President,  S.  B.  Hood;  vice-presidents,  T.  C.  Clendenen,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith; 
financial  secretaries,  John  W.  Wood,  David  Caruthers;  treasurer.  Miss  Inez  Green;  corresponding 
secretary.  Miss  Ann  C.  Anderson;  recording  secretary,  Miss  Ethel  Spriggs;  executive  committee  — 

G.  L.  Guy,  S.  M.  Inglis,   Miss  JuHa  McNeil. 

1890.  Carmi.  President,  T.  C.  Clendenen;  vice-presidents,  D.  B.  Parkinson,  Miss  Hanna; 
recording  secretary,  Clara  B.  Stephenson;  corresponding  secretary,  C.  P.  White;  financial  secretaries, 
Mrs.  P.  A.  Taylor  and  Miss  Ann  C.  Anderson;  executive  committee  — -Julia  McNeil,  C.  H.  Kamman, 
J.  H.  Lane. 

1891.  Mount  Vernon.  President,  J.  H.  Lane;  vice-presidents,  J.  C.  Storment,  Mrs.  G.  B.  Mur- 
rah;  recording  secretary.  Miss  Ida  A.  Swan;  financial  secretaries,  Arthur  Oehler  and  Miss  Martha 
Buck;  corresponding  secretary.  May  A.  Sowers;  treasurer,  T.  J.  McDonough;  executive  committee  — 
M.  N.  McCartney,  Charles  L.  Manners,  Miss  Inez  I.  Green. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  385 

1892.  East  St.  Louis.  President,  M.  N.  McCartney;  vice-president,  Martha  Buck;  recording 
secretary,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith;  financial  secretaries,  J.  T.  Campbell  and  CD.  Threlkeld;  corresponding 
secretary,  Mollie  Connelly;  treasurer,  Arthur  Oehler;  executive  committee — Charles  L.  Manners, 
George  L.  Guy,  Arista  Burton. 

1894.  Effingham.  President,  Charles  L.  Manners;  vice-president,  R.  B.  Anderson;  recording 
secretary.  Miss.  Lou  Nichols;  corresponding  secretaries,  James  M.  Osborne,  Miss  May  Slimpert; 
treasurer,  E.  E.  Van  Cleve;  executive  committee  —  D.  B.  Parkinson,  F.  C.  Dever,  Miss  Ida  Huckle- 
berry. 

1895.  Metropolis  City.  President,  D.  B.  Parkinson;  vice-presidents.  Miss  Miriam  Rhodes  and 
W.  J.  Lackey;  corresponding  secretary,  J.  E.  Wooters;  recording  secretary,  Louise  Baumberger; 
treasurer,  E.  E.  Van  Cleve;  executive  committee  —  I.  A.  Smothers,  T.  J.  McDonough,  Miss  Sarah 
Whittenberg. 

1896.  Murphysboro.  President,  I.  A.  Smothers;  vice-presidents,  S.  E.  Ramsey  and  Rose  A. 
Marion;  treasurer,  Robert  B.  McKee;  corresponding  secretary,  Minnie  Ferrell;  recording  secretary, 
Mrs.  J.  J.  Baker;  executive  committee — J.  E.  Wooters,  T.  J.  McDonough. 

1897.  Mt.  Carmel.  President,  J.  E.  Wooters;  vice-presidents,  H.  M.  Aiken  and  James  E.  Job; 
treasurer,  W.  S.  Booth;  corresponding  secretary.  Miss  Josie  Gross;  recording  secretary,  Miss  May 
Robertson;  financial  secretaries,  J.  E.  Ramsey  and  J.  B.  Bundy;  executive  committee  —  T.  J.  Mc- 
Donough, W.  R.  Kimzey,  E.  E.  Van  Cleve. 

The  meeting  at  Mt.  Carmel  was  held  the  last  of  June  instead  of  the  last  of  August,  as  had  been 
the  custom  since  the  organization  of  the  association. 

1898.  Belleville.  President,  E.  E.  Van  Cleve;  vice-presidents,  T.  J.  Youngblood  and  D.  J. 
Underwood;  treasurer,  H.  W.  Hostetler;  recording  secretary, May  Robertson;  corresponding  secretary, 
Josephine  E.  Gross;  financial  secretaries,  M.  M.  Beeman  and  F.  A.  Parkinson;  executive  committee — 
I.  N.  Mather,  W.  S.  Booth,  Walter  Kimzey. 

At  this  meeting  the  association  departed  from  its  usual  custom  in  that  it  recognized  a  county 
superintendents'  section.  The  officers  of  this  section  were:  President,  Walter  R.  Kimzey;  secretary, 
Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith;  executive  committee  —  S.  J.  Burdick,  W.  A.  Robinson,  Miss  S.  J.  Whittenberg. 

1899.  Carbondale.  President,  T.  J.  McDonough;  vice-presidents,  E.  J.  Underwood  and  Mrs. 
H.  M.  Smith;  recording  secretary.  Miss  Winnie  Gaskins;  corresponding  secretary.  Miss  Jennie  Gor- 
don; treasurer,  J.  M.  Parkinson;  financial  secretaries,  George  Barringer  and  William  Johnson;  execu- 
tive committee — -W.  R.  Kimzey,  J.  P.  Merker  and  Miss  Whittenburg. 

At  this  meeting  the  attendance  reached  approximately  four  hundred.  This  was  the  largest  atten- 
dance in  the  history  of  the  association.  At  previous  meetings  the  attendance  had  varied  from  one 
hundred  and  fifty  to  about  three  hundred. 

1900.  Mt.  Vernon.  President,  John  Snyder;  vice-presidents,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith  and  W.  W, 
Williams;  recording  secretary,  M.  T.  Van  Cleve;  corresponding  secretary,  Miss  Julia  C.  Errett; 
treasurer,  John  H.  Hodge;  financial  secretaries,  J.  E.  Whitchurch  and  Julia  T.  Morrison;  executive 
committee  — J.  E.  Ramsey,  T.  J.  McDonough,  M.  N.  Corn. 

The  county  superintendents  held  a  session  on  one  of  the  days  of  the  meeting. 

1901.  Du  Quoin.  President,  D.  J.  Underwood;  vice-presidents,  J.  H.  Warmack,  Frank  Coles, 
Jr.;  recording  secretary,  Laura  M.  Truscott;  corresponding  secretary,  W.  R.  Kimzey;  treasurer,  M.  T. 
Van  Cleve;  financial  secretaries,  L.  E.  York  and  Sarah  J.  Whittenberg;  executive  committee  —  W. 
H.  Shryock,  T.  J.  McDonough,  S.  J.  Curlee.  The  county  superintendents  also  elected  a  full  set  of 
officers. 

The  association  also  elected  a  library  board  of  five  members,  whose  duty  is  the  encouragement 
of  the  library  movement  in  Southern  Illinois. 

1902.  Centralia.  President,  Miss  Sarah  J.  Whittenberg;  vice-presidents,  J.  M.  Hill  and  J.  D. 
Underwood;  secretary,  Frank  Coles;  executive  committee — ^George  Barrington,  J,  C.  Whitchurch, 
Charles  Hertel.     This  meeting  was  held  the  first  week  in  April. 

1903.  East  St.  Louis.  President,  J.  E.  Ramsey;  vice-presidents,  F.  D.  McKettrick  and  H.  F. 
McRea;  recording  secretary.  Miss  M.  E.  Robertson;  corresponding  secretary,  O.  D.  Edwards;  finan- 

25 


386  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

cial  secretaries,  A.  E.  Gilpin  and  W.  W.  Griffith;  treasurer,  J.  W.  Asbury;  executive  committee  — 
G.  Wham,  John  E.  Miller,  A.  L.  Bliss. 

The  sessions  were  held  April  2,  3  and  4. 

1904.  Cairo.  President,  G.  D.  Wham ;  vice-presidents,  J.  W.  Asbury  and  W.  J.  Blackard; 
recording  secretary,  Sarah  J.  Whittenberg;  corresponding  secretary,  Oscar  Marbury;  financial  secre- 
taries, Lillie  Kell  and  Annie  Hawkins;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Freeman;  executive  committee  —  J.  E.  Miller, 
T.  C.  Clendenen,  W.  S.  Booth. 

1905.  Olney.  President,  Walter  R.  Kimzey ;  vice-presidents,  J.  M.  Hill  and  C.  P.  Boyer;  treas- 
urer, W.  S.  Booth;  recording  secretary,  Sarah  Conant;  corresponding  secretary,  Inez  Brunston;  finan- 
cial secretaries,  C.  F.  Easterday  and  R.  Muckelroy;  executive  committee  ^ — S.  E.  Harwood,  J.  W. 
B  arrow,  John  Snyder. 

1906.  Marion.  President,  Edward  S.  Booth;  vice-presidents,  J.  Oscar  Marberry  and  J.  W. 
Templeton;  recording  secretary,  Sarah  Conant;  corresponding  secretary,  Miss  Lillian  Baker;  treasurer, 
Harry  Taylor;  financial  secretaries,  F.  F.  Samms  and  J.  T.  Ellis;  executive  committee  —  C.  F.  Easter- 
day, Miss  Lillie  Gubelman,  J.  W.  Asbury. 

1907.  Benton.  President,  C.  F.  Easterday;  vice-presidents,  Otto  Edwards  and  C.  C.  Denny; 
recording  secretary.  Miss  Sybil  Kitchen;  corresponding  secretary.  Miss  Kate  Spani;  treasurer,  A.  E. 
Gilpin;  financial  secretaries,  H.  J.  Alvis  and  W.  A.  Dickson;  executive  committee  —  R.  O.  Clarida, 
H.  M.  Aiken  and  Miss  Adda  P.  Wertz. 

1908.  Anna.  President,  R.  O.  Clarida;  vice-presidents,  S.  E.  Harwood  and  Arthur  Summers; 
recording  secretary,  Harriett  Berninger;  corresponding  secretary,  Margaret  Andrews;  treasurer, 
Clarence  Bonnell;  financial  secretaries,  W.  A.  Spence  and  C.  W.  Hank;  railroad  secretary,  H.  W. 
Shryock;  executive  committee  —  S.  H.  Bohn,  W.  O.  Brown,  H.  J.  Alvis. 

1909.  Du  Quoin.  President,  S.  E.  Harwood;  vice-presidents,  Robert  Pence  and  May  S.  Haw- 
kins; recording  secretary,  Harriett  Berninger;  corresponding  secretary,  Kate  Cutter;  financial  secre- 
taries, Maurice  Mudd  and  Guy  Koonce;  permanent  railroad  secretary,  H.  W.  Shryock;  executive 
committee  —  Robert  Templeton,  John  Snyder,  C.  M.  Peak. 

1910.  East  St.  Louis.  President,  John  E.  Miller;  vice-presidents,  Roy  Wilkins  and  Elmer  Van 
Arsdall;  recording  secretary.  May  S.  Hawkins;  corresponding  secretary,  Mrs.  Kate  Chapman;  financial 
secretaries,  Maurice  A.  Mudd  and  Guy  Koonce;  treasurer,  F.  C.  Prowdly;  executive  committee  — 
W.  S.  Booth,  Henry  Eisenhart  and  Arthur  E.  Summers. 

1911.  Carbondale.  President,  Robert  B.  Templeton;  vice-presidents,  H.  F.  McCrea  and  Miss 
Lillian  Gubleman;  recording  secretary.  Miss  May  Hawkins;  corresponding  secretary.  Miss  Tillie 
Reither;  financial  secretaries,  W.  T.  Felts  and  J.  W.  Asbury;  treasurer,  W.  S.  Van  Cleve;  executive 
committee  —  A.  E.  Summers,  C.  H.  Dorris  and  J.  A.  Stevenson. 

The  historian  of  the  Southern  IlHnois  Teachers'  Association  will  find  his  data  in 
most  admirable  condition.  The  records  of  the  association  have  been  admirably 
kept.  The  scribes  whose  office  it  was  to  rescue  the  fleeting  events  of  the  meetings 
from  oblivion  have  taken  most  commendable  pride  in  their  work. 

That  the  association  has  been  of  great  benefit  to  the  territory  contributing  to  its 
membership  can  not  be  doubted.  The  discussions  have  been  upon  topics  that  are 
vital  to  the  success  of  any  system  of  education.  The  membership  has  not  been 
large  when  compared  with  the  other  associations,  but  there  are  manifest  advantages 
in  such  a  condition.  It  has  developed  a  group  of  educational  speakers  that  are  not 
surpassed  in  the  other  associations,  if  they  are  equaled.  The  same  names  constantly 
fecur  in  the  record  and  the  visitors  to  the  educational  meetings  of  Southern  Illinois 
are  impressed  by  the  number  of  very  competent  men  who  discuss  living  topics  with 
marked  freedom  and  ability.  The  association  has  adhered  to  the  policy  of  holding 
its  membership  together  in  a  general  meeting  instead  of  encouraging  the  formation 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  387 

of  sectional  meetings.  The  county  superintendents  have  held  a  single  session  in 
recent  years  on  one  of  the  days,  but  they  are  the  only  ones  who  have  held  departmental 
meetings. 

THE  NORTHERN  ILLINOIS  TEACHERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

The  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association  was  organized  in  the  parlors  of  the 
Julien  House,  at  Belvidere,  on  the  9th  of  December,  1882.  The  movement  arose 
from  the  feeling  that  the  teachers  of  this  portion  of  the  State  were  not  sufficiently 
supplied  with  meetings  for  the  discussion  of  educational  questions. 

Principal  Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  of  South  Belvidere,  called  a  meeting  of  the 
teachers  within  a  convenient  distance  from  Belvidere  to  meet  for  the  consideration 
of  the  advisability  of  organization. 

Principal  Sherrill,  of  North  Belvidere,  called  the  meeting  to  order,  briefly  stated 
the  object  of  the  meeting  and  called  for  nominations  for  temporary  president  and 
secretary.  Superintendent  Stetson,  of  Rockford,  and  Principal  Allen,  of  Marengo, 
were  nominated  and  elected  to  the  respective  offices.  On  motion  the  president 
appointed  the  following  committees:  On  constitution,  Principals  Allen  and  Sherrill, 
and  Miss  Langley,  of  Belvidere;  on  nominations.  Principal  Brown,  Superintendent 
McPherson,  of  Rockford,  and  Mr.  Lambert,  Miss  Fox  and  Miss  Franklin,  of  Belvi- 
dere. 

The  committee  on  constitution  reported  at  a  later  hour  on  the  same  day  and  its 
report  was  accepted.  The  committee  on  nominations  reported  as  the  first  per- 
manent officers  of  the  association.  Principal  Sherrill,  president;  Superintendent 
Snyder,  Freeport,  vice-president;  Principal  Allen,  secretary;  Miss  Smedley,  Belvi- 
dere, treasurer;  for  executive  committee,  Superintendents  Stetson  and  McPherson, 
of  Rockford,  and  Walker,  of  Rochelle. 

Having  selected  Rockford  and  February  3  as  the  place  and  time  for  the  opening 
meeting  of  the  association,  the  meeting  adjourned. 

For  the  first  five  years  three  meetings  were  held  each  year,  the  meetings  occurring 
in  January  (except  the  first),  April  and  September.  At  the  October  meeting  of  1887, 
it  was  determined  to  hold  but  two  meetings  a  year  —  in  April  and  October.  This 
arrangement  was  continued  until  the  April  meeting  of  1905.  At  the  October,  1904, 
meeting,  John  A.  H.  Keith,  of  the  Northern  Illinois  State  Normal  School,  moved 
the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  investigate  the  question  of  the  reorganization 
of  the  association,  the  committee  to  report  at  the  next  meeting.  The  motion  was 
carried  and  the  chair  appointed  as  members  of  the  committee  Mr.  Keith,  U.  J. 
Hoffman,  J.  J.  Allison,  C.  L.  Phelps,  and  M.  A.  Whitney.  This  committee  reported 
at  the  April,  1905,  meeting  as  follows: 

1.  Make  two  associations,  namely: 

a.  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association  —  Western  Section. 

b.  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association  —  Eastern  Section. 

2.  Have  one  meeting  a  year  for  either  section,  in  the  fall,  on  successive  weeks,  and  alternating 
from  year  to  year. 

3.  Have  the  whole  of  the  present  territory  open  to  both  sections  for  program  material. 

4.  Divide  equally  at  the  close  of  the  Kankakee  (1905)  meeting  all  funds  on  hand  between  the 


388  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

two  organizations  thus  created.     Also  divide  the  student  fund  into  equal  parts  and  leave  two  student 
funds  —  one  for  each  section. 

5.  Let  the  above  associations  be  supplemented  by  the  organization  of  a  "Superintendents'  and 
Principals'  Association,"  to  meet  once  a  year,  to  discuss  topics  relating  to  the  administrative  aspects 
of  school  work. 

6.  In  order  that  the  above  plan  may  be  put  into  operation  we  recommend  that  the  president 
of  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association  appoint  two  nominating  committees  to  nominate 
officers  for  the  two  sections,  and  that  he  appoint  a  committee  of  five  to  organize  the  Superintendents' 
and  Principals'  Association. 

The  report  of  the  committee  was  adopted. 

Therefore,  beginning  with  the  November,  1905,  meetings,  there  have  been  two 
meetings  of  the  association,  one  of  each  section,  each  year  since. 

The  history  of  the  association  may  thus  be  divided  into  three  periods,  correspond- 
ing to  the  Hfe  of  the  three  plans  of  procedure. 

First  Period. 

It  is  manifestly  impossible  within  the  limits  of  the  work  attempted  in  this  volume, 
to  present  a  real  history  of  the  work  of  this  association.  The  times  and  places  of 
meeting  and  the  names  of  the  officers  are  deemed  worthy  of  preservation,  and  where 
topics  of  tmusual  interest  were  discussed  and  new  projects  of  real  value  were  under- 
taken, some  note  will  be  taken  of  them.  After  a  somewhat  full  history  of  these 
several  associations  had  been  prepared  it  was  found  necessary  to  reduce  the  matter 
very  materially. 

1883.  Rockford.  February  3.  In  the  absence  of  President  Sherrill,  elected  at  Belvidere, 
P.  R.  Walker  was  nominated  to  preside.  He  declined  and  nominated  Superintendent  McPherson, 
who  was  elected  and  presided  over  the  deliberations  of  the  association. 

Elgin.  May  5.  President,  P.  R.  Walker;  vice-president,  E.  E.  Brown;  executive  committee  — 
C.  C.  Snyder,  C.  F.  Kimball,  C.  J.  Allen. 

Rochelle.  September  29.  President,  E.  E.  Brown;  vice-president,  S.  D.  Baldwin;  executive 
committee  —  A.  J.  Blanchard,  E.  C.  Webster,  A.  W.  McPherson. 

1884.  Freeport.  January  25.  President,  W.  W.  Stetson;  vice-president,  A.  J.  Blanchard; 
secretary,  O.  P.  Bostwick;  treasurer,  J.  M.  Piper;  executive  committee,  C.  C.  Snyder;  C.  0.  Scudder, 
Dixon;  H.  C.  Forbes,  Polo. 

Dixon.  April  26.  President,  R.  L.  Barton,  Galena;  vice-president,  S.  B.  Wadsworth,  Oregon; 
executive  committee  —  E.  C.  Webster,  Dixon;  A.  W.  McPherson,  Rockford;  S.  B.  Hursh,  Mt.  Carroll. 

Aurora.  September  26.  President,  H.  C.  Forbes;  vice-president,  F.  T.  Oldt,  Lanark;  executive 
committee  —  W.  B.  Powell,  Aurora;  Leslie  Lewis;  O.  F.  Barbour,  Rockford.  O.  S.  Cook,  of  the 
Town  of  Lake,  made  a  plea  for  the  establishment  of  a  State  Normal  School  in  Northern  Illinois.  The 
suggestion  met  with  enthusiastic  endorsement.  This  appears  to  be  the  first  public  occasion  on  which 
this  idea  was  made  public.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  confer  with  members  of  the  legislature 
on  the  subject.     It  consisted  of  O.  S.  Cook,  Leslie  Lewis,  and  W.  B.  Powell. 

1885.  Elgin.  January  30.  President,  O.  F.  Barbour;  vice-president,  Miss  Emma  Todd, 
Aurora;  secretary,  W.  H.  Ray,  Hyde  Park;  treasurer,  F.  T.  Oldt,  Lanark;  executive  committee  —  J.  H. 
Freeman,  P.  R.  Walker,  S.  B.  Wadsworth.  The  committee  on  the  Normal  School  for  Northern 
Illinois  reported  and  every  teacher  was  urged  to  use  his  influence  with  members  of  the  legislature 
to  secure  favorable  action  at  the  current  session  of  that  body. 

Rockford.  April  24.  President,  C.  F.  Kimball,  Elgin;  vice-president,  J.  L.  Curts,  DeKalb; 
executive  committee  —  P.  R.  Walker,  Rockford;  A.  R.  Sabin,  Chicago;  J.  H.  Freeman,  Aurora. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  389 

The  committee  on  the  Normal  School  reported  progress  and  was  continued  with  directions  to 
print  and  circulate  literature  to  help  the  cause. 

Rochelle.  September  25.  President,  J.  H.  Freeman;  vice-president,  S.  B.  Wadsworth,  Oregon; 
executive  committee  —  A.  V.  Greenman,  Rochelle;  H.  H.  Belfield,  Chicago;  S.  J.  Howe,  Dixon. 

1886.  Freeport.  January  29.  President,  A.  J.  Blanchard,  Sycamore;  vice-president,  Emma 
J.  Todd;  secretary,  W.  H.  Ray;  treasurer  and  ex  officio  railroad  secretary,  W.  H.  Hatch,  Rock  Island; 
executive  committee,  C.  C.  Snyder,  F.  T.  Oldt  and  Miss  Mary  J.  McPherson  of  Rockford. 

Elgin.  April  23.  President,  C.  C.  Snyder;  executive  committee  —  W.  H.  Brydges,  Elgin; 
O.  F.  Barbour,  and  Miss  Mary  Todd  of  Aurora.  The  secretary  records  that  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
second  day,  "Ella  Flagg  Young,  of  Chicago,  read  a  most  remarkable  paper  on  geography." 

Rockford.  September  24.  President,  F.  T.  Oldt;  vice-president,  Fernando  Sanford,  Oregon; 
executive  committee  —  P.  R.  Walker;  J.  H.  Ely,  Savanna;  Leonora  Franklin,  Belvidere. 

1887.  Aurora.  January  28.  President,  S.  B.  Wadsworth;  vice-president,  E.  C.  Webster, 
Dixon.;  secretary,  J.  L.  Curts,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  C.  J.  Kinnie,  Rockford;  executive  committee  — 
J.  H.  Freeman,  Emma  J.  Todd,  A.  V.  Greenman.  The  subject  of  drawing  was  up  at  this  meeting, 
the  discussion  being  led  by  W.  S.  Mack,  who  was  to  become  prominent  in  that  connection 
later. 

Polo.  April  29.  President,  A.  V.  Greenman,  Rochelle;  vice-president,  John  T.  Ray,  Highland 
Park;  executive  committee —  C.  C.  Snyder,  Freeport;  H.  J.  Sherrill,  Belvidere;  Julia  A.  Waterbury, 
Polo. 

The  evening  lecture  was  given  by  J.  L.  Pickard,  on  "  The  New  Education."  Colonel  Parker  had 
come  to  Chicago  and  was  stirring  the  profession. 

The  constitution  was  so  amended  as  to  provide  for  two  meetings  a  year  instead  of  three. 

Princeton,  October  7.  President,  A.  Bayliss,  Sterling;  vice-president,  Charles  Riley,  Aurora; 
executive  committee  —  Miss  Emma  V.  White,  Princeton;  County  Superintendent  James,  Lee  county; 
William  Jenkins,  Mendota. 

The  Saturday  sessions  were  given  up  to  the  consideration  of  Manual  Training,  Mr.  Mack  having 
samples  of  work  on  exhibition,  and  to  .Gradation  of  our  Country  Schools,  a  subject  that  was  more 
and  more  attracting  attention  because  of  the  work  that  John  Trainer  had  accomplished  in  Macon 
county. 

With  this  session  there  closes  what  has  been  called  the  first  period  in  the  history  of  the  associa- 
tion • — ■  the  Three-  Meeting  period.  The  attendance  had  not  been  large,  often  running  at  from  fifty 
to  three  times  that  number  —  rarely  more.  The  discussions  had  been  admirable  and  the  educational 
progress  in  this  portion  of  the  State  is  so  clearly  reflected  in  these  discussions  —  to  say  nothing  of 
what  they  may  have  contributed  to  that  progress  —  that  its  history  may  be  quite  adequately  written 
from  the  minutes  of  the  meetings.  At  each  meeting  there  have  been  three  sessions  —  Friday  even- 
ing and  Saturday  morning  and  afternoon. 

1888.  Sterling.  April  27.  President,  W.  H.  Ray,  Hyde  Park;  vice-president,  E.  C.  Rosseter, 
Geneseo;  secretary  and  treasurer.  Miss  Ella  Shauer;  executive  committee  —  Alfred  Bayliss,  Leslie 
Lewis  and  P.  R.  Walker. 

Rockford.  October  12.  President,  W.  S.  Mack;  vice-president,  B.  F.  Hendricks,  Morrison; 
executive  committee  —  P.  R.  Walker,  E.  C.  Rosseter,  A.  V.  Greenman. 

A  new  departure  was  scored  at  this  meeting  in  pursuance  of  the  order  of  the  preceding  meeting. 
The  association  convened  on  Friday  afternoon  instead  of  on  Friday  evening,  and  meetings  of  the 
various  grade  teachers  were  held  in  advance  of  the  general  meetings.  This  is  the  beginning  of  the 
section  plan.  Its  popularity  is  attested  by  the  fact  that  the  attendance  was  three  times  that  of  the 
Sterling  meeting.     The  era  of  large  meetings  begins  at  this  time. 

1889.  Aurora.  April  25,  26.  President,  S.  B.  Hursh,  Sterling;  vice-president,  J.  L.  Curts, 
Harvard;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Ella  L.  Jenks,  Rockford;  executive  committee  —  Frank  Hall, 
Aurora;  Fernando  Sanford,  Englewood;  S.  W.  Grimes,  Nunda. 

On  Saturday,  Dr.  Charles  A.  McMurry,  of  Evanston,  made  his  appearance  before  the  associa- 
tion for  the  first  time.     He  was  destined  to  be  a  familiar  figure  among  the  school  men  of  Northern 


390  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Illinois.  Another  name  appears  on  the  program  for  the  first  time  —  that  of  Frank  H.  Hall.  He 
is  to  have  a  great  career  and  to  be  more  widely  known  in  Illinois  than  any  other  teacher. 

Englewood.  October  11,  12.  President,  R.  W.  Burton,  Polo;  vice-president.  Miss  M.  A.  Todd, 
Aurora;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Miss  E.  L.  Jenks,  Rockford;  executive  committee  —  L.  P.  Good- 
hue, Englewood;  O.  B.  Bostwick,  Galena;  E.  C.  Webster,  Dixon. 

The  overshadowing  feature  of  this  meeting  was  the  great  sorrow  of  the  members  because  of  the 
recent  and  untimely  death  of  the  lamented  W.  H.  Ray.  His  name  occurrs  frequently  in  these 
records.  He  was  a  brilliant  scholar,  an  extraordinary  worker,  and  possessed  those  qualities  as  a 
teacher  that  lead  to  certain  eminence. 

1890.  Rock  Island.  April  25,  26.  President,  Frank  H.  Hall;  vice-president,  E.  C.  Webster; 
secretary  and  treasurer,  Miss  Lenore  Franklin,  Englewood;  executive  committee  —  S.  S.  Kemble. 
Rock  Island;  P.  O.  Stiver,  County  Superintendent,  Stephenson  County;  Miss  Mary  Foote,  Rockford. 

To  the  departments  "had  now  been  added  a  Principals'  and  City  Superintendents'  Section  and  a 
County  Superintendents'  Section. 

Freeport.  October  17,  18.  President,  O.  T.  Bright,  Englewood;  vice-president,  M.  Quacken- 
bush,  Dundee;  executive  committee —  C.  C.  Snyder,  J.  H.  Freeman,  Miss  Emma  Stratford,  Moline; 

The  principle  of  compulsory  education  was  declared  to  be  one  of  the  bulwarks  of  the  social  order 
and  the  association  pledged  itself  to  the  support  of  a  movement  looking  toward  proper  legislation 
to  secure  its  application. 

1891.  Elgin.  April  24,  25.  President,  W.  H.  Hatch,  Moline;  vice-president,  Fernando  San- 
ford,  Lake  Forest;  secretary,  Mrs.  W.  J.  Helm,  Freeport;  treasurer,  C.  F.  Philbrook,  Lena;  executive 
committee —  M.  R.  Chambers,  Galena;  Sarah  Robinson,  Sycamore;  H.  F.  Derr,  Elgin. 

Aurora.  October  16,  17.  President,  J.  H.  Freeman;  vice-president,  O.  F.  Barbour;  secretary, 
Miss  Anna  Andress,  Nunda;  treasurer,  E.  C.  Page,  Oregon;  executive  committee  —  A.  V.  Greenman, 
C.  J.  Kinnie,  Anna  I.  Davis. 

1892.  Ottawa.  April  29,  30.  President,  M.  Quackenbush,  Dundee;  vice-president,  Principal 
Bishop,  Rock  Island;  secretary,  Miss  Kittie  H.  Reynolds,  Aurora;  treasurer,  J.  H.  Tear,  Chicago; 
executive  committee — -J.  O.  Leslie,  Ottawa;  John  T.  Bowles,  DeKalb;  Mary  E.  Corson,  Sterling. 

Rockford.  October  28,  29.  President,  S.  S.  Kemble,  Rock  Island;  vice-president,  Royal  T. 
Morgan,  Wheaton;  secretary,  Tom  Ravens,  Ottawa;  treasurer,  C.  F.  Philbrook;  executive  committee 
—  Superintendent  Derr,  Elgin;  0.  F.  Barbour,  Emma  J.  Todd. 

George  Howland  had  recently  dropped  away  and  the  Committee  on  Resolutions  expressed  the 
sorrow  of  the  association  in  the  loss  of  so  true  a  friend.  The  association  again  placed  itself  on  record 
in  denunciation  of  the  attacks  upon  the  compulsory  law  and  urged  the  legislature  to  enact  an  efficient 
statute. 

The  afternoon  of  Saturday  was  devoted  to  the  discussion  of  the  "  Needs  and  Demands  of  Northern 
Illinois  for  a  Normal  School."  A  committee  consisting  of  P.  R.  Walker,  A.  G.  Lane  and  P.  O.  Stiver 
was  appointed  to  present  the  matter  to  the  next  General  Assembly.  One  hundred  dollars  was  voted 
to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  committee. 

1893.  Freeport.  April  28,  29.  President,  S.  J.  Kinnie;  vice-president,  H.  F.  Derr;  secretary. 
Miss  Addie  Steele,  Oregon;  treasurer,  John  T.  Bowles;  railroad  secretary,  John  H.  Grossman;  execu- 
tive committee  —  R.  W.  Burton,  J.  S.  Zinser,  Miss  Anna  Parmelee  of  Sterling. 

A  change  is  noted  in  this  meeting.  The  papers  to  be  discussed  at  the  general  sessions  were 
printed  in  advance  and  sent  to  the  members  for  study  before  the  meeting. 

The  Friday  evening  lecture  was  delivered  by  President  E.  D.  Eaton,  Beloit  College. 
It  was  ordered  that  the  October  meeting  be  omitted  on  account  of  the  World's  Fair. 

1894.  Dixon.  April  27,  28.  President,  J.  K.  Rassweiler,  Downers  Grove;  vice-president,  S.  E. 
Beede,  Mendota;  secretary,  Mrs.  Alice  Bridgeman,  Polo;  treasurer,  J.  T.  Bowles,  DeKalb;  railroad 
secretary,  E.  G.  Cooley,  Aurora;  executive  committee  —  W.  H.  Williamson,  Dixon;  E.  C.  Smith, 
Dixon;  N.  D.  Gilbert,  Austin;  Alice  M.  Vancil,  Polo. 

The  resolutions  called  for  three  new  Normal  schools,  one  of  which  should  be  located  in  northern 
Illinois. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  391 

Aurora.  October  26,  27.  President,  P.  O.  Stiver,  Freeport;  vice-president,  B.  C.  Caldwell, 
Moline;  secretary,  Miss  Katherine  Barber,  Austin;  railroad  secretary,  Jay  C.  Edwards,  Amboy; 
treasurer,  J.  T.  Bowles,  DeKalb;  executive  committee  —  J.  H.  Freeman,  A.  V.  Greenman,  Aurora; 
O.  T.  Bright,  Chicago;  Miss  Edith  Patten,  Cortland. 

The  Child  Study  movement  is  now  on.     A  Child  Study  Department  was  added  to  the  sections. 

A  Board  of  Education  Section  was  added  to  the  association. 

1895.  Joliet.  April  26,  27.  President,  John  W.  Gibson,  Sterling;  vice-president,  H.  F.  Derr, 
Elgin;  secretary,  Phebe  Gardner,  Aurora;  railroad  secretary,  C.  F.  Philbrook,  Rochelle;  treasurer, 
J.  T.  Bowles,  DeKalb;  executive  committee  —  W.  Wirt,  Ottawa;  F.  H.  Hall,  Waukegan;  F.  Tracy, 
Kankakee;  W.  H.  Campbell,  Joliet. 

The  committee  on  Normal  schools  asked  for  the  warm  cooperation  of  the  members  in  securing 
favorable  action  on  the  bills  for  two  Normal  schools  then  pending  in  the  legislature. 

Elgin.  October  25,  26.  President,  G.  B.  Harrington,  Princeton;  vice-president,  W.  A.  Edwards; 
Rockford;  secretary.  Miss  Amanda  Elliott,  Moline;  treasurer,  J.  T.  Bowles,  DeKalb;  railroad  secre- 
tary, C.  F.  Philbrook,  Rochelle;  executive  committee  —  F.  H.  Hall,  Waukegan;  H.  F.  Derr,  Elgin; 
H.  M.  Slauson,  Moline. 

The  Normal  School  movement  having  resulted  in  the  securing  of  two  new  Normal  schools  the 
association  passed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  ^.  R.  Walker  for  his  long  campaign  of  six  years  in  a  vigorous 
effort  to  secure  this  great  result.  Similarly,  Col.  I.  L.  Ellwood  and  Clinton  Rosette  of  DeKalb  were 
cordially  thanked  by  the  association  for  their  labors  to  the  same  end. 

The  attendance  at  this  meeting  was  over  eight  hundred. 

1896.  Ottawa.  April  24,  25.  President,  W.  H.  Campbell,  Joliet;  vice-president,  J.  M.  Bridg- 
man,  Polo;  secretary.  Miss  Julia  Little,  Downers  Grove;  treasurer,  J.  T.  Bowles,  DeKalb;  railroad 
secretary,  C.  F.  Philbrook,  Rochelle;  executive  committee —  C.  W.  Groves,  Harvard;  J.  O.  Leslie, 
Ottawa;  J.  W.  Coultas,  Streator. 

Freeport.  October  30,  31.  President,  Newell  D.  Gilbert,  Austin;  vice-president,  J.  E.  Bangs, 
Pontiac;  secretary,  Cora  Tinker,  Elgin;  treasurer,  J.  T.  Bowles,  DeKalb;  railroad  secretary,  C.  F. 
Philbrook,  Rochelle;  executive  committee — -H.  M.  Slauson,  Moline;  R.  S.  Page,  Freeport;  Cora 
Hamilton,  Joliet. 

1897.  Rock  Island.  April  22-24.  President,  H.  M.  Slauson,  Moline;  vice-president,  W.  J. 
Sutherland,  Oregon;  secretary,  Helen  S.  Dickey,  Rockford;  treasurer,  J.  T.  Bowles,  DeKalb;  railroad 
secretary,  C.  F.  Philbrook,  Rochelle;  executive  committee  —  O.  T.  Bright,  Chicago;  J.  H.  Grossman, 
Lanark ;  Miss  Anna  Parmelee,  Sterling. 

Streator.  October  29,  30.  President,  J.  O.  Leslie,  Ottawa;  vice-president.  Miss  Emma  Todd, 
Aurora;  secretary.  Miss  Mary  Entriken,  Rock  Island;  treasurer,  John  T.  Bowles;  railroad  secretary, 
C.  F.  Philbrook;  executive  committee  — -  W.  H.  Hatch,  Oak  Park;  J.  M.  Piper,  Oregon;  W.  F.  Roche- 
leau,  Streator. 

The  Committee  on  Resolutions  recommended  the  appointment  of  a  legislative  committee  to 
serve  three  years,  one  to  be  elected  annually  and  that  the  executive  committee  be  constituted  in  the 
same  way.     Carried. 

Resolutions  recognizing  the  death  of  Hon.  Newton  Bateman  and  of  J.  K.  Rassweiler  were 
adopted. 

1898.  Rockford.  April  29,  30.  President,  Charles  W.  Groves,  Dixon;  vice-president.  Royal 
T.  Morgan,  Wheaton;  secretary,  Miss  Addie  Headley,  Streator;  treasurer,  John  T.  Bowles,  DeKalb; 
railroad  secretary,  C.  F.  Philbrook,  Rochelle;  executive  committee  —  C.  M.  Bardwell,  Aurora;  G.  W. 
Horton,  Dwight;  Miss  Hattie  Morse,  Rockford, 

La  Salle.  October  28,  29.  President,  D.  B.  Parker,  Rockford;  vice-president,  G.  N.  Snapp, 
Lena;  secretary.  Miss  May  Slocum,  Evanston;  treasurer,  J.  T.  Bowles,  DeKalb;  railroad  secretary, 
C.  F.  Philbrook,  Rochelle;  executive  committee  —  F.  W.  Tracy,  Kankakee;  G.  W.  Andrews,  La  Salle; 
Cora  M.  Hamilton,  Pontiac. 

18199.  Dixon.  April  27-29.  President,  G.  W.  Andrew,  La  Salle;  vice-president,  A.  D.  Curran, 
Bristol;  secretary,  Miss  May  Slocum,  Evanston;  treasurer,  W.  J.  Sutherland,  Oregon;  railroad  secre- 


392  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

tary,  C.  F.  Philbrook,  Rochelle;  executive  committee  —  R.  G.  Young,  Rock  Island;  H.  N.  Baldwin, 
Dixon;  Mrs.  Ella  A.  Hubbard,  Joliet. 

The  Committee  on  Resolutions  recommended  that  "The  minimum  requirement  of  those  who 
seek  to  teach  should  be  graduation  from .  a  three-year  high  school  and  one  year  of  Normal  school 
training."     Also, 

"We  hail  with  delight  the  prospect  of  the  opening  of  the  Northern  Illinois  State  Normal  School, 
at  DeKalb,  early  in  September."     And, 

"We  hereby  pledge  the  president  and  teachers  who  may  be  elected  our  hearty  and  unqualified 
support,  and  we  will  as  individuals  and  as  an  association  do  all  we  can  to  advance  the  interests  of  this 
institution  and  make  it,  if  possible,  the  highest  type  of  Normal  school  in  this  country." 

DeKalb.  October  26-28.  President,  F.  N.  Tracy,  Kankakee;  vice-president,  A.  Ebersole, 
Fulton;  secretary,  Hattie  A.  Moore,  Moline;  treasurer,  W.  J.  Sutherland;  railroad  secretary,  C.  F. 
Philbrook,  Rochelle;  executive  committee,  I.  F.  Edwards,  Amboy;  W.  H.  Hatch,  Oak  Park;  Florence 
Clark,  DeKalb. 

The  new  Normal  school  had  opened  its  doors  to  students  about  six  weeks  before  the  meeting. 
This  was  its  house-warming. 

General  theme,  "The  Normal  School  Idea." 

Papers  printed  in  advance:  "What  Should  the  Normal  Expect  from  the  Teachers  of  Northern 
Illinois,"  President  John  W.  Cook,  DeKalb;  "The  Public's  View  of  Normal  Schools,"  Hon.  C.  S. 
Cutting,  Austin;  "What  the  Teachers  of  Northern  Illinois  Expect  from  the  Normal  School,"  N.  D. 
Gilbert,  DeKalb. 

The  sessions  were  devoted  to  the  discussion  of  these  papers. 

The  meetings  were  now  becoming  so  large  as  to  be  somewhat  unwieldy.  It  was  therefore  deter- 
mined to  divide  the  territory  on  the  line  of  the  C.  &  N.  W.  R.  R.,  holding  the  October  meetings  in 
the  north  division  and  the  April  meetings  in  the  south. 

1900.  Aurora.  April  26-28.  President,  I.  F.  Edwards,  Dixon;  vice-president,  Mrs.  Ella  Flagg 
Young,  Chicago;  secretary.  Miss  Mary  R.  Potter,  Normal  School,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  W.  J.  Suther- 
land, Oregon;  railroad  secretary,  C.  F.  Philbrook,  Rochelle;  executive  committee  —  William  J.  Cox, 
Moline;  Miss  Emma  A.  Ford,  Aurora;  W.  R.  Foster,  Mendota. 

General  Subject,  "Industrial  Training  as  a  Factor  in  Education." 

The  Friday  evening  address  was  given  by  J.  Liberty  Tadd,  Director  of  Public  Industrial  Art 
School,  Philadelphia. 

The  thoroughness  of  the  discussion  may  be  inferred  by  such  topics  as  the  following :  ' '  Industrial 
Training  as  a  Social  Factor,"  Prof.  F.  A.  Manny,  Oshkosh  Normal  School;  "The  Pedagogical  Basis 
of  Industrial  Training,"  Dr.  George  E.  Vincent,  University  of  Chicago. 

Freeport.  October  25-27.  President,  W.  J.  Cox,  Moline;  vice-president,  C.  W.  Hart,  Wood- 
stock; secretary,  Mary  R.  Potter,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  W.  J.  Sutherland,  Oregon;  railroad  secretary, 
C.  F.  Philbrook,  Rochelle;  executive  committee —  C.  A.  McMurry,  DeKalb;  R.  L.  Page,  Freeport; 
Mrs.  C.  F.  Dracus,  Englewood. 

General  Subject:    "Schoolhouse  Architecture  and  Schoolhouse  Decoration." 

1901.  Moline.  April  25-27.  President,  M.  A.  Whitney,  Elgin;  vice-president,  J.  N.  Adee, 
Sycamore;  secretary.  Miss  Emma  F.  Stratford,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  W.  S.  Wallace,  Savanna;  railroad 
secretary,  C.  F.  Philbrook,  Rochelle;  executive  committee  —  H.  A.  Hollister,  Sterling;  J.  H.  Heil, 
Moline;  A.  D.  Curran,  Bristol. 

General  subject:    "Sociological  Teaching  in  Elementary  Schools." 

Elgin.  October  24-26.  President,  J.  M.  Frost,  Hinsdale;  vice-president,  A.  J.  Snyder,  Belvi- 
dere;  secretary,  Emma  F.  Stratford,  DeKalb;  railroad  secretary,  C.  F.  Philbrook;  treasurer,  W.  S. 
Wallace,  Savanna;  executive  committee  —  John  A.  Long,  Streator;  S.  E.  Raines,  Freeport;  C.  E. 
Mann,  St.  Charles. 

General  subject:    "The  Language  Arts." 

1902.  Ottawa.  April  24-26.  President,  C.  W.  Hart,  Woodstock;  vice-president,  S.  J.  Fergu- 
son, Rock  Island;  secretary.  Miss  Maude  Chamberlain,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  W.  S.  Wallace,  Savanna; 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  393 

railroad  secretary,  C.  F.  Philbrook,  Rochelle;  executive  committee  —  John  A.  Keith,  DeKalb;  W.  A. 
Furr,  Ottawa;  S.  M.  Abbott,  Polo. 

General  subject:    "History." 

Rockford.  October  23-25.  President,  Royal  T.  Morgan,  Wheatori;  vice-president,  H.  A.  Hol- 
lister,  Sterling;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  A.  W.  Hussey,  Geneseo;  railroad  secre- 
tary, C.  F.  Philbrook;  executive  committee  —  Herbert  B.  Hayden,  Rock  Island;  Jennie  W.  Clute, 
Kankakee;  John  J.  Allison,  Joliet. 

General  subject:    "Ethics  and  the  School." 

Never  in  the  history  of  the  association  was  so  much  feeling  exhibited  as  in  this  meeting.  The 
first  of  the  resolutions  offered  by  the  committee  gives  a  hint  as  to  its  character:  "Resolved,  That 
the  influence  of  this  remarkable  meeting  will  be  to  make  us  renew  our  efforts  to  save  to  our  beloved 
commonwealth  the  wayward  children  in  whom  the  fatality  of  an  unfortunate  heredity,  the  lack  of 
wholesome  parental  discipline,  or  the  evil  influences  of  bad  associations  have  largely  neutralized  the 
regenerating  influence  of  the  school." 

Judge  Richard  S.  Tuthill,  of  the  Juvenile  Court,  Chicago,  spoke  on  "The  Problem  of  the  Delin- 
quent Boy."  In  the  evening  the  subject  was  continued  in  an  address  by  Dr.  -Graham  Taylor,  of  the 
Chicago  Commons.  On  motion  of  Superintendent  Bright,  the  association  appropriated  $150  to  the 
work  of  the  Commons.     The  Saturday  session  was  devoted  to  the  discussion  of  the  printed  papers. 

1903.  DeKalb.  April  23-25.  President,  H.  H.  Kingsley,  Evanston;  vice-president,  H.  D. 
Thompson,  Moline;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  A.  W.  Hussey;  railroad  secretary, 
C.  F.  Philbrook;  executive  committee  —  O.  J.  Kern,  Rockford;  J.  C.  Hanna,  Oak  Park;  H.  H.  Kings- 
ley,  ex  officio. 

General  subject:    "The  Relation  of  Education  to  Occupation." 

A  resolution  expressing  the  sorrow  of  the  association  on  account  of  the  death  of  M.  Quaeken- 
bush  was  adopted.  He  was  for  seventeen  years  a  county  superintendent  and  a  member  of  the  associa- 
tion from  its  organization. 

Joliet.  November  5-7.  President,  C.  E.  Mann,  Batavia;  vice-president,  S.  J.  Ferguson,  Rock 
Island;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  A.  W.  Hussey,  Geneseo;  railroad  secretary,  A.  J. 
Snyder,  Belvidere;  executive  committee  —  J.  J.  Allison,  Joliet;  C.  M.  Bardwell,  Aurora;  Mrs.  Maude 
Jaycox,  Rockford. 

General  subject:    "Application  of  Business  Methods  to  Education." 

A  Drawing  and  Manual  Arts  Section  was  added  to  the  sections. 

The  closing  resolution  in  the  report  of  the  committee  was  as  follows:  "Resolved,  That  in  the 
untimely  death  of  Mr.  Fred  Smedley,  head  of  the  Child  Study  Department  of  the  Chicago  Schools, 
the  American  child  has  lost  a  warm  friend  and  the  cause  of  scientific  education  one  of  its  most  ardent 
and  effective  exponents." 

1904.  Evanston.  October  27-29.  President,  U.  J.  Hoffman,  Ottawa;  vice-president,  J.  B. 
Russell,  Wheaton;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  A.  W.  Hussey,  Geneseo;  railroad  sec- 
retary, H.  H.  Kingsley,  Evanston;  executive  committee  —  B.  F.  Hendricks,  Morrison;  Effie  M.  Pike, 
Oak  Park;  B.  D.  Parker,  Rockford. 

General  subject:    "The  Child  and  the  Man  of  the  Twentieth  Century." 

1905.  Kankakee.  April  27-29.  President,  C.  M.  Bardwell,  Aurora;  vice-president,  E.  J.  Kel- 
sey,  Elgin;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  J.  R.  Freebern,  Piano;  railroad  secretary, 
H.  H.  Kingsley,  Evanston;  executive  committee — F.  N.  Tracy,  Kankakee;  S.  E.  Raines,  Freeport; 
Miss  Lucretia  Allen,  DeKalb. 

General  subject:    "The  Course  of  Study." 

With  this  meeting  the  second  period  of  the  association  came  to  a  close.  As  was  stated  on  an 
earlier  page,  the  two-meeting  plan  was  radically  changed  at  this  meeting.  The  April  meeting  was 
abandoned.  The  attendance  at  the  meetings  of  the  association  had  become  so  great  as  to  make  the 
entertainment  of  the  members  a  grave  problem.  As  was  stated,  the  association  now  divides  into  two 
sections,  the  Eastern  and  the  Western. 

1905.     Western  Section,     Dixon.     October  26-28.     President,  W.  S.  Wallace,  Savanna;  vice- 


394  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

president,  O.  F.  Barbour,  Rockford;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  railroad  secretary,  B.  F.  Hen- 
dricks, Morrison;  treasurer,  L.  A.  Mahoney,  Franklin  Grove;  executive  committee — ^S.  J.  Ferguson, 
Rock  Island;  F.  D.  Haddock,  Polo;  Miss  Flora  Guiteau,  Freeport. 

The  general  subject:    "History." 

Eastern  Section.  Aurora.  November  3-4.  President,  John  A.  Long,  Streator;  vice-president, 
R.  G.  Jones,  Harvard;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  J.  R.  Freebern,  Piano;  railroad 
secretary,  H.  H.  Kingsley,  Evanston;  executive  committee  —  J.  Stanley  Brown,  Joliet;  Newell  D. 
Gilbert,  DeKalb;  C.  L.  Phelps,  Aurora. 

General  subject:    "Educational  Significance  of  Motor  Training." 

1906.  Eastern  Section.  Streator.  October  26-27.  President,  J.  Stanley  Brown,  Joliet;  vice- 
president,  W.  R.  Foster,  Mendota;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  L.  F.  Wentzel,  Batavia; 
railroad  secretary,  C.  M.  Bardw:ell;  executive  committee  —  G.  W.  Conn,  Jr.,  Woodstock;  R.  K.  Row, 
Berwyn;  John  A.  Long,  Joliet. 

General  topic  for  discussion:    "History  from  the  Side  of  Experience." 

1906.  Western  Section.  Freeport.  November  2,  3.  President,  S.  J.  Ferguson,  Rock  Island; 
vice-president,  John  Hay,  Mt.  Carroll;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  C.  E.  Joiner, 
Rochelle;  railroad  secretary,  B.  F.  Hendricks,  Morrison;  executive  committee  —  S.  E.  Raines,  Free- 
port;  Czarina  Giddings,  Rockford;  Claude  Brown,  Princeton. 

Friday  subject:  "Geography  —  As  Viewed  from  the  Commxercial  Side;  As  Viewed  from  the 
Humanitarian  Side." 

1907.  Western  Section.  Moline.  October  24-26.  President,  S.  E.  Raines,  Freeport;  vice- 
president,  O.  E.  Taylor,  East  Dubuque;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson;  treasurer,  C.  E.  Joiner,  Rochelle; 
railroad  secretary,  E.  T.  Austin,  Sterling;  executive  committee  —  H.  E.  Brown,  Rock  Island;  J.  N. 
Adee,  Batavia;  O.  W.  Hoffman,  Lanark. 

Thursday  evening  —  President's  address:  "A  Study  of  the  Views  of  Fifty  Superintendents 
Respecting  the  Needs  of  the  Schools." 

General  subject:    "Effective  Living." 

Eastern  Section.  University  of  Chicago.  November  1,  2.  President,  G.  W.  Conn,  Jr.,  Wood- 
stock; vice-president,  Jesse  L.  Smith,  Highland  Park;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer, 
L.  F.  Wentzel,  Batavia;  railroad  secretary,  C.  M.  Bardwell;  executive  committee  —  John  A.  Long, 
Joliet;  Wilbur  S.  Jackman,  Chicago;  Newell  D.  Gilbert,  DeKalb. 

General  topic  for  the  session:    "Nature  Study  and  Geography." 

1908.  Western  Section.  Rockford.  October  29-31.  President,  H.  E.  Brown,  Rock  Island; 
vice-president,  F.  U.  White,  Galva;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  0.  T.  Smith,  Savanna; 
executive  committee — Cyrus  Grove,  Freeport;  B.  F.  Birkbeck,  Galena;  H.  S.  Magill,  Princeton. 

Topic  presented  and  discussed:    "Education  for  Effectiveness." 

Eastern  Section.  Joliet.  November. 6,  7.  President,  I.  N.  Adee,  Batavia;  vice-president, 
C.  H.  Root,  Morris;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  L.  F.  Wentzel,  Batavia;  railroad 
secretary,  C.  M.  Bardwell;  executive  committee  —  A.  V.  Greenman,  Aurora;  N.  D.  Gilbert,  DeKalb; 
Otis  W.  Caldwell,  Chicago. 

General  subject:    "  Moral  and  Religious  Education  in  the  Public  Schools." 

1909.  Western  Section.  Galena.  October  28-30.  President,  Cyrus  Grove,  Freeport;  vice- 
president,  W.  L.  German,  Polo;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  O.  F.  Smith,  Savanna; 
executive  committee  —  V.  G.  Mays,  Dixon,  for  three  years. 

General  topic:  "Morals  and  Manners — •  1,  In  the  School  room;  2,  In  the  Community; 
3,  In  the  Profession." 

Eastern  Section.  Elgin.  November  5,  6.  President,  M.  G.  Clark,  Streator;  vice-president, 
F.  L.  Miller,  Harvey;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  L.  F.  Wentzel,  Batavia;  executive 
committee —  N.  D.  Gilbert,  DeKalb;  Otis  W.  Caldwell,  Chicago;  Jesse  L.  Smith,  Highland  Park. 

General  topic:  "Moral  and  Religious  Training  in  the  Public  Schools — ■  1,  Through  the  Content 
of  the  Studies;  2,  Through  Manual  and  Domestic  Arts;  3,  Through  Play;  4,  Through  the  Social 
Element  in  School  Organization;  5,  Through  the  Teacher  as  a  Constructive  Moral  Force." 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  395 

In  memoriam:    Superintendent  A.  V.  Greenman,  C.  M.  Bardwell,  W.  H.  Hatch,  P.  R.  Walker. 

The  loss  of  the  lamented  A.  V.  Greenman,  so  long  the  superintendent  of  the  West  Aurora  schools, 
was  most  keenly  felt  by  the  members  of  the  association.  He  was  one  of  the  most  active  members, 
and  his  beautiful  character,  his  charming  personality,  his  rare  skill  as  a  superintendent  and  his  ines- 
timable value  as  a  citizen  united  to  make  him  a  notable  figure  in  the  educational  work  of  the  State. 

1910.  Western  Section.  LaSalle.  October  27-29.  President,  B.  L.  Birkbeck;  vice-president, 
H.  V.  Baldwin,  Dixon;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  J.  B.  Wallace,  Savanna;  executive 
committee  —  L.  A.  Fulwider,  Freeport;  member  for  two  years,  H.  B.  Hayden,  Rock  Island;  member 
for  three  years.  Myrtle  Renwick,  Galena. 

Addresses:  "The  New  Immigrant  and  the  New  Problem,"  Dr.  Edward  A.  Steiner,  Grinnell, 
Iowa;  "The  Education  of  the  Disposition  for  Work,"  Dr.  William  L.  Bryan,  University  of  Indiana; 
"  Child  Welfare  Agencies  outside  the  School,"  President  G.  Stanley  Hall,  Worcester,  Mass.;  "Playing 
the  Game,"  Dr.  George  H.  Vincent,  University  of  Chicago;  "  Moral  Education,"  G.  Stanley  Hall; 
"Industrial  Education,"  G.  Stanley  Hall;  "Products  of  Education,"  Dr.  W.  C.  Bagley,  University 
of  Illinois. 

The  association  adopted  a  resolution  pledging  the  warm  support  of  the  members  to  the  State 
Normal  Schools  and  urging  upon  the  General  Assembly  the  necessity  of  increasing  their  facilities  by 
making  appropriations  for  additional  buildings.  A  similar  resolution  was  adopted  with  respect  to  the 
School  of  Education  at  the  State  University. 

Eastern  Section.  University  of  Chicago.  November  4,  5.  President,  F.  M.  Richardson, 
Chicago  Heights;  vice-president,  Edna  Keith,  Joliet;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer, 
H.  A.  Dean,  Elburn;  executive  committee  —  Otis  W.  Caldwell,  Jesse  L.  Smith,  Charles  A,  McMurry. 

General  subject:  "The  Place  of  the  Concrete  in  Education — 1.  In  Manual,  Industrial,  and 
Fine  Arts.  2.  In  History,  Geography,  and  Elementary  Science.  3.  Use  of  Excursions  in  a  PubHc 
School  System;  Excursions  to  Industrial  Centers,  Museums,  and  Schools.  4.  Historical  Aspects 
of  the  Concrete  in  Education.     5.  Utilitarian  and  other  Aspects  of  Education." 

A  visit  to  the  Art  Institute,  under  the  direction  of  Prof.  George  Breed  Zug,  University  of  Chi- 
cago, Superintendent  Jesse  L.  Smith,  Highland  Park,  and  the  officers  of  the  Art  Institute. 

A  visit  to  the  Field  Museum,  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Charles  A.  McMurry  and  the  officers 
of  the  Field  Museum. 

1911.  Western  Section.  Dixon.  October  26-28.  President,  L.  A.  Fulwider,  Freeport;  vice- 
president,  L.  A.  Mahoney,  Rochelle;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson;  treasurer,  H.  L.  Chaplin,  Sterling; 
executive  committee  —  member  for  three  years,  J.  B.  McManus,  LaSalle. 

General  topic:    "Education  a  Preparation  for  Citizenship." 

Eastern  Section.  November  3,  Patten  Gymnasium,  Northwestern  University;  November  4, 
Fullerton  Hall,  the  Art  Institute,  Chicago.  President,  Luther  A.  Hatch,  DeKalb;  vice-president, 
Janet  L.  Steele,  Evanston;  secretary,  S.  F.  Parson,  DeKalb;  treasurer,  C.  E.  Douglas,  Aurora;  execu- 
tive committee — -Jesse  L.  Smith,  Charles  A.  McMurry,  John  Calvin  Hanna. 

General  topic:    "History  and  the  Drama." 

Friday  evening,  a  dinner  at  Hull  House,  an  address  by  Jane  Addams  and  a  play  by  the  Hull 
House  Players.  For  those  who  preferred  there  were  special  arrangements  for  the  members  to  hear 
Mrs.  Fiske,  in  her  new  play. 

The  Saturday  program  at  Fullerton  Hall:  ''The  Place  of  the  Theater  in  Modern  Education," 
Richard  Burton,  University  of  Minnesota;  "The  Art  of  Play-going,"  Miss  Alice  Huston;  "The  Prob- 
lem of  the  Playwright,"  Langdon  Mitchell,  the  author  of  Mrs.  Fiske's  play. 

Owing  to  the  death  of  the  president,  Luther  A.  Hatch,  the  vice-president  presided.  The  section 
meetings  were  omitted. 

This  was  the  most  unique  educational  meeting  ever  held  in  Illinois. 

No  other  association  has  attempted  so  persistent  and  connected  a  study  of  education.  The  plan 
of  printing  its  papers  in  advance  has  enabled  it  to  utilize  the  labors  of  some  of  the  most  eminent 
educational  writers  in  the  country,  as  their  presence  was  not  always  needed  at  the  meetings  where 
their  papers  were  discussed.     This  plan  has  also  resulted  in  the  production  of  a  permanent  educational 


396  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

literature  which  is  contained  in  the  successive  pamphlets.  The  two  associations  have  united  in  the 
support  of  a  third  —  the  Superintendents'  and  Principals'  Association,  which  meets  annually  at  the 
Northern  Illinois  State  Normal  School,  and  which  has  pursued  for  year  after  year  the  single  topic 
of  the  development  of  a  course  of  study  on  a  scientific  basis.  Its  matter  for  discussion  will  be  exhibited 
in  the  account  of  its  history. 

The  aggregate  attendance  at  the  meetings  of  the  association  has  amounted  to  some  two  thousand 
or  more  annually. 

SUPERINTENDENTS'  AND  PRINCIPALS'  ASSOCIATION  OF  NORTHERN 

ILLINOIS. 

This  is  a  small  association  of  specialists  in  education.  As  it  undertook  the  most 
systematic  study  of  school  administration  ever  undertaken  by  any  organization  of 
teachers  in  Illinois  it  is  fitting  that  some  record  should  be  made  of  its  organization 
and  work. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association  held  at  Evanston, 
October  27-9,  1904,  Mr.  John  A.  Keith,  of  the  Northern  Illinois  State  Normal  School, 
moved  that  a  committee  of  five  or  seven  be  appointed  by  the  chair  to  investigate 
the  matter  of  the  reorganization  of  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association. 
After  considerable  discussion  the  motion  was  carried.  The  chair  appointed  as  the 
members  of  this  committee,  John  A.  Keith,  chairman;  County  Superintendent  U.  J. 
Hoffman,  J.  J.  Allison,  C.  L.  Phelps,  M.  A.  Whitney. 

Notice  was  given  by  Mr.  Keith  that  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  association  an 
amendment  to  the  constitution  would  be  offered  that  would  embody  the  report  of  the 
committee  on  reorganization. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  held  at  Kankakee, 
April  27-9,  1905,  the  above  committee  made  the  following  report: 

1.  Make  two  associations,  namely: 

a.  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  Western  Section. 

b.  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  Eastern  Section. 

Let  the  dividing  line  be  the  north  and  south  line  between  Boone  and  Winnebago  counties,  but 
this  line  is  not  to  be  held  as  absolute  by  either  section. 

2.  Have  one  meeting  a  year  of  each  section  in  the  fall  with  the  times  so  arranged  that  the 
meetings  shall  fall  on  successive  weeks  and  alternating  from  year  to  year. 

3.  Have  the  whole  of  the  present  territory  open  for  program  material  to  both  sections. 

4.  Divide  equally  at  the  close  of  the  Kankakee  meeting  all  funds  on  hand  between  the  two 
associations  thus  created.  Also  divide  the  Student  Fund  into  two  equal  parts  and  have  two  Students' 
Funds  —  one  for  each  association. 

5.  Let  the  above  associations  be  supplemented  by  a  "Superintendents'  and  Principals'  Associa- 
tion," to  meet  once  a  year  to  discuss  topics  relating  to  administrative  aspects  of  school  work. 

6.  In  order  that  the  above  plan  may  be  put  into  operation  we  recommend  that  the  president 
of  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association  appoint  two  nominating  committees,  to  nominate 
officers  for  the  two  sections,  and  that  he  appoint  an  executive  committee  of  five  to  organize  the  Super- 
intendents' and  Principals'  Association. 

The  report  of  the  committee  was  adopted. 

The  executive  committee  appointed  to  complete  the  said  organization  was: 
Newell  D.  Gilbert,  DeKalb,  chairman;  Anna  Renz,  Ottawa;  G.  W.  Conn,  Jr.,  Wood- 
stock; Gerard  T.  Smith,  Moline;  Ellis  U.  Graff,  Rockford. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  397 

The  executive  committee  held  three  meetings  and  planned  the  organization  as 
follows : 

BY-LAWS. 

1.  This  organization  shall  be  known  as  the  Superintendents'  and  Principals'  Association  of 
Northern  Illinois. 

2.  Any  person  engaged  in  school  supervision  may  become  a  member  of  this  association  by 
paying  an  annual  fee  of  one  dollar. 

3.  The  officers  of  this  association  shall  be  president,  vice-president,  secretary,  treasurer  and 
railroad  secretary,  and  shall  be  elected  annually.  There  shall  also  be  an  executive  committee  of  three. 
At  the  first  meeting  of  the  association  one  member  shall  be  elected  for  one  year,  one  for  two  years 
and  one  for  three  years ;  thereafter  one  member  shall  retire  each  year  and  his  successor  shall  be  elected 
to  serve  three  years.     All  officers  shall  be  chosen  to  serve  until  their  successors  shall  be  elected. 

4.  The  association  shall  hold  one  meeting  annually  at  the  DeKalb  Normal  School,  on  the  first 
Friday  and  Saturday  of  May. 

5.  These  by-laws  may  be  amended  at  any  meeting,  such  an  amendment  having  been  presented 
in  writing  at  the  first  session  of  the  meeting,  acted  upon  at  the  closing  session,  and  having  received 
a  two-thirds  vote  of  the  members  present. 

Pursuant  to  the  authority  given  to  the  committee  the  following  officers  were  chosen  for  the  first 
session:  President,  P.  R.  Walker,  Rockford ;  vice-president,  U.  J.  Hoffman,  Ottawa;  secretary,  Miriam 
Besly,  Waukegan;  treasurer,  E,  T.  Austin,  Sterling;  railroad  secretary,  H.  H.  Kingsley,  Evanston. 

The  topic  selected  for  the  first  meeting  was  "  The  Course  of  Study."  The  purpose  was  a  deliber- 
ate and  thorough  survey  of  the  course  of  study  in  the  light  of  modern  child-study  and  psychology. 
A  committee  of  seven  was  appointed  to  prepare  an  outline  course  of  study.  This  committee  consisted 
of  the  following:  W.  H.  Hatch,  chairman.  Oak  Park;  G.  T.  Smith,  Moline;  W.  S.  Wallace,  Savanna; 
W;  A.  Furr,  Jacksonville;  John  A.  Keith,  DeKalb;  John  D.  Long,  Streator;  and  R.  K.  Row,  Berwyn. 

This  committee  prepared  the  First  Year  Book  of  the  association  and  had  printed  an  edition  of 
two  thousand.  This  was  assumed  to  be  a  much  larger  number  than  the  membership  would  need, 
but  it  was  hoped  that  it  would  be  made  a  careful  subject  for  study  by  many  groups  of  teachers  and 
that  criticisms  of  a  profitable  character  would  thereby  result.  It  is  expected  that  this  first  year 
book  will  lead  to  a  persistence  of  this  important  subject  until  the  association  shall  have  worked  it 
through. 

The  First  Year  Book  is  a  pamphlet  of  twenty  pages.  The  first  session  of  the  association  for  the 
discussion  of  the  course  of  study  therein  outlined  was  held  at  the  Normal  school,  in  DeKalb.  About 
one  hundred  superintendents  and  principals  were  present.  As  an  indication  of  the  character  of  the 
work  of  the  association  it  should  be  said  that  the  Year  Book  is  divided  into  two  parts: 

Part  One.     "The  Scientific  Basis  of  the  Course  of  Study." 

Part  Two.     "An  Outline  Course  of  Study  for  the  First  Two  Years  of  School  Life." 

The  second  meeting  of  the  association  was  held  in  DeKalb,  at  the  State  Normal  School,  May 
3,  4,  1907.  The  Second  Year  Book  was  prepared  by  the  Committee  of  Seven,  consisting,  this  year, 
of  W.  H.  Hatch,  Oak  Park,  chairman;  John  A.  Long,  Joliet;  John  A.  Keith,  Normal;  M.  G.  Clark, 
Streator;  U.  J.  Hoffman,  Springfield;  A.  V.  Greenman,  Aurora,  ex  officio;  N.  D.  Gilbert,  DeKalb, 
ex  officio. 

The  officers  for  the  year  1907  were:  A.  V.  Greenman,  Aurora,  president;  E.  T.  Austin,  Sterling, 
vice-president;  Edith  S.  Patten,  DeKalb,  secretary;  O.  F.  Barbour,  Rockford,  treasurer;  Jesse  L. 
Smith,  Highland  Park,  railroad  secretary;  executive  committee  —  Newell  D.  Gilbert,  DeKalb,  chair- 
man ;  John  A.  Long,  Gerard  T.  Smith,  Peoria. 

The  theme  of  the  Year  Book  was  "An  Outline  Course  of  Study  on  a  Scientific  Basis."  The  size 
of  the  pamphlet  was  materially  increased,  containing  forty-four  pages. 

Part  One  deals  with  "Fundamental  Principles." 

Part  Two  discusses  "Psychological  Principles  Underlying  a  Course  of  Study  Especially  Appli- 
cable to  the  Primary  Period." 


398  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Part  Three  discusses  "Psychological  Principles  Underlying  a  Course  of  Study  Especially  Appli- 
cable to  the  Intermediate  Period." 

As  before,  the  time  of  the  association  was  devoted  to  the  discussion  of  the  matter  presented  in 
the  Year  Book. 

The  third  meeting  of  the  association  was  held  at  the  Normal  school,  in  DeKalb,  May  15,  16, 
1908.  The  Committee  of  Seven  consisted  of  the  same  members  as  in  1907  with  the  exception  of 
Mr.  Hatch.  In  his  stead  was  D.  P.  MacMillan,  of  Chicago.  E.  T.  Austin  was  advanced  to  the  chair- 
manship of  the  committee. 

The  officers  of  the  association  were:  E.  T.  Austin,  president;  H.  B.  Hayden,  Rock  Island,  vice- 
president;  Edith  S.  Patten,  secretary;  O.  F.  Barbour,  treasurer;  Jesse  L.  Smith,  railroad  secretary; 
executive  committee  —  John  A.  Long,  chairman;  G.  W.  Conn,  Jr.,  F.  W.  Nichols,  South  Evanston, 

The  general  topic  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  two  preceding  Year  Books.  The  Year  Book  for  1908 
is  of  the  same  size  as  that  of  the  preceding  year.  As  before,  the  time  was  spent  in  the  discussion  of  its 
presentations.  The  special  sub-theme  was  "The  Organization  of  the  Material  Suitable  to  this  Period 
into  Thought  Worlds." 

Courses  of  study  in  History,  Geography,  Nature,  Handwork,  EngHsh  and  Arithmetic  were 
presented  in  the  Year  Book  and  were  carefully  discussed.  "The  Psychology  of  Adolescence,"  and 
"The  Spiritual  Nature  of  Man  in  a  System  of  Education  by  Adjustment,"  were  the  additional  topics. 

The  fourth  meeting  of  the  association  was  held  at  the  Normal  school,  in  DeKalb,  April  30  and 
May  1,  1909. 

The  Committee  of  Seven  that  prepared  the  Fourth  Year  Book  consisted  of  M.  G.  Clark,  Streator, 
chairman;  John  A.  Long,  Joliet;  Otis  W.  Caldwell,  Chicago;  G.  W.  Conn,  Jr.,  Woodstock;  E.  T. 
Austin,  Sterling;  D.  A.  Tear,  Chicago;  H.  E.  Brown,  Rock  Island. 

The  officers  of  the  association  for  1909  were:  John  A.  Long,  Joliet,  president;  J.  N.  Adee,  Batavia, 
vice-president;  Edith  S.  Patten,  DeKalb,  secretary;  S.  J.  Ferguson,  Rock  Island,  treasurer;  C.  J. 
Byrne,  Ottawa,  railroad  secretary;  executive  committee  —  George  W.  Conn,  Jr.,  chairman;  F.  W. 
Nichols,  D.  A.  Tear. 

The  Fourth  Year  Book  had  expanded  into  a  pamphlet  of  sixty  pages.  The  general  theme  is  still 
the  same • — ■  "Outline  Course  of  Study  on  a  Scientific  Basis."  The  sub-themes  are:  "Period  of  Early 
Adolescence,"  "Pedagogical  Principles,"  "The  Psychology  of  Adolescence,"  "Practical  Considera- 
tions," "Suggested  Courses  in  Nature,  History,  Geography,  Language,  Mathematics  and  the  Manual 
Arts." 

The  attendance  at  the  meetings  of  the  association  is  about  one  hundred,  practically  all  of  whom 
are  engaged  in  supervisory  work.  The  discussions  are  continued  throughout  the  meeting.  They 
are  very  critical  and  often  exceedingly  animated. 

The  fifth  meeting  of  the  association  was  held  at  the  Normal  school,  in  DeKalb,  May  6,  7,  1910. 

The  Committee  of  Seven,  that  prepared  the  Fifth  Year  Book,  consisted  of  D.  A.  Tear,  Chicago, 
chairman;  John  A.  Long,  Chicago;  Walter  Sargent,  Chicago;  G.  W.  Conn,  Jr.,  Woodstock;  M.  G. 
Clark,  Streator;  H.  E.  Brown,  Rock  Island. 

The  officers  of  the  association  for  1910  were:  G.  W.  Conn,  Jr.,  president;  R.  G.  Jones,  Kewanee, 
vice-president;  Edith  S.  Patten,  secretary;  S.  J.  Ferguson,  treasurer,  and  Warren  Hubbard,  Soman- 
auk,  railroad  secretary;  executive  committee  —  F.  W.  Nichols,  D.  A.  Tear,  C.  M.  Bardwell. 

The  topic  of  the  Year  Book  remained  the  same  as  the  preceding.  The  sub-topic  was  "  Motor 
Activity."  The  following  are  section  heads  which  indicate  the  way  in  which  the  general  subject  was 
treated:  "General  Information  on  Motor  Activity  in  Education,"  "The  Needs  of  Society  and  the 
Child,"  "Psychology  of  Motor  Activity,"  "The  Pedagogy  of  Motor  Activity,"  "The  Course  of 
Study." 

The  sixth  meeting  of  the  association  was  held  at  the  Normal  school,  in  DeKalb,  May  5,  6,  1911. 

The  Committee  of  Seven,  that  prepared  the  Sixth  Year  Book,  was  composed  of  D.  A.  Tear^ 
chairman;  H.  A.  Bone,  Batavia;  M.  G.  Clark,  R.  G.  Jones,  Jesse  L.  Smith,  Ira  B.  Meyers,  Chicago; 
C.  W.  Whitten,  DeKalb. 

The  officers  of  the  association  for  1911  were:   R.  G.  Jones,  president;  A.  M.  Blood,  vice-president; 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  399 

Luther  A.  Hatch,  secretary;  W.  W.   Coultas,  treasurer;  J.  H.  Light,  railroad  secretary;  executive 
committee —  D.  A.  Tear,  chairman;  C.  M.  Bard  well,  Jesse  L.  Smith. 

The  special  topic  of  the  meeting  was  "Elementary  Science."  The  Year  Book  was  discussed 
with  the  accustomed  vigor  and  thoroughness. 

'As  is  shown  above,  there  have  been  six  meetings  of  this  association,  all  of  which 
have  been  devoted  to  the  discussion  of  carefully  prepared  articles  on  the  different 
aspects  of  the  same  general  subject.  The  Year  Books  were  all  printed  and  dis- 
tributed in  advance  of  the  meeting  and  were  therefore  studied  by  the  members  in 
preparation  for  their  discussion.  The  interest  has  steadily  increased  and  there  seem 
to  be  years  of  promise  for  the  association.  The  Year  Books  have  been  prepared 
by  expert  educationists.  The  discussions  have  been  conducted  by  the  best  talent 
available  i,n  a  territory  rich  in  universities  and  special  pedagogical  schools.  There 
seems  sufficient  warrant,  therefore,  to  declare  that  there  has  never  been  in  Illinois 
an  educational  association  that  has  given  itself  so  seriously  and  so  persistently  to  the 
study  of  educational  questions.  The  names  of  the  members  indicate  to  whom  the 
credit  belongs. 

It  is  obvious  that  so  small  an  association  can  not  meet  the  expenses  incident 
to  publication  of  its  Year  Book.  As  it  is  the  child  of  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association  the  two  sections  of  that  body  aid  it  to  the  extent  of  $150  a  year. 

THE  CENTRAL  ILLINOIS  TEACHERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

The  first  meeting  of  this  association  was  held  in  Bloomington  on  March  13  and 
14,  1885.  The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  Principal  Knepper,  of  Peoria.  The 
following  officers  were  elected:  President,  County  Superintendent  B.  C.  Aliens- 
worth,  Pekin;  vice-president,  Superintendent  J.  H.  Stickney,  Knoxville;  treasurer, 
Superintendent  E.  A.  Gastman,  Decatur;  Secretary,  Nettie  E.  Waugh,  Peoria.  The 
committee  that  arranged  the  exercises  for  the  first  meeting  consisted  of  Superintendent 
John   H.    Tear,    Delavan;    Principal   Knepper,    Peoria;   Superintendent   Hubbard, 

Pontiac. 

Second   Meeting. 

Peoria.  March  12,  13,  1886.  President,  County  Superintendent  James  Kirk,  Woodford  county ; 
vice-president,  M.  Moore;  secretary,  Rebecca  May,  Pekin;  treasurer,  E.  A.  Gastman;  executive  com- 
mittee—  W.  L.  Steele,  Galesburg;  J.  R.   Munger,  Peoria;  R.  J.  Barton;  railroad  secretary,  R.  R. 

Reeder. 

Third   Meeting. 

Danville.  March  25,  26,  1887.  President,  John  H.  Tear;  vice-president.  County  Superintendent 
J.  A.  Coding;  secretary,  Carrie  Rich,  Macomb;  treasurer,  George  Knepper;  executive  com- 
mittee—  E.  R.  Boyer,  M.  Moore,  R.  R.  Reeder. 

Fourth   Meeting. 

Galesburg.  March  16,  1888.  President,  E.  R.  Boyer;  vice-president,  John  T.  Bowles;  secre- 
tary, Emily  Hayward;  treasurer,  J.  D.  Benedict;  executive  committee  —  J.  D.   Mercer,  Joseph  R. 

Barker,  Edward  Bangs. 

Fifth   Meeting. 

Jacksonville.  March  15,  16,  1889.  President,  W.  L.  Steele;  vice-president,  Sarah  E.  Raymond; 
secretary,  Lottie  E.  Jones;  treasurer,  John  D.  Benedict;  executive  committee  — A.  C.  Butler,  J.  T, 
Bowles,  J.  C.  Scullin. 


400  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Sixth  Meeting. 

Quincy.  March  21,  22,  1890.  President,  A.  C.  Butler,  Beardstown;  vice-president.  Miss  Lyde 
Kent,  Jacksonville;  secretary,  A.  C.  Rishel,  Gibson;  treasurer,  John  D.  Benedict,  Springfield;  railroad 
secretary,  S.  H.  Trego,  Quincy;  executive  committee —  Mrs.  Mary  H.  Sweeney,  Bloomington;  John 
T.  Ray,  Springfield;  David  Felmley,  Carrollton. 

Seventh   Meeting. 

University  of  Illinois.  March  20,  21,  1891.  President,  J.  A.  Mercer,  Peoria;  vice-president, 
Julia  Burns,  Quincy;  secretary.  Miss  F.  A.  Hague,  Galesburg;  treasurer,  John  D.  Benedict,  Spring- 
field; executive  committee  —  John  W.  Henninger,  Charleston;  J.  S.  Cannon,  Monmouth;  J.  F.  McCul- 
lough,  Springfield. 

Eighth   Meeting. 

Decatur.  March  18,  19,  1892.  President,  J.  W.  Henninger,  Charleston;  vice-president,  Miss 
Mollie  O'Brien,  Peoria;  secretary,  Miss  Nora  Smith,  Tuscola;  treasurer,  John  D.  Benedict,  Spring- 
field; executive  committee — M.  Moore,  Beardstown;  S.  C.  Ransom,  Galesburg;  L.  H.  Griffith, 
Danville. 

Ninth    Meeting. 

Monmouth.  March  31-April  1,  1893.  President,  M.  Moore,  Beardstown;  vice-president.  Miss 
Louise  Baumberger,  Charleston;  secretary,  Mrs.  Nora  Smith  Crawley,  Tuscola;  treasurer,  J.  J.  Wil- 
kinson, Springfield;  executive  committee — -James  C.  Burns,  Monmouth;  J.  R.  Harker,  Jacksonville; 
Miss  Minnie  Bishop,  Clinton. 

Tenth   Meeting. 

Illinois  State  Normal  University.  March  23,  24,  1894.  President  James  C.  Burns,  Monmouth; 
secretary.  Miss  Rose  Pfeiffer,  Peoria;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Mercer,  Peoria;  executive  committee —  C.  M. 
Bardwell,  Canton;  H.  A.  Foster,  Pontiac;  J.  A.  Kerrick,  Paris. 

At  this  meeting,  for  the  first  time,  appeared  the  Round-Table  Meetings  of  the  various 
grades,  and  of  the  County  Superintendents. 

Eleventh   Meeting. 

Peoria.  March  15,  16,  1895.  President,  C.  M.  Bardwell,  Canton ;  vice-president,  James  A.  Ker- 
rick, Paris;  secretary,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Sykes,  Monmouth;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Mercer,  Peoria;  railroad 
secretary,  J.  L.  Robertson,  Peoria;  executive  committee — -J.  H.  Collins,  Springfield;  L.  H.  Griffith, 
Danville;  David  Felmley,  Normal. 

Twelfth   Meeting. 

Danville.  March  27,  28,  1896.  President,  J.  H.  Collins,  Springfield;  vice-president,  E.  B. 
Smith,  Normal;  secretary,  Margaret  R.  Maynard,  Canton;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Mercer,  Peoria;  railroad 
secretary,  T.  M.  Jeffords,  Vermont;  executive  committee  —  J.  W.  Hays,  Urbana;  C.  R.  Tombaugh, 
Pontiac;  F.  D.  Jordan,  Shelbyville. 

Thirteenth   Meeting. 

Galesburg.  March  26,  27,  1897.  President,  J.  W.  Hays,  Urbana;  vice-president,  C.  E.  De- 
Butts,  Pontiac;  secretary,  Miss  Mamie  Bunch,  Tuscola;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Mercer,  Peoria;  railroad 
secretary,  T.  M.  Jeffords,  Winchester;  executive  committee — -J.  D.  Shoop,  Paris;  Charles  A.  Mc- 
Murry,  Chicago;  F.  D.  Thompson,  Galesburg. 

General  topic,  ''Training  for  Citizenship." 

At  this  meeting,  for  the  first  time,  the  leading  papers  were  printed  for  distribution  with  the 
program. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  401 

Fourteenth   Meeting. 

Jacksonville.  March  25,  26,  1898.  President  John  D.  Shoop,  Paris;  vice-president,  Burt  E. 
Nelson,  Lewiston;  Secretary,  Miss  Hallie  Chalfant,  Monmouth;  railroad  secretary,  T.  M.  Jeffords, 
Winchester;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Mercer,  Peoria;  executive  committee — David  Felmley,  Arnold  Tomp- 
kins, H.  W.  Veach. 

Fifteenth   Meeting. 

Quincy.  March  24,  25,  1899.  President,  David  Felmley,  Normal;  vice-president,  Hugh  Weston, 
Jacksonville;  secretary,  Gertrude  R.  Chapin,  Galesburg;  railroad  secretary,  T.  M.  Jeffords,  Win- 
chester; executive  committee  — W.  R.  Hatfield,  Pittsfield;  H.  J.  Barton,  Champaign;  B.  F.  Armitage, 
Mattoon. 

Sixteenth   Meeting. 

Champaign,  March  23,  24,  1900.  President,  W.  R.  Hatfield,  Pittsfield;  vice-president,  F.  D. 
Thompson,  Galesburg;  secretary,  M.  E.  Medora  Schaeffer,  Bloomington;  railroad  secretary,  T.  M. 
Jeffords,  Winchester;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Mercer,  Peoria;  executive  committee  —  H.  J.  Barton,  Cham- 
paign; H.  L.  Roberts,  Farmington;  H.  S.  Magill,  Jr.,  Springfield. 

An  interesting  episode:  Dr.  E.  C.  Hewett,  in  behalf  of  the  association,  presented  to  E.  A.  Gast- 
man,  for  forty  years  superintendent  and  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Decatur,  a  set  of  Warner's  Literature 
of  the  World.  The  occasion  was  one  of  great  interest,  Mr.  Gastman  being  held  in  the  highest  esteem 
by  the  members  of  the  association.  Letters  of  regret  because  of  their  inability  to  be  present  were 
received  from  President  John  W.  Cook,  DeKalb,  for  forty-nine  years  a  close  friend  of  Mr.  Gastman; 
from  Charles  L.  Capen,  of  Bloomington,  who  had  served  with  him  for  many  years  on  the  Board  of 
Education  of  the  State;  from  Superintendent  A.  G.  Lane,  of  Chicago;  from  Ex-State  Superintendent 
Raab,  Belleville,  and  from  M.  L.  Seymour,  and  C.  C.  VanLiew,  California. 

The  following  resolution  was  unanimously  adopted: 

Whereas,  The  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association  had  for  one  of  its  earliest  organizers,  workers 
and  presidents,  the  late  Emanuel  R.  Boyer ;  and 

Whereas,  He  was  an  earnest  friend  of  our  association  and  an  earnest  worker  in  the  catise  of  edu- 
cation-: therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  That  in  his  untimely  death  we  sincerely  mourn  the  loss  of  an  honored  member  and 
a  steadfast  friend  of  our  association,  and  one  who  had  proved  himself  a  powerful  factor  for  good  in  our 
State. 

Seventeenth   Meeting. 

Decatur.  March  29,  30,  1901.  President,  Herbert  J.  Barton,  University  of  Illinois;  vice- 
president,  E.  R.  Sturtevant,  Monmouth;  secretary,  Caroline  Grote,  Pittsfield;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Mercer, 
Peoria;  railroad  secretary,  H.  C.  McCarrel,  Griggsville;  executive  committee  —  H.  L.  Roberts,  Farm- 
ington; H.  S.  McGill,  Jr.,  Springfield;  E.  A.  Gardner,  Paxton. 

Eighteenth   Meeting. 

Peoria.  March  21,  22,  1902.  President,  H.  L.  Roberts,  Farmington;  vice-president,  L,  H. 
Griffith,  Danville;  secretary,  Jessie  Bullock,  Champaign;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Mercer,  Peoria;  railroad 
secretary,  H.  C.  McCarrel,  Pana;  executive  committee — ^  Frank  Hamsher,  Urbana;  E.  A.  Fritter, 
Normal;  J.  L.  Robertson,  Peoria. 

Nineteenth   Meeting. 

Bloomington,  March  27,  28,  1903.  President,  Frank  Hamsher,  Urbana;  vice-president,  T.  M. 
Kilbride,  Springfield;  secretary,  Cora  F.  Stone,  Galesburg;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Mercer,  Peoria;  railroad 
secretary,  H.  C.  McCarrel,  Pana;  executive  committee  —  J.  L.  Robertson,  Peoria;  J.  K.  Stableton, 
Bloomington;  W.  J.  Sutherland,  Charleston. 

The  attendance  at  this  meeting  was  slightly  in  excess  of  two  thousand,  probably  the  largest 
meeting  that  had  thus  far  been  held. 
26 


402  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Twentieth   Meeting. 

Danville.  March  25,  26,  1904.  President,  F.  D.  Thomson,  Galesburg;  vice-president,  B.  E. 
Nelson,  Lincoln;  secretary,  Anna  Barbre,  Taylorville;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Mercer,  Peoria;  railroad  sec- 
retary, W.  H.  D.  Meier,  Griggsville;  executive  committee —  J.  K.  Stableton,  Bloomington;  C.  E. 
DeButts,  Pontiac;  M.  J.  Holmes,  Normal. 

A  resolution  expressing  warm  appreciation  of  the  signal  services  that  President  Andrew  Sloan 
Draper  has  rendered  to  the  State  and  of  sincere  regret  at  his  removal  to  New  York  was  adopted 
by  the  association. 

The  usual  section  meetings  were  held. 

Twenty-first   Meeting. 

Peoria.  March  31,  April  1,  1905.  President,  J.  K.  Stableton,  Bloomington;  vice-president, 
J.  R.  Sparks,  Carrollton;  secretary,  Kate  McGorry,  Decatur;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Mercer,  Peoria; 
railroad  secretary,  W.  H.  D.  Meier,  Havana;  executive  committee — •  L.  H.  Griffith,  Danville;  W.  N. 
Brown,  Peoria;  W.  F.  Boyes,  Galesburg. 

The  following  resolution  was  unanimously  adopted : 

"Whereas,  In  the  death  of  Edwin  C.  Hewett,  Ex-President  of  the  State  Normal  University 
and  one  of  the  founders  of  this  association,  Illinois  has  lost  one  of  the  most  forceful  and  highly  esteemed 
of  her  educational  leaders.  His  services  lay  in  every  field  of  educational  effort.  As  a  teacher  for 
thirty-two  years  in  an  institution  which  he  helped  to  make  the  leading  Normal  school  of  his  time, 
as  a  clear  and  vigorous  speaker  from  the  platform,  as  the  author  of  one  of  the  most  widely  read  books 
of  its  day  dealing  with  the  qualifications  and  work  of  teachers,  as  a  trusted  adviser  of  educational 
councils  of  the  nation,  and  especially  through  the  influence  of  his  transparent  honestv  and  his  hatred 
of  shams  and  his  sincere  Christian  life,  he  produced  a  profound  impression  upon  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact. 

''Resolved,  That  we  express  our  appreciation  of  his  great  work  and  our  admiration  for  his  character 
and  that  we  extend  herewith  to  his  family  our  sincere  sympathy." 

It  was  ordered  that  the  resolution,  accompanied  by  a  floral  design,  be  sent  to  the  family 

Twenty-second   Meeting. 

Galesburg.  March  23,  24,  1906.  President,  L.  H.  Griffith,  Danville;  vice-president,  J.  H. 
Browning,  Canton;  secretary.  Miss  Laura  Hazel,  Macomb;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Mercer,  Peoria;  railroad 
secretary,  W.  H.  D.  Meier,  Havana;  executive  committee  —  J.  K.  Stableton,  Bloomington; 
W.  F.  Boyes,  Galesburg;  L.  M.  Castle,  Springfield. 

Twenty-third   Meeting. 

Jacksonville.  March  22,  23,  1907.  President,  W.  J.  Sutherland,  Macomb;  vice-president, 
T.  W.  V.  Everhart,  Mason  City;  secretary.  Miss  Eva  Sherman,  Danville;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Mercer, 
Peoria;  railroad  secretary,  W.  H.  D.  Meier,  Havana.  Directors:  C.  R.  Vandervoort,  Peoria;  E.  A. 
Gardner,  Paxton;  G.  H.  Howe,  Normal;  F.  U.  White,  Galva;  Lillian  H.  Deming,  Geneseo.  (These 
directors  also  served  the  preceding  year  when  this  feature  was  introduced.)  Executive  committee  — 
C.  E.  DeButts,  Pontiac;  W.  A.  Furr,  Jacksonville;  M.  M.  Cook,  Lewistown.    ' 

Twenty-fourth   Meeting. 

Quincy.  March  27,  28,  1908.  President  C.  E.  DeButts,  Pontiac;  vice-president,  T.  M.  Kil- 
bride, Springfield;  secretary,  Ruth  A.  David,  Canton;  treasurer,  W.  N.  Brown,  Peoria;  railroad  sec- 
retary, W.  H.  D.  Meier,  Havana;  executive  committee  —  W.  A.  Furr,  Jacksonville;  Jas.  W.  Roberts, 
Jerseyville;  N.  J.  Hinfon,  Quincy.  Directors:  David  Felmley,  W.  F.  Boyes,  Cora  F.  Hamilton,  Wil- 
liam Wallace,  S.  W.  Ehrman. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  403 

Twenty-fifth   Meeting. 

Decatur.  March  19,  20,  190&.  President,  W.  A.  Furr,  Jacksonville;  vice-president,  N.  J.  Hin- 
ton,  Quincy;  secretary,  Leona  P.  Bowman,  Decatur;  treasurer,  W.  N.  Brown,  Peoria;  railroad  secre- 
tary, W.  H.  D.  Meier,  Havana;  executive  committee  —  George  H.  Howe,  Chas.  H.  Watts,  S.  H. 
Heidler. 

Twenty-sixth   Meeting. 

Normal.  March  18,  19,  1910.  President,  George  H.  Howe,  Normal;  vice-president,  G.  P. 
Randle,  Mattoon;  secretary,  Eva  B.  Batterton,  Petersburg;  treasurer,  W.  N.  Brown,  Peoria;  railroad 
secretary,  Warren  Taylor,  Springfield;  executive  committee —  Chas.  H.  Watts,  Urbana;  J.  T.  Gale, 
Beardstown;  H.  H.  Edmunds,  Clinton. 

Twenty-seventh   Meeting. 

Peoria.  March  17,  18,  1911.  President,  Charles  Mcintosh,  Monticello;  vice-president,  H.  L. 
Kessler,  Chatsworth;  secretary,  Emily  Sunderland,  Delavan;  treasurer,  Howard  B.  Beecher,  Peoria; 
railroad  secretary,  Warren  Taylor,  Springfield;  executive  committee  —  H.  B.  Wilson,  Decatur;  W.  C. 
Herbert,  Pontiac;  J.  G.  Moore,  Lexington. 

THE   MILITARY  TRACT  EDUCATIONAL  ASSOCIATION. 

At  the  close  of  one  of  the  sessions  of  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association, 
held  in  Quincy,  March  27-8,  1908,  a  number  of  people  met  in  the  Vermont  street 
Methodist  Church  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  Military  Tract  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion. Experience  had  taught  that  when  the  meetings  of  the  Central  Illinois  Asso- 
ciation were  held  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State  the  teachers  from  the  western 
portion  could  not  attend  in  'any  considerable  number,  and  when  the  meetings  were 
held  in  the  west  the  eastern  teachers  were  similarly  conspicuous  by  their  absence. 
This  led  to  the  feeling  that  a  new  organization  was  advisable.  It  was  long  ago 
discovered  that  it  is  easier  to  carry  such  opportunities  to  the  people  than  it  is  to 
induce  them  to  go  to  any  great  effort  to  secure  them.  These  conditions  led  to  the 
formation  of  the  new  teachers'  association. 

Prof.  S.  B.  Hursh,  of  Macomb,  was  made  chairman  of  the  meeting,  and  Mr. 
S.  H.  Trego,  secretary.  On  motion  of  J.  R.  Rowland,  of  Avon,  it  was  decided  to 
proceed  with  the  suggested  organization.  On  motion  of  Prof.  W.  J.  Sutherland, 
A.  R.  Smith,  of  Quincy,  was  elected  president  for  the  ensuing  year.  On  motion  of 
S.  H.  Trego,  Miss  Caroline  Grote  was  elected  secretary  for  the  same  period. 

The  president  was  instructed  to  appoint  an  executive  committee  of  three  mem- 
bers who  should  determine  the  time  and  place  of  holding  the  first  meeting,  arrange 
a  program,  draft  a  constitution  for  the  consideration  of  the  association  at  the  first 
regular  meeting,  and  to  make  such  other  arrangements  as  were  necessary  to  make 
the  meeting  and  the  association  a  success. 

The  executive  committee  thus  appointed  consisted  of  Prof.  W.  J.  Sutherland, 
F.  D.  Thompson,  Galesburg,  and  D.  B.  Rawlins,  of  Quincy.  Later,  Professor 
Sutherland  removed  from  Macomb  and  Prof.  J.  T.  Johnson  was  appointed  as  his 
successor. 

The  meeting  adjourned  to  meet  at  the  place  and  time  to  be  selected  by  the  execu- 
tive committee.   . 


404  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  first  annual  meeting  of  the  association  was  held  in  Galesburg,  October  22-4, 
1908.  Nearly  one  thousand  people  were  present  at  the  opening  of  the  meeting. 
The  speakers  at  the  first  general  session  were  President  David  Felmley,  of  the  Illinois 
State  Nonnal  University,  President  Lewis  B.  Fisher,  of  Lombard  College,  and  Presi- 
dent Alfred  Bayliss,  of  the  Western  Illinois  State  Normal  School.  As  an  indication 
of  the  themes  that  were  then  occupying  the  minds  of  teachers  it  may  be  noted  that 
President  Felmley  discussed  the  culture  value  of  so-called  practical  studies  and 
President  Fisher  took  issue  with  him  at  certain  points,  the  two  representing,  in  a  way, 
the  historical  conflict.  President  Bayliss  explained  certain  portions  of  the  work 
of  the  Educational  Commission,  that  wisely  chosen  body  of  workers,  in  the  main, 
but  doomed  to  disappointment  because  of  the  extreme  conservatism  of  the  law- 
making body. 

The  second  session  of  the  association  was  held  on  Friday  evening.  The  speaker 
of  the  evening  was  Dr.  George  E.  Vincent,  of  the  University  of  Chicago.  His  theme 
was  "  The  Duty  of  the  School." 

The  third  session  was  held  on  Saturday  forenoon.  President  Bayliss'  theme  of 
the  day  before  —  the  Certification  of  Teachers  —  had  been  made  a  special  topic 
for  further  discussion.  It  was  historically  interesting  as  showing  the  attempts 
of  the  best  thought  of  the  school  men  on  the  commission  on  the  matter  of  the  exam- 
ination of  teachers.  The  superannuated  and  outgrown  method  to  which  so  many 
of  the  school  men  of  Illinois  cling  with  a  singular  tenacity  seems  predestined  to 
immortal  life  in  this  State,  although  in  nearly  all  progressive  communities  it  has 
long  since  been  discarded.  Little  interest  seemed  to  have  been  awakened  by  the 
discussion,  however,  indicating  an  unhappy  apathy  concerning  a  most  important 
subject. 

Dr.  W.  C.  Bagley  w^as  on  the  morning  program  and  dealt  with  a  vital  subject  — 
"Waste  in  Education."  It  should  be  said  once  for  all  that  the  addition  of  Dr. 
Bagley  to  the  educational  forces  of  Illinois  is  a  historical  event  well  worthy  of  record. 
The  theme  indicates  the  practical  character  of  his  thinking.  His  treatment  elicited 
a  warm  discussion.  It  would  be  instructive  to  discover,  if  it  were  possible,  the 
outcome  in  terms  of  actual  saving  accomplished  by  such  luminous  discussions. 

If  one  may  judge  from  the  records,  the  leading  spirits  of  the  meeting,  in  addition 
to  those  already  named,  were  Assistant  State  Superintendent  U.  J.  Hoffman;  W.  L. 
Steele,  Superintendent  of  the  Galesburg  schools;  Professor  Bonser  and  Professor 
Hursh,  of  the  Western  Normal  School;  Miss  Taylor,  long  identified  with  the  Gales- 
burg Training  School  for  Teachers. 

The  association  adopted  the  system  of  section  meetings  so  long  in  use  in  the  other 
associations.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  experience  has  satisfied  the  educational  people 
of  the  wisdom  of  this  method  of  specialization. 

The  interest  of  the  historian  lies  in  the  topics  considered  and  the  members  who 
discussed  them.  These  two  items  of  intelligence  serve  to  reveal  the  subjects  that 
are  to  the  fore  in  the  minds  of  teachers  and  show  who  have  persisted  in  the  work 
of  teaching  for  a  sufficient  time  to  have  opinions  of  value  and  to  have  won  the  con- 
fidence of  the  educational  public. 

The  second  meeting  of  the  association  was  also  held  in  Galesburg.     It  had  chosen 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  405 

the  pleasant  month  of  October  for  its  gathering.  An  attendance  of  eleven  himdred 
indicated  the  interest  in  self-improvement  on  the  part  of  the  teachers  in  the  Military 
Tract.  The  date  of  the  meeting  was  October  22,  23,  1909.  The  president  was  F.  D. 
Thompson,  of  the  Springfield  High  School.  The  other  officers  were  Superintendent 
F.  U.  White,  Galva,  vice-president;  Miss  Pearl  Larramore,  Aledo,  secretary;  Super- 
intendent M.  M.  Cook,  Lewistown,  treasurer;  executive  committee  —  Superin- 
tendent G.  T.  Smith,  Peoria;  Prof.  F.  G.  Bonser,  Macomb;  County  Superintendent 
F.  J.  Ferguson,  Rock  Island. 

The  general  sessions  seems  to  have  been  given  to  addresses  more  inspirational 
in  their  character  rather  than  to  a  critical  discussion  of  those  topics  which  suggest 
an  advance  into  new  territory.  Prof.  F.  A.  Barbour,  of  the  State  Normal  College 
at  Ypsilanti,  was  one  of  the  imported  speakers,  and  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  more 
suitable  man  to  deal  with  that  aspect  of  the  teacher's  work.  Dr.  A.  E.  Winship, 
of  Boston,  who  has  large  vogue  in  the  West,  made  his  appeal  to  the  teachers  in  the 
interests  of  the  boys.  An  effort  was  made  to  arouse  a  new  interest  in  library  work 
by  the  preparation  of  an  address  by  Miss  Edna  Lyman,  of  Oak  Park. 

It' was  at  this  session  of  the 'association  that  the  constitution  and  by-laws,  over 
which  there  had  been  no  little  discussion,  were  finally  adopted,  and  the  organization 
was  finally  completed. 

The  third  meeting  of  the  association  was  held  at  Macomb,  October  20-23,  1910. 
The  officers  of  the  association  were ; 

President,  G.  T.  Smith,  Peoria;  vice-president,  L.  J.  McCreery,  Rushville;  secre- 
tary, Miss  Pearl  Larrance,  New  Windsor;  treasurer,  M.  M.  Cook,  Lewistown;  execu- 
tive committee  — :  F.  G.  Bonser.  Macomb;  S.  J.  Ferguson,  Rock  Island;  F.  U.  White, 
Galva. 

This  was  the  first  meeting  in  the  Western  Illinois  State  Normal  School.  Superin- 
tendent Blair  discussed  the  effect  of  the  study  of  literature  on  the  formation  of 
character;  Miss  Emma  A.  Church,  of  the  Normal  Art  School,  Chicago,  talked  of 
Art  as  a  Factor  in  Training  for  Service;  Dr.  C.  H.  Judd,  Director  of  the  School 
of  Education,  University  of  Chicago,  spoke  of  Training  for  Service;  Superintendent 

B.  B.  Jackson,  Moline,  showed  how  the  Manual  Arts  specifically  train  for  Service; 
Prof.  Fred  L.  Charles,  of  Urbana,  discussed  the  topic,  "  Country  Life  and  the  Cotmtry 
School  as  Factors  in  Training  for  Service."  In  all  of  the  section  meetings  the  same 
theme  was  put  to  the  front.  In  consequence  of  this  centering  of  the  thought  of  the 
association  upon  a  single  topic  and  a  topic  of  such  vital  significance  a  marked  advance 
upon  the  previous  meetings  is  scored.  It  is  clear  that  the  association  had  discovered 
that  to  make  a  real  impression  it  is  necessary  to  center  upon  some  needed  reform 
and  push  for  it  with  singleness  of  purpose. 

The  appearance  of  Dr.  Judd  in  Illinois,  like  that  of  Dr.  Bagley,  has  given  a  strong 
impulse  to  the  study  of  questions  that  are  well  worth  while. 

The  fourth  annual  meeting  of  the  association  was  held  at  Peoria,  October  19-21, 
1911.     The  officers  were:    President,  S.  J.  Ferguson;  vice-president.  Superintendent 

C.  E.  Joiner,  Monmouth;  secretary.  Miss  Pearl  Larrance,  Aledo;  treasurer.  County 
Superintendent  W.  F.  Boyes,  Galesburg;  executive  committee  —  F.  U.  White, 
S.  B.  Hursh,  and  George  W.  Gaylor,  Canton. 


406  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  main  theme  of  the  meeting  was  health  and  the  means  of  preserving  it.  Dr. 
J.  N.  Hurly,  Secretary  of  the  Indiana  State  Board  of  Health,  discussed  "  The  Child 
in  the  Making. ' '  The  character  of  the  work  cut  out  by  the  committee  may  be  further 
indicated  by  the  fact  that  William  H.  Allen,  Director  of  Municipal  Research,  New 
York  city,  was  expected  to  be  present.  His  place  was  taken  by  Secretary  Sherman 
C.  Kingsley,  of  the  McCormick  Fund,  Chicago,  on  the  theme,  "  The  Public  School  — 
The  Public  Health."  James  L.  Hughes,  Chief  Inspector  of  Schools,  Toronto,  Canada, 
is  no  stranger  to  the  educational  people  of  "  the  States,"  and  always  receives  a  cordial 
welcome.     He  spoke  on  "  The  Old  Training  and  the  New." 

There  were  the  usual  section  meetings,  the  one  that  seemed  to  elicit  the  warmest 
applause  being  the  demonstration  of  school  gymnastics  at  the  Coliseum. 

The  officers  elected  for  1912  were:  President,  F.  U.  White;  vice-president.  Super- 
intendent C.  E.  Knapp,  Rushville;  secretary.  Miss  t*earl  Larrance;  treasurer,  W.  F. 
Boyes;  for  the  three-year  term  on  the  executive  committee.  Superintendent  R.  G. 
Jones,  Kewanee. 

At  each  of  the  meetings  of  the  association  the  committee  on  resolutions  has 
formulated  a  clear  body  of  educational  doctrine  and  sent  it  through  the  Military 
Tract  as  an  educative  utterance.  One  of  the  resolutions  of  the  1911  meeting  runs 
as  follows :  "  . 

.  Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  our  beloved  friend  and  efficient  coworker,  the  Hon.  Alfred  Bay- 
liss,  for  two  terms  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  and  for  the  last  five  years  President  of  the 
Western  Illinois  State  Normal  School,  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  particularly  that  portion  of  it  known 
as  the  Military  Tract,  has  suffered  an  irreparable  loss.  He  was  a  noble  man  and  did  a  great  work 
which  we  can  not  but  feel  was  not  completed.  His  poise  of  character,  his  maturity  of  judgment,  and 
his  complete  devotion  to  the  interests  of  public  education  place  him  among  the  great  educators  of  our 
State ;  and  be  it  further  resolved  that  to  his  coworkers  at  Macomb  and  to  his  bereaved  family  the 
association  hereby  expresses  its  sincere  and  heartfelt  sympathy. 

H.  B.  Hayden,. 
W.  L.  Steele, 
E.  G.  Bauman, 

Committee. 

THE  EASTERN  ILLINOIS  TEACHERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

Unfortunately  for  the  historian  the  early  records  of  this  association  have  not 
been  preserved.  Through  the  kindness  of  Superintendent  A.  F.  Lyle,  of  Shelbyville, 
the  following  brief  record  of  the  first  six  meetings  is  obtained: 

The  first  meeting  was  held  in  Mattoon  in  November,  1898,  as  a  four-county  meeting,  under 
the  auspices  of  the  county  superintendents  of  Coles,  Edgar,  Douglas,  and  Shelby  counties.  B.  F. 
Armitage,  Superintendent  of  the  Mattoon  schools,  was  president. 

The  meetings  followed  as  given  herewith:    November,  1899,  Tuscola,  J.  D.  Shoop,  president; 

November,  1900,  Paris,  Charles  Ammerman,  president;  November,  1901,  Charleston, , 

president;  February,  1902,  Shelbyville,  G.  P.  Randle,  president;  February,  1903,  Pana,  Otis  W.  Cald- 
well, president.     For  the  subsequent  meetings  the  record  book  of  the  secretary  is  available. 

The  seventh  meeting  was  held  at  Mattoon,  February  10,  11,  1905.  The  president  was  W.  E. 
Andrews,  Taylorville.  In  the  absence  of  the  elected  secretary,  Mr.  J.  P.  Gilbert  was  chosen  to  fill 
the  office. 

Superintendent  A.  F.  Lyle,  of  Areola,  offered  a  series  of  resolutions  expressing  the  sense  of  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  407 

association  to  the  effect  that  the  University  of  Illinois  should  organize  a  graduate  school  in  which 
more  extended  courses  could  be  pursued  than  were  then  furnished  by  the  University  and  the  colleges 
of  the  State.     The  resolutions  met  the  hearty  approval  of  the  association. 

The  main  addresses  of  the  session  were  delivered  by  President  Lord,  Charleston;  Dr.  George 
Vincent,  University  of  Chicago,  and  Superintendent  L.  D.  Harvey,  Wisconsin. 

A  resolution  of  appreciation  of  the  life  and  services  of  Prof.  W.  M.  Evans,  of  the  Eastern  Illinois 
State  Normal  School,  and  of  regret  because  of  his  untimely  death,  was  passed  by  the  association. 

The  eighth  meeting  was  held  at  Tuscola,  February  2,  3,  1906.  The  officers  were:  President, 
George  W.  Brown,  Paris;  vice-president,  E.  B.  Brooks,  Greenville;  secretary,  Mary  Ewing,  Areola; 
treasurer,  M.  S.  Vance,  Sullivan;  railroad  secretary,  J.  F.  Wiley,  Mattoon;  chairman  executive  com- 
mittee, A.  C.  Cohagan,  Shelbyville.  The  main  addresses  were  delivered  by  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Mavity 
Cunningham,  Normal  University;  Miss  Grace  Reed,  Principal  John  B.  Drake  School,  Chicago; 
Charles  M.  Avery,  Indiana  State  Normal  School;  Prof.  Henry  Johnson,  Eastern  Illinois  Normal 
School;  President  Edwin  M.  Hughes,  De  Pauw  University;  A.A.Jones,  Decatur;  Miss  Eliza  Edmun- 
ston,  Tuscola. 

The  ninth  meeting  was  held  at  Paris,  October  19,  20,  1906.  President,  Superintendent  Dewitt 
Ellwood,  Charleston ;  vice-president,  William  Miner,  Pana;  secretary,  Bertha  A.  Miller,  Paris ;  railroad 
secretary,  M.  N.  Beeman,  Marshall;  chairman  executive  committee,  William  Birdzell.  Charleston. 

The  main  addresses  were  delivered  by  Miss  Florence  V.  Skeffington,  Eastern  Illinois  Normal 
School;  Dean  David  Kinley,  University  of  Illinois;  Charlotte  Slocum  Ashcum,  Peoria;  President 
W.  L.  Bryan,  University  of  Indiana;  Prof.  J.  Paul  Goode,  University  of  Chicago;  County  Superin- 
tendent Anna  L.  Barbre,  Christian  county;  Dr.  C.  G.  Hopkins,  University  of  Illinois. 

The  tenth  meeting  of  the  association  was  held  at  Charleston,  October  18,  19,  1907.  President, 
Superintendent  E.  B.  Brooks,  Paris;  vice-president,  Anna  L.  Barbre;  secretary,  Superintendent  C.  W. 
Yerkes,  Effingham;  treasurer,  M.  S.  Vance,  Sullivan;  railroad  secretary,  Superintendent  Harry  Greene, 
Crawford  county;  chairman  executive  committee,  Superintendent  Charles  S.  Watts,  Champaign 
county. 

The  main  addresses  were  delivered  by  Miss  Carney,  Mahomet;  Prof.  Thos.  H.  Briggs,  Eastern 
Normal  School;  Prof.  John  Hall,  Cincinnati;  Dr.  E.  B.  Bryan,  University  of  Indiana;  Prof.  J.  W. 
Garner,  University  of  Illinois;  Frank  H.  Hall,  Superintendent  State  Farmers'  Institutes. 

The  eleventh  meeting  was  held  at  Urbana,  October  16,  17,  1908.  President,  Thomas  H.  Briggs, 
Charleston;  vice-president,  B.  F.  Daugherty,  Westfield;  secretary,  John  W.  Childress,  Broadl^nds, 
treasurer,  H.  M.  Tippsward,  Toledo;  railroad  secretary,  A.  P.  Johnson,  Urbana;  chairman  executive 
committee,  Charles  H.  Watts,  Urbana. 

The  records  of  this  meeting  are  very  imperfect. 

The  twelfth  meeting  was  held  at  Danville,  October  15,  16,  1909.  President,  A.  F.  Lyle,  Shelby- 
ville; vice-president,  J.  F.  Wiley,  Mattoon;  secretary.  Miss  Anna  Barbre,  Taylorville;  railroad  secre- 
tary, Z.  M.  Smith,  Danville;  chairman  executive  committee,  Charles  H.  Watts,  Urbana. 

The  leading  speakers  of  the  session  were:  Dr.  W.  C.  Bagley,  University  of  Illinois;  Dr.  M.  V. 
O'Shea,  University  of  Wisconsin;  Dr.  R.  A.  Armstrong,  University  of  West  Virginia;  State  Superin- 
tendent R.  J.  Aley,  Indiana;  Dr.  C.  H.  Judd,  University  of  Chicago. 

The  thirteenth  meeting  was  held  at  Charleston.  President,  Charles  H.  Watts,  Urbana;  vice- 
president,  Henry  W.  Draske;  secretary,  Ora  Neal,  Charleston;  railroad  secretary,  W.  W.  Griffith, 
Windsor;  treasurer,  H.  M.  Tippswood;  chairman  executive  committee,  J.  F.  Wiley,  Mattoon. 

Leading  speakers:  A.  E.  Winship,  Boston;  Dr.  W.  A.  McKeever,  Manhattan,  Kansas;  Mrs. 
Gudrun  Thorne-Thomson,  University  of  Chicago;  Miss  Zonia  Baber,  University  of  Chicago;  Dean 
James  E.  Russell,  Teachers'  College,  Columbia  University;  Dr.  George  E.  Vincent,  University  of 
Chicago;  Dr.  P.  P.  Claxton,  University  of  Tennessee;  H.  W.  Shryock,  Southern  Illinois  Normal 
University. 

The  association  petitioned  the  General  Assembly  to  extend  the  facilities  of  the  School  of  Educa- 
tion, University  of  Illinois,  and  also  to  appropriate  funds  for  the  erection  of  an  additional  building 
for  the  Eastern  Normal  School. 


408  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  fourteenth  meeting  was  held  at  Charleston,  the  association  having  determined  to  make  the 
Normal  school  its  permanent  home.  It  was  held  October  13,  14,  1911.  President,  Lotus  D.  Coff- 
man,  Charleston;  vice-president,  A.  P.  Johnson,  Urbana;  secretary.  Miss  Georgia  Green,  Paris; 
treasurer,  Superintendent  E.  E.  Gere,  Douglas  county;  railroad  secretary,  William  Lawyer,  Danville; 
chairman  executive  committee,  L.  W.  Haviland,  Watseka. 

Leading  addresses:  Dr.  Henry  Suzzalo,  Teachers'  College;  Dr.  W.  C.  Bagley,  University  of  Illi- 
nois; Dr.  Emil  G.  Hirsch,  Chicago;  Dean  Eugene  Davenport,  University  of  Illinois;  President  John 
W.  Cook,  DeKalb. 

At  each  of  the  later  meetings  of  this  association  department  meetings  were  held. 
The  records  of  all  of  the  meetings  are  meager. 

The  attendance  at  this  association  has  greatly  increased  in  later  years,  having 
reached  about  seventeen  hundred  as  its  largest  number. 

SOCIETY  OF  SCHOOL  PRINCIPALS. 

This  society  grew  out  of  an  organization  of  a  few  school  principals  in  La  Salle 
and  adjacent  counties.  Their  meetings  were  first  held  in  the  winter  of  1868-9. 
Prominently  identified  were  W.  B.  Powell,  Peru;  Aaron  Gove,  Rutland;  Thomas 
Clark,  Ottawa ;  and  a  few  others.  The  discussions  were  confined  mainly  to  questions 
of  administration  at  first,  but  with  an  increase  of  numbers  the  society  drifted  away 
from  the  plans  of  the  founders.  The  society  had  a  vigorous  life  for  several  years 
but  was  finally  abandoned  because  of  the  multiplication  of  teachers'  associations. 

STATE  ASSOCIATION  OF   COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENTS  OF   SCHOOLS. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  organization  of  this  association.  It  came  into 
being  at  about  the  time  that  the  act  was  passed  providing  for  a  real  county  super- 
intendent of  schools,  and  has  had  a  vigorous  life  from  that  time  to  this,  although 
the  attendance  at  its  meetings  has  sometimes  been  small.  What  it  has  lacked  in 
numbers,  however,  it  has  made  up  in  quality.  In  recent  years  it  has  become  a  potent 
influence  in  legislation.  If  its  members  would  unite  upon  questions  of  genuine 
educational  reform  it  could  easily  secure  epochal  changes  in  the  school  law.  Unfor- 
tunately the  majority  of  the  association  has  not  always  been  disposed  to  favor 
measures  that,  if  adopted,  would  have  given  Illinois  a  far  more  honorable  place  in 
educational  policies  among  the  States. 

TEACHERS'  READING  CIRCLE. 

The  details  of  the  organization  of  the  Teachers'  Reading  Circle  have  not  been 
accessible.  The  beginnings  reach  back  to  the  year  1885  and  the  one  man  above 
all  other  men  who  was  the  inspiration  and  director  of  the  movement  was  Enoch  A. 
Gastman,  for  forty-seven  years  connected  with  the  schools  of  Decatur  as  teacher 
and  superintendent.  A  sketch  of  this  interesting  and  widely  known  man  will  be 
found  on  later  pages  of  this  history. 

The  first  eight  years  of  the  existence  of  the  Circle  were  years  of  pioneering.  Mr. 
Gastman  conducted  all  of  the  affairs  of  the  enterprise  with  the  assistance  of  members 
of  his  family.     It  may  well  be  understood  that  when  such  multitudinous  details 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  409 

were  added  to  the  duties  of  a  city  superintendent  it  meant  a  strenuous  life.  There 
was  a  Httle  something  in  the  way  of  financial  compensation,  but  nothing  that  was 
in  any  way  adequate  to  the  situation.  Only  an  enthusiasm  like  that  of  the  manager 
would  have  built  up  so  substantial  a  body  of  readers  and  so  well  established  an 
organization. 

The  records  of  the  secretary  of  the  Circle  detail  the  management  since  the  respon- 
sibility was  assumed  by  the  County  Superintendents'  Association.  A  condensation 
is  presented  herewith. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association,  1892,  the  Teachers' 
Reading  Circle  was  transferred  from  the  care  of  the  General  Association  to  the 
County  Superintendents'  Association.  Mr.  E.  A.  Gastman  had  borne  the  burden 
of  the  Circle  and  at  his  request  he  was  relieved.  It  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  Board 
to  be  chosen  by  the  association  and  to  consist  of  five  county  superintendents  and 
the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  the  latter  to  be  chairman  of  the  Board. 
It  became  the  duty  of  this  Board  to  arrange  a  course  of  reading,  select  books,  make 
rules  and  regulations  governing  the  Circle,  elect  a  manager,  a  secretary,  and  a  treas- 
urer, and  manage  any  other  business  that  might  be  necessary  to  further  the  interests 
of  the  Circle. 

The  following  county  superintendents  have  served  as  managers,  the  first  also 
serving  as  secretary  for  a  part  of  his  term: 

Charles  J.  Kinnie,  Winnebago  county,  1893-9;  Maria  L.  Sykes,  Marion  county,  1899-1901;  Lewis 
M.  Gross,  DeKalb  county,  1901-5;  S.  J.  Ferguson,  Rock  Island  county,  1905  to  the  present. 

The  following  county  superintendents  have  served  for  the  terms  indicated  on  the  Board  of  Man- 
agement: Henry  O.  Foster,  Livingston  county,  1902-4;  Charles  B.  Marshall,  Rock  Island  county, 
1892-4;  Mrs.  Nannie  J.  McKee,  Alexander  county,  1892-4;  L.  H.  Griffith,  Vermihon  county,  1892-8; 
John  B.  Russell,  Henry  county,  1892-8;  R.  T.  Morgan,  DuPage  county,  1893-9;  John  A.  Grossman, 
Carroll  county,  1894-8;  W.  H.  Hillyard,  Monroe  county,  1894-6;  J.  L.  Robertson,  Peoria  county, 
1896-8;  James  H.  Peterson,  Kankakee  county,  1898-1902;  Charles  Hertel,  St.  Clair  county,  1898-1904 
and  1905-7;  W.  R.  Kimzey,  Perry  county,  1898-1907;  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Sykes,  Warren  county,  1898- 
1900;  L.  M.  Gross,  DeKalb  county,  1899-1905;  J.  M.  Pace,  McDonough  county,  1900-4;  A.  F.  Night- 
ingale, Cook  county,  1903-10;  Anna  L.  Barbre,  Christian  county,  1904-10;  S.  F.  Ferguson,  Rock 
Island  county,  1904 — ;  George  W.  Conn,  Jr.,  McHenry  county,  1905-9;  W.  F.  Boyes,  Knox  county, 
1905 — ;  John  E.  Whitechurch,  Marion  county,  1905-6;  C.  L.  Gregory,  Mercer  county,  1906 — ;  W.  M. 
Grissom,  Johnson  county,  1906-9;  C.  F.  Easterday,  Fayette  county,  1907-10;  H.  A.  Dean,  Kane 
county,  1909-10;  R.  O.  Clarida,  Williamson  county,  1909 — ;  D.  F.  Nickolls,  Logan  county,  1910 — ; 
W.  G.  Cisne,  Wayne  county,  1910—;  W.  W.  Coultas,  DeKalb  county,  1910 — ;  C.  H.  Watts,  Cham- 
paign county,  1910 — . 

The  property  of  the  Circle  was  transferred  to  the  Board  of  Management  July  1, 
1893.  There  was  then  a  membership  of  2,500.  With  so  many  interested  in  the 
extensions  of  the  Circle  its  numbers  rapidly  increased  so  that  Manager  Kinnie  was 
able  to  report  a  membership  of  more  than  5,000  at  the  end  of  the  first  year.  In 
1896  this  had  increased  to  8,000.     In  1911,  10,000  books  were  sold. 

In  1898  Superintendent  Kimzey  was  elected  secretary  and  was  reelected  five 
times.  Superintendent  Whitechurch  served  in  that  capacity  for  one  year.  Super- 
intendent Barbre  for  four  years,  and  Superintendent  Gregory  is  now  serving  his 
third  term. 


410  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Superintendent  Sykes  served  as  treasurer  for  one  term,  Superintendent  Hertel 
for  five  terms,  Superintendent  Clarida  for  two  terms.  Superintendent  Ferguson 
for  one  term,  Superintendent  Boyes  for  one  term,  Superintendent  Grissom  for  one 
term.  Superintendent  Gregory  for  one  term,  and  Superintendent  Clarida  for  two 
terms  and  is  now  serving  his  third  term. 

The  expenses  of  the  Circle  were  borne  by  the  firms  furnishing  the  books.  At 
first  the  manager's  salary  was  $35  a  month,  but  it  was  subsequently  increased  to 
$40.  It  was  finally  made  ten  per  cent  of  the  sales  of  the  books.  All  of  the  expenses 
of  the  Circle  were  paid  at  first  by  the  publishers,  but  subsequently  by  a  percentage 
of  the  sales.     In  1905  the  Board  was  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  three  members. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  books  read  since  the  reorganization  of  the  Circle : 

Skinner's  "Folk  Lore,"  White's  "School  Management,"  Krohn's  Psychology,  "Schoolmaster  in 
Comedy,"  King's  "School  Interests  and  Duties,"  Wood's  "How  to  Study  Plants,"  Cooley's  Physics, 
Tompkin's  "Philosophy  of  Teaching,"  Hinsdale's  Civics,  Eggleston's  "Beginners  of  the  Nation," 
Taylor's  "Study  of  the  Child,"  Hinsdale's  "Teaching  the  Language  Arts,  "Curtis's  " United  States 
and  Foreign  Powers,"  Roark's  "  Method  in  Education,"  "School  Sanitation  and  Decoration,"  Gar- 
diner's "Forms  of  Prose  Literature,"  Hinsdale's  "Art  of  Study,"  Wright's  "Industrial  Revolution," 
Clark's  "How  to  Teach  Reading  in  the  Public  Schools,"  Henderson's  "Social  Spirit  in  America," 
Spalding's  "Education  and  the  Higher  Life,"  Spark's' "Expansion  of  the  American  People,"  White's 
"Art  of  Teaching,".  Hodge's  "Nature  Study  and  Life,"  "Dickens  as  an  Educator,"  Keith's  "Ele- 
mentary Education,"  Gillan's  edition  of  "Page's  Theory  and  Practice,"  Parkman's  "LaSalle  and  the 
Discovery  of  the  Great  West,"  Bryan's  "Basis  of  Practical  Teaching,"  King's  "Rational  Living," 
Johnson's  "Mathematical  Geography,"  James'  "Practical  Agriculture,"  Briggs  and  Coffman's 
"Reading  in  the  Public  School,"  Cox's  "Literature  in  the  Common  Schools,"  Ham's  "  Mind  and 
Hand,"  Allen's  "  Civics  and  Health,"  "Abraham  Lincoln:  A  Short  Story,"  Nicolay;  "The  Personality 
of  the  Teacher,"  McKenney ;  "  Class  Room  Management,"  Bagley. 

Meanwhile  there  were  recommended  readings  among  which  were  the  "World's  Work,"  "The 
World  of  To-Day,"  "Little  Chronicle,"  "Week's  Current."  Webster's  Dictionary  was  especially 
recommended  to  members. 

In  1909  the  following  subjects  were  recommended  for  study  in  1911-1912: 

1.  The  Influence  of  the  Teacher's  Personality. 

2.  Historical  Biography. 

For  1912-13,  the  following  were  recommended: 

1.  Elementary  Science  in  the  Country  Schools 

2.  The  Socialization  of  the  Public  Schools. 

In  1910  the  Board  directed  that  the  four  following  monographs  be  bound  in  one  volume:  1.  The 
Ideal  Teacher.     2.  Teacher's  Philosophy.     3.    Meaning  of  Infancy.     4.  Education  for  Efficiency. 

The  Circle  is  in  a  most  prosperous  condition.  It  has  accomplished  large  results, 
much  larger  than  the  historian  of  its  work  can  hope  to  describe.  It  is  another 
illustration  of  what  can  be  accomplished  for  the  public  welfare  by  a  few  zealous 
philanthropists  who  are  willing  to  work  for  the  good  of  the  cause  in  which  they  are 
enlisted  and  without  hope  of  that  immediate  reward  that  so  many  demand  as  the 
price  of  their  effort. 

ILLINOIS  PUPILS'  READING  CIRCLE. 

The  purpose  of  the  Circle  is  to  secure  the  careful  reading  of  a  number  of  good 
books  at  an  age  when  the  tastes  and  habits  of  the  children  are  forming.  This  Circle 
was  organized  in  conjunction  with  the  State  Teachers'  Circle,  at  a  meeting  of  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  411 

State  Teachers'  Association  in  Springfield,  in  1888.  The  two  circles  continued  under 
one  management  until  1893,  when  the  Pupils'  Circle  was  reorganized  and  placed 
under  the  direction  of  the  Superintendents'  and  Principals'  Section. 

The  reorganization  required  the  State  Teachers'  Association  to  appoint  for  this 
Circle  a  board  of  five,  of  which  the  ranking  Assistant  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction  was  made  ex  officio  chairman.  This  Board,  in  1894,  appointed  F.  A. 
Kendall,  of  Naperville,  secretary  and  manager.  His  duty  is  to  supply  books  and 
conduct  the  affairs  of  the  Circle.  The  Board  each  year  adopts  twenty  books.  These 
are  kept  on  the  list  until  the  demand  for  them  has  ceased. 

There  are  now  two  hundred  and  fifty-one  books  on  the  list  from  which  teachers 
can  choose.  These  are  divided  into  first  and  second,  third  and  fourth,  fifth  and 
sixth,  seventh  and  eighth,  and  advanced  grades.  The  teacher  desiring  books  adapted 
to  any  grade  has  many  to  choose  from.  There  are,  first,  books  that  are  suited  to 
ethical  and  cultural  purposes  —  books  that  a  child  reads  because  they  interest  him . 
The  others  are  adapted  to  supplement  the  school  studies  —  biographies  and  sketches 
that  help  out  in  United  States  history.  If  a  child  becomes  interested  in  a  subject 
dismissed  with  a  paragraph  in  his  history,  he  will  find  a  book  or  several  books  in  the 
library  on  that  subject  and  written  in  language  that  he  can  readily  understand. 

If  he  is  interested  in  any  country,  as  Holland  or  Japan,  he  will  find  delightful 
books  in  the  library.  The  teacher  calls  his  attention  to  these.  He  takes  them 
home,  reads  them  and  afterwards  tells  his  classmates  what  he  has  learned. 

When  a  child  has  read  six  books  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  teacher  he  has  earned 
a  neat  diploma.  When  he  has  read  ten  more  he  has  earned  a  seal.  The  full  course, 
a  diploma  and  gold  seal,  requires  the  reading  of  sixteen  books.  This  fixes  the  read- 
ing habit  as  well  as  the  taste  for  high-class  reading. 

The  County  Superintendent  of  Schools  is  the  county  manager.  At  the  close 
of  the  school  year  he  ascertains  from  the  teachers  the  names  of  the  members  of  the 
circles  which  they  have  formed,  the  books  which  have  been  read  and  the  credits 
that  have  been  earned.  He  writes  the  child's  name  on  the  diploma  and  places  on 
it  the  seals  earned. 

Graduating  exercises  are  then  held  at  all  central  points  in  the  county,  usually 
one  in  every  township.  Here  he  meets  the  children,  and  they  are  often  attended 
by  their  parents  and  others.  The  children  give  a  program  of  singing,  recitations 
and  essays.  The  County  Superintendent  makes  a  talk  on  things  needed  for  better 
schools.  The  children  come  to  the  front  and  in  the  presence  of  their  parents  and 
friends  receive  their  diplomas. 

The  County  Superintendent  finds  the  most  effective  way  to  reach  the  patrons 
of  the  schools.  They  are  in  a  happy  frame  of  mind,  interested  in  schools,  and  heed 
what  the  superintendent  has  to  say  about  the  betterment  of  the  school. 

It  has  been  slow  work  to  convince  the  district  boards  that  it  is  wise  to  expend 
district  money  for  libraries.  The  teachers  and  pupils  have  been  appealed  to  and 
have  responded  generously.  They  give  entertainments,  charging  a  small  fee  for 
admission.  Usually  they  have  a  "box  social."  Each  ady  brings  a  lunch  box, 
handsomely  decorated.  These  are  sold  at  auction  to  the  highest  bidder,  the  pur- 
chaser sharing  the  lunch  with  the  owner.     Frequently  $30  to  $50  is  collected  in  a 


412  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

single  evening.  Many  schools  buy  a  set  of  Reading  Circle  books,  costing  about  $13 
each  year. 

The  school  life  is  made  richer  for  teacher  and  pupil.  Every  recitation  is  a  delight. 
They  have  a  wealth  of  suitable  material  to  draw  from  while  formerly  they  had  but 
the  text-book.  The  school  is  much  easier  to  teach  and  manage,  for  the  children's 
minds  are  occupied  in  striving  for  better  things. 

In  the  last  thirteen  years  ending  December  31,  1910,  245,422  were  sold,  an 
average  of  18,871  books  a  year.     In  the  last  year  23,789  books  were  sold. 

In  many  of  the  counties  of  the  State  every  country  school  has  a  library.  This 
was  not  the  condition  before  the  reorganization  of  the  Circle.  Wherever  the  County 
Superintendent  takes  an  interest  in  the  work  it  makes  remarkable  progress. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  413 


CHAPTER  XVI 
STATE  CHARITABLE   EDUCATIONAL   INSTITUTIONS 

THE  ILLINOIS  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  EDUCATION  OF  THE   DEAF 

AND  DUMB. 

THIS  was  the  first  of  the  State  charitable  institutions.  The  bill  was  intro- 
duced into  the  General  Assembly  in  1839  by  Hon.  O.  H.  Browning,  then 
representing  Adams  county  in  the  upper  house.  His  attention  had  been 
attracted  to  the  unfortunate  children  who  were  denied  the  most  characteristic  quality 
of  a  human  being  —  the  power  of  speech  —  and  his  heart  went  out  to  these  prisoners 
of  silence  with  a  strong  desire  to  ameliorate  their  unhappy  condition.  He  opened 
correspondence  with  people  in  other  States  who  were  engaged  in  the  work  of  their 
instruction  in  the  hope  of  learning  something  that  would  guide  him  in  effecting  his 
purposes. 

There  were  many  obstacles  in  the  way  of  such  a  bill.  The  unforttmate  internal 
improvement  scheme,  like  the  Tulip  Craze  and  the  South  Sea  Bubble,  had  left 
disaster  in  its  wake.  The  State  seemed  hopelessly  in  debt.  There  were  members 
in  the  legislature  who  had  never  seen  a  deaf  and  dumb  child,  and  there  were  others 
who  questioned  whether  there  was  one  in  the  State.  There  was  little  knowledge 
of  the  possibility  and  less  of  the  methods  of  their  instruction.  Many  questioned 
their  ability  to  become  self-supporting.  Such  considerations  did  not  deter  Mr. 
Browning  from  pushing  on  with  his  project,  however,  and  the  bill  became  a  law  on 
the  23d  day  of  February,  1839. 

The  bill  did  not  carry  an  appropriation  for  buildings,  however.  It  authorized 
an  organization  and  that  was  something.  The  act  of  incorporation  designated  some  of 
the  oldest  and  best  men  in  the  State  as  trustees.  Here  are  some  of  them:  Thomas 
Carlin,  Thomas  Cole,  Otway  Livingston,  Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  Joseph  Dimcan,  Will- 
iam Thomas,  Julian  Sturtevant,  Samuel  H.  Treat,  Cyrus  Walker.  Moreover,  it  pro- 
vided that  the  institution  should  be  supported,  like  other  schools  of  the  State,  out 
of  the  school  fimd,  and  to  this  end  provided  that  one  quarter  of  the  interest  of  the 
school,  college  and  seminary  fund  should  be  devoted  to  its  support.  But  no  appro- 
priation for  a  building  could  pass  the  lower  house  until  that  body  was  satisfied,  by 
a  personal  pledge  of  the  trustees,  that  the  money  should  not  be  misappropriated. 
Small  appropriations  were  finally  made  and  were  chiefly  expended  on  buildings  and 
groimds.  As  a  consequence  of  this  long  delay  the  school  was  not  opened  until 
January,  1846,  and  there  were  but  four  pupils  with  whom  to  begin. 

Thomas  Officer  was  appointed  principal.  He  had  been  engaged  in  similar  work 
in  Ohio,  having  been  the  first  principal  of  the  institution  for  the  education  of  the 


414  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

deaf  and  dumb  in  that  State.  Of  his  eminent  fitness  for  the  position  there  seems 
to  have  been  no  doubt.  His  immediate  successor,  a  man  wholly  competent  to  pass 
a  discriminating  judgment,  pays  him  the  highest  praise.  The  school  prospered  under 
his  management  and  had  an  attendance  of  sixty  at  the  end  of  the  first  two  years. 

It  was  the  policy  of  the  management  to  look  up  the  deaf  and  dumb  children 
wherever  they  might  be  and  give  them  the  benefit  of  the  institution.  Little  could 
be  done  to  educate  them  except  by  the  assistance  of  carefully  trained  teachers. 
With  them  these  unfortunate  children  could  easily  be  made  self-supporting,  although 
a  professional  life  might  be  denied  them.  It  is  clear  that  the  ordinary  methods 
would  be  of  little  avail  in  aiding  those  who  were  deprived  of  speech.  So  successful 
was  the  management  that  at  the  end  of  twenty  years  Illinois  had  the  largest  school 
of  this  character  and  maintained  by  a  single  State  in  the  entire  country,  standing 
second  in  point  of  numbers  in  this  country  and  third  in  size  in  the  world. 

While  this  was  true  of  the  institution  it  still  remained  as  true  that  only  one-half 
of  those  who  should  have  been  in  school  at  that  time  were  really  in  attendance. 
There  are  many  reasons  that  operate  against  the  attendance  of  such  pupils  at  a 
public  institution.  Many  did  not  know  of  its  existence;  many  deprived  their  mute 
children  of  an  opportunity  for  an  education  in  order  that  they  might  profit  by  their 
ability  to  labor  imder  their  direction;  many  shrank  from  sending  the  unfortunate 
ones  away  from  the  love  and  tenderness  of  the  home  to  dwell  among  strangers.  But 
the  deaf  are  peculiarly  liable  to  become  the  victims  of  vicious  habits  and  under  no 
circumstances  should  they  be  shut  away  from  that  participation  in  the  pleasures 
of  social  life  which  they  can  witness  only  to  be  denied.  Their  education  offers 
a  special  problem  that  is  fraught  with  more  difficulties  than  that  of  the  blind.  To 
bring  the  school  to  the  attention  of  the  public  it  was  not  uncommon  to  give  public 
exhibition  of  what  had  been  accomplished  with  the  children,  and  it  was  attended 
quite  invariably  with  the  most  salutary  results. 

Mr.  Officer  retained  his  position  for  the  first  nine  years  of  the  working  life  of  the 
school.  It  is  declared  that  his  labors  were  attended  by  the  most  happy  results  with 
the  pupils.  In  1855  there  was  an  accumulation  of  unhappy  events  which  resulted 
in  his  resignation.  He  was  succeeded  by  P.  G.  Gillett,  a  teacher  in  a  similar  institu- 
tion in  the  neighboring  State  of  Indiana.  It  was  a  peculiarly  difficult  position  to 
fill  satisfactorily.  The  friends  of  Mr.  Officer  were  indignant  because  of  the  treat- 
ment that  he  had  received.  They  were  not  likely  to  prepare  beds  of  down  for  his 
successors.  Disorder  was  rampant  in  the  school.  Moreover,  Mr.  Gillett  was  a 
young  man.  But  the  man  and  the  place  had  met  in  a  fine  harmony,  and  in  a  com- 
paratively brief  time  the  master  of  the  situation  was  recognized  and  the  school 
settled  down  to  fine  work  and  Mr.  Gillett  proceeded  to  win  imperishable  renown 
as  a  teacher  of  the  deaf  and  dumb. 

Judge  Thomas,  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  is  accounted  one  of  the  best  friends  the 
institution  ever  had.  Great  credit  is  also  given  to  Dr.  Boal,  of  Peoria,  who  served 
on  the  Board  for  more  than  seventeen  years  without  intermission,  being  president 
of  that  body  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time.  Because  of  his  service  in  both  branches 
of  the  General  Assembly  at  various  times  he,  as  well  as  Judge  Thomas,  was  able 
to  render  aid  of  especial  value 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  415 

It  was  one  of  the  main  purposes  of  the  management  to  equip  the  pupils  for  self- 
support.  Their  only  recourse  was  an  occupation  in  which  deafness  was  not  an  insu- 
perable bar  to  success,  and  that  there  are  such  callings  is  very  obvious.  Up  to  1876, 
over  one  thousand  inmates  had  been  cared  for  and  not  one  of  them  had  left  the  insti- 
tution, after  its  course  of  instruction  and  training,  to  be  a  public  charge,  although 
many  of  them  had  been  penniless  when  admitted  to  the  school. 

Two  systems  of  instructing  the  deaf  have  long  had  their  warm  adherents.  They 
are  known  respectively  as  the  sign  method  and  the  articulation  method.  The 
former  method  had  its  origin  in  France  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century 
The  latter  arose  in  Germany  about  the  same  time.  At  times  a  bitter  rivalry  has 
existed  between  these  schools  of  procedure.  In  1817  the  Connecticut  school  was 
at  Hartford  and  Thomas  Gallaudet  was  its  superintendent.  He  was  a  warm  advo- 
cate of  the  sign  method  and  made  it  the  system  of  the  Connecticut  school. 

When  Horace  Mann,  the  most  eminent  educator  this  country  has  thus  far  pro- 
duced, investigated  continental  methods  of  the  instruction  of  the  deaf  and  dumb, 
he  became  an  adherent  of  the  German  method.  It  is  clear  that  however  skilful 
they  may  become  in  communicating  with  each  other,  they  will  find  great  difficulty 
in  making  themselves  understood  by  others.  As  it  is  the  aim  of  their  education 
to  make  them  as  nearly  normal  as  possible,  an  education  that  confines  them  to  the 
narrow  limits  of  those  who  are  similarly  afflicted  must  fail  in  the  accomplishment  of 
this  result.  He  made  this  argument  against  the  French  method  and  the  objections 
of  a  man  of  such  prominence  were  enough  to  arouse  a  warm  interest  in  the  matter. 
Experts  were  sent  abroad,  therefore,  to  investigate  the  matter.  Their  report  was 
in  favor  of  the  American  system,  declaring  it  to  be  greatly  superior  to  what  they 
had  found  in  their  travels.  This  was  a  seeming  triumph  for  the  sign  method.  Noth- 
ing else  was  used  in  the  Illinois  school  for  the  first  twenty  years.  The  agitation, 
however,  had  resulted  in  the  establishing  of  a  school  in  Massachusetts  in  1865, 
which  taught  only  the  articulation  method.  This  furnished  an  opportunity  for  a  dis- 
criminating study  of  its  merits  and  produced  a  marked  impression. 

In  1868,  Professor  Gillett  presented  a  special  report  on  the  subject  to  his  board 
of  trustees.  In  this  report  he  confesses  to  a  change  of  opinion  with  regard  to  the 
articulation  method,  which  he  had  been  accustomed  to  regard  as  decidedly  inferior 
to  its  rival.  He  now  asked  the  board  to  organize  an  articulation  department  in  the 
school  in  order  that  the  two  methods  might  be  tried  side  by  side  and  that  reliable 
results  might  be  obtained.  He  offered  certain  technical  reasons  that  had  come  to 
his  attention  in  his  study  of  the  deaf  and  dumb  which  warranted  the  experiment. 

Six  years  later  Dr.  Gillett  again  called  the  attention  of  -his  board  to  the  matter. 
The  instruction  in  the  articulation  method  had  been  going  on  meanwhile.  It  was 
extremely  difficult  to  discover  much  respecting  its  value  by  an  observation  of  pupils 
within  the  institution  because  of  the  difficulty  in  inducing  the  pupils  to  use  it.  He 
therefore  took  testimony  on  the  matter  from  the  parents  of  the  pupils,  and  thus 
discovered  facts  that,  he  says,  "amazed  him." 

Two  years  later  he  returned  to  the  subject  again.  This  was  in  1876.  Three 
teachers  were  then  devoting  their  entire  time  to  it  and  a  fourth  would  soon  be  needed. 
He  reports  an  increasing  desire  on  the  part  of  parents  to  have  the  children  acquire 


416  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

the  ability  to  speak.  The  older  pupils  also  showed  a  growing  anxiety  to  acquire  it, 
although  for  them  it  was  an  extremely  difificult  task.  Meanwhile  the  method  of 
instruction  had  greatly  improved.  Professor  Bell  devised  a  system  of  visible  speech 
symbols  that  greatly  simplified  the  work  and  enabled  the  pupils  to  proceed  far  more 
rapidly  in  acquiring  the  ability  to  speak. 

The  institution  made  no  attempt  to  carry  the  pupils  beyond  the  elements  of  an 
English  education,  leaving  the  advanced  instruction  of  those  who  desired  it  to  the 
National  College  of  Deaf  Mutes,  at  Washington,  which  is  sustained  by  the  United 
States  Government.  The  main  aim  before  the  teacher's  mind  is  to  equip  his  pupil 
with  a  language  by  which  he  can  enter  into  the  heritage  of  human  culture  that  awaits 
him  and  without  which  he  can  do  nothing.  Language  comes  so  easily  to  the  normal 
child  that  the  task  of  the  deaf  mute  is  appreciated  only  by  those  who  patiently  labor 
to  convey  to  a  mind  that  has  no  sense  of  sound  some  conception  that  will  induce 
him  to  try  to  produce  one,  even  though  he  will  never  hear  it. 

Those  who  desire  to  follow  the  development  of  this  remarkable  institution  must 
study  the  successive  reports  of  its  superintendent.  They  are  informing  reading. 
Stories  of  devotion  are  written  in  obscure  places.  In  1882  the  institution  had  become 
the  "largest  and  completest  institution  for  deaf  mutes  in  the  world,"  yet  there  was 
one  who  had  been  with  it  from  the  day  of  its  feebleness  —  Prof.  Selah  Watt.  Prof. 
Gillett  pays  him  the  following  tribute:  "He  was  a  high-minded,  Christian  gentle- 
man, of  most  extraordinary  poise  of  character.  He  lived  an  active  and  useful  life, 
and  died  having  maintained  a  character  unimpeachable  and  a  reputation  untarnished. 
The  professor  was  himself  a  deaf  mute,  but  in  the  elements  that  go  toward  the  forma- 
tion of  true  manhood,  I  have  not  known  him  surpassed  by  any  deaf  mute  or  hearing 
or  speaking  person.  He  was  a  most  striking  example  of  what  education  can  do  for 
the  class  to  which  he  belonged.  His  memory  will  remain  among  his  fellows  in  mis- 
fortune and  his  comrades  in  labor,  as  a  delightful  fragrance." 

The  attendance  at  this  time  was  well  up  to  the  six  hundred  mark  and  Dr.  Gillett 
was  earnestly  advising  the  establishing  of  another  institution  instead  of  the  further 
enlargement  of  the  institution  under  his  charge.  Shops  had  been  erected.  Trades 
had  been  learned.  A  fine  body  of  trained  teachers  had  acquired  the  difficult  art  of 
instructing  the  children.  Manual  training  had  proved  so  effective  that  the  schools, 
of  the  normal  children  were  beginning  to  adopt  them  here  and  there.  In  brief,  the 
Illinois  Institution,  under  the  persistent  care  of  its  accomplished  superintendent, 
had  become  a  great  educational  landmark  for  the  world. 

In  the  Biennial  Report  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  for  the  years 
1881-2,  the  student  of  the  methods  of  educating  the  deaf  will  find  more  than  two 
hundred  pages  of  interesting  matter.  It  is  the  report  of  the  meeting  of  the  instructors 
of  the  deaf  in  their  annual  convention,  the  most  eminent  men  and  women  of  the  day 
interested  in  this  aspect  of  education  being  present.  The  meeting  was  held  in  Jack- 
sonville, in  September,  1882. 

As  a  comment  upon  the  growth  of  the  articulation  method  of  instruction,  the 
following  from  the  report  of  Superintendent  Gillett  to  the  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  in  1892,  will  be  found  interesting: 

"Twenty-four  years  ago  systematic  instruction  of  its  pupils  in  articulation  and 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  417 

lip  reading  was  commenced  in  this  institution.  It  had  not  been  recognized  previous 
to  that  time  as  practicable  by  the  members  of  the  profession  of  instructors  of  the 
deaf.  This  was  the  first  of  the  established  institutions  in  which  the  sign  method 
had  been  pursued,  to  earnestly  take  up  this  new  system.  It  has  been  continued 
to  the  present  time.  Public  sentiment  has  made  it  necessary  for  all  institutions 
where  the  deaf  are  taught  to  give  instruction  in  vocal  utterance  and  lip-reading.  It 
is  the  practice  to  afford  to  every  student  entering  the  institution  the  opportimity 
of  learning  to  speak  and  to  read  the  lips  of  others  as  they  speak." 

The  institution  has  taken  on,  of  necessity,  a  Normal  department  where  those 
desiring  to  learn  the  art  of  teaching  the  deaf  can  acquire  it.  Under  modem  con- 
ditions only  carefully  prepared  teachers  can  hope  for  employment. 

In  September,  1893,  Dr.  Gillett  was  succeeded  as  superintendent  of  the  institu- 
tion by  S.  T.  Walker.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Dr.  Gillett  was  appointed  to  the 
position  in  1855.  He  had  therefore  served  continuously  for  thirty-eight  years  and 
had  become  justly  famous  in  his  chosen  calling.  There  could  be  found  in  the  insti- 
tution under  his  charge  the  largest  number  of  deaf  persons  assembled  that  could  be 
found  in  any  institution  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  When  he  began  his  work  it  was 
as  a  pioneer.  There  were  but  few  children  in  the  school.  When  he  closed,  the 
school  numbered  approximately  seven  hundred. 

Superintendent  Walker  did  not  remain  with  the  school  very  long.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded on  the  first  day  of  July,  1897,  by  J.  C.  Gordon,  formerly  connected  with  the 
College  for  the  Deaf,  at  Washington  city.  He  was  a  most  enlightened  and  capable 
officer  and  entered  upon  his  duties  with  great  enthusiasm.  He  identified  himself 
with  the  general  educational  organizations  of  the  State  and  was  a  frequent  speaker 
at  educational  gatherings  and  at  educational  institutions.  It  goes  without  saying 
that  imder  his  management  the  institution  realized  in  the  highest  degree  the  purpose 
of  its  founders. 

Let  the  following  words,  copied  from  his  report  in  1900,  be  reflected  upon  when 
the  question  of  the  education  of  the  deaf  is  under  consideration:  "  The  calamity  of 
total  deafness  is  the  greatest  barrier  to  intellectual  advancement  which  can  affect 
the  undeveloped  powers  of  a  mind  retaining  any  capacity  whatever  for  instruction. 
This  is  a  strong  statement,  but  I  make  it  advisedly,  after  the  cumulative  experience 
of  many  years  devoted  to  the  amelioration  of  this  form  of  misfortune.  The  far- 
reaching  effects  of  this  single  privation  of  a  purely  physical  approach  to  the  mind 
of  the  child  can  not  be  realized,  even  remotely,  by  the  unprofessional  observer." 
There  is  a  popular  notion  that  the  blind  are  far  more  unfortunately  conditioned 
than  the  deaf.  In  the  presence  of  these  statements  of  this  wise  and  careful  man  the 
thoughtful  may  be  led  to  reflect  upon  the  unhappy  fate  of  the  deaf  from  a  new  point 
of  view. 

Regarding  lip-reading  Dr.  Gordon  writes  as  follows : 

This  almost  marvelous  power  of  lip-reading  is  developed  for  the  most  part  incidentally  during 
the  acquisition  of  speech  by  the  deaf.  Teachers  should  understand  the  various  degrees  of  visibility 
of  the  elements  of  speech  revealed  by  the  positions  and  transitions  of  the  vocal  organs,  but  need  not 
themselves  be  masters  of  lip-reading.  In  fact  few  teachers  of  the  deaf  are  able  to  read  the  lips.  The 
true  function  of  the  true  teacher  is  beautifully  illustrated  in  this  matter.  If  the  teacher  presents  the 
27 


418  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

difficulties  in  proper  order  the  deaf  pupil  takes  the  steps  one  at  a  time  and  soon  becomes  expert  in  an 
art  not  possessed  by  the  teacher  himself.  The  pupil  develops  his  own  powers.  Lip-reading  stands 
unrivaled  as  a  means  of  communication  for  short  distances.  Notwithstanding  its  many  limitations, 
lip-reading  is,  on  the  whole,  of  more  value  to  the  deaf  than  speech,  if  one  were  compelled  to  choose 
between  the  two.  Any  power  of  sight  is  better  than  total  blindness.  Any  power  of  speech  is  better 
than  total  dumbness.  The  ability  to  speak  and  to  understand  speech  by  the  movem.ent  of  the  lips 
is  of  great  value  in  the  home  and  in  the  shop,  but  the  educational  value  of  these  twin  arts  as  a  pre- 
paration for  education  —  nourishing  and  stimulating  mental  developm.ent — is  by  far  greater,  however 
useful  simply  as  a  means  of  communication.  Perception,  memory,  association,  imagination,  reason, 
will  —  all  these  are  used  and  trained  and  developed  in  the  acquisition  of  lip-reading.  Living  speech 
is  the  best  preparation  for  the  education  of  the  deaf  as  well  as  of  the  hearing  child,  in  its  proper 
correlations,  and  the  speech  of  the  deaf,  even  if  imperfect  and  sounding  strange  and  uncouth  to 
unaccustomed  ears,  has  a  high  educational  value  even  when  it  is  far  from  satisfactory  as  a  m.eans  of 
communication  m.erely. 

In  his  report^ for  1901-2,  to  the  Superintendent  of  PubHc  Instruction,  Dr.  Gordon 
gives  a  table  showing  the  growth  of  the  oral  department.  In  1893  there  were  no 
pupils  in  that  department.  In  1894  there  were  sixty-seven.  For  the  next  two 
years  the  increase  was  small.  In  1897  there  was  a  jump  to  138  —  more  than  one- 
third  of  the  school.  In  1902  there  were  nearly  four  times  as  many  in  the  oral  depart- 
ment as  in  the  silent. 

Dr.  Gordon  was  destined  to  an  abrupt  close  to  his  useful  life.  He  died  April  12, 
1903,  after  a  brief  illness.  He  began  his  work  as  a  teacher  of  the  deaf  in  1869,  at  the 
Indiana  Institution,  where  he  was  emiployed  as  special  teacher  of  articulation  and 
reading  the  lips.  In  1873  he  became  a  teacher  of  mathematics  and  chemistry  in 
the  Columbia  Institution  for  the  Deaf.  In  1891  he  took  charge  of  the  department 
of  articulation  and  of  the  Normal  department  of  Gallaudet  College.  He  was  with 
the  national  institution  for  nearly  twenty-five  years  and  then  came  to  the  Illinois 
Institution  in  1897,  which  was  then  the  largest  existing  school  for  the  deaf.  Dr. 
Gordon  at  his  death  was  one  of  the  most  eminent  of  the  teachers  of  the  deaf  and 
especially  of  the  teachers  of  speech  to  the  deaf. 

i  His  successor  was  Charles  P.  Gillett,  the  son  of  the  man  who  for  nearly  two  score 
years  was  at  the  head  of  the  institution. 

ILLINOIS  INSTITUTION  FOR  IDIOTS  AND  FEEBLE-MINDED 

CHILDREN. 

The  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  in  1865,  authorized  the  Board 
of  Trustees  in  charge  of  the  School  for  the  Deaf  to  attempt  the  amelioration  of  the 
condition  of  idiots  and  feeble-minded  children  in  the  State  by  undertaking  some 
experimental  work  in  their  education. 

The  Board  began  the  enterprise  by  securing  the  residence  of  former  Governor 
Duncan,  in  the  city  of  Jacksonville.  Under  the  general  direction  of  Superintendent 
P.  G.  Gillett,  of  the  institution  for  the  education  of  deaf  children,  the  school  was 
opened  on  the  25th  of  May,  1865. 

It  became  necessary  at  once,  to  secure  a  highly  competent  man  to  manage  a  school 
beset  with  such  extreme  difficulties.  Such  a  man  was  found  in  the  person  of  Dr. 
C.  T.  Wilbur,  who  through  his  connection  with  similar  work  in  Massachusetts,  New 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  419 

York,  Connecticut  and  Ohio,  was  regarded  as  being  qualified  in  a  highly  superior 
way  for  the  position.  Dr.  Wilbur  began  his  work  on  the  1st  of  September  following 
the  opening  of  the  school. 

The  demand  for  such  an  institution  was  soon  demonstrated,  as  the  building  was 
filled  to  its  capacity  before  the  close  of  the  first  year  and  many  applications  were 
of  necessity  refused.  In  consequence,  the  General  Assembly  made  an  additional 
appropriation  in  1867,  and  a  second  building  was  added  to  the  equipment,  thus 
bringing  the  capacity  of  the  institution  up  to  sixty  pupils.  The  increased  facilities 
were  no  sooner  supplied  than  they  were  exhausted,  double  the  number  for  whom 
provisions  were  made  seeking  admission. 

The  slightest  reflection  upon  the  condition  of  these  most  unhappy  and  most 
unfortunate  beings  suggests  a  situation  that  is  wretched  in  the  extreme.  There 
are  few  homes  in  which  such  children  can  receive  appropriate  treatment.  Ordinarily 
they  are  left  to  themselves  when  of  all  persons  they  most  need  patient,  persistent 
and  intelligent  care.  If  the  faint  spark  of  reason  is  not  fanned  into  flame  the  prob- 
abilities are  that  it  will  die  and  that  there  will  be  left  only  the  repulsive  semblance 
of  a  human  being. 

It  was  not  until  the  earlier  part  of  the  last  century  that  any  systematic  effort 
was  made  looking  to  the  improvement  of  the  mental  condition  of  idiots.  In  1837 
the  first  institution  of  this  kind  was  opened  in  Paris.  As  would  be  expected,  the 
movement  was  soon  followed  in  several  European  countries.  Massachusetts  was  the 
pioneer  in  America,  the  first  school  being  established  in  1848. 

"  The  object  and  design  of  the  Illinois  institution  was  to  improve  the  general 
health  of  this  class  of  children  by  physical  training,  exercise,  bathing  and  all  other 
suitable  appliances,  with  such  use  of  medicine  as  might  be  beneficial;  to  awaken, 
regulate  and  develop  their  mental  powers,  by  means  peculiarly  adapted  to  them,  and 
by  the  employment  of  those  educational  resources  which  have  been  systematically 
developed  and  which  have  been  found  so  effectual  in  similar  institutions,  with  such 
modifications  and  extensions  as  may  be  necessary  to  meet  the  peculiarities  of  the 
pupils;  and  in  the  cases  of  the  best  class  of  pupils  to  provide  some  suitable  occupa- 
tions, giving  healthful  employment,  at  once  agreeable  and  profitable  to  all  their 
powers  —  especially  keeping  in  view  such  occupations  as  may  fit  the  pupils  for  future 
usefulness  and  intercourse  with  society." 

"  The  method  of  instruction  is  peculiar  in  this:  That  it  commences  with  exercises 
adapted  to  the  very  lowest  degree  of  intelligence  and  proceeds,  by  a  gradually  ascend- 
ing scale,  up  to  the  point  where  ordinary  systems  begin." 

It  needs  no  argument  to  make  clear  the  necessity  of  scientific  procedure.  All 
that  psychology  and  pedagogy  can  contribute  must  be  utilized  to  their  fullest  extent 
if  results  of  any  consequence  are  to  be  secured. 

This  work  was  continued  in  connection  with  the  school  for  the  deaf  until  1871, 
when  it  was  given  a  separate  existence.  It  was  not  until  1875,  however,  that  an 
appropriation  was  made  for  suitable  buildings  and  grounds.  In  that  year  an  act 
appropriated  $185,000  for  that  purpose.  The  attendance  at  that  time  was  approx- 
imately one  hundred. 

The   greatest   diversity   exists   among   such   children.      Many   are   so   defective 


420  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

physically  and  mentall}^  as  to  be  as  helpless  as  babes.  These  cases  are  classified 
as  "custodial,"  as  about  all  that  can  be  done  for  them  is  to  make  their  physical 
conditions  as  favorable  as  possible  and  to  secure  some  improvements  in  their  habits. 

Fortunately  these  are  the  exceptional  cases.  The  mass  of  idiots  possess  some 
latent  talent  which,  under  favorable  conditions,  may  be  developed  to  such  a  degree 
as  to  make  many  of  them  self-supporting.  There  is  still  a  higher  class,  characterized 
as  feeble-minded  rather  than  as  idiotic,  with  whom  much  can  be  done,  and  as  such 
cases  are  in  great  danger  of  falling  into  evil  ways  through  a  vicious  self-education, 
it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  they  should  have  suitable  care  at  the  earliest 
possible  time. 

"  For  these  last  two  classes  something  more  than  custody  is  needed  in  the  effort 
to  ameliorate  their  condition.  The  bodily  health  can  be  confirmed ;  the  muscular 
powers  can  be  developed  and  brought  under  the  control  of  the  will.  The  evident 
want  of  coordination  in  their  physical  forces  may  be  made  to  give  place  to  a  measure 
of  prompt  action  and  dexterity.  The  avenues  of  sensation  may  be  opened;  the 
perceptive  faculties  may  be  awakened  to  a  natural  life;  the  intelligence  may  be 
quickened  and  enlarged,  and  these  may  be  combined  into  a  capacity  for  useful  occu- 
pation and  habits  of  industry.  They  may  be  trained  to  be  cheerful  and  obedient; 
they  may  be  taught  habits  of  self-control,  and  the  more  obvious  distinctions  of  right 
and  wrong,  and  to  act  upon  them  in  their  intercourse  with  those  about  them. 

"  The  scope  and  purpose  of  the  Illinois  institution  have  been  limited  to  those 
degrees  of  idiocy  that  might  be  teachable.  It  has  also  been  the  aim  to  take  only 
those  of  a  school-attendance  age.  It  was  supposed  at  the  outset  that  somewhere 
in  the  descending  scale  of  idiocy  the  line  between  teachableness  and  unteachableness 
would  be  reached.  Of  some  at  a  distance  from  this  line  it  could  be  affirmed  at  once 
that  they  were  susceptible  of  instruction  or  they  were  not;  for  these  latter  it  was 
assumed  that  a  custodial  institution  would  sooner  or  later  be  provided  for  their 
necessities;  with  others  nearer  the  line  the  fact  in  this  respect  could  only  be  deter- 
mined by  a  fair  trial. ' ' 

These  quotations  from  reports  of  the  institution  will  disclose  to  some  degree 
what  was  in  the  minds  of  the  projectors  and  managers.  It  may  be  remarked  in 
passing  that  the  detailed  statements  of  methods  of  dealing  with  these  sub-normal 
boys  and  girls  are  full  of  the  most  valuable  suggestions  to  teachers  of  normal  children 
and  may  be  studied  with  the  greatest  profit. 

In  July,  1877,  the  institution  was  removed  from  Jacksonville  to  the  new  building 
at  Lincoln,  where  school  was  opened  October  27,  1877.  The  attendance  for  the  year 
following  was  about  three  hundred.  There  was  now  begun  that  more  admirable 
management  which  was  previously  impossible  because  of  limited  appliances. 

The  surveillance  that  is  necessary  with  these  children  is  exhibited  by  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"  The  attendants  have  classes  assigned  them  and  have  charge  of  them  at  all 
hours  out  of  school  hours,  sleep  in  rooms  adjoining,  opening  into  their  dormitories, 
so  that  they  can  bestow  attention  upon  them  at  night  if  necessary  —  an  effort  being 
made  by  proper  attention  at  stated  hours  to  regulate  them  in  their  habits  and  to 
cultivate  habits  of  decency  and  cleanliness.     They  are  with  them  when  they  rise, 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  421 

when  they  dress,  when  they  perform  their  morning  ablutions,  when  they  go  to  their 
meals  and  while  they  are  at  the  table,  to  assist  them  and  wait  upon  them,  to  preserve 
order  and  to  instruct  them  patiently  in  habits  of  propriety  and  decorum. 

"  Most  of  the  pupils  are  more  or  less  defective  in  their  ability  to  articulate.  Some 
are  entirely  dumb  who  are  not  deaf.  Some  are  deaf  and  dumb,  others  stammer, 
pronounce  words  and  letters  improperly,  are  imable  to  form  sentences  and  are 
extremely  awkward  in  the  use  of  the  lips,  tongue  and  other  vocal  organs  and  are 
seemingly  unconscious  of  the  possession  of  a  larynx  or  vocal  chords,  talk  through 
the  nose,  are  indistinct  in  utterance,  drawl,  accentuate  peculiarly,  and  some  have 
partial  paralysis  of  the  organs  of  speech." 

To  evolve  out  of  this  seeming  impotency  boys  and  girls  who  can  talk  and  walk 
and  use  their  hands,  and  read  and  write  and  acquire  some  useful  art,  seems  little 
short  of  miraculous.  "Visitors  look  on  in  amazement  at  the  precision  with  which 
our  pupils  go  through  their  exercises  with  dumb-bells,  wands  and  Swedish  clubs,  at 
their  evolutions,  their  promptness  in  time  to  music,  and  at  their  discipline  in  march- 
ing, and  can  hardly  realize  that  they  are  witnessing  the  exercises  of  a  class  of  feeble- 
minded children. " 

There  is  no  space  here  for  a  discussion  of  the  methods  employed  in  teaching  to 
these  children  the  ordinary  subjects  of  the  school  curricultim.  The  curious  must 
go  to  the  reports  or,  far  better,  to  the  institution  itself  and  there  observe  the  scientific 
procedure  through  which  these  darkened  minds  are  illuminated. 

The  gratitude  of  parents  often  finds  expression  in  letters  to  the  superintendent 
after  the  children  have  spent  a  vacation  at  home.  Such  expressions  are  more  easily 
imagined  than  described.  Nothing  can  be  more  tragically  pitiful  than  the  condition 
of  the  idiot,  and  when  there  can  be  seen  the  dawning  of  intelligence  in  consequence 
of  a  scientific  system  of  instruction,  and  the  possibility  of  something  approaching 
human  existence  where  there  had  been  nothing  above  the  plane  of  animalism,  it  is 
as  if  one  had  risen  from  the  dead. 

Many  parents  have  deprived  their  children  of  the  opportimity  for  improvement 
offered  them  by  the  institution  out  of  the  tenderness  of  their  regard  for  them.  They 
have  been  unwilling  to  leave  them  to  the  care  of  others,  and  especially  have  refused 
to  put  them  into  an  institution  where  they  would  be  surroimded  by  others  as  imfor- 
tunate  as  themselves.  The  fact  is  that  such  children  are  cared  for  as  the  ordinary 
family  can  never  care  for  them.  It  is  the  unanimous  report  of  the  managers  of 
such  institutions  that  the  children  are  rarely  homesick  and  that  they  are  far  happier 
than  when  at  home.  They  form  their  friendships  as  others  do,  they  are  not  peculiar 
in  such  a  colony  and  are  not  commented  upon  or  regarded  as  peculiar.  Super- 
intendent Wilbur  in  one  of  his  reports  quotes  the  following  from  Dr.  Bucknill,  of 
England:  "In  my  visits  to  the  idiot  asylums  the  thing  that  has  struck  me  most 
forcibly  was  the  happiness  of  the  children.  This  fact  has  always  delighted  me  most 
in  all  idiot  asylums.  Well  knowing,  as  I  do,  what  is  the  misery  of  a  neglected  idiot, 
I  think  this  point  can  not  be  too  strongly  dwelt  upon.  The  misery  of  a  neglected 
idiot  is  an  awful  thing  to  contemplate.  The  neglected  idiot  is  the  most  solitary  of 
human  beings;  shut  out  by  his  infirmities  from  all  feeling  with  his  fellow  men,  all 
sympathy;  shut  out,  also,  from  all  enjoyment  of  life,  even  animal  enjoyment.     Often 


422  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

he  can  not  use  sight  or  hearing  so  as  to  distinguish  objects  or  sounds.  Often  he  can 
not  walk  or  stand.  Often  he  is  tortured  with  painful  bodily  infirmities.  If  the 
mental  perceptions  and  emotions  have  in  any  way  been  developed,  he  is  often  still 
more  tortured  with  malevolent  or  brutish  passions.  In  a  private  house  he  is  often 
an  intolerable  burden,  an  incubus,  a  nightmare;  and  this  being  in  an  idiot  asylum 
becomes  sociable,  affectionate  and  happy.'' 

"Let  us  think  of  that  and  of  the  value  of  happiness  in  this  life.  Make  children 
happy  and  they  will  not  easily  grow  up  wicked.  Of  this  be  assured,  that  if  the 
happiness  of  a  community,  even  of  a  community  of  idiots,  be  secured,  the  paths  of 
goodness  and  of  usefulness  will  not  be  left  untrod.  If  the  greatest  happiness  of  the 
greatest  number  is  the  highest  aim  of  statesmanship,  the  happiness  of  the  most  wretched 
individuals  ought  to  be  the  most  constant  object  of  philanthropic  effort." 

On  October  4,  1883,  Superintendent  Wilbur  was  succeeded  in  the  management 
of  the  institution  by  William  B.  Fish,  M.  D.  The  number  of  these  unfortunate 
children  in  the  State  may  be  estimated  in  a  way  by  the  fact  that  in  the  report  of 
Superintendent  Fish  is  found  the  statement  that  in  the  first  twenty  years  of  the 
life  of  the  institution  1,692  applications  for  admission  were  received. 

In  1886  the  facilities  were  increased  by  the  addition  of  a  hospital  building.  The 
attendance  had  increased  to  363  and  a  large  number  of  applications  were  of  necessity 
refused.  An  interesting  commentary  on  the  increased  skill  of  the  teachers  is  furnished 
by  the  fact  that  six  of  the  boys  were  so  proficient  in  the  art  of  shoemaking  as  to 
supply  the  needs  of  the  institution  in  boots  and  shoes  in  addition  to  the  repairing. 
Three  Lamb  knitting  machines  were  operated  by  some  of  the  boys  and  all  of  the 
necessary  stockings  were  thus  furnished.  In  the  sewing-room  all  of  the  clothing 
needed  by  the  girls  and  all  of  the  underwear  and  overalls  needed  by  the  boys  were 
manufactured  by  the  inmates.  Such  industries  as  wood  carving  and  hammered 
brass  work  were  found  to  be  adapted  to  the  capacity  of  the  pupils.  An  excellent 
brass  band  indicated  the  possibilities  in  music.  Indeed,  where  can  another  such 
a  tribute  to  the  marvelous  art  of  teaching  be  found  as  here ! 

In  1887  the  long  delayed  scheme  of  attaching  a  farm  to  the  institution  was  under- 
taken. Four  hundred  acres  were  rented  about  a  mile  from  the  institution.  The 
labor  was  almost  entirely  performed  by  the  boys.  They  soon  learned  the  various 
arts  involved  in  agriculture  and  derived  the  greatest  satisfaction  from  their  exercise. 
Indeed,  of  all  the  industrial  employments  the  work  on  the  farm  proved  to  be  the 
most  satisfactory.  The  superintendent  says:  "It  has  been  demonstrated  by  our 
three  years'  experience  that  a  large  proportion  of  our  older  boys,  who  have  derived 
all  of  the  benefit  that  our  schools  could  give,  are  admirably  adapted  to  the  farm 
work  and  enter  into  it  successfully,  showing  unexpected  interest  and  zeal." 

As  the  institution  developed,  the  philanthropy  of  the  State  developed  with  it.  In 
spite  of  all  the  care  that  could  be  exercised  with  regard  to  admissions  it  was  inevitable 
that  members  of  the  custodial  class  would  be  admitted.  Who  should  provide  for 
their  care  if  not  the  State?  They  constitute  one  of  its  burdens  that  must  be  borne 
unless  we  are  willing  to  do  violence  to  our  humanity.  In  1889  the  General  Assembly 
made  an  appropriation  of  $40,000  for  a  building  to  be  devoted  to  these  helpless 
wards  of  society. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  423 

The  experience  with  the  rented  farm  convinced  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
wisdom  of  offering  agriculture  as  an  industrial  occupation  and  an  appropriation  of 
$26,000  was  made  for  the  purchase  of  land.  With  the  appropriation  423  acres  were 
secured  and  added  to  the  rented  land  so  that  800  acres  were  looked  after  by  the  boys 
with  but  three  salaried  supervisors  to  direct  their  labors.  Lacemaking  was  at  this 
time  added  to  the  employments,  the  institution  at  Christiana,  Norway,  lending  one 
of  its  experts  to  start  the  work  at  Lincoln. 

Superintendent  Fish  was  succeeded  by  Ambrose  M.  Miller,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  who 
issued  the  biennial  report  of  1894.  This  report  exhibits  a  higher  intelligence  with 
regard  to  the  methods  of  studying  the  minds  of  children  than  its  predecessors.  The 
later  findings  of  physiological  psychology  were  now  practically  applied  to  the  deter- 
minations of  mental  ability  or  lack  of  it  in  pupils  and  with  edifying  results.  This 
inventorying  of  a  pupil's  capacities  reveals  conditions  that  determine  the  treatment 
to  be  pursued.  The  methods  are  familiar  to  the  well-informed  schoolmaster  and 
cover  devices  for  ascertaining  the  degree  of  ear  memory,  eye  memory,  muscular 
memory,  the  extent  of  consciousness  and  others.  Physical  examinations  of  a  most 
rigorous  character  are  indispensa>ble  in  such  an  institution  for  the  purpose  of  dis- 
covering the  special  physical  organ- defects  that  explain  incapacities  in  dealing  with 
objects. 

Dr.  Miller  did  not  retain  the  superintendency  long  and  was  succeeded  by  W.  L. 
Athon.  In  1900  Superintendent  Athon  says:  "I  regret  very  much  that  the  grade 
of  children  for  which  the  institution  was  originally  organized  has  been  somewhat 
crowded  out  and  we  have  accumulated  a  large  number  of  the  more  helpless  class 
of  idiots."  This  would  seem  to  indicate  that  there  was  a  decline  in  the  character 
of  the  institution  as  an  educational  enterprise  and  a  corresponding  increase  in  its 
custodial  character.  "  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  more  improvable  cases,  after 
attending  school  a  few  years,  are  taken  to  their  homes,  while  the  lower  grades,  intel- 
lectually, after  once  becoming  inmates,  remain,  in  most  cases,  so  long  as  they  live." 

The  policy  of  greatly  enlarging  the  institution  had  now  been  decided  upon  and 
buildings  were  then  erected  increasing  the  capacity  of  the  institution  by  five  hundred 
children.  The  great  structures  that  attract  the  attention  of  the  travelers  on  the 
near  railroads  indicate  at  once  the  wreckage  of  humanity  and  the  philanthropy 
of  a  great  State  which  pours  out  its  money  in  an  attempt  to  relieve  human  suffering 
by  offering  an  asylum  to  those  to  whom  has  been  denied  the  inestimable  boon  of 
reason. 

THE  ILLINOIS  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  EDUCATION  OF  THE  BLIND. 

The  blind  have  always  been  with  us.  And  history  records  many  examples  of 
those  who,  though  deprived  of  sight,  have  found  a  way  to  possess  themselves  of 
much  of  the  knowledge  of  the  world.  It  is  another  illustration  of  the  slow  progress 
of  invention  and  of  methods  of  alleviating  the  misfortunes  of  the  afflicted  that  it 
was  not  until  1785  that  some  one  appeared  with  sufficient  intelligence  and 
humanity  to  propose  a  systematic  method  of  instructing  the  blind.  Valentin 
Hany  was  a  Frenchman.  He  began  the  great  work  which  has  since  his  time  been 
so  finely  elaborated.     The  Academy  of  Sciences  came  to  his  support  and  aided  him 


424  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

in  the  establishment  of  an  institution  adapted  to  the  needs  of  those  who  would  never 
see.  In  1791  his  school  was  taken  over  by  the  French  government  and  thereafter 
was  one  of  the  national  charities. 

The  Illinois  Institution  for  the  Education  of  the  Blind  was  originally  organized 
by  the  citizens  of  Jacksonville  and  supported  by  them  for  one  year.  It  became 
one  of  the  State  institutions  of  Illinois  on  the  13th  of  January,  1849,  when  the  legis- 
lature made  an  appropriation  for  its  support  and  authorized  the  purchase  of  not 
less  than  ten  nor  more  than  forty  acres  of  land  in  or  near  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  and 
thus  provided  an  institution  for  the  education  of  all  of  her  blind  who  were  of  suitable 
age  and  capacity  to  receive  instruction.  They  were  to  be  lodged  in  the  institution 
and  cared  for  in  all  ways  at  public  expense. 

The  board  organized  February  3,  1849,  by  the  election  of  Hon.  Samuel  D.  Lock- 
wood  as  president  and  James  Berdan  as  secretary.  Mr.  Lockwood  continued  to 
act  as  president  imtil  his  removal  from  Jacksonville  some  four  years  later.  He  was 
succeeded  on  March  14,  1853,  by  Matthew  Stacy,  who  served  in  that  capacity  for 
many  years. 

The  first  superintendent  was  Samuel  Bacon,  who  remained  at  the  head  of  the 
institution  less  than  one  year.  He  was  succeeded  by  Joshua  Rhoads,  M.  D.,  who 
held  the  position  for  twenty-four  years.  In  July,  1874,  Dr.  F.  W.  Phillips  was 
elected  to  the  superintendency  and  continued  in  that  position  imtil  his  death,  his 
administration  covering  more  than  twelve  years.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son, 
W.  S.  Phillips,  who  served  until  July  1,  1890.  During  the  time  that  Dr.  Phillips 
was  in  charge  more  than  eighteen  hundred  different  pupils  were  enrolled. 

In  addition  to  the  ordinary  academic  subjects,  music  and  certain  forms  of  hand- 
work were  taught.  When  the  pupil  had  completed  the  course  of  study  he  was  at 
liberty  to  enter  the  shop  and  learn  a  trade.  If  a  pupil  was  imable  to  complete  the 
course  he  also  was  permitted  to  acquire  sufficient  skill  in  such  forms  of  labor  as  were 
encouraged  to  become  self-supporting.  Adults  who  had  lost  their  sight  at  an  age 
that  precluded  their  entering  as  students  were  permitted  to  engage  in  shopwork. 
They  were  taught  to  make  brooms  and  mattresses  and  to  cane-seat  chairs. 

In  July,  1890,  the  supervising  board  determined  to  secure  the  best  possible  talent 
to  take  charge  of  the  school.  After  consulting  with  prominent  schoolmen  it  was 
determined  to  offer  the  position  to  one  of  the  most  capable  and  best  known  of  the 
Illinois  superintendents  of  public  schools  —  Frank  H.  Hall.  He  was  a  man  who 
never  attempted  a  task  without  performing  it  with  such  singular  originality  and  skill 
as  to  attract  marked  attention.  He  had  already  achieved  prominence.  He  had  been 
a  candidate  for  the  office  of  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  in  a  minority 
party  more  than  once.  The  writer  well  recalls  the  surprise  that  he  experienced  when 
asked  by  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  respecting  the  qualifications  of  Mr. 
Hall  for  the  position.  It  indicated  a  new  departure  in  the  management  of  the 
State  charitable  institutions. 

Mr.  Hall  was  no  sooner  installed  than  he  began  a  series  of  improvements  that 
gave  the  school  an  enviable  distinction  and  himself  an  international  repute  as  a 
teacher  of  the  blind.  He  applied  to  his  work  the  latest  deductions  of  physiological 
psychology  as  applied  to  pedagogy.     He  recognized  what  those  who  had  not  been 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  425 

students  of  pedagogy  as  a  science  had  overlooked  —  that  the  seeing  child  proceeds 
by  an  analytic  method,  that  he  pulls  words  apart  to  discover  what  they  are,  whereas 
the  blind  child  can  never  grasp  words  in  their  entirety  at  first  but  must  construct 
them  slowly  and  patiently,  through  the  sense  of  touch.  He  therefore  saw  that  the 
method  that  was  then  most  highly  approved  for  teaching  the  seeing  child  to  read 
was  of  no  value  for  the  blind  child  —  was  not  at  all  adapted  to  his  necessities. 
But  Mr.  Hall  may  speak  for  himself: 

The  fact  that  the  blind  boy  is,  from  the  first,  exercised  in  "seeing  with  the  mind's  eye,"  to  a  far 
greater  extent  than  the  seeing  boy,  that  he  daily  and  hourly  calls  to  mind  the  relative  positions  'and 
forms  of  objects,  in  response  to  verbal  descriptions,  gives  him  a  degree  of  skill  in  the  exercise  of  the 
faculty  of  conception  as  applied  to  ideas  of  material  things  which  he  has  actually  handled,  far  exceed- 
ing the  skill  attained  by  boys  that  have  good  sight.  He  therefore  exceeds  marvelously  in  the  study 
of  geometry  and  kindred  subjects.  He  easily  constructs  figures  on  the  tablet  of  his  mind.  He  sees 
the  relation  of  lines  to  each  other,  and  demonstrates  most  difficult  theorems  without  the  aid  of  chalk 
or  pencil.  On  the  other  hand,  what  knowledge  of  form  he  gains  through  the  perceptive  faculties  is 
comparatively  little.  The  entire  number  of  his  sense  percepts  is  quite  insignificant,  when  compared 
with  that  number  which  the  boy  of  keen  vision  obtains.       .    ,    . 

To  make  him  fairly  familiar  with  interesting  objects  in  nature  and  in  art,  he  must  be  supplied 
with  a  great  variety  of  specimens  which  he  can  examine  by  means  of  the  tactile  sense.  It  surprises 
visitors  and  often  leads  to  expressions  of  admiration  that  our  pupils  can  multiply  numbers  "men- 
tally" when  the  multiplicand  and  the  multiplier  each  consists  of  five,  six,  and  sometimes  eight  figures; 
that  they  can  demonstrate  the  Pythagorean  proposition  even  when  the  imaginary  figure  is  lettered 
by  the  visitor.  But  may  not  such  feats  be  more  wonderful  than  useful?  By  encouraging  the  pupils 
in  such  efforts  are  we  not  aiding  in  the  production  of  unsymmetrical  prodigies  ?  Should  we  not  rather 
encourage  the  pupil  to  acquire  as  much  as  possible  through  the  tactile  sense  of  that  which,  if  he  were 
not  defective,  he  would  obtain  through  vision? 

If  our  line  of  reasoning  and  the  implied  conclusion  are  correct,  every  school  of  the  blind  should 
be  equipped  with  a  very  large  and  varied  collection  of  objects  in  nature  and  art.  A  very  large  portion 
of  the  pupil's  time  should  be  occupied  in  gaining  a  knowledge  of  form  and  relative  position  of  parts 
through  the  sense  of  touch. 

Acting  upon  this  theory,  we  are  making  collections  of  specimens  in  all  departments  of  natural 
history  and  of  such  manufactured  articles  as  can  be  procured  and  profitably  handled  by  our  pupils. 
The  rule  is  not  "hands  ofi',"  but  hatids  on,  and  the  pupil  is  thus  led  to  see  with  his  finger  tips.  His 
perceptive  faculties  are  thus  brought  into  a  high  degree  of  activity  and  a  much  wider  range  presented 
for  the  action  of  conception,  comparison,  judgment  and  reason.  By  pursuing  the  opposite  course 
and  allowing  and  encouraging  the  pupil  into  development  along  "the  line  of  least  resistance,"  there 
results  an  abnormal  growth  of  certain  faculties ;  and  the  pupils  find  themselves  greatly  admired  while 
in  school,  but  utterly  unable  to  provide  for  their  natural  wants  when  they  get  out  into  the  great 
world  of  which  they  know  so  little. 

The  tendency  of  the  average  blind  pupil,  while  being  educated,  is  to  spend  too  much  time  in  purely 
mental  processes  and  introspection,  and  too  little  time  in  bodily  movements  and  in  coming  in  contact 
with  material  things  in  the  outer  world.  In  institutional  life  the  way  to  correct  this  tendency  is  to 
take  the  pupils  outside  as  much  as  possible  and  bring  as  much  of  the  outer  world  as  possible  into  the 
institution.  The  generous  appropriation  of  the  thirty-seventh  General  Assembly  for  purchasing 
school  apparatus,  etc.,  has  been  of  incalculable  value  in  leading  the  thoughts  of  our  pupils  out  into 
paths  which  they  can  never  see  but  which  their  feet  must  tread. 

Enough  has  been  quoted  from  the  report  of  Superintendent  Hall  to  make  clear 
his  habit  of  thought  in  dealing  with  a  problem  and  also  the  psychological  fotmdation 
upon  which  his  work  was  based.     Pupils  who  lack  some  of  the  senses  of  the  normal 


426  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

pupil  tax  the  teacher's  skill  to  the  uttermost.  It  is  only  he  who  can  put  himself  in 
some  fair  way  in  the  place  of  the  defective,  who  can  inventory  his  images  and  ideas 
and  thus  ascertain  in  some  adequate  way  what  fields  of  experience  that  are  open 
to  the  normal  child  are  forever  c^.osed  to  him,  who  can  impose  upon  the  remaining 
powers  those  added  duties  that  shall  in  some  way  repair  the  pitiful  loss  in  at  least 
some  small  way,  that  should  be  permitted  to  deal  with  these  children  of  misfortune. 

What  a  blessed  boon  to  such  prisoners  of  fate  is  the  ability  to  read,  if  that  ability 
is  met  by  books  whose  words  are  lifted  out  of  the  page  and  thus  answer  to  the  tactile 
sense!  He,  therefore,  who  supplies  this  essential  food  for  the  intelligence  is  as  worthy 
of  honor  and  praise  as  he  who  feeds  to  the  starving  body  the  only  elements  upon 
which  it  can  thrive.  But  these  books  were  scarce  and  expensive.  Was  there  no 
way  in  which  they  could  become  abundant  and  cheap?  That  was  the  question  that 
this  gifted  and  philanthropic  man  sought  to  answer. 

He  invented  the  braille  typewriter  by  which  the  blind  could  write  their  finger 
words  with  much  of  the  facility  with  which  the  seeing  operator  produces  the  familiar 
page.  Thus  the  flat  paper  was  made  to  leap  into  luminous  life  at  the  touch  of  the 
trained  fingers.  And  he  did  not  patent  it  and  he  prevented  others  from  doing  the 
same  thing.     He  gave  it  to  the  blind  as  his  contribution  to  the  children  of  the  dark. 

But  more.  He  made  a  stereotyping  machine  by  which  the  books  could  be 
printed  upon  metal  plates  and  when  that  was  done  the  production  of  the  books 
was  a  small  matter.     He  says : 

Through  the  hberahty  of  the  last  General  Assembly  we  were  provided  with  funds  for  the  purchase 
of  a  printing  outfit,  and  on  the  12th  day  of  September,  1891,  there  issued  from  our  little  press  the 
first  specimen  of  "Boston  Line"  (raised  letters)  ever  printed  in  Illinois.  The  type  was  set  and  the 
press  operated  by  pupils.  Hundreds  of  copies  of  the  following  appropriate  selection  from  scripture 
with  the  appended  explanation  were  printed  and  distributed  among  the  pupils,  and  sent  to  friends 
interested  in  this  good  work: 

"And  I  will  bring  the  blind  to  a  way  that  they  know  not;  in  paths  that  they  know  not  will  I  lead 
them ;  I  will  make  darkness  light  before  them,  and  crooked  places  straight.  These  things  will  I  do 
and  I  will  not  forsake  them. —  Isa.  42,  16  (Revised  Version)." 

"The  above  is  a  specimen  of  the  first  printing  in  embossed  characters  done  at  the  Illinois  Insti- 
tution for  the  Education  of  the  Blind,  Jacksonville,  September  12,  1891." 

During  the  year  following  two  hundred  sheets  were  printed  every  Saturday  for  distribution 
Sunday  morning.  The  matter  on  these  was  the  basis  of  the  exercises  at  the  Sunday  afternoon  meet- 
ing, which  all  of  the  pupils  most  cheerfully  attend,  and  in  which  many  of  them  take  part. 

Music  is  one  of  the  arts  in  which  the  blind  feel  their  limitation  least.  Much, 
consequently,  is  made  of  it  in  institutions  of  this  character.  Those  who  indicated 
that  they  were  capable  of  becoming  self-supporting  by  serving  as  performers  or  as 
teachers  were  afforded  highly  superior  instruction  at  Jacksonville.  Nor  were  those 
who  could  find  in  it  only  a  means  of  enjoyment  denied  the  opportunity  of  doing  the 
best  possible  with  their  precious  talent.  Now  that  a  suitable  printing  plant  was 
at  their  disposal  the  boys  were  able  to  print  music  as  well  as  books,  and  it  was  not 
long  before  there  was  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  school  an  excellent  library  of 
books  and  music.  The  books  were  printed  in  "Boston  Line,"  while  the  music  and 
school  exercises  were  printed  in  "American  Braille."  Who  can  estimate  the  light 
that  music  brought  into  the  darkness  of  these  lives !     Mention  has  been  made  of  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  427 

service  in  the  way  of  self-support  that  it  rendered  many,  while  piano-tuning  is  an 
occupation  in  which  the  blind  can  achieve  success  as  well  as  the  seeing. 

Mr.  Hall  remained  at  the  head  of  the  school  for  three  years.  His  remarkable 
success  was  everywhere  admitted.  He  was  known  as  "The  Friend  of  the  Blind." 
The  institution  was  visited  by  great  numbers  of  teachers  in  similar  institutions  as 
well  as  by  those  who  were  engaged  in  the  public  schools,  for  the  methods  employed 
were  full  of  rich  suggestions  for  all.  But  there  came  a  November  day  in  which  the 
ordinary  majorities  failed  to  materialize  and  the  political  complexion  of  the  adminis- 
tration changed.  Fearing  that  the  new  Governor  might  need  the  position  with  which 
to  pay  political  debts,  countless  petitions  poured  in  upon  him  to  spare  the  school 
for  the  blind.  They  went  for  naught.  Mr.  Hall  was  asked  for  his  resignation  and 
he  returned  to  the  superintendency  of  a  city  system.  He  was  succeeded  by  William 
F.  Short. 

The  institution  attracted  marked  attention  by  the  exhibit  prepared  and  managed 
with  great  success  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition.  The  work  of  the  pupils 
was  a  feature  of  the  exhibit  in  the  Manufactures  and  Liberal  Arts  Building,  but  it 
was  surpassed  in  attractiveness  by  the  active  exhibit  in  the  Illinois  Building.  This 
was  continued  for  four  months,  about  fifteen  pupils  being  in  constant  attendance 
and  giving  daily  exercises  in  music,  reading  in  line  and  point  print,  type-writing, 
printing,  sewing  by  hand  and  machine,  bead  work,  broommaking  and  oral  exer- 
cises. The  children  were  constantly  surrounded  by  large  numbers  of  interested 
spectators.  The  officers  of  the  association  awarded  a  beautiful  and  highly  orna- 
mented silk  medal  for  the  meritorious  work  done  by  the  pupils. 

The  legislature  of  1895  appropriated  $10,000  for  the  erection  and  equipment  of 
a  gymnasium  for  the  school.  It  was  ready  for  occupancy  by  the  last  of  January 
of  the  succeeding  year.  Respecting  it  Superintendent  Short  remarks:  "Altogether, 
the  gymnasium  is  the  most  beautiful,  commodious  and  best  equipped  of  any  institu- 
tion for  the  education  of  the  blind  in  our  country,  and  is  universally  admired  by 
all  visitors.  It  will  prove  a  great  boon  and  pleasure  to  the  pupils  for  all  time  to 
come." 

In  1896  Illinois  returned  to  the  political  fold  from  which  it  had  unexpectedly 
strayed  in  1892  and  Mr.  Hall  was  recalled  to  the  superintendency  of  the  institution. 

The  school  had  now  an  attendance  of  approximately  two  hundred  and  fifty. 
The  estimated  value  of  the  buildings  and  grounds  was  about  $250,000.  The  library 
in  embossed  characters  contained  4,000  volumes.  The  teachers'  library  (ink  print) 
numbered  some  1,500  volumes.  The  chapel  was  equipped  with  a  good  organ.  There 
was  a  good  supply  of  other  musical  instruments,  a  little  collection  of  philosophical 
apparatus,  two  stereotype-making  machines,  a  good  supply  of  braille  and  ordinary 
typewriters,  and  a  complete  outfit  for  printing  "Boston  Line"  and  "American 
Braille." 

In  1902  Mr.  Hall  retired  from  the  superintendency  of  the  school  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Mr.  Joseph  H.  Freeman,  a  highly  accomplished  and  widely  known  teacher. 
Mr.  Freeman  had  served  as  superintendent  of  public  schools  for  many  years,  had 
been  Assistant  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  under  three  State  Super- 
intendents, had  himself  served  in  that  capacity  while  filling  the  unexpired  term  of  the 


428  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

late  Superintendent  Inglis,  and  was  a  close  friend  of  Mr.  Hall.  He  was  especially 
fitted  to  follow  the  retiring  officer. 

Mr.  Freeman  remained  in  charge  of  the  institution  for  more  than  four  years  and 
was  succeeded  by  G.  W.  Jones.  July  1,  1905,  the  name  of  the  institution  became 
the  Illinois  School  for  the  Blind.  The  attendance  has  varied  from  time  to  time  but 
has  for  many  years  been  from  two  hundred  to  three  hundred. 

It  was  not  surprising  that  some  interesting  cases  developed  in  such  an  institu- 
tion. The  most  remarkable  in  many  ways  was  that  of  Emma  Kubicek,  a  deaf -blind 
girl,  who  bears  some  resemblance  to  Helen  Keller.  Those  who  are  interested  may 
find  an  account  of  her  progress  on  pp.  382-383,  of  the  Illinois  School  Report  for 
1900-1902. 

THE  ILLINOIS  SOLDIERS'  ORPHANS'  HOME. 

Before  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  it  became  evident  that  some  provision  must  be 
made  by  the  State  for  the  care  of  children  who  had  been  bereft  of  their  fathers  by 
the  dreadful  destruction  of  life.  The  cruel  harvest  of  war  leaves  only  desolation  in 
its  train.  In  January,  1864,  there  was  a  meeting  in  the  Bloomington  courthouse 
which  was  attended  by  a  number  of  the  leading  citizens  and  also  by  several  fur- 
loughed  soldiers.  The  purpose  of  the  gathering  was  the  discussion  of  some  provi- 
sions for  the  care  and  education  of  the  children  of  soldiers  who  had  given  their  lives 
to  their  country.  Col.  John  McNulta,  of  the  94th  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteers, 
offered  a  resolution  with  regard  to  memorializing  the  legislature  to  make  a  suitable 
appropriation  for  the  erection  of  a  home  for  these  dependent  wards  of  the  State. 
The  motion  was  seconded  by  Lieut.- Col.  Roe,  of  the  33d  Illinois  Regiment,  and  it 
was  carried  tinanimously.  No  sooner  did  the  action  of  this  meeting  become  known 
through  the  State  than  the  sentiment  there  expressed  was  heartily  approved.  In 
consequence,  on  the  7th  of  February,  1865,  the  legislature,  without  a  dissenting  vote, 
passed  "An  act  to  establish  a  home  for  children  of  deceased  soldiers."  This  law  was 
found  to  be  inoperative  because  of  some  legal  imperfection,  and  in  1867  it  was  so 
amended  as  to  enable  the  friends  of  the  measure  to  proceed  with  their  enterprise. 

The  amended  law  carried  an  appropriation  of  $70,000  for  the  erection  of  a  suitable 
building.  There  was  a  fund  of  $30,000  in  the  care  of  the  Governor  which  was  known 
as  the  "  Deserters'  Fund."  It  had  been  left  in  the  hands  of  the  Governor  by  men 
who  had  enlisted  for  bounties  and  after  enlistment  had  deserted  or  died  without 
heirs.  At  any  rate  it  had  not  been  called  for.  Governor  Oglesby  gladly  added  it 
to  the  appropriation,  thus  giving  to  the  proposed  measure  a  fairly  generous  fimd 
with  which  to  begin  operations. 

As  soon  as  the  commission  was  appointed,  Jesse  W.  Fell,  the  "  Father  of  Normal," 
the  man  who  was  mainly  responsible  for  the  movement  that  located  the  State  Normal 
University  at  North  Bloomington,  at  once  proceeded  to  effect  an  organization  of 
the  people  of  Normal  and  Bloomington  with  a  view  to  the  location  of  the  institution 
at  the  former  place.  Rock  Island,  Irvington,  Springfield,  Decatur  and  Normal  were 
the  competitors.  Normal  was  the  victor,  her  bid  aggregating  something  more  than 
$50,000.  Judge  David  Davis,  a  very  wealthy  man,  donated  sixty-five  acres  of  land 
adjacent  to  the  village^of  Normal.     The  valuation  was  $12,000  —  a  very  generous 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  429 

valuation,  as  the  land  could  not  have  found  a  ready  market  at  that  price.  The 
next  gift  in  order  of  size  was  that  of  Mr.  Fell,  which  was  at  first  two  thousand  acres 
of  land  which  he  listed  at  $5  an  acre.  Presumably  it  was  Iowa  land,  of  which  at 
that  time  he  was  a  large  holder.  Be  that  as  it  may,  he  chose  to  substitute  for  his 
land  gift  $10,000  in  cash,  which  made  his  gift  the  most  generous  of  all,  and  in  pro- 
portion to  his  relative  financial  ability  far  the  most  liberal.  But  that  was  like  Mr. 
Fell.  It  will  be  remembered  that  he  did  not  consider  any  sacrifice  too  great  when 
he  was  interested  in  an  enterprise  that  promised  advantage  to  those  who  were  in 
need. 

Of  the  remaining  subscriptions  the  largest  was  that  of  twenty  acres  of  land  by 
H.  P.  Taylor,  at  a  valuation  of  $2,400,  which  was  not  excessive.  There  were  thirty- 
two  donors  in  all,  the  C.  &  A.  R.  R.  being  one  of  them  and  contributing  $10,000  in 
freight  charges  at  tariff  rates. 

While  the  building  was  in  process  of  erection  a  building  was  rented  in  Bloom- 
ington  for  a  temporary  home  for  the  children  and  Mrs.  Mary  Merchant  was  appointed 
matron.  This  building  was  soon  filled  to  its  capacity,  and  as  other  children  were 
waiting  a  second  building  was  also  secured.  This  was  soon  filled,  and  still  the  chil- 
dren were  asking  for  help.  At  the  January,  1868,  meeting  of  the  Board  it  was 
determined  to  rent  a  building  in  Springfield  for  temporary  use.  A  commodious 
house  was  secured  near  the  city  and  Mrs.  Col.  S.  P.  Ohr  was  installed  as  matron. 
This  had  the  same  experience  as  the  others  and  was  soon  crowded. 

The  Board  of  Trustees  let  the  contract  for  the  building  as  soon  as  possible  and 
on  the  17th  of  June,  1869,  it  was  dedicated.  The  cost  was  approximately  $125,000. 
The  structure  is  144  feet  long,  72  feet  wide  and  three  stories  high  above  the  base- 
ment. Additional  buildings  were  subsequently  erected  in  the  way  of  a  kitchen, 
a  laundry,  a  boiler  house  and  a  school  house,  some  three  years  later,  and  after  several 
years  suitable  cottages  to  accommodate  the  increased  numbers. 

The  first  matron  of  the  institution,  after  it  was  installed  in  its  permanent  home, 
was  the  lady  who  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  Springfield  temporary  home  — 
Mrs.  Virginia  C.  Ohr.  She  remained  many  years  at  the  head  of  affairs.  Her  four 
daughters  were  of  the  greatest  aid  to  her  in  her  arduous  task.  She  was  a  woman 
of  superior  ability  and  won  distinction  in  her  very  difficult  position. 

The  commission  for  the  location  of  the  Home  consisted  of  Dr.  H.  C.  Johns,  of 
Decatur;  Col.  W.  Niles,  of  Belleville;  Maj.  James  W.  Beardsley,  Rock  Island;  Col. 
J.  H.  Maybome,  Geneva;  Col.  T.  A.  Marshall,  Charleston.  The  first  Board  of 
Trustees  contained  nine  gentlemen,  but  it  was  subsequently  reduced  to  three,  a  better 
number  for  the  transaction  of  the  necessary  business  of  such  an  institution. 

Prof.  H.  C.  De  Motte,  long  a  teacher  in  the  Illinois  Wesley  an  University  at  Bloom- 
ington,  served  for  several  years  as  superintendent.  Mrs.  De  Motte  acted  in  the 
capacity  of  matron.  These  two  people  were  well  fitted  for  the  care  of  the  children, 
for  they  were  devoted  to  their  duties,  and  were  qualified  in  a  superior  way  by  edu- 
cation and  social  culture  to  make  the  most  of  the  institution.  Unfortunately,  the 
Home  was  used  occasionally  as  a  means  of  paying  political  obligations,  and  changes 
in  the  management  were  sometimes  made  to  reward  friends  of  the  administration. 
George  P.  Brown,  of  Bloomington,  a  prominent  educational  leader,  once  visited  the 


430  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

school  attached  to  the  institution  and  discovered  that  the  principal  had  been  selected 
without  regard  to  her  fitness,  but,  instead,  because  of  her  relationship  to  a  member 
of  the  Board.  He  vigorously  attacked  the  policy  of  sacrificing  the  welfare  of  the 
dependent  children  to  the  financial  interests  of  the  family  of  one  of  the  officials  and 
the  matter  was  promptly  corrected.  This  incident  occurred  many  years  ago  and 
it  is  understood  that  a  different  policy  has  obtained  in  recent  political  administrations. 

For  many  years  the  instruction  of  the  children  was  of  the  old,  abstract  sort  — 
book  learning.     A  more  enlightened  policy  was  finally  adopted.     If  any  children 
were  in  need  of  vocational  training  it  was  clear  that  these  boys  and  girls,  who  were 
predestined  to  self-support,  should  receive  some  suitable  preparation  for  the  work 
that  awaited  them.     This  need  was  ultimately  recognized. 

Major  Macaule3^  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  was  the  longest  in  continuous 
service  of  the  superintendents  with  the  possible  exception  of  Mrs.  Ohr.  After  thirt}^ 
years  and  more  had  passed  after  the  close  of  the  war  it  was  supposed  that  the  school 
constituency  would  disappear,  but  the  Spanish  war  was  a  new  occasion  for  its  service, 
and  orphan  children  whose  claim  for  charity  did  not  rest  on  the  military  service  of 
their  fathers  were  at  last  admitted. 

A  number  of  the  children  continued  their  educational  effort  after  leaving  the 
Home  and  some  of  them  became  prominent  in  military  and  other  service.  Many 
thousands  of  children  were  rescued  from  poverty  and  started  on  the  way  to  an 
admirable  citizenship  through  the  ministry  of  this  most  beneficent  institution. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  431 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

PROFESSOR   TURNER  AND   THE   DEVELOPMENT   OF 
INDUSTRIAL   EDUCATION. 

IT  is  interesting  to  note  how  frequently  history  is  a  sort  of  modest  biography. 
The  way  in  which  a  few  men  have  determined  the  trend  of  events  is  a  sufficient 
excuse,  if  one  be  needed,  for  all  of  the  hero  worship  that  the  enthusiastic  admirers 
of  the  great  ever  manifest.  The  place  of  Professor  Turner  in  the  development  of 
industrial  education  can  not  be  told  in  one  brief  chapter ;  a  volume  would  be  necessary 
to  do  him  adequate  justice.  This  is  an  attempt  at  a  slight  appreciation  of  his  con- 
tribution to  a  movement  that  has.  slowly  gathered  headway  until  it  seems  probable 
that  it  will  sweep  all  before  it  in  its  triumphant  progress. 

Fortunately  there  has  at  last  appeared  a  life  of  this  distinguished  pioneer,  by  his 
daughter,  Mary  Turner  Carriel.  There  was  an  exercise  of  poetic  justice  as  well  as  of 
wise  judgment  when  she  was  chosen  by  the  electorate  as  the  first  woman  member  of 
the  board  of  trustees  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  The  book  is  but  recently  from 
the  press  and  may  therefore  be  assumed  to  be  the  latest  utterance  with  regard  to 
his  work  and  by  one  who  is  qualified  to  speak  concerning  it.  The  following  is 
mainly  from  its  pages : 

Jonathan  Baldwin  Turner  was  born  in  Worcester  county,  Massachusetts,  on 
December  7,  1805.  His  father  was  a  farmer  and  of  excellent  stock.  There  were 
many  of  his  ancestors  of  whom  he  could  speak  with  conscious  and  justifiable  pride, 
for  they  were  active  in  those  stirring  times  when  history  was  making.  They  answered 
to  roll  calls  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution  and  refiected  honor  upon  all  the  bearers 
of  their  name.  Jonathan  came  by  his  adventurous  spirit  naturally  enough;  his 
father  was  a  captain  in  Shay's  Rebellion,  which  at  bottom  was  the  protest  of 
good  men  and  true  against  what  they  conceived  to  be  unjust  laws. 

It  was  the  desire  of  the  family  that  Jonathan  should  remain  on  the  home  farm, 
and  when  he  was  twenty-one  his  father  gave  him  the  property.  But  his  brother, 
Asa,  had  other  plans  for  him  and  succeeded  in  bringing  the  rest  to  his  point  of  view. 
In  consequence,  Jonathan  soon  found  himself  at  New  Haven  and  preparing  for 
college,  although  he  was  already  twenty-two  years  old.  Like  many  another  young 
fellow  with  a  purpose  he  helped  himself  through  the  academy  and  the  college  and 
graduated  in  1832.  His  stock  of  money  must  have  been  small,  for  hearing  that  his 
mother  was  ill  he  went  to  see  her  on  foot  although  he  was  obliged  to  walk  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  miles  each  way. 

There  are  interesting  stories  of  events  that  tested  the  strength  and  independence 
of  his  character  while  he  was  yet  a  student,  but  they  may.be  inferred  from  the  quali- 
ties that  he  displayed  in  his  later  life. 


432  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  story  of  the  "Yale  band"  of  seven,  who  in  1827  united  to  become  mission- 
aries to  IlUnois,  has  been  told.  They  had  been  joined  later  by  Edward  Beecher, 
who,  in  the  winter  of  1832-3,  as  president  of  Illinois  College,  wrote  to  President 
Day,  of  Yale,  for  a  teacher  who  had  the  scholarship  and  ability  to  develop  into 
a  college  professor.  Jonathan  Turner  was  selected  for  the  position,  President  Day 
offering  to  excuse  him  from  the  examinations  and  other  duties  attaching  to  the  close 
of  his  work  and  promising  to  send  his  diploma  after  him.  In  consequence,  the  spring 
of  1833  found  him  in  the  "Illinois  Country,"  in  the  role  of  a  professor  at  the  new 
college  in  Jacksonville.  There  were  many  hardships  to  be  experienced,  but  he  was 
equal  to  them  all.  Two  years  later  he  returned  to  New  England,  where  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Rodolphia  Kibbe.  Before  the  return  journey  had  begun  his  bride 
was  attacked  with  typhoid  fever.  Her  recovery  was  slow  and  the  facilities  for 
transportation  were  extremely  limited.  It  was  a  long  and  trying  journey,  but  at 
last  the  destination  was  reached  about  in  time  for  the  spring  quarter.  It  will  not 
be  difficult  to  imagine  the  experiences  of  the  young  New  England  bride  in  her  new 
and  trying  situation. 

Something  may  be  learned  of  Professor  Turner's  work  at  Illinois  College  from 
what  has  been  written  of  the  founding  and  development  of  that  institution.  Politi- 
cally he  was  an  abolitionist,  but  he  was  surrounded  by  a  people  who  were  largely 
pro-slavery  in  sentiment.  As  no  other  political  question  awakened  such  bitterness 
of  spirit  and  such  violent  antagonisms  as  the  slavery  question,  he  was  regarded  with 
great  suspicion  and  looked  upon  as  a  dangerous  citizen  by  the  friends  of  that  "sum 
of  all  villainies."  Moreover,  he  was  of  the  liberal  school  of  thinkers  in  religious 
matters,  and  that  was  a  cross  to  many  a  good  friend  of  the  college.  He  once  received 
a  letter  from  a  "Friend,"  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  who  stated  that  he  had  recently 
returned  from  Missouri,  where  he  had  learned  that  a  scheme  was  on  foot  among 
some  of  the  more  violent  of  the  slave-holding  people  to  burn  the  college  and  kidnap 
the  good  professor.  Should  that  enterprise  fail  he  was  warned  that  "  a  little  poison, 
or  a  hemp  cord  on  your  neck,  or  a  messenger  of  lead,  or  a  bowie-knife  will  be  certain 
in  their  time."  It  was  in  this  early  period  that  the  Mormon  question  also  agitated 
the  minds  of  large  numbers  of  people,  for  the  new  settlement  of  that  faith  was  not 
far  from  Jacksonville.  He,  of  course,  could  not  keep  out  of  anything  that  looked 
like  a  war  between  decency  and  vice,  so  that  his  life  was  not  likely  to  be  especially 
tranquil. 

Not  long  after  his  arrival  in  Jacksonville  he  had  been  admitted  to  the  ministry 
and  for  several  years  served  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  churches  of  Waverly 
and  Chandlerville.  He  found  himself  unable  to  accept  certain  doctrinal  views  then 
held  quite  generally  by  the  churches,  and  his  "heresies"  subjected  the  college,  which 
was  under  Presbyterian  control,  to  no  little  criticism.  At  last  the  synod  deemed  it 
advisable  to  examine  the  faculty  with  respect  to  their  beliefs.  This  was  done  in 
1844.  All  succeeded  in  satisfying  the  committee  except  Professor  Turner.  But  he 
was  too  valuable  a  man  to  be  dismissed  for  a  difference  of  opinion,  important  as 
such  matters  were  then  considered.  It  was  not  a  pleasant  relation,  however,  and 
in  1848  he  retired  from  the  institution,  "more  feeble  and  broken  in  health  at  forty- 
five  than  I  am  now  at  ninety-one." 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  433 

It  was  a  trying  situation.  He  was  in  poor  health,  was  in  debt,  and  had  a  family 
consisting  of  his  wife  and  five  children.  The  regard  in  which  he  was  held  by  the 
students  of  the  college  is  manifested  by  a  petition  signed  by  a  large  number  of  them, 
requesting  him  to  conduct  a  Bible  class  at  the  Congregational  church.  This  he  did 
for  several  years  and  it  was  liberally  attended,  as  the  petition  was  renewed  each 
year,  each  signer  pledging  himself  to  attend.  His  fearlessness  and  frankness  are 
illustrated  by  the  testimony  of  a  listener  who  happened  to  be  present  at  a  prayer- 
meeting  at  which  the  Fugitive-Slave  Law  was  mentioned.  He  said:  "We  are  told 
that  this  institution  of  which  we  are  all  to  become  defenders  is  authorized  by  the 
Bible.  Well,  if  this  is  the  Bible  I  say  take  away  the  Bible.  We  do  not  want  it. 
Give  us  the  Book  of  Mormon,  the  Koran,  the  Hindoo  Shasters.  Anything  is  better. 
But,  thank  God,  this  infamy  is  not  from  the  Bible." 

After  resigning  the  chair  of  belles  lettres  and  literature,  which  he  had  occupied 
so  long,  he  was  at  loss,  at  first,  as  to  an  occupation.  He  finally  decided  to  take  up 
horticulture  and  Osage  orange  culture.  This  decision  was  of  momentous  impor- 
tance to  the  future  history  of  the  State,  for  he  was  thus  identified  with  its  primary 
interests  in  a  way  that  he  probably  .would  not  have  been  if  he  had  entered  any  other 
calling. 

Nothing  was  more  natural  than  that  Professor  Turner  should  interest  himself  in 
public  education.  As  early  as  1834  he  writes:  "I  determined  to  spend  the  vacation 
looking  into  the  state  of  common  schools  in  Illinois.  I  have  been  absent  about 
seven  weeks,  have  visited  some  dozen  or  fifteen  counties,  and  delivered  public 
addresses  in  all  the  county  seats  and  principal  villages. 

"  The  result  is  that  in  all  of  the  counties  I  have  visited,  and  many  others  to  which 
I  have  written,  they  have  resolved  to  call  county  meetings  and  to  elect  delegates  to 
the  State  convention  to  be  held  in  Vandalia  next  December  to  discuss  the  subject 
of  common  schools  and  to  lay  the  subject  before  the  legislature  and  the  people. 
My  success  has  been  better  than  I  expected  and  I  hope  great  good  will  result."  He 
attended  all  important  gatherings  of  teachers  and  lent  his  great  abilities  and  energies 
to  the  promotion  of  popular  education,  an  interest  which  was  very  dear  to  him. 

It  was  in  1850,  however,  after  twenty  years  of  advocacy  of  general  education, 
that  he  first  appeared  in  a  public  way  as  the  special  advocate  of  a  State  University 
for  the  Industrial  Classes.  The  idea  of  combining  labor  and  learning  was  not  new. 
As  has  been  said  in  these  pages,  there  were  many  charters  granted  in  the  first  decade 
of  statehood  to  institutions  that  proposed  to  unite  agriculture  and  the  pursuit  of 
learning.  But  the  studies  which  occupied  the  attention  of  the  students  were  the 
old  subjects  of  the  classical  curriculum,  which  had  come  down  from  the  seventeenth 
century  and  that  formed  the  substance  of  all  courses  of  study.  The  labor  was 
intended  as  a  means  of  support  for  the  students  and  not  as  an  element  in  their  edu- 
cation. It  was  because  of  this  fatal  defect  that  the  few  that  came  into  actual  existence 
soon  perished  for  lack  of  students. 

In  May  of  1850,  he  was  president  of  the  State  Teachers'  Institute,  which  held 
its  annual  session  at  Griggsville.  In  his  address  he  formulated  his  plan  for  a  real 
university  whose  function  should  be  the  education  of  the  industrial  classes  in  the 
arts  in  which  they  were  engaged,  and  it  covered  not  agriculture  alone  but  all  other 

28 


434  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

industrial  occupations  and  in  all  of  the  States  of  the  Union.  In  this  address  he  said: 
"Some  here  will  recollect  that  a  few  years  ago  I  delivered  an  address  to  you  here 
in  this  place,  the  first  that  I  ever  did  deliver  on  industrial  education.  For  several 
years  the  advocates  of  that  scheme  were  branded  in  the  public  prints  with  all  sorts 
of  opprobrious  epithets  by  the  long-eared  guardians  of  our  faith,  our  morals  and  our 
civilization.  We  were  denounced  as  ruthless  and  visionary  agitators  and  outlaws. 
The  bill  for  richly  and  appropriately  endowing  such  institutions,  involving  millions 
of  money,  is  now  favorably  and  hopefully  before  Congress,  and  great  sovereign  States 
are  disputing  through  the  press  about  the  honor  of  having  originated  the  scheme. 
It  is  my  own  firm  belief  that  you  are  the  first  people  in  the  Union,  and  the  first  in  the 
civilized  world,  that  ever  gave  to  that  scheme  a  warm,  earnest,  and  decided  support. 
Certainly  the  reception  you  gave  it  led  me  first  to  regard  it  as  practically  hopeful 
as  well  as  truly  needful." 

This  Griggsville  address,  "which  gave  the  first  impetus  to  the  movement  that 
established  the  great  State  land-grant  universities  of  this  country,"  is  given  in  full 
in  the  book  from  which  this  material  is  drawn. 

Those  interesting  funds  of  which  so  much  has  been  said  in  these  pages  must  not 
be  forgotten.  They  were  in  the  minds  of  all  advocates  of  educational  institutions. 
The  existing  colleges  were  reaching  for  them.  If  they  could  have  had  their  way 
there  would  have  been  a  slicing  up  of  the  precious  grants  among  a  hungry  lot  of 
so-called  higher  schools,  although  there  would  have  been  but  a  half  mouthful  for 
each.  And  that  would  have  been  done  but  for  a  few  large-minded  men  like  Professor 
Turner. 

In  the  little  county  of  Putnam  —  the  smallest  county  in  Illinois  —  there  has 
been  from  very  early  times  a  highly  intelligent  group  of  people.  An  agricultural 
society  had  been  organized  there  which  was  known  as  the  Buel  Institute.  One  of 
its  functions  was  to  hold  an  annual  fair.  On  this  occasion  in  1851,  it  was  determined 
to  hold  a  Farmers'  County  Convention  in  November,  "  To  take  into  consideration 
such  measures  as  might  be  deemed  expedient  to  further  the  interests  of  the  agricul- 
tural community,  and  particularly  to  take  steps  toward  the  establishment  of  an 
Agricultural  University."  Of  course  Professor  Turner  was  invited.  The  meeting 
has  become  historic  and  is  known  as  "  The  Granville  Convention." 

It  is  conceded  to  be  the  birthplace  of  the  industrial  education  movement  in 
Illinois,  for,  unlike  the  Griggsville  meeting,  it  was  called  for  that  express  purpose. 
Professor  Turner  was  there  and  took  an  active  part.  The  importance  of  the  meeting 
was  seen  by  the  members  and  he  was  selected  to  prepare  a  report  of  the  proceedings 
for  publication,  for  he  gave  the  Griggsville  address  of  the  year  before.  This 
he  did,  and  the  convention  ordered  a  thousand  copies  printed  for  distribution  and 
provided  for  the  publication  of  the  same  in  the  Prairie  Farmer  and  in  other  papers 
of  the  State. 

Professor  Turner  was  made  chairman  of  the  committee  on  business.  At  the 
second  session  of  the  convention  he  reported  an  order  of  business  under  the  form 
of  a  series  of  resolutions,  three  of  which  follow: 

Resolved,  That  as  the  representatives  of  the  industrial  classes,  including  all  cultivators  of  the 
soil,  artisans,  mechanics,  and  merchants,  we  desire  the  same  privileges  and  advantages  for  ourselves, 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  435 

our  fellows  and  our  posterity,  in  each  of  our  several  pursuits  and  callings,  as  our  professional  brethren 
enjoy  in  theirs;  and  we  admit  that  it  is  our  own  fault  that  we  do  not  also  enjoy  them. 

Resolved,  That  in  our  opinion,  the  institutions  originally  and  primarily  designed  to  meet  the  wants 
of  the  professional  classes,  as  such,  can  not,  in  the  nature  of  things,  meet  ours,  any  more  than  the 
institutions  we  desire  to  establish  for  ourselves  could  meet  theirs.     Therefore, 

Resolved,  That  we  take  immediate  measures  for  the  establishment  of  a  university  in  the  State 
of  Illinois  especially  to  meet  those  felt  wants  of  each  and  all  the  industrial  classes  of  our  State ;  that 
we  recommend  the  foundation  of  high  schools,  lyceums,  institutes,  etc.,  in  each  of  our  counties,  on 
similar  principles,  so  soon  as  they  may  find  it  practicable  to  do  so. 

A  committee  consisting  of  members  from  ten  of  the  counties  of  the  State  was 
appointed  to  issue  a  call  for  a  convention  to  be  held  at  Springfield  in  the  early  part 
of  the  next  session  of  the  legislature  unless  thought  advisable  to  go  elsewhere.  The 
Governor  Was  solicited  to  include  in  his  call  for  a  special  session,  should  such  a  session 
be  called  before  the  regular  session,  the  objects  of  this  convention. 

As  was  to  be  expected,  the  press  was  divided  on  the  policy  of  the  convention. 
Professor  Turner's  home  paper  criticized  him  for  his  attitude.  His  replies  to  such 
criticisms  are  fine  reading.  He  had  many  letters  of  encouragement,  however,  from 
such  leaders  in  agriculture  and  horticulture  as  C.  R.  Overman,  of  McLean  county; 
Oaks  Turner,  of  Hennepin,  and  others,  including  Representative  L.  D.  Campbell, 
of  Ohio. 

The  convention  was  held  at  Springfield,  June  8,  1852.  Professor  Turner  was 
made  temporary  president  and  W.  H.  Powell,  secretary.  The  general  public  was 
admitted  by  courtesy  and,  in  consequence,  many  enemies  of  the  movement  were 
thus  privileged  to  be  present  and  to  participate  in  the  debates. 

"Guests  by  courtesy"  took  possession  of  the  meeting  and,  by  preconcerted  plans,  attempted, 
by  ridicule  and  sarcasm,  to  break  it  up.  Not  knowing  that  Professor  Turner  was  present,  or  forgetting 
that  he  was  a  university  graduate,  they  hurled  at  the  audience  a  volley  of  questions  relating  to  abstract 
and  classical  subjects,  thinking  that  no  one  in  the  audience  would  be  able  to  answer  them,  and  that 
in  the  confusion  and  mortification  of-  their  ignorance  they  would  prove  their  unfitness  to  organize 
or  to  conduct  an  educational  institution.  Professor  Turner  arose  in  his  seat  and  respectfully  answered 
all  questions.  When  he  returned  the  compliment  by  asking  them  the  practical  questions  of  the  day, 
which  they  could  not  answer  without  convicting  themselves  of  incompetency,  and  when  they  had 
been  utterly  confused  and  confounded,  he  turned  upon  them  and  in  the  most  scathing  language 
depicted  their  ungentlemanly  conduct  as  guests  of  an  organization  to  which  they  had  been  invited, 
until  they  were  glad  to  take  refuge  in  flight,  amid  the  laughter  and  jeers  of  their  intended  victims. 

The  enemies  that  so  interfered  with  the  success  of  the  meeting  were  representatives  of  the  col- 
leges. They  regarded  themselves  as  alone  competent  to  manage  educational  institutions  and  desired 
to  become  the  trustees  of  the  State  funds.  They  never  succeeded,  however,  in  winning  the  con- 
fidence of  the  classes  in  interest  and  were  opposed  by  them  at  every  step  in  the  whole  proceeding. 

Although  the  convention  fell  far  short  in  its  results  of  what  had  been  hoped  for 
it,  the  memorial  to  the  legislature  was  prepared  and  issued.  It  is  presented  here- 
with: 

ILLINOIS  INDUSTRIAL  CONVENTION. 

Memorial  of  the  Industrial  Convention  to  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State 
of  Illinois. 

The  convention  of  the  friends  of  the  Industrial  University,  proposed  to  the  consideration  of  the 
people  of  Illinois  by  the  Granville  convention,  whose  report  is  alluded  to  in  the  message  of  the  Gover- 


436  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

nor  of  the  State,  beg  leave  to  submit  to  the  consideration  of  the  senators  and  representatives  of  the 
people,  the  following  memorial: 

But  three  general  methods  have  been  proposed  for  the  use  of  the  College  and  Seminary  Funds 
of  the  State. 

L  The  perpetual  continuance  of  their  use  for  common-school  purposes  is  not  seriously  expected 
by  any  one,  but  only  their  temporary  loan  for  this  noble  object. 

2.  The  equal  distribution  of  their  proceeds  among  the  ten  or  twelve  colleges  in  charge  of  the 
various  religious  denominations  of  the  State,  either  now  in  existence  or  soon  to  arise  and  claim  their 
share  in  these  funds,  and  the  equally  just  claims  of  medical  and  other  institutions  for  their  share, 
it  is  thought  by  your  memorialists,  would  produce  too  great  a  division  to  render  these  funds  of  much 
practical  value  either  to  these  institutions  or  to  the  people  of  the  State.  Nor  do  they  consider  that 
it  would  make  any  practical  difference  in  this  regard,  whether  the  funds  were  paid  directly  by  the 
State  over  to  the  trustees  of  these  institutions,  or  disbursed  indirectly  through  a  new  board  of  over- 
seers or  regents,  to  be  called  the  University  of  Illinois.  The  plan  of  attempting  to  elect  by  State 
authority  some  smaller  number  of  these  institutions,  to  enjoy  the  benefits  of  the  funds,  on  the  one 
hand,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  others,  or  attempting  to  endow  them  all  so  as  to  fit  them  for  the  great 
practical  uses  of  the  industrial  classes  of  the  State,  we  trust  your  honorable  bodies  will  see  at  once 
to  be  still  more  impracticable  and  absurd,  if  not  radically  unequal  and  unjust  in  a  free  State  like  ours. 

3.  Your  memorialists,  therefore,  desire,  not  the  dispersion  by  any  mode,  direct  or  indirect, 
of  these  funds,  but  their  continued  preservation  and  concentration  for  the  equal  use  of  all  classes  of 
our  citizens,  and  especially  to  meet  the  pressing  necessities  of  the  great  industrial  classes  and  interests 
of  the  State,  in  accordance  with  the  principles  suggested  in  the  message  of  His  Excellency  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State  (A.  C.  French)  to  your  honorable  bodies ;  and  also  in  the  recent  message  of  Governor 
Hunt  of  New  York  to  the  legislature  of  that  State,  and  sanctioned  by  the  approval  of  many  of  the 
wisest  and  most  patriotic  statesmen  in  this  and  other  States. 

The  report  of  the  Granville  convention  of  farmers,  herewith  submitted  and  alluded  to,  as  above 
J  noticed  in  the  message  of  our  Chief  Magistrate,  may  be  considered  as  one,  and  as  only  one,  of  the  vari- 
ous modes  in  which  this  desirable  end  may  be  reached,  and  is  alluded  to  in  this  connection  as  being 
the  only  published  document  of  any  convention  on  this  subject,  and  as  a  general  illustration  of  what 
your  petitioners  would  desire,  when  the  wisdom  of  the  Senators  and  Representatives  of  the  people 
shall  have  duly  modified  and  perfected  the  general  plan  proposed,  so  as  to  fit  it  to  the  present  resources 
and  necessities  of  the  State. 

We  desire  that  some  beginning  should  be  made,  as  soon  as  our  statesmen  may  deem  prudent  so  to  do, 
to  realize  the  high  and  noble  ends  for  the  people  of  the  State  proposed  in  each  and  all  of  the  documents  above 
alluded  to.  And  if  possible  on  a  sufficiently  extensive  scale  to  honorably  justify  a  successful  appeal  to 
Congress,  in  conjunction  with  em-inent  citi-^ens  and  statesmen  in  other  States,  who  have  expressed  their 
readiness  to  cooperate  with  us,  for  an  appropriation  of  public  lands  for  each  State  in  the  Union  for  the 
appropriate  endowment  of  universities  for  the  liberal  education  of  the  industrial  classes  in  their  several 
pursuits  in  each  State  in  the  Union. 

And  in  this  rich  and,  at  least,  prospectively  powerful  State,  acting  in  cooperation  with  the  vast  energies 
and  resources  of  this  mighty  confederation  of  united  republics,  even  very  small  beginnings,  properly  directed, 
may  at  no  ve:y  remote  day,  result  in  consequences  more  wonderful  and  beneficent  than  the  most  daring 
mind  would  now  venture  to  predict  or  even  to  conceive. 

In  the  appropriation  of  those  funds  your  memorialists  would  especially  desire  that  a  department 
for  Normal  School  teaching,  to  thoroughly  qualify  teachers  for  county  and  district  schools,  and  an 
appropriate  provision  for  the  practical  education  of  the  destitute  orphans  of  the  State,  should  not 
be  forgotten. 

We  think  that  the  object  at  which  we  aim  must  so  readily  commend  itself  to  the  good  sense  and 
patriotism  both  of  our  people,  rulers  and  statesmen,  when  once  clearly  and  fully  understood,  that 
we  refrain  from  all  argument  in  its  favor. 

We  ask  that  one  institution  for  the  numerous  industrial  classes,  the  teachers  and  orphans  of  this 
State  and  of  each  State,  should  be  endowed  on  the  same  general  principles  and  to  the  same  relative 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  437 

extent  as  some  one  of  the  numerous  institutions  now  existing  in  each  State  for  the  more  especial  benefit 
of  the  comparatively  very  limited  classes  in  the  three  learned  professions.  If  this  is  deemed  immod- 
erate or  even  impracticable,  we  will  cheerfully  accept  even  less. 

As  to  the  objection  that  States  can  not  properly  manage  literary  institutions,  all  history  shows 
that  the  States  in  this  country,  and  in  Europe,  which  have  attempted  to  manage  them  by  proper 
methods,  constituting  a  vast  majority  of  the  whole,  have  fully  succeeded  in  their  aim ;  while  the 
few  around  us  that  have  attempted  to  endow  and  organize  them  on  wrong  principles,  condemned 
by  all  experience,  have,  of  course,  failed.  Nor  can  a  State  charter  originate  railroads,  or  manage 
any  other  interest,  except  by  proper  methods  and  through  proper  agents.  And  a  people  or  a  State 
that  can  not  learn,  in  time,  to  manage  properly  and  efficiently  all  these  interests,  and  especially  the 
great  interest  of  self-education,  is  obviously  unfit  for  self-government,  which  we  are  not  willing  as  yet 
to  admit  in  reference  to  any  State  in  the  Union,  and  least  of  all  our  own. 

With  these  sentiments  deeply  impressed  on  our  hearts,  and  on  the  hearts  of  many  of  our  more 
enlightened  fellow  citizens,  your  memorialists  will  never  cease  to  pray  your  honorable  bodies  for  that 
effective  aid  which  you  alone  can  grant.  Respectfully  submitted,  by  order  of  the  Committee  of  the 
Convention,  j    g   Turner,  Chairman. 

If  any  apology  were  needed  for  the  incorporation  of  the  foregoing  memorial  in 
these  pages  it  would  be  furnished,  by  the  extreme  importance  of  the  subjects  thus 
urged  upon  the  attention  of  the  lawmakers  and  the  remarkable  results  that  followed 
in  their  own  time. 

And  now  the  movement  was  on  foot.  The  Illinois  Congressmen,  representatives 
in  the  main  of  an  agricultural  people,  saw  the  tremendous  possibilities  of  such  a 
scheme.  Richard  Yates,  then  in  Congress,  was  at  once  attracted  by  a  measure  of 
such  commanding  statesmanship.  He  was  the  personal  friend  and  admirer  of  Pro- 
fessor Turner,  having  been  his  pupil  at  Illinois  College.  He  presented  the  Granville 
address  to  the  National  Agricultural  Convention  held  in  Washington  and  had  it 
referred  to  a  suitable  committee,  of  which  Senator  Douglas  was  a  member. 

On  November  24,  1852,  another  convention  was  held,  meeting  in  Chicago.  It 
was  there  that  the  Industrial  League  of  Illinois  was  formed.  It  received  a  charter 
from  the  legislature  the  next  year.  It  kept  before  the  people  the  subject  for  which 
Professor  Turner  and  his  friends  were  fighting.  That  it  was  well  done  there  can 
be  no  doubt,  for  he  was  the  principal  director.  The  convention  also  "Resolved,  That 
this  convention  memorialize  Congress  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  grant  of  public 
lands  to  establish  and  endow  industrial  institutions  in  each  and  every  State  in  the 
Union."  Professor  Turner's  Granville  plan  was  called  for  and  was  discussed  section 
by  section  and  heartily  approved. 

"  It  was  also  voted  unanimously  that  a  department  for  the  education  of  common- 
school  teachers  be  considered  an  essential  feature  of  the  plan. " 

And  now  the  papers  were  kept  busy  with  reports  of  what  had  been  done  and 
what  was  hoped  might  be  done,  this  master  spirit  guiding  the  whole  discussion,  and 
constantly  contributing  with  his  own  pen.  The  fourth  convention  was  held  in 
Springfield  on  the  8th  of  January,  1853.  Professor  Turner  was  instructed  to  prepare 
another  memorial  to  the  legislature,  which  he  did  in  his  characteristic  way.  It  was 
signed  by  Bronson  Murray,  President  of  the  Industrial  League,  but  there  was  no 
doubt  of  its  authorship.  The  essence  of  the  petition  prayed  the  Senate  and  House 
of  Representatives  to  memorialize  Congress  to  appropriate  to  each  State  an  amount 


438  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

of  public  lands,  not  less  in  value  than  $500,000,  for  the  endowment  of  a  State  Uni- 
versity in  each  State.  The  legislature  granted  the  petition  and  instructed  the 
Senators  and  Representatives  in  Congress  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  secure  the  pas- 
sage of  a  bill  embodying  the  Turner  idea.  Moreover,  messages  were  sent  to  the  Gov- 
ernors and  legislatures  of  all  of  the  States  inviting  their  cooperation. 

And  now  Professor  Turner  took  the  field,  giving  addresses,  writing  letters  to 
prominent  men,  besieging  the  leading  papers,  and  doing  all  that  his  tireless  enthu- 
siasm suggested  to  carry  his  point.  We  have  seen  what  became  of  the  Normal  school 
scheme  of  which  he  was  so  fond. 

But  such  intense  activity  could  not  continue  long  without  a  severe  penalty.  His 
eyes  resented  their  abuse  and  for  months  he  was  obliged  to  sit  in  a  darkened  room, 
the  slightest  ray  of  light  causing  excruciating  pain.  In  these  months  of  suffering 
he  appeared  again  and  again,  being  led  to  the  platform  with  his  poor  eyes  heavily 
bandaged.  The  ranks  were  slowly  but  surely  filling  with  converts  to  his  great  and 
all-absorbing  plan.  In  1854  the  legislative  resolution  reached  Congress  where  it  was 
introduced  by  Representative  Washbume.  Mr.  Yates  wrote  Professor  Turner  to 
prepare  the  bill  and  send  it  to  him  for  introduction.  He  did  so,  but  Mr.  Yates  was 
not  reelected  that  fall,  so  there  was  another  period  of  waiting.  He  appealed  to 
Senator  Trumbull  and  won  his  allegiance  to  the  measure,  but  the  Senator  advised 
delay,  as  it  was  now  1857  and  the  Kansas  troubles  were  on.  Meanwhile  Justin  S. 
Morrill  had  entered  Congress.  He  was  the  man  to  whom  the  friends  of  the  measure 
now  turned.  The  results  justified  their  confidence.  The  bill  was  introduced  Decem- 
ber 14,  1857,  but  the  Committee  on  Public  Lands  was  unfriendly.  He  modified  it 
and  reintroduced  it  again  April  20,  1858.  It  failed  in  the  House,  so  he  introduced 
it  again  the  next  year.  It  succeeded  this  time  in  getting  through  the  House  but 
failed  in  the  Senate.  In  1859  it  was  again  introduced  and  passed  both  houses,  but 
was  vetoed  by  President  Buchanan.  These  were  discouraging  experienced,  but 
there  was  no  thought  of  giving  up  the  fight. 

"  Before  the  campaign  of  1860,  when  Mr.  Lincoln  was  nominated.  Professor 
Turner,  talking  with  Mr.  Lincoln  at  Decatur,  told  him  that  he  would  be  nominated 
for  President  at  the  coming  convention  and  afterward  elected.  '  If  I  am, '  replied 
Mr.  Lincoln,  '  I  will  sign  your  bill  for  State  Universities. '  A  little  later  Stephen  A. 
Douglas  met  Professor  Turner  and  assured  him,  '  If  I  am  elected  I  will  sign  your 
bill.'" 

Mr.  Douglas  had  no  occasion  to  leave  the  Senate  for  the  White  House,  but  in 
1861  he  wrote  Professor  Turner  for  his  plan  and  for  the  history  of  the  whole  move- 
ment, declaring  it  to  be  "the  most  democratic  scheme  of  education  ever  proposed 
to  the  mind  of  man."  The  letter  was  elaborately  written  and  sent  to  be  mailed,  but 
the  bearer  returned  with  it  for  the  wires  were  thrilled  with  the  shocking  intelligence 
of  the  death  of  the  distinguished  Senator.  "In  grief  and  disappointment  the  letter 
was  thrown  into  the  waste-basket."  But  it  is  always  darkest  just  before  the  dawn, 
it  is  said.  At  any  rate.  Senator  Morrill  reintroduced  the  bill  the  next  year,  it  passed 
Congress  and  Mr.  Lincoln  signed  it. 

And  thus  the  battle  was  fought  and  won.  The  University  would  now  come  as 
a  matter  of  course.  We  have  seen  something  of  how  it  at  last  made  its  bow  and 
began  its  noble  work. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  439 

Professor  Turner  was  to  live  for  thirty-seven  years  longer,  and  thus  to  enter 
into  the  full  enjoyment  of  his  superb  triumph.  We  shall  hear  of  him  again  in  con- 
nection with  other  service  to  the  State.  He  died  on  the  evening  of  January  10,  1899, 
having  passed  his  ninety-third  birthday.  He  was  not  ill  for  a  single  day.  The  call 
came  so  suddenly  that  there  was  no  pain.  He  was  at  his  supper.  His  friends  were 
about  him.     There  was  a  look  of  wonder  in  his  face  and  then  he  fell  asleep. 

He  illustrates  in  the  fullest  measure  what  one  capable  and  devoted  man  can  do 
for  a  great  cause.  When  those  are  selected  who  are  to  live  forever  in  the  Hall  of 
Fame  which  Illinois  is  building  for  her  benefactors,  Professor  Turner  will  come  to 
his  own.  The  deft  worker  with  the  hand,  because  he  is  also  the  deft  worker  with  the 
brain,  will  celebrate  his  emancipation  from  the  shackles  of  stupid  laboriousness  by 
gratefully -crowning  with  a  chaplet  of  laurel  the  colossal  effigy  of  the  man  who,  more 
than  any  other,  helped  to  join  in  indissoluble  bonds  Learning  and  Labor. 

Professor  Turner  viewed  with  great  satisfaction  the  founding  of  the  University 
of  Illinois.  He  saw  therein  the  possible  realization  of  his  fondest  hopes  for  the 
amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the  laboring  man.  But  it  is  more  than  probable  that 
he  experienced  some  disappointment  in  the  slow  evolution  of  the  agricultural  depart- 
ment. The  farmers  were  very  reluctant  to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunities 
offered  by  the  new  institution.  For  several  years  the  department  of  agriculture  had 
but  a  handful  of  students.  If  they  would  not  come  to  the  university  for  extended 
courses  perhaps  they  would  come  to  a  brief  course  in  which  the  most  practical  instruc- 
tion would  be  furnished.  Thus  thought  Dr.  Gregory,  the  Regent,  as  early  as  1868. 
In  that  year  he  advertised  the  first  Farmers'  Institute  of  which  there  is  any  record, 
at  least  in  Illinois.  It  was  a  four  days'  session  and  began  January  12,  1869.  There  were 
lectures  on  soils  and  their  management,  on  grass,  wheat,  corn,  potatoes,  root  crops, 
orchard  fruits,  grapes,  small  fruits,  breeds  of  cattle,  horses,  swine,  sheep  and  the 
sciences  involved  in  the  various  aspects  of  agriculture.  The  editor  of  the  St.  Louis 
Journal  of  Agriculture  said  of  the  meeting:  "  Thus  was  inaugurated  a  new  and  prob- 
ably important  movement  in  western  agricultural  education  and  improvement. 
Regarding  it  as  an  experiment,  it  may  be  safely  recorded  as  resulting  successfully. 
The  lectures  and  discussions^were  attended  by  the  students  of  the  University,  seventy 
or  more  in  number ;  quite  largely  attended  by  the  citizens  of  Champaign  and  vicinity, 
and  there  was  a  goodly  number  from  various  parts  of  the  State.  The  lectures  were, 
most  of  them,  of  an  eminently  practical  character  and  the  discussions  lively  and 
interesting. ' ' 

The  succeeding  year  the  University  held  three  institutes  elsewhere;  in  1871,  four 
were  held  under'  its  auspices,  in  1872  five  and  in  1873  eight.  Since  the  last  date 
there  have  been  no  institutes  held  by  the  University  except  within  its  own  buildings. 
In  1875  it  was  "Resolved,  That  the  corresponding  secretary  be  authorized  to  arrange 
for  farmers'  institutes  without  expense  to  the  University,  and  to  call  upon  its  pro- 
fessors for  such  services  as  lecturers  as  they  may  be  able  to  render  without  detriment 
to  their  classes,  provided  that  the  traveling  expenses  of  such  professors  and  lecturers 
shall  be  paid  by'  the  localities  benefited  by  such  institutes,  or  without  charge  to  the 
University." 

For  some  reason  the  University  and  the  farmers  did  not  get  on  well  together, 


440  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

SO  the  farmers  did  what  they  could  in  the  way  of  keeping  the  institutes  aHve.  Be- 
ginning in  the  early  eighties  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture  was  instrumental  in 
reviving  the  institutes.  Two  were  held  in  1882  under  its  direction,  and  the  number 
increased  from  year  to  year,  thirty- three  being  held  in  1887.  In  1889  the  General 
Assembly  made  its  first  appropriation  for  the  support  of  farmers'  institutes,  $100 
being  voted  to  each  congressional  district,  to  be  expended  under  the  directions  of  the 
State  Board  of  Agriculture.  In  1891  there  was  an  appropriation  of  $50  made  to 
each  county  to  be  used  for  a  farmers'  institute,  the  money  to  be  expended  by  the 
local  association  of  farmers. 

An  act  creating  the  Illinois  Farmers'  Institute  was  passed  in  1895,  being  approved 
by  the  Governor  on  the  24th  of  June.  The  Institute  consisted  of  three  delegates 
from  each  county  of  the  State,  to  be  elected  annually  at  the  county  institute  by  the 
members  of  that  body.  The  governing  body  consists  of  a  board  of  directors,  five 
of  whom  are  members  ex  officio,  and  one  member  is  elected  from  each  congressional 
district  in  the  State  by  the  delegates  from  the  district  at  the  annual  institute.  The 
term  of  the  elected  members  is  two  years.  The  members  first  selected  from  the 
even -numbered  districts  served  for  one  year;  after  that  all  served  for  two  years. 
Thus  half  of  the  elected  members  were  chosen  each  year.  The  members  ex  officio 
are  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  the  head  of  the  department  of 
agriculture  in  the  State  University,  the  president  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture, 
the  president  of  the  State  Horticultural  Society,  and  the  president  of  the  State 
Dairymen's  Association. 

It  was  but  a  stepmothering  that  the  State  gave  to  the  Institute  at  the  start. 
The  statute  gave  it  a  form  of  organization  but  no  money  with  which  to  pay  its 
expenses.  The  members  were  therefore  obliged  to  foot  the  bills  out  of  their  personal 
resources.  They  accepted  the  situation  and  went  forward  with  their  meetings. 
The  first  session  was  held  in  Springfield,  beginning  January  7,  1896.  Since  that 
time  there  have  been  annual  sessions  of  the  Institute.  The  act  of  1895  provided 
for  the  publication  of  the  annual  reports.  In  1897  an  appropriation  of  $7,000  was 
made  for  the  annual  institute  and  an  appropriation  of  $50  for  each  county  institute. 
Two  years  later  the  appropriation  for  the  Institute  was  increased  to  $8,000,  and  $70 
was  allowed  to  each  county  institute. 

In  1901  an  additional  appropriation  of  $2,500  was  made  for  the  purchase  of 
books  and  for  the  support  and  management  of  the  Farmers'  Institute  Free  Li- 
braries. There  are  about  forty-five  volumes  in  each  library,  and  they  are  properly 
boxed  for  transportation,  and  rural  communities  may  avail  themselves  of  their  free 
use.  If  a  community  desires  the  use  of  one  of  these  libraries  it  may  secure  it  for 
six  months  by  paying  the  express  from  and  to  the  distributing  point  —  Springfield. 

In  1903  the  General  Assembly  treated  the  Institute  generously,  providing  $70 
for  an  institute  in  each  county,  $2,500  for  free  libraries,  $2,000  per  annum  for  a  sec- 
retary, and  $7,500  for  the  expenses  of  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Institute.  The 
appropriations  aggregated  approximately  $20,000. 

As  soon  as  the  Farmers'  Institute  was  in  working  order  it  realized  its  dependence 
on  the  University  for  expert  lecturers.  It  therefore  became  an  extremely  active 
propagandist  for  the  development  of  the  College  of  Agriculture.     The  University 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  441 

and  the  Institute  have  now  worked  hand  in  hand  for  several  years,  each  finding  its 
most  valuable  ally  in  the  other. 

It  is  in  the  report  of  1904  that  Mr.  Frank  H.  Hall's  name  first  appears  as  super- 
intendent of  institutes.  He  then  entered  upon  that  memorable  career  in  agricul- 
tural education  with  which  the  people  of  Illinois  are  familiar.  He  was  a  Maine  man, 
born  in  1841,  served  in  the  army,  and  in  1864  began  to  teach  school,  a  calling  which 
he  followed  without  interruption  for  thirty-eight  years.  In  1866  he  came  to  Illinois 
and  secured  the  principalship  of  the  schools  of  Earlville,  a  village  in  La  Salle  county. 
The  patrons  of  his  school  discovered  that  something  unusual  was  going  on  over  at 
the  schoolhouse.  And  they  were  not  mistaken;  a  very  unusual  man  was  there  and 
very  unusual  work  was  on  with  the  children. 

In  his  schools  there  were  just  two  grades  of  papers  —  "perfect"  and  "not  perfect."  He  taught 
his  pupils  how  to  think  —  how  to  help  themselves.  The  higher  the  goal  the  more  eager  they  were 
to  reach  it.  He  proved  to  them  that  perfection  was  possible.  When  a  pupil  had  made  one  perfect 
paper  and  had  experienced  the  feeling  of  having  done  a  thing  exactly  right,  he  was  in  possession  of  an 
ideal  that  would  cling  to  him  in  every  walk  in  life.  Thus,  not  only  school  lessons  but  life  lessons  were 
learned  under  this  master.  Even  the  little  children  whom  he  taught  their  first  lessons  in  the  "three 
r's"  felt  the  force  of  his  personality  throughout  their  lives. 

Here  is  a  letter  that  one  of  the  Earlville  children,  now  a  physician,  wrote  to  Mrs. 
Hall  after  the  master's  death: 

I  counted  him  one  of  the  best  friends  I  ever  had.  He  taught  me  how  to  read,  and  that  is  the 
key  that  will  open  the  way  to  a  liberal  education  for  any  boy  who  has  a  desire  for  it.  I  rem.ember 
well  when  he  came  to  Earlville  and  took  up  the  work  in  a  school  that  had  quite  a  number  of  boys 
just  home  from  the  army.  They  were  hard  to  control,  but  he  was  a  born  instructor,  and  knew  exactly 
the  things  to  teach  that  would  be  necessary  for  the  life-work  to  come.  He  made  pretty  good  boys 
out  of  pretty  bad  timber,  or  at  least  timber  hard  to  work  and  to  fashion  into  good  citizenship.  Thou- 
sands of  times  have  I  made  use  of  the  various  things  that  he  taught  me,  to  my  profit,  my  enjoyment, 
and  my  satisfaction. 

While  in  Earlville  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sybil  E.  Norton.  One  son  was  born 
to  them  while  they  were  there. 

In  1868  he  was  selected  out  of  thirty-five  applicants  for  the  superin tendency  of 
the  schools  of  West  Aurora.  He  remained  in  that  position  for  seven  years.  And 
he  was  far  more  than  a  classroom  teacher;  he  was  a  real  superintendent  in  that  he 
took  his  teachers  in  hand  most  sympathetically  and  most  efficiently,  and  won  their 
unfailing  gratitude  for  the  genuine  help  that  he  gave  them.  They  not  only  learned 
how  to  teach  under  his  tutoring,  but  they  also  caught  the  infectious  enthusiasm  that 
characterized  him  to  the  close  of  his  life. 

It  was  in  1875  that  a  few  intelligent  farmers  at  Sugar  Grove  conceived  the  idea 
of  a  rural  school  that  should  especially  deal  with  the  problems  of  rural  life.  The 
leadership  in  the  movement  is  accorded  to  Thomas  Judd.  It  is  no  small  honor  to 
have  started  a  movement  that  is  now  making  headway  under  the  name  of  the  con- 
solidated school  propaganda.  There  was  but  one  way  to  carry  on  the  enterprise, 
and  that  was  for  those  interested  to  put  their  hands  in  their  pockets  and  make  up 
what  was  needed  above  what  could  be  secured  by  taxation.  So  they  put  up  a  school 
building  on  the  prairie  seven  miles  to  the  west  of  where  Frank  Hall  was  teaching, 


442  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

and  asked  him  to  manage  the  scheme.  They  called  it  "  The  Sugar  Grove  Normal 
and  Industrial  School."  It  seemed  to  him  a  great  opportunity  to  do  what  he  had 
dreamed  about  and  he  accepted  the  call.  This  was  in  1875.  Mr.  Judd  was  so 
deeply  interested  in  the  experiment  that  he  added  certain  necessary  features  to  the 
equipment.  A  boarding-house  was  indispensable,  as  were  places  for  the  shelter  of  the 
horses  and  the  vehicles  by  which  the  day  pupils  reached  the  school.  The  success 
of  the  venture  was  at  once  assured. 

What  was  taught?  Why  was  this  school  so  popular?  Life  lessons  were  taught.  Knowledge 
was  sought  not  that  it  might  be  hoarded  but  that  it  might  increase  its  possessor's  personal  power  — 
strength  —  independence  which  is  born  of  power  — ■  world-force.  Frank  Hall  did  not  think  it  neces- 
sary to  study  one  thing  for  discipline  and  another  for  necessary  facts.  As  well  might  the  farmer 
require  his  men  to  exercise  four  hours  a  day  in  the  gymnasium  to  develop  the  muscle  necessary  to 
pitch  off  a  load  of  hay,  as  for  the  student  to  study  the  euphonic  changes  of  the  Greek  verb  that  he 
might  have  the  mental  vigor  necessary  to  master  chemistry  and  physics.  He  believed  it  a  waste 
of  time  to  store-a  pupil's  mind  with  facts,  which  in  all  probability  that  pupil  would  never  be  able  to 
use  in  his  daily  work.  Teach  him  where  to  find  facts  which  he  needed  to  know  —  and  teach  him 
to  think  — ■  that  was  all.  Useless  intellectual  possessions  would  never  give  any  great  amount  of  satis- 
faction to  the  owner  of  them.  This  does  not  mean  that  he  did  not  believe  in  the  "arts."  Knowledge 
that  would  contribute  to  the  world-happiness  belonged  in  the  same  category  with  knowledge  that 
contributed  directly  to  utility — -utility  included  happiness  and  happiness  included  utility.  Knowl- 
edge which  could  be  made  a  basis  of  action  was  the  knowledge  which  each  pupil  should  seek.  Knowl- 
edge that  "would  bring  in  gold"  was  not  so  mercenary  as  it  sounded.  With  the  gold  one  might  buy 
food  and  clothes  and  books  and  papers 

As  the  schoolmaster  himself  said: 

"We  learned  to  use  the  milk-tester  and  we  read  Shakespeare. 

"We  investigated  the  subject  of  cattle-raising  and  we  studied  Virgil. 

"We  learned  how  to  raise  hogs  and  reveled  in  the  beauties  of  Homer. 

"We  studied  the  subjects  of  grasses  and  hay  and  mastered  cube  root." 

This  was  a  school  in  which  the  pupils  put  into  immediate  practice  in  a  concrete 
and  sincere  way  the  knowledge  that  they  acquired  in  the  school.  They  did  not 
play  at  reality.  They  studied  agriculture  in  order  that  they  might  improve  the 
crops  that  they  raised  on  the  school  farm.     And  so  it  was  with  all  of  the  rest. 

And  by  the  side  of  his  school  the  master  ran  a  department  store.  The  old- 
fashioned  country  store  was  the  original  department  store.  And  his  wife  helped 
him  in  the  management  of  it.  He  was  also  the  postmaster,  and  he  managed  a  lumber 
yard  and  a  creamery,  and  he  was  a  township  trustee.  It  is  said  that  he  was  a  bit 
too  indulgent  to  make  the  store  a  financial  success,  but  the  customers  profited  by 
it  if  he  did  not  always  come  out  ahead. 

It  was  while  he  was  at  Sugar  Grove  that  he  became  greatly  interested  in  the 
political  questions  that  were  agitating  the  public  mind.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
review  the  issues  that  divided  men  in  the  campaign  of  1878.  Reference  has  already 
been  made  to  his  part  in  the  campaign  of  that  year.  He  was  a  candidate  for  the 
office  of  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  being  the  nominee  of  a  fusion  party 
composed  of  Democrats  and  Independent  Reformers,  but  he  was  defeated.  There 
were  greater  things  for  him  to  do  than  he  could  have  accomplished  as  an  office-holder. 
He  was  nominated  by  the  same  party  four  years  later  and  with  a  similar  result. 

In  1887  he  left  Sugar  Grove  and  took  charge  of  the  school  at  Petersburg.     He 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  443 

remained  there  but  a  single  year,  as  he  was  recalled  to  West  Aurora  in  1888.  He 
was  especially  fond  of  that  community  and  returned  to  his  old  friends  and  neighbors 
with  great  delight.  One  of  the  members  of  his  board  at  Petersburg  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  trustees  having  in  charge  the  school  for  the  education  of  the  blind, 
at  Jacksonville.  He  determined  that  if  it  were  a  possibility  Mr.  Hall  should  go  to 
that  institution  and  take  charge  of  those  unfortunate  wards  of  the  State.  In  1890 
he  succeeded  in  carrying  out  his  plan  and  the  Aurora  board  reluctantly  released  him. 

And  now  Mr.  Hall  entered  upon  a  work  that  gave  him  a  national  and  an  inter- 
national reputation.  He  was  peculiarly  fitted  for  such  a  task.  His  warm  sympathies 
for  the  sightless  children  stirred  him  to  the  supreme  effort  of  his  life.  His  remark- 
able insight  into  the  nature  of  the  educative  process  and  of  the  conditions  under 
which  the 'mind  performs  the  miracle  of  learning  gave  him  such  a  professional  prep- 
aration as  the  members  of  what  are  called  the  learned  profession  acquire  or  deem 
necessary  to  be  acquired  before  engaging  in  their  practice.  His  experience  at  Sugar 
Grove  had  remarkably  equipped  him  with  skill  in  the  use  of  manual  occupations  for 
educative  purposes.  Moreover,  he  had  a  gift  at  mechanics.  He  could  not  only 
handle  machinery,  but  he  could  invent  tools  that  lightened  labor. 

What  a  wonderful  meeting  it  was  of  the  man  and  the  occasion!  He  turned  to 
his  problem  with  a  delight  and  a  passion  that  meant  wonderful  things  for  the  chil- 
dren. The  first  problem  that  presented  itself  was  the  limitation  that  came  with 
absence  of  sight.  "Of  what  are  these  children  capable?"  he  asked  himself.  He 
studied  blind  children  in  order  that  he  might  put  himself  in  their  place.  He  went 
to  similar  institutions  to  discover  what  had  been  learned  about  them  and  what  had 
been  done  for  them.  When  he  had  made  up  his  mind  as  to  what  they  were  capable 
of  doing  best  he  built  his  course  of  study  on  that  line.  His  biographer,  from  whom 
these  quotations  have  been  mainly  selected,  says: 

He  secured  teachers  competent  to  teach  in  all  literary  and  musical  branches,  mattress-making, 
hammock  and  horse-net  making,  broom-making,  piano  tuning  and  repairing,  sewing,  chair-caning 
and  bead  work.  He  inspired  pupils  with  a  desire  to  do  their  work  well  —  not  to  be  satisfied  with 
work  fairly  well  done  —  not  to  be  content  with  a  piece  of  work  of  which  people  would  say,  "Isn't 
that  wonderful  to  be  done  by  the  blind?"  They  found  that  in  certain  kinds  of  work  they  could  make 
"perfect  papers"  just  as  well  as  their  seeing  fellows,  and  nothing  less  than  perfect  satisfied  them. 

It  was  a  new  thought  to  the  blind  that  they  could  become  self-supporting  and 
that  they  could  forget  their  misfortune  in  the  joy  of  work.  They  were  no  longer 
condemned  to  irksome  idleness.  There  were  tasks  that  the  world  was  glad  to  pay 
for  and  that  one  was  not  incapacitated  from  performing  by  the  denial  of  sight. 

But  the  books !  How  were  they  to  push  into  the  world  of  letters  except  through 
the  aid  of  the  reader's  voice?  Book  production  for  the  blind  was  so  expensive  that 
very  few  of  them  were  available.  How  could  this  perplexing  difficulty  be  overcome 
so  that  the  blind  child  might  have  his  book  of  raised  letters  as  the  seeing  child  had 
his  book  of  visible  words  ? 

He  studied  the  three  kinds  of  raised  print  used  by  the  blind  the  world  over  —  decided  which 
print  was  the  simplest  and  most  easily  adaptable,  and  then  began  putting  his  inventive  genius  at 
work  upon  a  machine  that  should  be  to  the  blind  what  the  typewriter  is  to  the  seeing  — •  even  more 
than  this. 


444  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

And  thus  there  was  worked  out  for  the  bhnd  the  Braille- writer.  The  making 
of  books  was  now  easy.  All  that  was  needed  was  a  writer  that  would  stereotype 
on  metal  and  then  the  "plates"  were  ready  for  the  printer.  Similarly  he  invented 
a  map-machine  and  it  was  like  opening  the  eyes  of  the  blind.  With  the  writer  they 
could  communicate  with  their  absent  friends  or  make  a  record  of  what  they  wished 
to  preserve.  With  the  stereotyping  machine  it  was  only  necessary  to  write  the 
page  of  a  book  on  the  metal  sheet,  put  it  on  the  press,  and  there  is  so  much  of  the 
seeing  child's  book  ready  for  the  marvelous  fingers  of  the  blind. 

Why  did  he  not  patent  it?  Because  he  was  Frank  Hall.  He  made  an  arrange- 
ment with  the  manufacturers  so  that  these  machines  could  be  furnished  to  the  blind 
everywhere  for  $13  and  to  his  own  pupils  for  $10. 

In  1893,  when  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  Helen  Keller  was  introduced  by  her  teacher 
to  Frank  Hall.  She  made  the  perfunctory  response,  "How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Hall?"  Her  teacher  said 
to  her,  "This  is  the  Mr.  Hall  that  made  your  Braille-writer,"  and  instantly  Helen  Keller's  arms  were 
around  his  neck  and  her  lips  kissed  his  cheek.  This  in  itself  more  than  paid  him  for  the  invention 
of  the  Braille  machines,  and  he  could  never  tell  of  this  little  incident  without  tears  in  his  eves. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  there  was  a  touching  memorial  meeting  at  the  school 
for  the  education  of  the  blind  after  he  had  passed  away. 

Although  ardently  devoted  to  his  work  with  the  blind  children  he  had  by  no 
means  lost  his  interest  in  public-school  work,  and  so  he  went  back  to  it  with  the  old 
passion.  Waukegan  needed  a  superintendent.  Some  of  Mr.  Hall's  friends  heard 
of  the  position  and  wrote  the  board  about  him.  One  said,  "  Do  you  want  a  man 
whose  coming  to  you  would  mark  an  epoch  in  the  life  of  the  town  so  that  thereafter 
you  would  count  events  as  occurring  before  or  after  his  arrival?  If  so  get  Mr.  Hall, 
and  get  him  at  once. ' '  After  the  reading  of  two  or  three  such  letters  from  men  who 
were  known  to  at  least  one  of  the  members  of  the  board,  one  of  them  said,  "  Mr. 
President,  I  move  that  no  more  of  those  letters  be  read  and  that  Mr.  Hall  be  employed 
without  further  ceremony."  And  it  was  done.  Whether  the  friend's  prediction 
was  a  true  prophecy  or  not  may  be  inferred  from  the  following  incident:  At  the 
close  of  his  second  year  he  was  offered  an  advance  of  $800  a  year  to  take  the  super- 
intendency  of  the  Joliet  schools.  He  consulted  with  his  board  and  they  told  him 
that  he  must  not  go,  and  that  they  would  meet  any  offer.  He  agreed  to  stay,  but 
declined  an  advance  as  he  believed  Waukegan  unable  to  pay  more  than  the  $2,000 
that  he  was  then  receiving.  The  Board  entered  a  protest,  but  he  was  persistent  and 
made  it  a  condition  of  his  remaining  that  he  should  receive  only  his  previous  salary- 
The  Board  at  last  seemed  to  acquiesce,  but  just  as  they  were  about  to  adjourn  a 
member  moved  that  he  receive  an  additional  salary  of  $800  for  work  done  in  the  high 
school.  He  tried  to  speak,  but  was  declared  out  of  order  by  the  president.  The 
motion  was  unanimously  carried  and  the  Board  at  once  adjourned.  The  next  year, 
however,  he  made  the  school  a  present  of  a  $300  stereopticon  and  views,  so  that  he 
came  near  having  his  way  after  all. 

He  spent  four  happy  years  at  Waukegan.  At  the  end  of  that  time  there  came 
a  change  of  administration  at  Springfield  and  he  went  back  to  the  children  at  Jack- 
sonville. If  there  was  ever  a  defense  for  imitating  the  policy  of  the  executive  that 
dismissed  him  it  was  to  be  found  in  this  action  of  Governor  Tanner. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  445 

He  remained  at  Jacksonville  until  1902.  Feeling  himself  hampered  by  the  policy 
of  the  administration  he  resigned  and  took  up  his  permanent  residence  at  Aurora. 
But  he  was  not  to  be  permitted  to  retire  from  the  service  of  the  public.  There  is 
at  Winchester  a  man  whose  physical  proportions  are  a  type  of  his  mental  endowments 
and  of  his  interests  in  agricultural  education.  He  is  a  wealthy  farmer  who  works 
his  land  under  the  guidance  of  scientific  principles.  His  name  is  A.  P.  Grout.  It 
is  a  familiar  one  to  the  Farmers'  Institute  people.  He  has  for  several  summers 
offered  a  free  course  of  lectures  on  matters  pertaining  to  the  farm  to  a  group  of  boys, 
and  they  have  gladly  availed  themselves  of  his  generosity.  He  was  determined  to 
bring  the  talents  of  this  master  of  the  teaching  art  into  the  service  of  the  farmers 
and,  as  a  consequence,  Mr.  Hall  was  first  appointed  secretary  and  shortly  after 
superintendent  of  the  State  Farmers'  Institute.  He  continued  at  this  work  until 
his  failing  health  necessitated  his  resignation,  which  took  place  in  1910. 

From  what  has  been  written  here  what  he  did  in  his  new  position  may  be  inferred. 
It  was  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  State  that  a  highly  accomplished  teacher 
had  occupied  such  a  relation  to  the  men  and  women  who  were  tilling  the  farms  of 
Illinois.  He  went  from  one  end  of  the  State  to  the  other,  organizing  gatherings  of 
farmers,  putting  into  these  meetings  the  strongest  specialists  of  the  University  staff, 
making  countless  addresses  himself,  pleading,  exhorting,  stimulating  in  all  ways  at 
his  command  the  growth  of  a  scientific  spirit  among  the  farmers.  It  was  a  great 
career. 

But  he  was  not  strong  enough  physically  for  so  arduous  a  life.  A  rash  exposure 
in  order  that  he  might  meet  an  engagement  brought  with  it  a  severe  cold  from  which 
he  could  not  rid  himself.  It  was  the  beginning  of  the  end.  Slowly  his  strength 
failed.  The  friends  who  went  to  sit  with  him  in  his  sickroom  could  not  mistake 
the  indications  tha,t  pointed  to  an  early  closing  of  his  remarkable  career.  He  crossed 
the  line  into  the  new  year  of  1911,  but  two  days  later  he  passed  away. 

There  is  scant  room  in  this  history  to  do  him  anything  approaching  justice. 
The  memorial  sketch  prepared  by  his  children  and  dedicated  to  the  gentle  woman 
who  was  his  life  companion  reveals  the  spirit  that  always  moved  him.  It  is  an  exqui- 
site tribute  to  a  noble  character. 

During  his  sickness  letters  from  loving  friends  poured  in  upon  him.  They  would 
fill  a  volume.  What  an  infinite  consolation  they  must  have  been  to  him!  After  he 
had  gone  organizations  and  organizations  passed  resolutions  recounting  his  services 
and  expressing  sincere  sorrow  at  his  untimely  death.  His  wife  and  family  received 
from  every  source  letters  of  the  warmest  sympathy. 

His  funeral  was  held  at  the  New  England  Congregational  church  in  Aurora  on 
■January  5.  It  was  conducted  by  Rev.  Orville  Petty.  Four  of  his  long-time  friends 
spoke  briefly.  Orville  T.  Bright,  Assistant  Superintendent  of  the  Public  Schools  of 
Chicago,  told  of  the  first  meeting  with  him,  thirty  years  before,  and  of  the  great 
demand  for  his  services  as  an  institute  conductor.  The  acquaintance  begun  there 
ripened  into  a  most  affectionate  intimacy.  "At  one  time  I  brought  more  than  half 
of  the  teachers  of  my  own  school  to  get  the  inspiration  of  his  school  at  Aurora.  He 
told  me  he  thought  of  going  to  Jacksonville  and  I  had  a  long  talk  with  him  about 
it,  and  I  wondered  how  he,  a  schoolmaster,  the  same  as  I  in  some  ways,  could  think 


446  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

of  teaching  the  bhnd.  He  said,  'Bright,  I  beheve  that  I  can  do  it!'  How  he  did 
do  it  I  will  not  pretend  to  say.  Nobody  can  describe  his  work,  his  inspiration,  his 
success.  Nobody  could  see  him  with  a  class  or  with  an  audience  of  blind  children 
and  men  and  women  without  tears  of  gratitude  that  such  a  man  lived  and  taught. 
It  was  wonderful !  The  fame  of  the  instructor  of  the  Jacksonville  institution  was 
not  confined  to  Illinois,  not  confined  to  the  United  States,  it  spread  all  over  the 
civilized  world,  and  it  was  because  he  knew  how  to  teach,  the  greatest  thing  any 
man  or  woman  can  know." 

Mr.  Bright  sketched  his  work  at  Waukegan  and  his  later  service  to  the  farmers. 
"  He  has  the  gratitude  of  the  children  he  taught,  the  gratitude  of  the  teachers  he  has 
helped,  up  and  down  the  State;  the  gratitude  of  the  blind  children  whom  he 
helped  into  greater  happiness;  the  gratitude  of  the  farmers  whom  he  assisted 
to  a  more  rational  life.  Is  it  too  much  to  say  that  Frank  Hall  as  a  great 
citizen  of  Illinois,  judged  by  any  standard  which  we  may  set  up,  occupies  a  place 
most  unique?" 

President  Alfred  Bayliss,  of  the  Western  Illinois  State  Normal  School,  said  that 
he  had  been  "A  disciple  and  follower,  though  often  at  a  great  distance,  for  more 
than  thirty  years;  indebted  more  to  him  during  most  of  that  time  than  to  any  other 
for  suggestion  and  inspiration. 

"Whether  at  Sugar  Grove,  revolutionizing  the  chief  industry  of  a  township  with 
a  dollar's  worth  of  test  tubes;  at  Petersburg,  introducing  the  simple  device  of  'Sup- 
plementary' books  in  teaching  little  children  to  read;  here  in  Aurora,  as  so  many 
of  you  remember  him  well;  in  Jacksonville,  in  the  unsurpassed  work  which  gave  him 
the  world-wide  title  of  '  Friend  of  the  Blind ' ;  in  those  fruitful  four  years  at  Waukegan 
pending  his  recall  to  Jacksonville,  or  in  these  last  strenuous  years  of  mediation 
between  the  scientific  farming  of  the  experiment  stations  and  the  practical  farmers, 
Frank  Hall  was  always  a  leader  —  a  superb  teacher  of  teachers. 

"As  such  his  strength  was  due  to  the  same  qualities  that  made  him  great  as 
a  man.  He  had  an  almost  prophetic  clearness  of  vision,  great  skill  in  exposition, 
courage  to  state  the  truth  as  he  saw  it,  and  that  prime  quality  of  great  hearts,  patience 
to  wait  for  those  who  could  not  at  once  see  what  he  saw.  .  .  .  He  seemed 
to  have  adopted  or  wrought  out  for  himself,  that  fine  notion  of  Carlyle  's  about  human 
dignity :  There  are  two  men  to  honor  and  no  third  —  the  hard-handed, "  weather- 
beaten  craftsman,  whose  reward  is  so  often  scarcely  more  than  the  indispensable 
daily  bread,  and  the  toiler  for  the  spiritually  indispensable,  the  bread  of  life.  These 
two  dignities  he  combined  as  few  of  us  succeed  in  doing,  and  thus  approached  the 
highest  possible  expression  of  humanity." 

Prof.  Fred  H.  Rankin,  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  had  been  closely  associated 
with  him  in  his  work  in  the  Farmers'  Institutes.  These  are  a  few  brief  quotations 
from  his  address : 

"  Nature  makes  no  duplicates  of  men  like  Frank  H.  Hall,  scholar,  educator,  author, 
inventor  and  farmer ;  he  saw  with  clearer  outlook  and  broader  vision  than  most  men 
the  undeveloped  possibilities  of  American  agriculture  and  the  opportunities  for  the 
citizen  farmer.  .  .  .  He  loved  the  land  and  the  things  of  country  life  even 
as  the  poet  loves  nature  or  the  artist  loves  form  and  color.     He  thought  clearly  and 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  447 

saw  the  tremendous  economic  consequence  of  right  and  wrong  educational  poHcies 
when  given  appHcation  to  the  productive  industries,  more  especially  agriculture. 

"  To  develop  the  agriculture  of  the  country,  to  make  farm  life  pleasant,  to  edu- 
cate the  farm  boy  and  the  farm  girl  to  a  better  conception  of  the  manifold  advantages 
of  farm  life,  to  impress  upon  the  country  the  value  of  science  in  agriculture,  all  this 
and  more  made  up  the  life-work  of  this  good  man  whose  influence  extended  far 
beyond -the  borders  of  our  State,  and  which  is,  to  my  mind,  the  chief  asset  that  he 
has  accumulated  and  which  has  made  his  life  an  exemplification  of  Dr.  Johnson's 
motto  —  '  'Tis  better  to  live  rich  than  to  die  rich. '  He  loved  his  friends,  he  loved 
men  and  men  loved  him. " 

The  fo'urth  speaker  was  President  John  W.  Cook,  of  the  Northern  Illinois  State 
Normal  School.  His  intimacy  with  Mr.  Hall  extended  over  more  than  thirty  years. 
He  said  in  part: 

"  Frank  Hall  was  a  divinely  anointed  pioneer.  The  fever  of  the  scout  was  in  his 
blood.  He  was  always  scanning  far  horizons  for  the  coming  of  new  light  and  joy- 
fully hailed  it  as  it  kindled  its  beacon  fires  on  the  high  hills. 

"He  was  an  idealist  to  the  core,  yet  he  was  the  prophet  of  the  practical.  A 
thinker  and  a  seer  of  visions,  yet  he  was  forever  harnessing  his  thought  to  the  loaded 
wagons  of  the  world  and  urging  his  visions  upon  the  humblest  toilers.  He  came 
with  a  new  philosophy  of  work,  an  irradiation  of  the  labor  of  the  hands  by  reason. 

"  It  was  a  gracious  gift  of  heaven  that  led  this  man  to  the  school.  ..He  was  so 
clear-eyed,  so  free  from  the  trammels  of  tradition,  so  infused  with  gentleness,  so 
sustained  by  faith  in  his  fellows  and  so  inspired  with  the  radiance  of  hope. 
Who  can  count  the  altars  upon  which  his  name  is  written  and  whose  fires  will  never 
go  out  until  memory  shall  lose  her  gracious  empire  in  the  soul!  One  could  not  go 
where  he  had  been  without  finding  the  air  electric  from  the  magic  of  his  presence. 


"His  life  with  the  children  of  the  dark  was  in  the  happiest  accord  with  all  the 
impulses  of  his  nature.  Their  helplessness  appealed  to  him  like  the  voices  of  lost 
wanderers  in  the  night.  His  humanity  responded  to  the  pathos  of  their  unhappy 
fate  as  the  needle  answers  to  the  call  of  the  distant  pole.  For  them  his  genius  for 
invention  bent  itself  to  the  supreme  task  of  producing  new  tools  to  take  the  places 
of  those  sightless  orbs  that  were  closed  to  the  wonder  of  the  revealing  light. 
And  it  was  not  alone  the  children  of  his  immediate  solicitude  that  were  to  profit  by 
his  sympathetic  skill,  but  all  who  live  in  the  shadow  land  of  that  great  affliction. 
And  his  free  gift  of  this  child  of  his  brain  to  those  for  whom  it  was 
created  excited  slight  comment  from  those  who  knew  him  well.     'Noblesse  oblige.'' 


"  The  years  will  fare  on  as  they  have  done  since  the  morning  of  the  world.  Each 
of  us  will  play  his  part,  the  curtain  will  fall  and  the  stage  be  tenantless,  but  he  will 
have  a  sure  immortality  in  the  heart  of  God's  afflicted  ones.  I  have  but  to  close 
my  eyes  to  this  insistent  pageant  of  to-day  to  have  an  abiding  vision  of  his  familiar 


448  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

figure.  His  sensitive  face  is  full  of  that  smiling  benignity  that  we  knew  so  well. 
About  him  are  the  happy  children  busy  with  their  tasks.  Clasped  in  his  strong  hands 
are  the  hands  of  those  who  never  saw  the  glory  of  the  light,  but  into  whose  lives  has 
come  another  world  of  beauty  through  his  revealing  touch.  Listening  to  his  words 
of  wisdom  and  inspired  by  his  idealism  are  the  young  and  the  mature  and  the  old, 
who  pay  him  the  grateful  tribute  of  thankfulness.  And  thus  we  all  shall  see  him 
to  the  end,  if  end  there  be." 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  449 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
*THE   STATE   COURSE   OF  STUDY. 

THE  closer  supervision  of  the  schools  which  led  to  the  development  of  the 
present  Course  of  Study  had  its  beginning  in  Macon  County,  about  1879 
or  ,1880,  with  John  Trainer,  County  Superintendent  of  Schools  in  that 
county.  His  work  soon  spread  into  Piatt  and  Champaign  counties,  and  grew  into 
what  served  for  a  time  as  a  course  of  study  for  those  counties.  As  time  passed  and 
the  idea  developed,  new  courses  embodying  special  features  appeared  in  various 
counties  of  the  State. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  at  Jacksonville,  in 
March,  1889,  the  friends  of  the  plan  discussed  the  advantages  of  a  State  Course, 
and  at  their  solicitations,  Hon.  Richard  Edwards,  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion, issued  a  call  to  county  superintendents  and  other  leading  educators  of  the 
State  to  meet  in  Springfield,  April  10,  1889,  to  discuss  the  subject.  As  a  result 
of  this  meeting,  a  committee,  consisting  of  George  R.  Shawhan,  County  Superinten- 
dent of  Champaign  county;  J.  A.  Miller,  County  Superintendent  of  McLean  county; 
George  W.  Oldfather,  County  Superintendent  of  Knox  county;  George  I.  Talbot, 
County  Superintendent  of  De  Kalb  county,  and  J.  D.  Benedict,  County  Superin- 
tendent of  Vermilion  county,  was  appointed  to  compile  a  course  of  study  for  the 
State,  consisting  of  eight  years  of  work,  eight  months  to  each  year.     , 

This  course  was  completed  and  published  in  time  for  the  opening  of  the  schools 
in  September  of  that  year.  One  edition  was  issued  by  the  State  Department  of 
Education.  It  was  used  in  most  of  the  counties  of  Illinois,  also  in  some  counties 
in  every  State  west  of  New  Jersey  west  to  the  Pacific  coast.  It  continued  in  use 
until  1894. 

In  the  article  by  Mr.  C.  M.  Parker,  from  which  extracts  are  made  later,  Mr. 
Parker  says : 

The  course  just  described  was  the  first  to  be  put  into  general  use  in  most  of  the  counties  of  the 
State;  but  nine  years  previous  to  the  pubHcation  of  the  course,  September  1,  1880,  there  was  issued 
from  the  office  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Pubhc  Instruction  for  distribution  to  the  teachers  and 
to  the  board  of  directors  of  each  ungraded  school  of  the  State  an  "Outline  of  Study  for  Ungraded 
Schools  of  Illinois." 

In  December,  1879,  soon  after  the  beginning  in  Macon  county,  a  meeting  of  county  superin- 
tendents was  held  in  Bloomington,  and  after  discussing  the  subject  of  a  course  of  study  for  the  ungraded 
schools,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  prepare  an  outline  of  study.  This  committee  consisted  of 
Hon.  James  P.  Slade,  Superintendent  of  Pubhc  Instruction;  A.  G.  Lane,  county  superintendent  of 
Cook  county,  and  Mary  L.  Carpenter,  county  superintendent  of  Winnebago  county. 

This  outline  was  a  mere  pamphlet  of  less  than  seven  pages,  the  first  page  being  an  introduction, 

*From  a  historical  sketch  in  the  State  Course  of  Study 
29 


450  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

the  next  two  pages  being  an  outline  of  study  for  first,  second,  third,  fourth  and  fifth  reader  pupils. 
The  last  three  and  a  half  pages  consisted  of  general  directions  and  suggestions  for  teaching  the  different 
branches. 

I  remembered  to  have  received  a  copy  of  this  pamphlet  soon  after  it  was  issued  and  glanced 
through  it,  but  did  not  put  it  into  practice  in  my  school,  and  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn  there 
are  very  few  teachers  who  used  it  or  who  have  any  recollection  of  this  first  State  outline  of  study. 

It  seems  that  the  outline  of  1880  was  amended  and  modified  in  1883,  but  I  have  never  seen  a  copy 
of  that  edition  and  have  been  unable  to  secure  it  for  description  in  this  paper. 

Joseph  H.  Freeman,  president  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association,  in  1893,  in  his 
inaugural  address  urged  the  revision  and  improvement  of  the  State  Course  of  Study. 
In  accordance  with  his  suggestion  the  following  committee  was  appointed,  on  Decem- 
ber 28,  1893,  to  do  that  work:  George  R.  Shawhan,  County  Superintendent  of 
Champaign  county;  Henry  Foster,  County  Superintendent  of  Livingston  county; 
Joseph  M.  Piper,  County  Superintendent  of  Ogle  county,  and  A.  C.  Butler,  Principal 
of  Taylorville  Township  High  School.  This  committee  completed  its  work  in  time 
for  most  of  the  annual  institutes  of  1894,  making  the  course  conform  to  the  new  law 
relating  to  alcohol  and  narcotics.  A  two-year  higher  course  was  also  added  at  that 
time.     This  was  the  first  general  revision  of  the  course. 

At  the  December  meeting,  1895,  the  County  Superintendents'  Section  of  the 
State  Teachers'  Association  appointed  a  standing  committee  on  the  revision  of  the 
State  Course  of  Study.  It  consisted  of  the  following  members:  Hon.  S.  M.  Inglis, 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  and  George  R.  Shawhan,  County  Superin- 
tendent of  Champaign  county,  chosen  for  thre^  years;  Prof.  James  Kirk,  of  the 
Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  School,  and  J.  M.  Piper,  County  Superintendent  of 
Ogle  county,  for  two  years;  E.  W.  Cavins,  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University, 
and  W.  R.  Hatfield,  County  Superintendent  of  Pike  county,  for  one  year.  During 
the  following  year  this  committee  perfected  the  plans  and  collected  material  for 
several  new  features.  In  December,  1896,  John  W.  Cook,  President  of  the  State 
Normal  University,  succeeded  Mr.  Cavins  as  member  of  this  committee  and  Super- 
intendent Hatfield  was  reelected  for  three  years. 

The  second  general  revision  of  the  course  was  made  in  1897,  under  the  general 
directions  of  the  following  persons,  then  constituting  the  standing  committee  on 
State  Course  of  Study:  Hon.  S.  M.  Inglis,  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion; George  R.  Shawhan,  County  Superintendent  of  Champaign  county;  Prof. 
James  Kirk,  Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  University;  W.  R.  Hatfield,  County 
Superintendent  of  Pike  county;  John  W.  Cook,  President  Illinois  State  Normal 
University;  J.  M.  Piper,  County  Supermtendent  of  Ogle  county.  It  contained  148 
pages. 

In  1900  the  course  in  agriculture  prepared  by  the  Department  of  Agriculture 
of  the  University  of  Illinois  was  added  and  made  a  part  of  the  State  Course. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  County  Superintendents  in  December,  1900,  it  was  decided 
to  increase  the  number  of  members  on  the  standing  committee  from  six  to  eleven. 

The  third  general  revision  was  made  in  1903  under  the  general  direction  of  the 
following  persons  then  constituting  the  standing  committee  on  State  Course  of 
Study:    State  Superintendent  Bayliss,  Professor  Kirk,  Messrs.  Shawhan  and  Piper; 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  451 

President  Felmley,  Illinois  State  Normal  University;  President  L.  C.  Lord,  Eastern 
Illinois  State  Normal  School;  President  John  W.  Cook,  Northern  Illinois  State 
Normal  School;  County  Superintendent  U.  J.  Hoffman,  of  La  Salle  county;  County 
Superintendent  C.  L.  Gregory,  of  Mercer  county;  County  Superintendent  Hester 
M.  Smith,  Pulaski  county;  County ■  Superintendent  R.  T.  Morgan,  Du  Page  county. 
The  course  in  household  arts  was  added  at  this  time.  This  revision  was  edited  by 
Superintendent  Shawhan,  who  had  been  identified  actively  with  the  plan  from  its 
inception.     It  contained  218  pages. 

The  fourth  general  revision  of  the  course  was  made  in  1907.  The  following 
additions  to  the  course  were  made  at  this  time:  A  course  in  constructive  work  for 
primary  grades;  a  course  in  language  for  first  and  second  grades;  a  two-year  high 
school  course  for  country  and  village  schools,  outlined  by  months;  a  suggestive 
three-year  course  for  smaller  high  schools;  a  course  in  manual  training;  suggestions 
for  experiment  clubs.  This  edition  was  edited  by  County  Superintendent  Charles 
Mcintosh,  of  Piatt  county. 

The  committee  at  this  time  consisted  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  the  presidents  of  the  State  Normal  Schools,  Professor  Kirk,  Miss  Cora 
M.  Hamilton,  of  the  Western  State  Normal  School,  and  the  following  Coimty  Super- 
intendents: C.  H.  Root,  Grundy;  George  W.  Brown,  Edgar;  A.  D.  Curran,  Kendall; 
Charles  Mcintosh,  Piatt.     This  is  the  course  now  in  general  use. 

In  the  preface  of  the  last  edition  of  the  course  may  be  found  the  names  of  the 
persons  who  prepared  the  several  courses.  This  list  is  a  guarantee  of  the  intelli- 
gence and  faithfulness  with  which  the  work  was  done.  The  moving  spirit  of  the 
work  in  recent  years  has  been  Superintendent  Mcintosh.  The  publishers  of  the 
course  since  the  first  edition  has  been  the  indefatigable  C.  M.  Parker,  of  Taylorville. 

The  following  extracts  from  an  article  by  C.  M.  Parker  will  give  a  clearer  con- 
ception of  the  reforms  that  are  mainly  due  to  the  publication  of  the  Course  of  Study : 

In  order  to  understand  what  had  been  done  for  the  improvement  of  the  schools  by  the  State 
Course  of  Study,  it  is  necessary  to  know  something  of  the  conditions  existing  before  the  plan  was  intro- 
duced in  comparison  with  the  schools  at  the  present  time.     [1905.] 

We  must  remember  that  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  most  of  the  country  schools  of  IlHnois  were 
in  a  semi-chaotic  condition,  without  organization  or  system.  Each  school  was  a  "law  unto  itself," 
following  the  whims  of  its  teacher,  who  was  usually  employed  in  one  school  but  a  single  term  of  a  few 
months.  Short  terms  and  frequent  changes  of  teachers  were  great  drawbacks  to  education  in  Illinois 
twenty-five  years  ago. 

As  there  was  no  established  course  of  study  it  was  common  for  each  teacher  to  spend  the  greater 
part  of  his  time  in  giving  instruction  in  one  or  two  branches  in  which  he  was  best  informed,  to  the 
neglect  of  other  studies  equally  important.  In  some  schools  at  least  half  of  the  entire  day  was  given 
to  arithmetic,  while  in  others  the  time  was  devoted  largely  to  the  oral  spelling  of  words,  many  of 
which  were  meaningless  alike  to  teacher  and  pupils.  In  many  of  these  schools  children  were  actually 
trained  in  habits  of  indolence,  because  they  were  permitted  to  fritter  away  their  time,  year  after  year, 
in  a  very  unprofitable  study  of  the  "Three  R's." 

The  classification  of  most  of  the  country  schools  was  poorly  planned  and  caused  great  waste  of 
time  and  energy.  One  county  superintendent,  in  speaking  of  this,  says  he  visited  a  school  having 
an  enrolment  of  sixteen  pupils  in  which  there  were  thirteen  classes  in  arithmetic,  all  reciting  daily. 
He  also  states  that  the  teaching  of  writing  was  entirely  omitted  in  this  school  because  the  teacher 
could  not  find  time  for  it  in  the  crowded  program  of  recitations. 


452  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Twenty-five  years  ago,  language  lessons,  English  grammar,  geography  and  United  States  history 
were  not  taught  in  many  of  the  ungraded  schools  in  Illinois,  because  of  the  fact  that  in  many  instances 
neither  parents,  pupils  nor  teacher  had  a  definite  idea  of  what  branches  should  be  included  in  a  well- 
balanced  course  of  instruction.  If  teachers  insisted  on  any  studies  outside  the  "Three  R's,"  they 
were  often  opposed  both  by  their  pupils  and  the  parents.  In  fact,  one  of  the  greatest  obstacles  with 
which  teachers  had  to  contend  during  the  early  days  of  the  course  of  study  was  that  many  pupils 
objected  to  taking  all  of  the  branches  necessary  to  complete  the  course.  Before  the  introduction 
of  an  established  course  the  children  of  many  localities  had  been  allowed  to  choose  their  studies, 
taking  only  such  branches  as  they  liked,  or  imagined  that  they  would  like,  and  omitting  all  others. 

Many  pupils  and  parents  objected  to  instruction  in  such  important  subjects  as  language  and 
grammar  on  the  ground  that  such  studies  were  useless  to  any  one  except  to  those  who  were  preparing 
to  teach  those  branches. 

I  remember  in  my  own  early  experience  as  a  teacher  that  a  reasonably  intelligent  farmer,  who  was 
considered  a  leader  in  his  neighborhood,  objected  to  his  boy  studying  grammar  because  he  wanted 
him  to  put  in  his  time  learning  to  spell.  Finally  he  consented  for  the  boy  to  enter  the  grammar  class 
upon  being  shown  that  a  simple  phrase,  like  "dog's  ears"  was  spelled  in  two  different  ways  according 
to  the  meaning  to  be  expressed,  and  that  his  boy  could  not  tell  which  spelling  to  use  in  a  given  sen- 
tence without  some  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  language,  to  be  learned  only  through  the  study 
of  English  grammar. 

This  illustrates  the  great  importance  formerly  given  to  spelling  as  a  school  study.  This  parent 
was  willing  for  his  boy  to  study  grammar  to  learn  to  spell,  but  for  no  other  reason. 

The  Ilhnois  school  law  of  1872  said:  "It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  county  superintendent,  if  so 
directed  by  the  county  board,  to  visit,  at  least  once  in  each  year,  every  school  in  his  county,  and  to 
note  the  methods  of  instruction,  the  branches  taught,  the  text-books  used,  and  the  discipline,  govern- 
ment and  general  condition  of  the  schools." 

This  act  gave  the  county  board  authority  to  say  whether  or  not  the  county  superintendent 
should  visit  the  schools.  So  long  as  there  was  no  effective  plan  of  supervision  aside  from  an  annual 
visit  of  an  hour  or  two  to  the  isolated  country  school,  and  that  visit  often  just  before  the  close  of  the 
term,  when  suggestions  would  be  of  little  value,  the  name,  county  superintendent  of  schools,  was 
a  misnomer  in  many  parts  of  Illinois.  However,  a  few  wide-awake  superintendents  showed  by  their 
faithful  work  that  country  school  visitation  could  be  made  worth  while.  In  their  visits  these  pro- 
gressive superintendents  had  an  opportunity  to  study  the  conditions  existing  in  the  country  schools. 
They  saw  the  lack  of  system  and  felt  deeply  the  need  of  some  kind  of  supervision  in  country  schools.  It 
was  the  realization  of  this  great  need  that  led  to  the  evolution  of  our  course  of  study. 

As  is  well  known,  John  Trainer,  former  county  superintendent  of  Macon  county,  was  the  pioneer 
in  the  use  of  the  course  of  study  in  the  country  schools  of  Illinois.  He  did  more  for  the  establishment 
of  the  plan  than  any  other  person  in  the  State.  In  the  preface  to  his  first  Course  of  Study  Mr.  Trainer 
states  that  he  lays  no  claim  to  originality  in  offering  the  plan  but  refers  his  readers  to  the  system 
as  practiced  in  Monongalia  county,  West  Virginia. 

It  appears  that  a  plan  of  country  supervision  somewhat  similar  to  that  introduced  by  Mr.  Trainer 
had  been  used  in  West  Virginia  a  few  years  prior  to  the  beginning  in  Illinois.  Alexander  L.  Wade, 
county  superintendent  of  Monongalia  county,  West  Virginia,  is  spoken  of  as  "the  Father  of  the  Grad- 
uating System  for  Country  Schools."  As  early  as  1875  or  1876  he  issued  a  book  entitled  "A  Graduat- 
ing System  for  Country  Schools."  This  book  is  now  out  of  print  and  I  have  been  unable  to  obtain 
a  copy  of  it,  but  I  have  been  informed  by  the  present  State  Superintendent  of  West  Virginia,  Hon. 
Thomas  C.  Miller,  who  was  a  friend  of  Superintendent  Wade,  that  the  work  was  widely  circulated 
and  that  the  system  was  adopted  in  many  parts  of  the  country. 

In  giving  an  account  of  the  introduction  of  a  course  of  study  into  the  schools  of  Macon  county, 
Mr.  Trainer  says: 

"In  the  autumn  and  winter  of  1878  and  1879,  the  plan  of  grading  the  country  schools  now  in 
successful  operation  in  many  counties  of  Illinois,  was  first  agitated  in  Macon  county.  After  talking 
the  plan  for  several  months  and  maturing  his  mode  of  operation,  the  superintendent  issued  a  little 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  453 

pamphlet  containing  a  course  of  study  in  detail,  also  suggestions  as  to  classification,  examinations, 
and  organization.  This  was  put  into  the  hands  of  teachers  and  they  were  asked  to  try  it  or  let  it 
alone  as  they  saw  fit.  Out  of  188  teachers  in  the  county  only  about  forty  tried  it.  Of  this  number 
about  five  or  six  said  the  plan  was  a  failure  and  that  a  course  of  study  could  not  be  followed  in  the 
country  schools,  while  the  others  who  had  tried  said  '//  can  be  done.' 

"  The  next  year  more  copies  of  the  course  of  study  (or  '  Manual  and  Guide'  as  it  was  then  called) 
were  issued  and  teachers  were  given  an  opportunity  to  try  it,  provided  that  they  did  so  willingly. 
More  than  fifty  per  cent  of  the  teachers  of  the  county  took  up  the  new  work,  and  of  this  number  about 
ten  per  cent  said  it  could  not  be  used  successfully.  At  this  juncture,  it  was  noticed  that  the  active, 
strong  teachers  of  the  county  were  its  advocates,  while  the  weak  and  nonprogressive  ones  were  gen- 
erally opposed  to  it.  When  this  became  apparent  those  who  favored  the  plan  became  aggressive 
and  outspoken,  and  the  work  began  in  earnest.  Soon  the  opposers  dropped  from  the  ranks  of  the 
teacher  or  adopted  the  requirements  of  the  course.  In  a  short  time  nearly  all  the  schools  of  the  county 
were  in  working  order  and  classified  according  to  the  plan  prescribed  in  the  course  of  study." 

Within  a  few  years  after  the  successful  introduction  of  a  course  of  study  in  Macon  county,  the 
plan  had  been  discussed  in  educational  gatherings  and  special  conferences  of  county  superintendents, 
and  through  the  educational  press,  and  was  adopted  in  whole  or  in  part  in  many  counties  of  the 
State. 

Mr.  Trainer  attributed  the  success  of  the  plan  chiefly  to  the  following  particulars: 

1.  A  course  of  study  in  such  minute  detail  as  to  show  both  teacher  and  pupil  just  what  to  study 
each  month. 

2.  A  plan  of  examinations  and  comparisons  to  show  through  the  pupil  just  what  the  teacher 
has  done,  thus  holding  up  the  good  work,  and  exposing  poor  work  to  the  patrons  of  the  school. 

3.  The  bringing  of  the  schools  of  a  township  or  other  convenient  grouping  into  a  "central" 
competitive  examination,  and  later  the  pupils  of  the  different  townships  or  "centrals"  into  a  "final" 
examination  at  the  county  seat. 

4.  The  course  of  study  leading  up  to  the  high  school,  giving  the  pupil  a  definite  object  for  which 
to  work. 

To  the  above  I  would  like  to  add  that  another  important  factor  in  the  success  of  the  plan  was 
the  very  careful,  thorough  manner  in  which  Mr.  Trainer  explained  the  use  of  his  course  to  his  teachers 
in  the  annual  institute  from  year  to  year. 

"The  first  two  or  three  editions  of  the  Macon  County  Manual  and  Guide  consisted  of  about 
twenty-five  or  thirty  pages  of  outlines  and  suggestions  with  some  additional  pages  of  advertisements 
to  pay  the  expense  of  publication.  Mr.  Trainer  revised  and  enlarged  the  course  from  year  to  year 
until  about  1886,  at  which  time  it  contained  about  sixty  pages,  a  small  pamphlet  when  compared 
with  the  present  course  of  more  than  two  hundred  pages." 

Mr.  Parker's  article  explains  in  detail  the  way  in  which  Mr.  Trainer  divided  his 
work  and  the  attention  that  it  attracted  from  prominent  educational  officials.  He 
had  been  a  teacher  in  Macon  county  during  the  critical  period  of  working  out  the 
plan  and  been  under  the  close  direction  of  its  author.  In  the  summer  of  1888  he  was 
urged  by  a  number  of  county  superintendents  to  undertake  the  publ' cation  of  the 
course.  He  found  four  courses  in  use  in  the  State.  One  was  the  Trainer  Manual 
and  Guide.  A  second  was  the  Schoolroom  Guide,  used,  more  or  less,  in  a  number 
of  counties  in  Northern  Illinois,  as  the  result  of  the  action  of  the  County  Superin- 
tendents' Association  of  that  part  of  the  State.  George  I.  Talbot,  of  De  Kalb  county, 
was  a  prominent  member  of  the  committee.  A  third  was  the  Knox  County  Outline 
of  Study,  prepared  by  Superintendent  W.  L.  Steele,  of  Galesburg,  and  County 
Superintendent  George  W.  Oldfather,  of  Knox  county.  The  fourth  was  the  Cham- 
paign County  Manual  and  Guide.     It  was  prepared  by  George  R.  Shawhan,  for  so 


454  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

many  years  county  superintendent  of  Champaign  county.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
county  superintendents  of  the  State  to  take  up  the  Tra:ner  plan,  and  for  a  few  years 
used  Mr.  Trainer's  Manual  in  his  county. 

Mr.  Parker  pays  the  following  tribute  to  Mr.  Shawhan : 

In  passing  I  wish  to  say  that  of  the  pioneers  among  the  county  superintendents  who  stood  by  the 
course  of  study  during  the  long,  trying,  experimental  period,  when  the  plan  was  being  bitterly  opposed 
by  many  teachers  and  by  some  prominent  educators,  Mr.  Shawhan  was  the  only  one  who  remained 
in  the  superintendency  right  along  until  the  plan  of  country  school  supervision  was  firmly  estab- 
lished as  a  part  of  our  educational  system,  and  even  almost  to  the  present  time.     [1905.] 

Mr.  Shawhan  has  been  at  the  head  of  every  committee  on  course  of  study  since  the  first  State 
course  was  issued  in  1889  until  the  recent  State  teachers'  meeting  in  Springfield.  His  term  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  standing  committee  on  revision  of  the  course  expired  in  December,  1904,  and  the  only 
reason  that  he  was  not  reappointed  to  the  position  that  he  has  filled  so  earnestly  and  so  efficiently 
for  so  many  years  was  that  he  had  retired  permanently  from  school  work. 

Mr.  Shawhan  has  had  charge  of  the  copy  for  all  the  different  editions  of  the  State  Course,  and 
his  place  will  be  hard  to  fill  when  the  course  is  revised  again.  He  has  done  more  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  Illinois  Course  from  time  to  time  than  any  other  person  and  is  appropriately  spoken  of 
as  "The  Father  of  the  State  Course  of  Study." 

There  were  individual  courses  for  single  counties  in  a  few  instances.  Mr.  Parker 
cites  three  such  cases:  Will  county,  by  Superintendent  John  McKearnan;  Sanga- 
mon county,  by  Superintendent  Andrew  M.  Brooks;  Menard  county,  by  Superin- 
tendent R.  D.  Miller.  The  great  drawback  to  such  publications  was  the  lack  of 
a  well-established  source  from  which  material  could  be  drawn.  After  Mr.  Parker 
began  the  publication  of  the  course  he  volunteered  to  furnish  examination  questions, 
providing  they  were  approved  by  the  county  superintendent  of  the  county  in  which 
they  were  to  be  used. 

Briefly,  the  purpose  of  the  Course  of  Study  is: 

1.  To  furnish  a  detailed  outline  of  each  of  the  branches  to  be  taught  in  the  schools  of  the  State, 
arranged  in  the  several  grades  in  accordance  with  established  usage  and  approved  methods  of  instruc- 
tion. 

2.  To  advance  the  pupil  step  by  step  through  his  school  course,  giving  him  credit  for  the  work 
as  completed,  thereby  lessening  the  evil  effect  of  frequent  change  of  teachers. 

3.  To  furnish  the  basis  for  closer  and  more  effective  supervision  of  the  schools  of  the  county. 

4.  To  enable  parents  and  school  officers  to  know  what  the  schools  are  attempting  to  do  for  the 
children  and  thereby  secure  their  cooperation  and  sympathy  in  the  work. 

Through  the  use  of  the  Course  of  Study  great  improvements  have  been  made  in  the  common 
schools : 

1.  The  school  year  has  been  lengthened  in  many  localities. 

2.  The  older  girls  and  boys  enter  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  and  remain  until  the  close  to 
complete  the  entire  course. 

3.  The  common-school  course  leads  the  pupils  up  to  the  high  school. 

4.  The  pernicious  custom  of  changing  teachers  twice  a  year  has  almost  disappeared. 

5.  The  Course  of  Study  has  been  the  means  of  greatly  improving  the  methods  of  instruction 
of  thousands  of  teachers  who  could  not  be  induced  to  attend  the  State  Normal  Schools. 

The  State  Course  has  become  so  well  established  and  is  so  far-reaching  in  its  influence  that  a  new 
subject  of  study  or  an  improved  method  of  teaching  may  be  published  in  it,  and  in  a  few  months 
thousands  of  teachers  and  tens  of  thousands  of  pupils  in  the  State  will  go  to  work  earnestly  to  meet 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  455 

the  new  requirements.     For  this  reason  the  revision  of  the  Course  from  time  to  t'.me  should  be  done 
with  the  greatest  care. 

Mr.  Parker  has  only  hinted  at  the  great  work  that  he  has  done  in  the  furtherance 
of  this,  by  far  the  greatest,  reform  in  the  management  of  country  schools.  In  addition 
to  the  publication  of  the  Course  he  has  published  in  The  School  News  and  Practical 
Educator  monthly  comments  upon  the  work  and  guides  to  its  use.  In  consequence 
his  paper  usually  goes  wherever  the  Course  is  used. 


456  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


CHAPTER  XIX 
THE   CHICAGO   PUBLIC   SCHOOLS* 

THE  public  schools  of  Chicago  have  now  been  in  operation  about  three-quarters 
of  a  century.  An  attempt  to  deal  with  their  history  within  the  limits  per- 
mitted by  this  volume  is  a  discouraging  task.  An  examination  of  the 
Report  of  the  Board  of  Education  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  the  last  that  has 
appeared,  reveals  an  elaborate  organization  of  a  vast  number  of  educational  efforts, 
constituting  in  their  entirety  the  school  system  of  the  second  city  of  America.  How 
shall  the  story  of  the  evolution  of  these  multitudinous  agencies  be  told?  What  has 
been  accomplished  in  all  of  these  years  has  been  due  to  the  labors  of  faithful  men 
and  women.  The  story  of  the  schools  is  the  story  of  their  skill  and  devotion.  Who 
of  all  of  the  thousands  shall  be  selected  and  given  a  place  of  permanence  in  the 
annals  of  the  times?  Clearly,  the  number  will  be  small.  Further,  it  must  be  those 
who  have  stood  in  the  closest  relations  to  the  determination  of  the  character  of  the 
system.  That  adequate  justice  will  be  done  the  most  worthy  can  hardly  be  hoped. 
The  data  for  such  a  discriminating  treatment  are  not  at  hand.  The  writer  was  not 
a  part  of  the  system  with  which  he  must  deal.  A  certain  degree  of  familiarity  with 
it  has  been  enjoyed,  but  the  attitude  from  which  it  has  been  viewed  has  been  that 
of  an  onlooker  who  was  not  far  away,  yet  too  far  away  to  catch  the  pulse  beat. 

The  plan  that  will  be  pursued  is  as  follows:  The  early  history  will  be  told 
as  the  material  available  permits.  When  the  closer  organization  is  to  be  dealt  with 
the  conditions  at  the  close  of  the  year  1911  will  be  indicated  and  the  history  will 
then  mainly  consist  of  the  account  of  the  historical  evolution  of  those  conditions. 

1810-11.  The  first  regular  tuition  within  the  present  limits  of  the  city  is  said 
•to  have  been  given  by  Robert  Forsythe,  a  lad  of  thirteen,  to  one  pupil,  John  H. 
Kinzie. 

1816.  The  first  school  was  opened  in  the  fall,  by  William  L.  Cox,  a  discharged 
soldier,  in  a  log  building  belonging  to  John  H.  Kinzie,  Esq.  The  house  had  been 
occupied  as  a  bakery  and  stood  in  the  back  of  Mr.  Kinzie 's  garden,  near  the  crossing 
of  Pine  and  Michigan  streets.  The  pupils  were  John  H.  Kinzie,  his  two  sisters 
and  a  brother,  and  three  or  four  children  from  the  fort. 

1820.     Another  school  was  opened  by  a  sergeant  in  the  "fort. 

1829.  Charles  Beaubien,  son  of  the  agent  of  the  American  Fur  Company, 
taught  a  family  school  near  the  fort. 

1830.  In  June,  Mr.  Stephen  Forbes  commenced  a  school  near  the  crossing  of 
Randolph  street  and  Michigan  avenue.     It  was  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  which 

*Most  of  the  information  concerning  this  early  period  is  obtained  from  "History  of  the  Public  Schools  of 
Chicago,"  W.  H.  Wells,  1857,  and  extension  of  same  by  Shepherd  Johnson,  1880. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  457 

then  flowed  in  a  southerly  direction  and  fell  into  the  lake  near  the  foot  of  Madison 
street.  There  were  about  twenty-five  pupils  of  ages  from  four  to  twenty,  and 
included  the  children  of  those  who  belonged  to  the  fort  and  a  few  others.  The 
building  was  of  logs  and  had  four  rooms ;  it  belonged  to  Mr.  Beaubien  and  had  been 
occupied  by  the  sutler  of  the  fort.  The  walls  of  the  rooms  were  later  enlivened  by 
a  tapestry  of  white  sheeting.  The  teacher  resided  in  one  part  of  the  building  and 
\vas  assisted  by  his  wife.     After  a  year  of  service  he  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Foot. 

1835.  In  the  spring,  Colonel  Richard  J.  Hamilton  and  Colonel  Owen  employed 
Mr.  John  Watkins  to  teach  school  near  the  home  of  the  former  in  the  North  Division. 
They  soon  built  a  schoolhouse  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  just  east  of  Clark 
street,  in  which  Mr.  Watkins  continued  his  school.  This  was  the  first  house  built 
for  a  school.  In  1879  Mr.  Watkins  wrote  as  follows:  "  I  arrived  in  Chicago  in  May, 
1832,  and  have  always  had  the  reputation  of  being  its  first  school-teacher.  I  com- 
menced teaching  in  the  fall,  after  the  Black  Hawk  War,  in  1832.  My  first  school- 
house  was  stationed  on  the  North  Side,  about  half  way  between  the  lake  and  the 
forks  of  the  river,  then  known  as  Wolf  Point.  The  building  belonged  to  Col.  William 
J.  Hamilton,  and  was  erected  for  a  horse  stable  and  had  been  used  for  that  purpose. 
It  was  twelve  feet  square.  My  benches  and  desks  were  made  of  old  store  boxes. 
The  school  was  started  by  private  subscription.  Thirty  scholars  were  subscribed 
for,  but  many  subscribed  who  had  no  children.  It  was  a  sort  of  a  free  school,  there 
being  less  than  thirty  children  in  town.  During  my  first  quarter  I  had  but  twelve 
scholars,  only  four  of  whom  were  white.  The  others  were  quarter,  half,  and  three 
■quarters  Indian.  After  the  first  quarter  I  moved  my  school  into  a  double  log 
house  on  the  West  Side.  It  was  owned  by  Jesse  Walker,  a  Methodist  minister. 
It  was  located  near  the  bank  of  the  river  near  where  the  north  and  south  branches 
meet.  He  resided  in  one  end  of  the  building  and  I  taught  in  the  other.  On  Sun- 
days he  preached  in  the  room  where  I  taught. 

"  In  the  winter  of  1832-3,  Billy  Caldwell,  a  half-breed  chief  of  the  Pottawattamie 
Indians,  and  better  known  as  'Sauganash,'  offered  to  pay  the  tuition  and  buy  the 
books  of  all  the  Indian  children  who  would  attend  the  school,  if  they  would  dress 
like  the  Americans,  and  he  would  also  pay  for  their  clothes.  But  not  a  single  Indian 
would  accept  the  proposition,  conditioned  upon  the  change  of  apparel. 

"When  I  first  went  to  Chicago  there  was  but  one  frame  building  there;  it  was 
a  store  owned  by  Robert  A.  Kinzie.  The  rest  of  the  houses  were  made  of  logs. 
There  were  no  bridges;  the  river  was  crossed  by  canoes."  Mr.  Watkins  was  teach- 
ing in  Chicago  as  late  as  1835. 

1833.  Miss  Eliza  Chappel,  from  Rochester,  New  York,  began  her  work  as  a 
teacher  in  the  autumn.  She  had  taught  two  years  at  Mackinac  and  came  to  the 
family  of  Major  Wilcox,  at  the  fort.  As  soon  as  she  could  find  a  suitable  room  she 
gathered  about  twenty  children  in  a  log  house  on  South  Water  street,  near  the  fort. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year  an  English  and  classical  school  for  boys  was 
opened  by  G.  T.  Sproat,  an  immigrant  from  Boston,  in  a  small  house  of  worship, 
belonging  to  the  First  Baptist  Church,  on  vSouth  Water  street,  near  Franklin. 

1834.  In  March,  Sarah  L.  Warren,  afterwards  Mrs.  Abel  E.  Carpenter,  became 
an  assistant  in  the  Sproat  school.     vShe  wrote  later:    "  What  few  buildings  there  were 


458  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

then  were  mostly  on  Water  street.  I  used  to  go  across  without  regard  to  streets. 
It  was  not  uncommon,  in  going  to  and  from  school,  to  see  prairie  wolves,  and  we 
could  hear  them  howl  any  time  of  day.  We  were  frequently  annoyed  by  Indians, 
but  the  great  difficulty  we  had  to  encounter  was  mud.  No  person,  now,  can  have 
a  just  idea  of  what  Chicago  mud  used  to  be.  Rubbers  were  of  no  account.  I  pur- 
chased a  pair  of  gentleman's  brogans  and  fastened  them  tight  about  the  ankles,  but 
would  still  go  over  them  in  mud  and  water  and  was  obliged  to  have  a  pair  of  men's 
boots  made." 

This  school  was  authorized  to  receive  a  part  of  the  distributable  school  fund.  It 
may  as  well  be  mentioned  here  as  elsewhere  that  the  school  section  in  Chicago  was 
in  what  is  now  the  heart  of  the  down-town  district.  It  was  divided  into  one  hundred 
and  forty-two  blocks,  and,  with  the  exception  of  four  blocks,  was  sold  at  auction 
in  October,  1833,  for  $38,619.48.  Imagine  the  square  mile  bounded  by  Madison, 
vState,  Twelfth  and  Halsted  streets  as  still  in  the  possession  of  the  city  with  the 
income  to  be  used  for  school  purposes ! 

1834-5.  George  Davis  conducted  a  school  in  an  upper  room  on  Lake  street, 
between.  Clark  and  Dearborn. 

Miss  Chappel's  school  seems  to  be  entitled  to  the  honor  of  being  the  first  public 
school  in  Chicago.  A  place  was  soon  made  for  it  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
on  the  west  side  of  Clark,  between  Randolph  and  Lake.  The  claim  of  priority  rests 
upon  an  appropriation  made  to  her  in  1834.  The  school  finally  embraced  all  grades. 
Her  assistants  were  Miss  Elizabeth  Beach  and  Miss  Mary  Burrows.  Subsequently 
she  took  a  house  and  opened  a  boarding  school.  Pupils  were  permitted  to  pay  a 
portion  of  their  bills  by  labor  and  by  food  brought  from  their  homes.  One  of  the 
purposes  of  the  school  was  the  preparation  of  teachers  for  the  schools  of  the  infant 
settlement.  Thus  early  was  the  idea  of  the  Normal  school  having  its  practical 
development,  six  years  before  the  first  Normal  school,  at  Lexington. 

1835.  Writing  of  the  early  schools  of  Chicago  as  late  as  1879,  Rev.  Jeremiah 
Porter  says:  "In  1835,  our  young  Sunday-school  librarian,  Mr.  John  S.  Wright, 
built  at  his  own  expense  on  Clark  street,  a  schoolhouse  for  their  own  use,  and  that 
schoolhouse  soon  became  the  public  schoolhouse,  and  Miss  Leavenworth  was  secured 
by  Miss  Chappel  as  its  teacher."  Of  this  house  Mr.  Wright  says:  "The  honor  is 
due  to  my  sainted  mother.  Having  then  plenty  of  money  it  was  spent  as  she  desired. 
Interested  in  Miss  Chappel's  school  she  wanted  the  building  and  it  was  built." 

It  was  in  this  year  that  the  first  independent  organization  of  schools  was 
authorized.  The  law  in  force  provided  for  the  election  of  five  or  seven  school  inspec- 
tors, for  the  laying  off  of  school  districts,  the  visitation  of  schools,  the  examination 
of  teachers,  and  the  additional  duties  usually  devolving  upon  school  boards  with 
two  exceptions ;  employment  of  teachers  was  by  a  board  of  three  trustees  elected  by 
the  people,  who  also  levied  the  necessary  taxes  for  fuel,  rent  and  furniture.  If 
funds  beyond  the  amount  afforded  by  the  school  funds  were  necessary  to  pay  the 
teachers  the  amount  was  first  to  be  determined  by  a  majority  vote  of  the  people 
at  a  meeting  called  for  that  purpose.  The  amount  levied  could  not  exceed  one-half 
per  cent  per  annum.  This  law  was  in  effect  but  a  single  year,  as  the  city  was 
incorporated  the  following  year. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  459 

1836.  Miss  Leavenworth's  school  was  discontinued  in  the  spring.  The  building 
was  at  once  occupied  by  a  school  for  the  higher  instruction  of  young  women,  under 
the  principalship  of  Miss  Langdon  Willard,  an  aunt  of  Dr.  wSamuel  Willard.  A  pri- 
mary department  was  soon  added  and  the  school  became  public,  passing  into  the 
hands  of  Miss  Louisa  Gifford,  Miss  Willard 's  assistant.  Miss  Willard  opened 
another  school  on  her  original  plan,  but  its  life  was  brief. 

1837.  This  year  witnessed  the  incorporation  of  the  city.  The  common  council 
became  the  commissioners  of  common  schools.  The  system  was  a  three-headed 
affair.  The  council  could  appoint  inspectors  with  limited  powers  and  the  people 
could  elect  three  trustees  in  each  district.  Teachers  were  employed  by  the  trustees. 
Those  desiring  further  particulars  may  find  the  law  on  pages  77  and  following  in 
the  Session  Laws,  Tenth  General  Assembly.  On  November  1  there  were  five  schools 
in  operation  with  four  hundred  children. 

The  year  was  divided  into  quarters  beginning  on  the  first  Monday  in  February, 
May,  August  and  November.  Each  of  these  jjeriods  constituted  a  quarter's  school- 
ing if  the  school  were  held  five  and  a  half  days  a  week.  For  the  instruction  the  teacher 
was  entitled  to  one- fourth  of  a  year's  salary. 

In  some  cases  indifference  and  dislike  of  taxation  resulted  in  a  failure  to  elect 
officers.  In  one  case  a  teacher  could  not  finish  her  schools  because  the  district  could 
not  secure  a  suitable  room  properly  warmed.  In  one  case  a  private  school  was 
broken  up  by  a  refractory  pupil,  so  the  teacher  disposed  of  his  lease.  His  successor, 
one  Edward  Murphy,  whose  name  betrays  his  fighting  qualities,  equipped  himself 
for  the  situation  and  there  was  no  further  trouble  until  the  owner  of  the  building 
attempted  to  create  some  disorder.  When  Mr.  Murphy  unlimbered  his  battery  of 
oak  saplings  the  complainant  immediately  retired  from  the  scene  of  action.  Mr. 
Murphy's  genius  so  commended  itself  to  the  school  commissioners  that  they  at  once 
employed  him  as  teacher  at  $1,200  a  year. 

1839.  This  year  the  legislature  so  amended  the  charter  as  to  increase  the  powers 
of  the  school  authorities.  The  common  council  could  now  raise  by  taxation  sufficient 
money  to  equip  and  maintain  the  schools,  could  fix  the  compensation  of  teachers 
and  appoint  the  trustees  in  the  districts.  Districts  could  now  be  organized  without 
waiting  for  the  action  of  the  voters.  The  law  also  authorized  a  high  school  in  any 
district  upon  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the  people,  or,  at  their  pleasure,  districts  could 
unite  for  that  purpose.  It  was  necessary,  however,  to  serve  the  election  notice 
upon  every  voter  by  reading  it  to  him  or  by  leaving  it  at  his  residence.  Buildings 
could  not  cost  more  than  $5,000. 

1840.  The  first  written  records  begin  in  November  of  this  year.  Uniformity 
of  text-books  was  adopted  with  the  following  books:  Worcester's  Primer,  Parley's 
First,  Second  and  Third  Books  of  History,  and  an  elementary  speller. 

In  October  the  inspectors  recommended  the  division  of  the  city  into  four  districts 
as  follows:  No.  1.  That  portion  of  the  south  division  lying  east  of  Clark  street. 
No.  2.  That  portion  of  the  south  division  lying  between  Clark  street  and  the  south 
branch  of  the  river.     No.  3.   The  west  division.     No.  4.   The  north  division. 

The  following  month  the  inspectors  reported  that  the  trustees  of  District  No.  4 
had  rented  a  room  for  $6  a  month  and  had  submitted  estimates  for  fuel  and  furniture 


460  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

to  the  amount  of  $132.  The  $50  for  benches  and  apparatus  could  not  be  allowed, 
the  inspectors  "  beHeving  that  in  the  present  condition  of  the  school  fund  no 
apparatus  except  such  as  is  indispensable  should  be  purchased."  A  teacher  was 
secured  for  each  district  at  $400  a  year. 

The  building  in  District  No.  1,  the  only  one  owned  by  the  city,  stood  where  the 
Tribune  building  now  stands.  The  building  in  No.  2  was  on  the  north  side  of  Ran- 
dolph, midway  between  Fifth  Avenue  and  Franklin.  No.  3  was  on  West  Monroe, 
facing  south,  a  little  west  of  Canal.  No.  4  was  on  the  comer  of  Cass  and  Kinzie. 
The  whole  number  of  pupils  in  attendance  in  December,  1840,  was  317  in  the  four 
districts. 

1841.  In  June,  the  inspectors  reported  that  in  the  preceding  four  months  there 
had  been  expended  $563.32  for  teachers  and  $520.94  for  fuel  and  other  expenses,  and 
that  a  tax  of  one-tenth  of  one  per  cent  would  be  necessary  to  meet  the  needs  of 
the  schools.  Under  the  census  of  the  preceding  year  the  whole  number  of  white  per- 
sons under  twenty  years  of  age  in  the  county  was  4,693,  and  in  the  city  was  2,109. 

Here  appears  the  female  teacher  in  the  public  schools:  "Resolved"  (by  the 
School  Inspectors)  "  that  the  school  trustees  of  District  No.  3  be  authorized  to 
employ  a  female  teacher  in  said  district,  at  a  salary  not  exceeding  $200  per  annum, 
for  six  months,  payable  in  Illinois  State  Bank  bills,  or  currency  when  the  tax  is 
collected,  and  to  hire  a  house  for  the  same.  Provided  it  is  fitted  up  and  furnished 
by  the  inhabitants  of  the  district  at  their  own  expense ;  and  that  a  female  school  be 
established  in  the  Second  District  on  the  same  terms." 

1845.  In  the  spring  the  first  permanent  school  building  was  completed.  It  was 
afterward  known  as  the  Dearborn  School.  It  was  built  of  brick,  60  by  80  feet,  and 
was  two  stories  high.  It  was  located  on  Madison  street,  opposite  McVicker's  Theater. 
The  total  cost  was  $7,523.42.  It  was  regarded  as  so  far  beyond  the  needs  of  the  city 
that  Mayor  Garrett,  in  his  inaugural  address,  in  1845,  recommended  that  "the  big 
schoolhouse ' '  be  sold  or  converted  into  an  insane  asylum  and  one  more  in  harmony 
with  existing  conditions  be  supplied.  Districts  1  and  2  were  consolidated  into  one 
district  and  the  pupils  accommodated  in  the  new  building.  Within  a  year  after 
the  first  occupation  of  the  building,  543  pupils  were  enrolled  and  at  the  end  of  the 
third  year  864.  The  first  principal  was  Austin  D.  Sturtevant,  who  had  been  in  the 
employ  of  the  city  for  five  years.  AVithin  two  years  there  were  six  teachers  besides 
the  principal.  In  the  list  of  principals  are  several  familiar  names.  Perkins  Bass 
was  at  the  head  of  the  school  from  February,  1855,  to  May,  1856 ;  George  D.  Broomell, 
from  April,  1857,  to  November,  1863;  Albert  R.  Sabin,  from  November,  1863,  to 
July,  1865;  Mr.  Broomell,  again,  from  September,  1865,  to  July,  1866;  Daniel  S. 
Wentworth,  from  September,  1866,  to  July,  1867;  Leslie  Lewis,  from  September, 
1867,  to  July,  1869;  Andrew  M.  Brooks,  from  October,  1869,  to  January,  1870; 
Alfred  P.  Burbank,  from  March,  1870,  to  July,  1871.  The  organization  of  the  school 
became  extinct  with  the  great  fire  of  1871. 

In  May,  1845,  the  trustees  of  the  school  districts  were  authorized  to  pay  male 
teachers  not  to  exceed  $500  per  annum,  an  advance  of  $100  on  the  previous  salary. 
Women  received  $200  per  annum.  In  September  of  the  same  year  the  inspectors 
recommended  that  the  salaries  of  women  teachers  be  advanced  to  $250  a  vear. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  461 

As  a  further  illustration  of  the  simfjle  manners  of  the  pioneers  note  the  following 
petition:  "Your  petitioners  would  respectfully  ask  your  honorable  body  to  assist 
us  to  secure  a  suitable  place  for  a  school,  in  the  south  part  of  Districts  Nos.  1  and  2. 
We  have  had  a  good  school  under  your  appropriation  of  $100  for  the  last  six  months, 
and  as  the  school  is  about  to  close  we  are  anxious  to  have  it  continued.  The  building 
that  we  have  used  is  upon  a  lot  that  costs  no  rent;  the  building  belongs  to  F.  W. 
MeiTich,  for  which  he  asks  the  «sum  of  $35.  Your  petitioners  believe  that  with  a 
twelve-foot  addition  put  to  it,  and  lathing  and  plastering,  it  would  be  comfortable 
for  the  winter.  Should  your  Honorable  Body  see  fit  to  appropriate  the  sum  of  $100 
and  allow  the  use  of  the  old  stove  of  the  Council  room,  the  building  could  be  bought 
and  all  the  necessary  repairs  made."     October  5,  1847. 

It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  three  days  later  the  prayer  of  the  petitioners  was 
granted,  with  the  exception  of  "  the  old  stove." 

1849.  It  is  pleasing  to  find  a  highly  optimistic  note  in  the  Annual  Report  of 
the  School  Inspectors,  dated  February  5,  1849; 

"Since  the  organization  of  our  public  schools  in  the  autumn  of  1840,  there  has 
been  a  change  unparalleled  in  the  school  history  of  any  western  city.  Then,  a  few 
miserably  clad  children,  unwashed  and  uncombed,  were  huddled  into  small,  uncleanly 
and  un ventilated  apartments,  seated  upon  uncomfortable  benches  and  taught  b}^ 
listless  and  inefficient  tutors,  w^ho  began  their  daily  avocations  with  dread  and  com- 
pleted what  they  considered  their  unpleasant  duties  with, pleasure.  Now,  the  school 
reports  of  the  township  show  the  names  of  nearly  two  thousand  pupils,  two-thirds 
of  whom  are  in  daily  attendance  in  spacious,  ventilated,  well-regulated  schoolrooms, 
where  they  are  taught  by  those  whose  duty  is  their  pleasure.  The  scholars  are  neat 
in  person  and  orderly  in  behavior,  and  by  the  excellent  course  of  moral  and  mental 
training  which  they  receive,  are  being  prepared  to  become  good  citizens,  an  honor 
to  the  city  and  the  state." 

In  the  same  report  they  ask  for  an  enlargement  of  the  libraries  and  that  each 
child  in  the  primary  grades  shall  be  supplied  with  a  slate.  The  Common  Council 
adopted  the  recommendations  of  the  report,  appropriating  $33.33  to  each  district 
for  library  purposes,  and  directed  the  inspectors  to  buy  a  thousand  slates  for  the 
primary  children  and  to  attach  them  to  the  desks  so  that  they  could  not  be  removed. 
At  the  same  time  the  inspectors  were  granted  the  sole  power  of  employing  and  dis- 
missing teachers. 

As  has  been  noted,  the  school  terms  covered  nearly  the  whole  year  and  five 
and  a  half  days  of  each  week.  Each  term  was  twelve  weeks  in  length  with  a  vaca- 
tion of  one  week  following,  and  there  were  four  of  these  terms.  In  February,  1850, 
the  Common  Council,  being  petitioned  by  the  teachers,  ordered  that  there  should 
be  two  vacations;  one  from  the  last  Saturday  in  Jtme  to  the  first  Monday  in  August, 
and  the  second,  of  one  week,  at  the  Christmas  holidays.  In  December  of  the  same 
year  the  school  week  was  reduced  to  five  days. 

An  ordinance  passed  by  the  Common  Council,  in  September,  1851,  classified 
the  female  teachers  into  three  grades :  Principal  Assistants  with  a  salary  not  to  exceed 
$400 ;  Assistant  Teachers  with  a  salary  not  to  exceed  $200 ;  Primary  Assistants  with 
a  salary  of  $150.     Principal   Male  Teachers  were  to  have  salaries  that  should  not 


462  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

be  less  than  $300  nor  more  than  $800.  A  certificate  from  the  inspectors  was  neces- 
sary for  employment.  The  Common  Council  had  a  growing  conviction  that  it  was 
poorly  qualified  to  take  care  of  the  schools;  in  consequence,  the  powers  of  the  inspec- 
tors were  steadily  increased  and  the  schools  were  correspondingly  improved. 

From  1840  to  1853,  W.  H.  Brown  acted  as  school  agent  and  nearly  all  of  the  time 
without  compensation.  The  office  was  far  from  being  a  sinecure  and  his  faithfulness 
in  caring  for  the  school  fund  should  give  him  a  permanent  place  in  the  annals  of  the 
city. 

Following  the  plan  indicated  at  the  beginning  of  this  sketch,  the  organization  as 
it  existed  in  1911  was  as  follows: 

THE  ORGANIZATION  IN  1911. 

I. 

The  governing  body  of  the  school  system  is  a  Board  of  Education,  appointed 
by  the  Mayor,  and  consisting  of  twenty-one  members.  The  officers  of  the  Board 
are  a  president,  a  vice-president,  and  a  secretary  who  is  not  a  member  of  the  Board. 

The  business  of  the  Board  is  conducted  by  three  standing  committees  whose 
reports  are  passed  upon  by  the  Board.  They  are  respectively  School  Management, 
Buildings  and  Grounds,  and  Finance.  In  addition  to  these  committees  there  is  a 
school  committee  for  each  of  the  fourteen  districts  into  which  the  city  is  divided. 
Each  of  these  districts  contains  a  group  of  schools,  the  nvimbers  varying  from  thirteen 
to  twenty- three. 

From  time  to  time  special  committees  are  appointed  to  meet  some  unusual 
condition. 

II. 

The  executive  force  consists  of  a  Superintendent,  a  First  Assistant  Superintendent, 
two  Assistant  vSuperintendents,  ten  District  Superintendents,  and  eighteen  business 
officials  and  special  supervisors.  These  are  a  Superintendent  of  Compulsory  Edu- 
cation, Superintendent  of  Parental  School,  a  Supervisor  in  each  of  the  departments 
of  Physical  Training,  Manual  Training,  School  for  the  Blind,  and  Household  Arts, 
a  Director  of  Scientific  Pedagogy  and  Child  Study,  an  Examiner,  two  Secretaries, 
two  Business  Managers,  a  Chief  Engineer,  an  Auditor,  an  Architect,  a  vSuperintendent 
of  Repairs,  and  two  Attorneys. 

III. 

At  the  head  of  the  schools  is  the  Teachers'  College,  with  its  three  Practice  Schools, 
and  the  Parental  School. 

There  are  nineteen  High  Schools,  two  of  which  are  Technical. 

There  are  256  District  Schools,  one  of  which  is  for  crippled  children. 

Special  Schools:  For  the  Deaf,  for  the  Blind  (1),  for  Crippled  Children  (1), 
Open  Air  (1),  Parental  (1),  John  Worthy  (1),  Juvenile  Court  (1),  Juvenile  Home 
and  Refuge  for  Girls,  Adults,  Subnormal  and  Truant,  Apprentice,  Evening,  Vaca- 
tion, Kindergarten. 

The  total  enrolment  in  all  of  these  schools  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1911, 
was  343,354. 

For  the  supervision  and  instruction  and  care  of  these  pupils  there  were  6,554 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  463 

people  employed  in  the  year  1910-11.     The  total  expense  of  the  system  for  that 
period  was  more  than  nine  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars. 

DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

The  city  was  incorporated  in  1837.  As  we  have  seen,  the  Common  Council  was 
made  the  commissioners  of  common  schools.  The  council  could  appoint  not  less 
than  five  nor  more  than  twelve  inspectors  and  the  people  could  elect  three  trustees 
in  each  district  who  were  to  employ  the  teachers.  Two  years  later  the  charter  was 
so  amended  as  to  permit  the  Common  Council  to  raise  sufficient  money  to  support 
the  schools,  to  fix  the  compensation  of  teachers  and  to  appoint  seven  inspectors. 
The  first  written  record  begins  with  1840.  In  1857  the  number  of  inspectors  was 
increased  to  fifteen.  In  1864  the  law  was  again  amended  so  that  one  inspector  was 
appointed  from  each  ward.  This  increased  the  number  of  inspectors  from  fifteen 
to  sixteen  and  subsequently  to  twenty.  In  1872  the  new  law,  enacted  under  the 
new  constitution,  put  the  appointment  of  the  inspectors  in  the  hands  of  the  mayor 
but  required  the  approval  of  the  council,  and  reduced  the  number  to  fifteen.  In 
1891  the  number  was  increased  to  twenty-one  and  has  so  remained  until  the  present. 

The  seven  inspectors  who  were  in  office  in  1840,  when  the  records  began,  were 
William  Jones,  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  Nathan  H.  Bolles,  J.  Y.  Scammon,  John  Gray, 
J.  H.  Scott,  Hiram  Hugunin.  The  following  familiar  names  are  found  in  the  lists 
before  1872:  Perkins  Bass,  Joseph  T.  Bonfield,  Philo  Carpenter,  John  C.  Dore, 
John  H.  Foster,  Luther  Haven,  Washington  Hesing,  Philip  A.  Hoyne,  Flavel  Moseley, 
Walter  L.  Newberry,  William  B.  Ogden,  John  C.  Richberg,  A.  D.  Sturtevant,  William 
H.  Wells,  D.  S.  Wentworth,  John  Wentworth. 

Up  to  the  time  of  the  "Fire"  there  had  been  twenty-three  presidents  of  the 
Board.     Their  names  are  worth  preserving: 

The  record  of  1849  is  missing.  1840-3,  William  Jones;  1843-5,  J.  Y.  Scammon; 
1845-8,  William  Jones;  1848-9,  Dr..  E.  S.  Kimberly;  1850-1,  Henry  Smith;  1852-3, 
Flavel  Moseley,  also,  1854-8;  1853-4,  W.  H.  Brown;  1858-60  and  1862-3,  Luther 
Haven;  1860-1,  John  C.  Dore;  1861-2,  Samuel  Hoard;  1862,  January  to  May,  John 
H.  Foster;  1863-4,  Walter  L.  Newberry;  1864-5,  Levi  B.  Taft;  1865-7,  Charles  B. 
Holden;  1867-8,  George  C.  Clarke;  1868-9,  Lorenzo  Brentano;  1869-70,  Samuel  A. 
Briggs;  1870-1,  William  H.  King;  1871-2,  Eben  F.  Runyan. 

Within  the  last  forty  years  other  familiar  names  have  been  found  in  the  lists  of 
members.  Here  are  some  of  them:  W.  H.  Wells,  E.  G.  Keith,  M.  E.  Stone,  A.  C. 
Bartlett,  J.  C.  Burroughs,  James  R.  Doolittle,  Jr.,  A.  H.  Revell,  A.  S.  Trude,  C.  S. 
Thornton,  M.  J.  Keane,  Jos.  W.  Errant,  O.  C.  Schneider,  George  E.  Adams,  Graham 
S.  Harris,  W.  S.  Christopher,  Clayton  Mark,  John  T.  Keating,  R.  A.  White,  William 
R.  Harper,  Mrs.  Emmons  Blaine,  Miss  Jane  Addams,  Mrs.  C.  K.  vSherman,  Miss 
Cornelia  De  Bey,  Mrs.  Isabel  O'Keefe. 

THE  wSUPERINTENDENCY. 

The  need  of  a  superintendent  soon  became  apparent  when  the  city  awoke 
to  an  appreciation  of  the  task  that  confronted  it  in  the  education  of  its  children. 
The  first  mention  of  the  subject  seems  to  have  occurred  in  1853,  when  a  committee 


464  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

was  appointed  by  the  inspectors  to  take  the  matter  under  consideration.  In  Novem- 
ber of  that  year  the  council  passed  an  ordinance  creating  the  office  and  defining  its 
duties.  The  salary  was  not  to  exceed  $1,500.  The  officer  was  to  be  in  the  closest 
relation  to  the  Board  and  was  to  act  as  its  secretary.  On  December,  30,  1853,  John 
D.  Philbrick,  principal  of  the  State  Normal  School,  at  New  Britain,  Connecticut, 
was  elected  to  the  position  at  the  maximum  salary.  He  declined  the  appointment, 
and  on  March  6,  of  the  following  year,  John  C.  Dore,  Principal  of  the  Boylston  Gram- 
mar School,  Boston,  was  selected.  At  this  time  there  were  about  three  thousand 
pupils  and  thirtv-five  teachers.  Mr.  Dore  assumed  the  duties  of  the  office  in  June, 
1854. 

He  examined  all  of  the  pupils  in  all  of  the  schools,  beginning  with  the  primary 
and  ending  with  the  grammar  grades.  In  some  of  the  schools  the  organization  was 
so  imperfect  that  some  of  the  pupils  attended  one  grade  in  the  forenoon  and  another 
in  the  afternoon.  There  were  no  lists  of  the  children  and  the  only  way  of  telling 
what  pupils  belonged  to  the  school  was  to  seize  an  opportunity  when  all  were  pre- 
sumably present.  The  schools  were  furnished  with  assembly  rooms  and  recitation 
rooms,  and  as  much  time  was  employed  in  going  to  and  from  the  recitation  rooms 
as  was  employed  in  recitations.  The  principals  did  little  beyond  governing  the 
pupils  in  the  large  rooms. 

Mr.  Dore's  examination  was  the  beginning  of  the  introduction  of  system  into 
the  schools.  It  revealed  a  peculiar  condition,  but  not  especially  different  from  what 
might  have  been  expected  where  there  was  no  supervision.  The  pupils  were  now 
classified,  promotions  were  regular  instead  of  being  made  at  the  pleasure  of  the 
principals  of  the  primary  schools.  The  teachers  were  required  to  register  the 
names  of  the  pupils  in  a  class  book  and  to  keep  an  account  of  the  attendance,  the 
conduct  and  the  recitations.  An  institute  was  organized  to  meet  twice  a  month. 
An  appropriation  was  made  for  the  care  of  the  buildings,  which  had  formerly  devolved 
upon  the  children.  A  movement  was  started  for  high  schools.  The  attendance  of 
children  in  the  grades  was  small  and  it  was  believed  that  a  high  school  would  increase 
it.  There  was  the  greatest  need  of  better  teachers  and,  indeed,  for  any  suitable 
teachers.     It  sometimes  required  from  four  to  six  weeks  to  fill  a  vacancy. 

Mr.  Dore  argued  vigorously  for  a  Normal  department  in  a  high  school,  for  a 
truant  law,  and  for  the  attendance  at  the  public  schools  of  the  children  of  the  rich 
as  well  as  of  the  poor.  He  closed  his  report  with  the  following:  "  This  city  should 
so  elevate  the  character  of  its  public  schools  as  to  become  like  a  light  set  upon  a  hill, 
radiating  with  wonderful  brilliancy  throughout  this  western  world. ' ' 

Mr.  Dore  resigned  March  15,  1856. 

Mr.  Dore  was  succeeded  by  William  H.  Wells,  principal  of  the  Westfield  Normal 
School,  Massachusetts.  Mr.  Wells  served  as  superintendent  for  eight  years.  Refer- 
ence has  been  made  to  his  prominence  in  educational  affairs,  on  earlier  pages.  He 
saw  the  great  need  of  a  more  complete  organization  of  the  schools  than  Mr.  Dore 
had  been  able  to  effect  in  the  brief  period  of  his  connection  with  the  department  of 
superintendence.  In  1861  he  published  a  graded  course  of  instruction  which  was 
adopted  by  the  city.  It  provided  for  ten  grades  below  the  high  school.  It  was 
widely  used  in  the  organization  of  the  school  systems  of  other  cities  and  was  a  text- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  465 

book,  as  the  writer  well  recalls,  in  some  of  the  Normal  schools.  After  his  retire- 
ment from  the  office  of  superintendent  he  retained  a  warm  interest  in  the  schools, 
serving,  as  has  been  seen,  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education. 

The  following  sketch  of  Mr.  Wells,  from  the  pen  of  W.  L.  Pillsbury,  appeared  in 
the  Sixteenth  Biennial  Report  of  the  State  Department  of  Education. 

"William  Harvey  Wells  was  born  in  Tolland,  a  small  village  in  Connecticut, 
February  27,  1812.  His  father  was  a  farm.er.  Without  having  enjoyed  any  particu- 
lar opportunities,  at  nineteen  years  of  age,  when  he  was,  as  he  said,  something  more 
than  a  boy,  something  less  than  a  man,  he  began  teaching  a  district  school  at  ten 
dollars  a  month  and  boarding  around.  While  still  quite  young,  he  won  an  enviable 
reputation  as  a  teacher  in  an  academy,  in  Hartford,  Connecticut.  After  this  he 
was  for  eleven  years  associated  with  the  Rev.  Samuel  R.  Hall  in  the  conduct  of  the 
Teachers'  'Seminary,  at  Andover,  Massachusetts,  which  was  the  first  school  in  the 
country  distinctively  a  training  school  for  teachers.  A  little  later  he  was  principal 
of  the  English  Department  of  Phillips  Academy,  at  Andover,  Massachusetts,  the 
principal  at  that  time  being  the  well-known  Samuel  Harvey  Taylor.  In  1848  he 
became  the  first  principal  of  the  Putnam  Free  School,  in  Newburyport,  Massa- 
chusetts. This  was  an  endowed  English  academy.  After  six  years  there  he  went 
to  the  State  Normal  School,  at  Westfield,  Massachusetts,  and  held  the  principalship 
of  the  institution  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  elected  to  the 
superintendency  of  the  Chicago  public  schools.  He  was  then  forty-seven  years  old 
and  had  had  a  varied  experience  as  a  teacher  for  twenty-five  years.  At  the  end 
of  eight  years  of  service  he  resigned  this  office  and  entered  upon  a  business  life, 
which  closed  with  his  death  in  Chicago,  January  21,  1885. 

"  Mr.  Wells  was  president  of  the  Massachusetts  Teachers'  Association" in  1851  and 
1852;  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  in  1864,  and  of  the  National  Teachers' 
Association,  in  1864.  He  was  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  establishment  of  our  first 
Normal  school  in  Illinois,  at  Normal,  in  1857,  and  was  one  of  the  charter  members 
of  its  Board  of  Trustees,  which  place  he  held  for  twelve  years,  doing  much  to  shape 
the  course  of  instruction  and  the  policy  of  the  institution. 

"After  engaging  in  business  he  was  for  several  years  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
School  Board,  and  was  for  a  time  its  President. 

"Mr.  Wells  was  an  early  editor  of  the  Al assachusetts  Teacher,  and  many  articles 
from  his  pen  may  be  found  in  it  and  in  other  educational  journals. 

"  His  English  Grammar  was  for  many  years  a  well-known  text-book.  His  '  The 
Graded  School '  was  a  pioneer  work  of  great  value,  which  has  been  the  guide  followed 
by  many  superintendents  east  and  west  in  organizing  the  public  schools  of  our  cities, 
and  has  been  freely  drawn  upon  by  all  later  writers  upon  this  subject, 

"He  was  an  enthusiastic  philologist  as  well  as  grammarian,  and  gave  valuable 
assistance  as  one  of  the  revisers  of  Webster's  Unabridged  Dictionary. 

' '  One  of  his  pupils  writes  thus  of  him  as  a  teacher : 

In  every  direction  in  which  his  mind  reached  out  he  communicated  magnetic  fervor.  He  made 
his  scholars  feel  life  to  be  a  cheery  business;  there  was  no  room  in  his  theory  for  drift  and  dalliance, 
but  with  precise  and  systematic  habits  and  methods  of  work  he  taught  us  to  achieve  success.  I  have 
had  somewhat  to  do  since  that  day  with  educational  men  and  methods  and  school  administration, 

30 


466  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

but  I  have  never  seen  a  man  who  combined  the  organizing  abiHty,  the  administrative  facultv  and  the 
personal  influence  for  character  with  such  earnest  and  philosophical  method,  both  intellectual  and 
moral,  as  did  Mr.  Wells  as  I  remember  him  in  that  school.  He  was  a  young  man.  punctilious  in  his 
manner,  kind  as  well  as  earnest  in  his  dealings  with  the  i)upils,  most  respectful  in  his  bearing  both  to 
young  men  and  women,  never  without  a  degree  of  ceremony  in  his  intercourse  with  them,  which, 
as  I  have  often  thought,  preserved  the  finest  relation  between  him  and  them,  and  which  instead  of 
preventing,  was  most  favorable  to  the  high  influence  he  was  constantly  exerting  upon  their  manners 
and  character.  I  was  one  of  that  class  for  a  few  years,  and  I  never  remember  Mr.  Wells  as  other 
than  the  high-strung  and  sensitive  man  of  honor  and  noble  breeding  before  his  pupils,  or  as  bringing 
to  bear  upon  them  any  other  than  the  purest  and  most  exalted  motives  and  aims.  All  his  pupils 
loved  and  reverenced  him;  he  was  never  ridiculed;  he  was  never  disobeyed;  he  stirred  everyone  to 
noble  action,  to  resolute  endeavor,  to  immortal  ambitions.  He  was  always  true,  always  in  earnest, 
always  meant  character.     He  was  a  master  builder  of  character. 

'Aside  from  this  great  accomplishment,  which  was  supreme,  he  was  a  most  clear  and  vigorous 
intellectual  instructor.  He  imparted  the  burning  desire  to  master  the  subject  we  took  hold  of;  to 
perceive  clearly,  to  reason  correctly,  to  discover  for  ourselves,  to  experiment,  to  believe  in  the  result 
of  our  own  mental  eftorts,  to  stand  by  our  intellectual  convictions,  to  be  sanguine  of  success,  to  trv 
for  the  most  difficult  attainments  —  these  we  learned  in  every  lesson  he  taught  us.  We  were  enthu- 
siasts in  every  branch  of  study  directed  by  him. 

'As  for  discipline,  it  was  so  radical  and  vital  in  its  methods  that  we  were  unconscious  of  it. 
The  only  measure  generally  noticeable  to  which  I  remember  his  resorting  was  the  order  given  to  a 
mischievous  boy  to  accompany  him  from  room  to  room,  inasmuch  as  he  could  not  control  himself 
without  the  oversight  of  the  master;  so  for  a  few  weeks  a  roguish-eyed  boy  followed  Mr.  Wells's  quick 
movements  automatically  from  room  to  room,  to  the  suppressed  diversion  of  the  girls,  and  was  cured 
of  his  failing. 

'  He  had  a  most  felicitous  and  delicate  appreciation  of  words  and  tact  of  utterance,  and  could  put 
into  the  nicest  form  a  suggestion  which  another  would  have  handled  clumsily  or  brutally.  His  per- 
ception of  shades  of  expression,  both  in  taste  and  morals,  was  artistic.  His  ringing  words,  the  ner- 
vous movement  of  his  person,  the  condensed  fire  of  his  glance,  his  crisp  and  telling  precepts,  often 
pressed  home,  moulded  the  hearts  and  lives  of  his  grateful  pupils.'  " 

Of  his  work  in  Chicago  I  quote  from  James  Hannan's  address  before  the  Ilhnois 
Teachers'  Association  of  1885: 

Mr.  Wells  came  to  Chicago  in  1856  at  a  critical  time  in  the  history  of  its  schools.  The  Board  of 
Education  was  wise  enough  to  apprehend,  to  some  extent,  the  wondrous  destiny  of  the  young  city, 
and  it  would  have  her  schools  worthy  of  that  destiny.  After  a  careful  survey  of  the  field  a  call  was 
extended  to  Mr.  Wells  to  come  and  take  up  the  work.  It  was  a  happy  choice.  The  districting  of 
the  city  was  perfected.  The  high  school  was  organized.  The  great  principle  of  division  of  labor 
was  applied  to  the  school  work  with  a  practical  and  effective  wisdom  that  not  only  accomplished 
magnificent  results,  but  made  the  accomplishment  of  still  more  magnificent  results  inevitable. 

Like  all  earnest  and  intelligent  students  of  the  educational  problem,  he  had  seen  that  the  first 
imperative  necessity  was  a  supply  of  competent  teachers.  Accordingly,  coincident  with  the  establish- 
ment of  the  high  school,  there  was  organized  a  department  for  the  training  of  teachers,  which  was 
the  first  training  school  for  teachers  maintained  at  public  expense.  Thus  was  set  in  motion,  in  a  prompt 
and  intelligent  way,  machinery  containing  all  the  elements  of  a  perfect  school  system..  The  schools 
were  graded.  The  high  school,  as  an  inspirer  and  goal  for  the  pupils  in  all  the  grades  below,  was 
firmly  and  permanently  established.  The  Normal  school  began  to  turn  out  annually  a  picked  class 
of  teachers  formally  and  carefully  prepared  for  the  special  work  to  be  done  in  the  city  schools.  Xew 
and  improved  school  buildings  rose  on  every  hand.  All  the  school  virtues  grew  day  by  day.  The 
proportion  of  the  school  population  in  attendance  f)erceptibly  and  notably  increased.  Regularity 
and  punctuality  became  phenomenal.  Deportment  and  scholarship  approached  more  and  more 
near  to  perfection.     The  scheme  of  organization  led  gradually  to  increased  supervision.      Meanwhile 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  467 

the  population  was  increasing  in  an  unprecedented  ratio.  During  his  term  of  office  the  membership 
of  the  schools  rose  from  nearly  4,000  to  nearly  12,000.  Thus  in  the  midst  of  enormous  material 
demands,  all  these  vital  pedagogical  facts  were  accomplished,  and  the  constant  adviser  and  guide 
and,  in  an  important  sense,  provider  of  all,  was  the  unostentatious  and  modest  superintendent. 

In  accomplishing  these  things  he  never  forsook  his  manliness,  nor  merited  the  slightest  impeach- 
ment of  his  veracity.  He  never  descended  to  intrigue.  He  never  invoked  the  passions  of  the  partisan, 
and  was  never  willing  to  base  educational  work  on  that  capricious  and  insecure  foundation.  He  was 
frank  and  honest  in  his  statement  of  plans,  and  if  he  sometimes  failed  to  secure  them  all,  he  took  what 
he  could  get,  made  the  most  of  it,  and  bided  his  time. 

More  than  most  men  ready,  willing,  nay  anxious  to  yield  to  others  in  non-essential  and  personal 
matters,  he  was  firm  as  a  rock  in  matters  of  principle.  Rarel}'  endowed  with  a  facultv  of  seeing  all 
sides  of  a  question  or  of  a  character,  he  was  most  charitable  toward  the  views  of  others,  chary  of 
individual  rights,  and  was  tender  toward  even  prejudices. 

These  characteristics  were  notable  also  in  his  later  official  life.  He  was  ever  a  harmonizer  —  a 
peacemaker  —  a  promoter  and  provider  of  far-reaching  and  wise  agencies  for  the  uplifting  and  upbuild- 
ing of  the  intellect  and  character  of  the  youth  of  Chicago.  Thus  his  last  important  official  work  was 
the  successful  accomplishment  of  measures  to  bring  the  Public  Library  into  more  intimate  relations 
with  the  pupils  of  the  public  schools  as  such. 

Mr.  Wells  was  succeeded  in  the  superintendency  by  Josiah  L.  Pickard,  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction  in  Wisconsin.  The  fact  that  he  remained  at  the  head 
of  the  schools  for  thirteen  years  is  the  best  voucher  of  his  success.  Although  there 
does  not  appear  in  these  pages  a  separate  account  of  his  work  it  may  be  inferred 
from  the  development  of  all  departments  of  the  system  during  his  administration. 
He  resigned  in  1877.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent  parts.  His  years  of  work  were 
extremely  exacting.  During  his  incumbency  the  schools  got  their  footing  well 
established.  He  went  to  the  presidency  of  the  State  University  of  Iowa,  where  he 
made  an  admirable  reputation  in  his  new^  work.  While  in  Illinois  he  closely  identified 
himself  with  the  educational  work  of  the  State,  serving  as  president  of  the  State 
Teachers'  Association,  lecturing  in  institutes  and  at  other  public  gatherings  and 
fostering  in  all  possible  ways  a  public  sentiment  favorable  to  public  schools.  It  was 
in  the  latter  part  of  his  term  of  service  that  the  great  fire  of  1871  occurred,  and  it 
tried  the  ability  and  devotion  of  all  connected  with  the  schools.  We  shall  hear  of 
this  incident  later. 

Mr.  Pickard  was  succeeded  at  the  end  of  the  school  year  of  1877  by  Mr.  Duane 
Doty,  who  had  been  acting  for  a  time  as  his  assistant.  Mr.  Doty  served  for  three 
years.  His  position  was  not  an  easy  one.  There  was  much  of  dissension  during 
his  administration.  He  was  followed  in  1880  by  George  Howland,  who  had  been 
in  the  service  of  the  city  for  twenty-three  years,  twenty  of  w^hic'h  had  been  spent  as 
principal  of  the  high  school.  In  the  discussion  of  the  development  of  the  high 
schools  we  shall  meet  him  again.  He  was  surrounded  by  friends.  He  understood 
the  spirit  and  temper  of  the  people  and  they  had  for  him  the  warmest  admiration 
and  affection.  As  has  been  intimated,  the  situation  under  the  preceding  superin- 
tendent had  not  been  the  most  delightful.  Causes  are  not  under  discussion,  but  it 
is  enough  here  to  say  that  the  teachers  were  thoroughly  loyal  to  Mr.  Howland. 

The  administration  of  George  Howland  was  especially  interesting  as  an  illus- 
tration of  the  capacity  of  a  superior  man  in  an  entirely  new  field.  He  had  been  for 
many  years  the  greatly  admired  principal  of  the  high  school.     He  was  devoted  to 


468  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

culture.  The  classics  were  his  delight.  He  had  made  literary  contributions  of 
genuine  merit,  especially  in  the  line  of  translations  —  notably  the  .Eneid  —  and 
his  oriji^inal  verse  was  not  unknown  to  discriminating  lovers  of  poetry.  He  was 
taken  from  tlie  relative  seclusion  of  the  scholar's  study  and  put  in  charge  of  a  vast 
machine,  whose  management  called  for  business  skill  of  a  high  order  and  ani  experience 
in  the  multitudinous  details  of  elementary  education.  He  met  the  occasion  in  a  way 
that  suq^rised  his  closest  friends.  He  resigned  vSeptember  1,  1891,  and  died  October 
22,  the  following  \-ear.  He  was  in  the  service  of  the  city  in  an  educational  capacity 
from  January  I.  1858,  until  the  date  of  his  resignation. 

The  f(^lkn\'ing  memorial  j)aper  was  read  at  the  N.  E.  A.  meeting  at  Asbur}-  Park, 
in  1894,  by  tlie  editor  of  this  volume: 

I  saw  George  Howland  for  the  first  time  at  the  meeting  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association,  at 
loHet.  in  InO/).  I  was  a  young  teacher,  having  just  finished  my  first  term  of  school  and  was  using  mv 
Christmas  vacation  to  acquaint  myself  with  some  of  the  notables.  Should  I  call  the  roll  of  those 
of  whom  I  remenil>er,  the  names  of  many  who  have  filled  conspicuous  places  in  the  State  and  have 
passed  on  to  tlie  larger  estate  would  be  heard. 

But  no  other  person  present  made  so  marked  an  impression  upon  my  youthful  imagination  as 
the  popular  principal  of  the  Chicago  High  School.  He  was  in  the  early  forties.  His  genial  face  and 
abounding  good  humor  singularly  attracted  me  and  I  became  at  first  contact  what  I  never  ceased  to 
be  —  an  ardent  admirer. 

The  president  of  the  Association  was  the  late  S.  M.  Etter,  once  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion. He  was  not  a  graceful  speaker  and  wisely  selected  the  accomplished  academician  from  the 
metropolis  to  resjx)nd  to  the  address  of  welcome.  In  those  early  days,  such  a  greeting  had  more  than 
a  merely  formal  significance,  as  the  visiting  teachers  were  offered  the  free  hospitalit}'  of  the  homes 
of  the  city  in  which  they  met.  Mr.  Howland  was  in  his  happiest  vein  and  made  the  occasion  memor- 
able by  an  impromptu  speech  that  took  a  pennanent  place  in  the  traditions  of  the  organization. 
Some  of  his  eccentric  conceits  were  annually  repeated  for  many  }'ears. 

So  my  first  insight  into  the  nature  of  this  peculiarly  interesting  man  was  from  the  humorous  side. 
A  few  years  later  I  was  admitted  to  a  prized  intimacy,  and  then  I  discovered  that  the  playful  instinct 
was  easily  aroused  and  that  the  phase  that  he  quite  habitually  presented  to  the  world  was  lighted 
by  a  gentle  merriment  that  was  at  once  an  invitation  and  a  foil. 

His  humor  was  never  broad ;  it  was  delicate  and  silky,  and  suggested  depths  of  good  will  and  tender 
regard,  in  a  shy  sort  of  w^ay,  that  seemed  trying  to  disguise  the  esteem  in  which  he  held,  his  friends. 
It  constantly  lurked  in  tlie  background  of  his  public  addresses,  giving  them  a  suggestion  of  smiles 
that  rarely  reached  the  borders  of  laughter. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  his  shyness.  For  a  man  of  his  breeding  this  was  surprising.  .That 
it  was  one  of  his  characteristics  no  one  ^vill  deny  who  knew  him  well.  He  was  at  rimes  tremulous 
with  timidity  before  an  audience  of  students,  and  extremely  diffident  before  assemblies  in  which 
custom  prohibits  the  use  of  the  manuscript.  It  explains  an  inoffensive  irony,  quite  habitual  with 
him.  that  sentineled  the  approaches  to  a  sensitive  and  retiring  nature.  It  was  not  easy  to  engage 
him  in  controversy  and  his  opinions  were  often  hidden  by  a  mask  of  pleasantrx*. 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  this  peculiarity  was  somewhat  trving  to  a  few^  of  his  friends,  more 
especially  to  those  whose  thought  was  turned  with  great  seriousness  toward  the  fundamental  pre- 
suppositions of  methtHl.  It  seemed  to  class  Mr.  Howland  with  those  who  deny  the  possibility  of 
formulating  much  of  anything  in  the  way  of  a  positive  philosophy  of  education.  That  the  superin- 
tendent of  a  great  city  system  should  hold  an  equivocal  attitude  toward  matters  of  such  momentous 
concern  appeared  unfortunate  and  paradoxical.  While  I  believe  hiin  to  have  l>een  in  warm  sxinpathy 
with  all  moven\ents  looking  toward  the  improvement  of  educational  conditions,  I  have  not  been  able 
to  resist  the  conviction  that,  to  the  end  of  his  life,  he  entertained  no  small  degree  of  doubt  as  to  the 
utility  of  anything  like  an  elalx)rate  system  of  methodology.     It  was  not  unusual  for  him  to  allude 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  469 

to  Apperception  and  Concentration  with  that  ambiguous  and  quizzical  manner  of  his  that  left  him 
free  to  enter  either  of  two  camps  without  charge  of  apostasy  from  the  other.  Indeed,  I  may  go 
further  and  say  that  he  appeared  to  be  something  of  a  loiterer  about  the  porches  of  the  Normal 
school,  not  quite  sure  as  to  whether  it  was  his  duty  to  advise  the  pupils  to  go  or  to  stay  out. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  explain  his  position.  While  I  should  be  the  last  person  to  declare  his  admin- 
istration of  the  Chicago  schools  as  in  any  sense  a  failure,  yet  it  seemed  to  me  that  his  old  function  of 
high- school  principal  was  a  more  congenial  employment  than  the  supervision  of  the  work  of  elementary 
schools.  He  was  a  true  son  of  the  Renaissance  in  his  scholarly  sympathies,  and,  measured  by  its  stand- 
ard, he  was  equipped  in  no  ordinary  way.  His  long  service  as  a  teacher  of  the  classics  had  endeared 
them  to  his  fine,  artistic  nature  in  a  rare  way.  He  was  fond  of  the  solitude  of  the  study  and  of  the 
companionship  of  books.  His  style  as  a  writer  betrays  at  once  his  love  of  the  beautiful.  His  fancies 
freely  flowed  into  verse,  and  many  an  exquisite  bit  of  song  betrayed  the  shady  covert  where  his  hours 
of  rest  were  spent.  His  long  contact  with  pupils  that  had  reached  that  self-directive  period  in  which 
method  is  of  smaller  relative  value  had  perhaps  diminished  the  sense  of  its  importance.  He  had 
dealt  with  the  fruitful  knowledges  rather  than  with  the  beginnings  of  the  forms  of  things,  and  the 
habits  of  a  quarter  of  a  centun-  did  not  suffer  radical  change.  He  had  great  faith  in  scholarship  and 
was  disposed  to  think  that  the  scholarly  man  or  woman  would  find  a  way  that  would  suffice. 

His  transfer  from  his  old  and  much-loved  work  to  the  arduous  position  of  superintendent  must 
have  broken  into  his  life  in  many  ways.  He  was  not  a  young  man  when  the  change  came  —  nor 
was  he  old.  He  would  never  have  been  old,  I  think.  He  made  the  transition  in  a  way  that  surprised 
those  who  knew  him  best.  He  took  up  the  myriad  details  of  the  office  with  good-natured  patience. 
He  retained  the  affectionate  support  of  the  large  body  of  principals  under  his  supervision.  His  annual 
addresses  to  his  teachers,  suggesting  certain  reforms  in  elementary  education,  elicited  generous  praise, 
but  more,  I  think,  from  the  surprise  which  their  utterance  occasioned  than  from  anything  radical  or 
advanced  which  they  contained. 

His  influence  upon  his  schools  was  moral  rather  than  professional.  It  was  the  infusion  of  a  spirit 
of  good  will,  of  generous  culture,  of  personal  regard.  There  was  not  much  "shop-talk,"  but  there 
was  much  dignifying  of  the  beautiful  in  childhood,  much  softening  of  the  severer  side  of  life.  Put 
of  the  "humanities,"  that  were  his  passion,  numberless  concrete  himianities  fotmd  their  way  into  the 
lives  of  little  children.  His  Hfe  had  always  stood  for  culture,  and  now  it  stood  for  kindness,  that 
finest  culture  of  the  emotions.  I  do  not  forget  his  occasional  brusqueness  and  rudeness  at  times; 
but  they  were  superficial  and  did  not  stand  for  fundamental  traits. 

His  relations  to  the  political  and  self-seeking  interests  that  so  beset  the  administration  of  a  great 
city  system  were  unique.  If  he  was  what  is  called  a  "manager,"  I  did  not  understand  him,  yet  he 
got  on  far  better  than  most  managers.  It  was  a  matter  of  great  surprise  that  he  could  hold  his  own 
in  a  communit>'  where  politics  is  a  trade  and  where  so  many  enter  it  for  what  there  is  in  it.  But 
a  lai^e  and  influential  portion  of  the  Chicago  public  received  its  secondary  education  from  the  old 
high  school  on  the  West  Side,  when  Mr.  Howland  was  its  principal.  These  men  and  women  were 
his  loyal  friends.  The  leading  professional  men  of  the  city,  notably  David  Swing  and  others  of  his 
kind,  recognized  the  value  of  a  scholar  at  the  head  of  school  affairs  and  had  a  strong  personal  attach- 
ment to  him,  and  the  influence  of  David  Swing  and  his  group  in  Chic^o  was  never  overestimated 
although  it  was  regarded  as  highly  significant.  And  even  the  simon-pure  politicians,  the  city-hall, 
office-dispensing  fellows,  seemed  to  have  a  regard  for  him,  as  if  the\^  gave  themselves  an  air  of  respec- 
tabilit\^  by  standing  by  him,  as  if  they  should  say,  "Of  course,  when  it  comes  to  Howland  we  must 
go  slow";  such  contradictions  are  occasionally  encountered  and  encourage  us  to  trust  that  the  good 
leaven  has  not  entirely  spent  its  energy'  even  in  what  we  call  the  "bad  lot."  He  was  discreet,  doubt- 
less, and  did  not  needlessly  offend  them,  but  he  did  not  cater  to  them,  and  I  am  misinformed  if  they 
ever  tried  to  use  him. 

The  State  at  large  knew  Mr.  Howland  mainly  through  his  public  addresses.  While  not  greatly 
in  demand  he  made  many  pilgrimages  to  a  goodly  number  of  counties,  especially  in  northern  Illinois, 
mostly  in  the  institute  season.  He  was  for  many  years  a  regular  attendant  at  the  State  Teachers' 
Association,  where  he  was  a  favorite  and  appeared  frequently  upon  its  program.     Yet  his  influence 


470  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

there  was  largely  personal.  He  was  not  a  profound  student  of  education  in  the  sense  that  Ella  Flagg 
Young  or  E.  G.  Cooley  studied  education.  The  gracious  tributes  uttered  at  the  meeting  following 
his  death  betrayed  the  relation  in  which  he  stood  to  that  body.  He  was  delightfully  acceptable  on 
the  platfonn,  where  his  utterances  told  itpon  the  matter  of  kindness  and  patience  and  affection  rather 
than  of  that  professional  skill  that  comes  out  of  pedagogical  insight.  And  his  influence  was  very  strong 
in  the  social  gatherings  in  the  hotel  lobby,  but  there  it  was  through  the  mellowness  and  richness  of  his 
personality  and  was  never  used  for  any  purpose  in  all  the  world;  it  simply  pervaded  a  considerable 
group  and  gave  a  fine  flavor  to  it,  for  he  was  never  on  exhibition. 

The  volume  published  by  the  Appletons  and  edited  by  Dr.  Harris  contains  a  number  of  the 
addresses  alluded  to.  No  one  can  read  them  with  any  care  without  getting  a  just  appreciation  of 
his  tastes  and  dorninating  sympathies.  You  would  not  expect  elaborate  treatises  on  the  scientific 
or  philosophic  aspects  of  education.  The  speculative  was  not  his  habit  of  thought  nor  was  the  experi- 
mental. To  him  the  teacher  was  by  far  the  largest  element  in  the  educational  problem.  Upon  him 
his  view  was  focused.  As  he  has  so  well  expressed  it,  "the  one  great  thing  needed  in  our  schools, 
public  -or  private,  is  that  spirit  of  humanity  and  culture  which  shall  make  their  life  healthy,  happy 
and  progressive,  the  well-spring  of  an  upright,  true,  cultured  manhood  and  womanhood,  and  a  willing, 
working,  watchful,  and  faithful  citizenship." 

He  had  the  largest  faith  in  the  widely  humanizing  influence  of  scholarship.  He  looked  for  gentle- 
ness and  sincerity  as  its  necessary  outcome.  The  first  paper,  "  Moral  Training  in  City  Schools," 
has  little  to  say  of  that  systematic  effort  at  moral  culture  by  the  use  of  the  ethical  element  of  classical 
literature  in  the  lower  grades  —  an  agency  so  highly  prized  by  the  Herbartians.  He  looked  toward 
that  concrete  embodiment  of  the  ethical  idea,  the  teacher,  quite  to  the  exclusion  of  any  methodically 
organized  system  of  moral  training.     And  in  him  he  had  the  profoundest  faith. 

Was  it  because  he  lived  and  died  a  bachelor  that  his  ideas  of  punishment  were  so  one-sided  ?  He 
could  not  endure  the  thought  of  severity  with  the  young.  He  loved  to  idealize  childhood.  He  saw 
its  beautiful  side  in  the  cultured  homes  where  he  was  a  welcome  and  honored  guest.  His  earlier  life 
as  a  teacher  was  spent  in  secondary  schools  almost  exclusively.  I  often  thought  that  he  had  small 
appreciation  of  the  years  of  patient  discipline  through  which  the  child  emerges  from  his  natural  self- 
ishness and  becomes  at  last  altruistic  and  human. 

But  who  shall  say  that  this  very  fact  did  not  fit  him  better  for  the  duties  of  his  later  life  ?  City 
systems  have  tremendous  tendencies  toward  machine  methods.  Where  there  are  so  many  children 
the  individual  does  not  count  for  much,  unless  the  teacher  is  peculiarly  sympathetic.  Into  that 
hurried,  formal  and  commercial  life,  this  poet-superintendent  was  forever  throwing  his  delicate  fancies 
about  the  beauty  and  dignity  of  child  life. 

What  he  called  the  barbarism  of  corporal  punishment  always  encountered  his  indignant  protest 
and  it  was  well  that  he  should  feel  as  he  did  about  it,  although  the  rod  is  sometimes  an  unmixed  bless- 
ing.    He  held  to  the  irresistible  potency  of  moral  suasion  and  he  never  changed  his  belief. 

A  passage  from  the  paper  already  alluded  to  illustrates  his  faith  in  the  refreshing  influence  of 
culture  and  is  quoted  to  suggest  a  certain  stimulating  power  which  Mr.  Howland  exerted  in  this 
quiet  and  indirect  way.  He  advises  a  hobby.  "Though  it  be  nothijig  rarer  or  more  costly  than 
moth-hunting,  the  jingle  or  jangle  of  rhymes,  or  even  reformed  spelling,  they  are,  some  of  them,  as 
I  well  know,  of  boundless  possibilities.  But  at  your  daily  mount  of  your  hobby-horse,  take  not  your 
way  down  the  crowded  street,  nor  over  the  flower  beds  and  the  fragrant  exotics  of  your  friends ;  but 
rather  turn  aside  into  the  quiet  lane,  or  the  unfrequented  country  road,  or,  still  better,  off  for  a  free 
stretch  over  the  wide,  open  prairie,  where,  with  tossing  arms  and  expanding  chest,  you  can  shout 
forth  your  happiness,  till  with  loud  answering  echo,  the  solitary  places  shall  be  made  glad  with  your 
presence." 

It  is  in  such  topics  as  " The  Character  of  the  Teacher,'.'  "The  Elements  of  Growth  in  School  Life," 
"The  Scholarship  Aimed  at  in  the  School,"  "The  Teacher  in  the  School  Room,"  and  "How  the 
School  Develops  Character,"  that  he  is  most  at  home.  And  with  what  charming  graces  of  style  he 
deals  even  with  the  commonplace !  It  was  quite  as  much  the  literary  flavor  as  the  theme  that  delighted 
him  with  Horace  Mann,  while  to  the  author  of  "Tom  Brown's  School  Days,"  he  gave  his  whole  heart. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  471 

This  volume  from  the  press  of  the  Appletons  will  be  read  as  he  desired  —  as  a  frequent  recreation 
and  not  as  a  study.  Have  it  at  hand  in  the  lounging  half-hour  of  restful  peace  after  the  weary  day. 
Freely  pencil  its  pages  where  his  poetic  fancy  leaps  up  with  a  fine  illumination  of  the  personality 
of  the  author.  To  read  a  chapter  is  to  relive  a  quiet  hour  with  him  in  his  office  at  the  close  of  the  da)', 
or  by  the  genial  grate  of  his  favorite  club  or  in  my  own  home,  to  which  he  was  not  entirely  a  stranger. 
In  writing  of  him  there  is  no  place  for  the  methodical  biographer,  or  the  critical  anal}^st,  or  for 
anything  but  this  informal  prosing.  No  episode  of  his  life  can  dim  the  affection  in  which  he  was 
held  by  those  who  knew  him  best.  He  died  in  the  solitude  that  was  dear  to  him  and  I  think  that  he 
would  not  have  had  it  otherwise. — J.  W.  C. 

The  following  appeared  in  the  editorial  columns  of  The  Public  School  Journal, 
November,  1892: 

GEORGE  HOWLAND  IS  DEAD! 

It  was  a  painful  shock  to  all  of  his  friends,  and  they  are  a  multitude,  to  learn  that  George  How" 
land,  late  superintendent  of  schools  of  Chicago,  was  found  dead  in  his  room  on  Sunday  morning' 
October  23.  One  of  his  most  intimate  friends  kindly  responded  to  our  request,  and  sends  the  follow- 
ing facts  concerning  his  last  days: 

"  Mr.  Howland  came  to  Chicago  from  his  summer  home  in  Conway,  Massachusetts,  some  five 
weeks  ago,  to  spend  the  winter  herewith  his  nephew,  George  C.  Howland.  He  was  from  his  arrival 
very  glad  to  be  back  again  in  his  home  —  Chicago.  These  few  weeks  have  been  very  happy  ones 
for  our  friend.  He  daily  met  old  friends  and  acquaintances,  and  when  did  he  ever  meet  such  a  one 
who  was  not  glad  to  see  him?  Thursday,  during  our  civic  parade,  he  was  over  town  all  day.  But 
in  going  home  he  got  caught  in.  a  crowd  that  worried  and  fatigued  him  very  much.  Although  I  saw 
him  Thursday  and  Friday  evenings  he  did  not  tell  me  of  this  until  Saturday  evening,  probably  about 
an  hour  before  he  died.  While  I  was  with  him  Saturday  evening  he  was  in  his  usual  apparent  health 
and  spirits.  He  died  a  sudden  and  I  believe  a  painless  death  while  preparing  for  bed  that  night. 
Mr.  Howland  died  as  he  had  lived  —  alone.  The  death  angel  came  all  unawares  and  reapt  quickly. 
He  was  a  man  greatly  loved." 

He  wrote  these  lines  some  years  ago: 

"And  when  this  fitful  dream  is  o'er. 
And  friend  or  foe  can  do  no  more, 

All  earthly  comforts  flown ; 
When  brightest  mortal  glories  pale. 
And  heart  and  flesh  together  fail, 
The  parting  spirit  lifts  the  veil. 

And  passes  through,  alone.'' 

Mr.  Howland  was  succeeded  by  Albert  G.  Lane.  He  had  spent  his  life  in  Chi- 
cago. He  was  a  pupil  in  the  city  schools  from  1846  to  1858.  He  was  principal 
of  the  Franklin  School  from  1858  to  1869.  From  the  latter  date  until  December, 
1891,  with  the  exception  of  a  single  term,  he  was  the  superintendent  of  the  schools 
of  Cook  county.  On  the  first  Monday  in  December  of  the  latter  year  he  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  City  Superintendent. 

Mr.  Delano  filled  the  interim  between  September  and  December.  Mr.  Lane  was 
not  obliged  to  become  acquainted  with  the  people  with  whom  he  was  to  serve.  He 
knew  them  and  they  knew  him  and  fully  trusted  him. 

Mr.  Lane's  service  as  superintendent  continued  for  seven  years.  It  was  a  period 
of  great  development  for  the  schools.  Early  in  1905  Mr.  Henry  Barrett  Chamber- 
lin,  of  the  Chicago  Record-Herald,  began  the  publication  of  a  series  of  articles,  some 
thirty  in  number,  on  the  history  of  the  schools  of  Chicago.     Respecting  the  changes 


472  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

that  occurred  within  the  period  covered  by  the  Lane  administration  he  has  much 
to  say.  He  characterizes  it  as  a  new  era.  The  study  of  the  child  was  undertaken 
for  the  purpose  of  putting  the  management  of  the  schools  upon  the  only  substantial 
basis.  In  consequence,  instruction  becamic  less  stereotyped.  Nature  study  began 
to  attract  attention.  There  was  a  manifest  endeavor  to  secure  that  free  expression 
of  child  life  without  which  education  relies  upon  the  "effort"  theory.  He  enumer- 
ates twelve  accomplished  reforms  and  four  suggestions  that  looked  to  a  further 
development  of  the  schools.  They  are  as  follows:  1.  The  introduction  of  manual 
training  into  the  grammar  schools.  2.  The  addition  of  the  kindergarten  to  the 
educational  agencies  of  the  city.  3.  The  introduction  of  sewing  and  cooking.  4.  An 
increase  in  the  amount  of  drawing.  5.  A  change  in  the  system  of  penmanship. 
6.  The  addition  of  laboratories  for  the  use  of  the  science  departments  of  the  high 
schools.  7.  An  increase  of  interest  in  the  subnormal  child  and  a  marked  improve- 
ment in  his  treatment.  8.  The  founding  of  the  John  Worthy  School.  9.  The 
Parental  School  Law.  10.  The  co-relation  of  the  school  and  home  through  the 
introduction  of  a  lecture  system  for  the  parents  and  the  children.  IL  A  systematic 
attempt  at  the  ornamentation  of  schoolrooms.  12.  The  establishing  of  the  vacation 
schools. 

In  the  line  of  suggestion  with  a  view  to  future  development :  1 .  Plan  for  a  com- 
mercial high  school.  2.  The  adoption  of  a  system  of  pensions  for  teachers.  3.  The 
simplification  of  the  work  in  arithmetic.     4.  Vitalization  of  the  language  work. 

The  extension  of  the  sphere  of  the  schools  aroused  no  little  opjjosition.  Things 
that  are  now  considered  as  essential  to  the  work  of  any  good  school  were  looked 
upon  as  "fads."  It  was  said  that  the  common  branches  were  neglected,  that  the 
teachers  were  unprepared  to  teach  the  new  subjects  and  that  the  expenses  were  too 
great.     In  consequence,  the  historic  war  against  the  "fads"  was  begun. 

The  Report  of  the  Board  of  Education  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1894,  con- 
tains, in  the  President's  contribution,  an  echo  of  this  outcry.  The  following  extract 
reveals  the  attitude  of  that  officer  —  Mr.  Trude : 

"  The  warfare  against  the  fads  has  resulted  in  their  elimination  from  our  schools. 
No  longer  are  scholars  required  to  defile  their  hands  without  strengthening  their 
intellects,  by  the  creation  of  mud  pies  or  clay  modeling.  Paper  cutting  and  all 
kindred  nocuous,  time-consuming  fads  have,  with  their  authors,  disappeared  from 
the  common-school  service  of  the  city.  Upon  the  superintendent  and  his  assistants 
there  should  be  lodged  no  censure,  either  for  the  creation  or  maintenance  of  the  fads 
mentioned.  Their  paternity  is  chargeable  to  a  few  members  of  the  Board,  who 
have  resigned  or  whose  terms  of  office  have  expired,  and  whose  authority  was  more 
potential  than  that  of  the  superintendent  and  his  aids." 

Other  matters  of  great  importance  were  worked  out  in  this  administration. 

Mr.  Lane  withdrew  from  the  superintendency  at  the  close  of  the  school  year 
ending  June  30,  1898.  Chicago  had  been  an  educational  storm  center  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  seven  years  that  he  had  been  at  the  head  of  the  system.  The 
rare  beauty  of  his  character  was  n^ver  more  charmingly  exemplified  than  when  he 
assumed  the  duties  of  assistant  stiperintendent  and  gave  to  his  successor  the  invaluable 
aid  that  his  experience  and  intelligence  equipped  him  with. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  473 

The  successor  of  Mr.  Lane  was  Dr.  E.  Benjamin  Andrews,  former  president  of 
Brown  University.  He  remained  in  the  position  only  two  years.  Violent  antag- 
onisms were  aroused,  and  Dr.  Andrews  found  his  new  work  anything  but  agreeable. 
His  efforts  to  carry  out  what  he  regarded  as  greatly  needed  reforms  were  not  suc- 
cessful in  any  large  measure.  He  was  a  man  of  superior  scholarship,  large  ideas, 
and  lofty  purposes.  As  will  be  seen  later,  the  two  reports  that  issued  from  the 
Board  during  his  administration  are  volumes  of  great  value  and  mark  the  intro- 
duction of  new  forces  into  the  determination  of  the  agencies  of  the  school.  He  left 
the  employ  of  the  city  to  become  the  president  of  the  University  of  Nebraska. 

In  1900  Mr.  Edwin  G.  Cooley  was  elected  to  the  superin tendency  and  entered 
upon  his  duties  at  the  beginning  of  the  school  year  in  September.  He  had  not  been 
connected  with  the  city  schools  although  he  had  been  near  enough  to  the  city  to  under- 
stand the  conditions  that  he  would  be  called  upon  to  face.  At  the  time  of  his  elec- 
tion he  was  principal  of  the  La  Grange  Township  High  School.  The  promotion 
was  a  marked  one.  He  was  recognized  as  a  man  of  superior  capacities  and  of  daunt- 
less courage.  He  had  made  a  careful  study  of  modern  education  although  he  had 
not  had  any  large  administrative  duties  to  perform. 

Mr.  Cooley 's  administration  covered  nine  eventful  years  in  the  history  of  the 
schools.  These  years  were  full  of  interesting  events.  Many  of  them  will  be  nar- 
rated under  other  captions.  When  it  is  understood  that  it  was  at  this  time  that  the 
merit  system  was  established  in  the  selection  of  teachers  and  that  the  tenure  became 
practically  permanent  it  will  seem  that  little  more  need  be  said.  A  system  of  pro- 
motional examinations  was  introduced  that  had  friends  and  foes,  the  latter  being 
somewhat  in  the  majority. 

The  labors  of  the  position  were  too  strenuous. for  the  endurance  of  the  superin- 
tendent and  he  was  obliged  to  take  a  long  vacation  in  1908.  But  it  became  apparent 
that  absolute  withdrawal  from  the  task  that  he  had  undertaken  was  necessary  unless 
he  was  willing  to  risk  a  complete  breakdown.  In  February,  1909,  he  requested  the 
Board  to  accept  his  resignation.  That  body  was  unwilling  to  lose  his  services, 
however,  and  declined  to  do  so,  requesting  him  to  reconsider  his  determination. 
While  fully  appreciating  the  loyalty  implied  in  such  consideration  Mr.  Cooley  was 
obliged,  out  of  regard  for  his  health,  to  renew  his  resignation,  which  was  very  reluc- 
tantly granted. 

The  problem  which  the  Board  of  Education  was  called  upon  to  solve  in  the 
selection  of  a  successor  to  Mr.  Cooley  was  an  extremely  difficult  one.  One  party 
favored  the  promotion  of  one  of  the  many  highly  competent  teachers  in  the  employ 
of  the  city  while  another  argued  for  the  introduction  of  "new  blood"  from  else- 
where. The  matter  was  finally  settled  by  the  election  of  Dr.  Ella  Flagg  Young, 
principal  of  the  City  Normal  School. 

Mrs.  Young  graduated  from  the  Normal  class  in  the  high  school  in  1862.  She 
entered  the  employ  of  the  city  as  a  teacher  in  September  of  the  same  year.  She 
served  as  training  teacher  in  the  Normal  school,  assistant  in  the  high  school,  principal 
of  a  grammar  school,  district  superintendent  for  twelve  years,  and  resigned  in  1899, 
in  the  administration  of  Superintendent  Andrews,  because  she  was  not  in  accord 
with  the  policy  of  the  authorities.     She  was  Professor  of  Education  in  the  University 


474  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

of  Chicago  from  1899  to  1905,  when  she  was  elected  princii^al  of  the  City  Normal 
School. 

Her  familiarity  with  the  Chicago  schools,  her  expert  knowledge  of  education, 
her  rare  ability  as  an  administrator,  her  remarkable  mental  capacity  and  her 
equally  remarkable  popularity  among  the  teachers  of  the  city  combined  to  make 
her  a  candidate  acceptable  to  all  parties.  She  entered  upon  her  duties  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  school  year  1909-10. 

Since  her  elevation  to  the  high  office  which  she  occupies  the  schools  have  gone 
forward  with  their  work  in  the  finest  spirit,  the  loyalty  of  the  great  force  of  teachers 
to  their  superior  being  manifested  in  many  delicate  and  beautiful  ways.  She  has 
the  gratification  of  knowing  that  she  is  the  only  woman  that  ever  occupied  so  respon- 
sible a  position  in  the  educational  world. 

THE  AwSSISTANT  SUPERINTENDENCY. 

It  was  not  until  1869  that  the  Board  of  Education  came  to  the  relief  of  the  Super- 
intendent by  the  appointment  of  an  assistant.  Mr.  George  D.  Broomell,  who  had 
been  principal  of  the  Haven  school,  was  detailed  as  "  Extra  Teacher"  with  an  assign- 
ment at  the  office  of  the  Superintendent.  He  was  succeeded  the  following  year  by 
Mr.  Francis  Hanford,  a  former  principal,  who  served  until  the  great  fire.  After  the 
devastation  wrought  in  that  period  of  terror,  the  Board  of  Education,  in  its  policy 
of  retrenchment,  dispensed  with  the  assistant  superintendent.  After  one  year  Mr. 
Hanford  resumed  the  assistant's  work  and  continued  in  that  capacity  until  1875. 
The  following  year  Mr.  Hanford  met  with  a  tragical  ending  to  a  fine  career.  The 
official  records  of  the  Board  are  silent  with  regard  to  the  manner  of  his  passing,  but 
it  was  an  event  that  thrilled  the  community  and  became  the  sensation  of  the  year. 

Mr.  Hanford  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Duane  Doty,  who  was  Mr.  Pickard's  assis- 
tant for  the  last  two  years  of  his  administration,  and,  as  has  been  stated,was  elevated 
to  the  superintendency  when  Mr.  Pickard  resigned,  in  1877. 

Mr.  Doty's  assistant  was  Mr.  Edward  C.  Delano,  who  had  been  the  principal 
of  the  City  Normal  School  from  its  beginning;  Mr.  Delano  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life  in  the  assistant's  position. 

The  addition  of  a  second  assistant  to  the  Superintendent  was  made  in  1883,  Dr. 
John  C.  Burroughs  being  appointed  to  that  office.  Three  additions  to  the  force 
of  assistants  were  made  within  the  next  four  years  in  the  persons  of  Albert  R.  Sabin, 
Ella  Flagg  Young,  and  Lizzie  L.  Hartney.  In  1890  Leslie  Lewis,  James  Hannan, 
and  Augustus  F.  Nightingale  were  promoted  to  assistant  superintendents.  The 
two  former  had  been  principals  and  the  latter  was  formerly  the  principal  of  one  of 
the  high  schools  in  annexed  territory. 

•In  1892  Alfred  Kirk  was  advanced  from  a  principalship  to  an  assistant  super- 
intendency.    He  had  been  in  the  employ  of  the  city  for  many  years. 

In  1892  Dr.  John  C.  Burroughs  dropped  out  of  line  after  a  long  service  as  a 
teacher.  The  following  sketch  appears  in  the  Report  of  the  Board  of  Education  for 
the  year  ending  June  30,  1892: 

John  Curtis  Burroughs  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1842,  and  the  Hamilton,  New  York,  The- 
ological Seminary  in  1846.     He  came  to  Chicago  in  1852  to  become  the  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  475 

Church.  He  became  the  President  of  Chicago  University  in  1856,  when  it  was  first  organized,  and 
held  that  position  until  1875.  He  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  in  1880,  and 
was  elected  an  Assistant  Superintendent  of  Schools  in  1883.  He  held  this  position  until  April  21, 
1892,  when,  in  the  maturity  of  years,  he  ceased  to  work  in  our  midst. 

Forty  years  of  constant  and  faithful  service  in  religious  and  secular  instruction  were  given  to  the 
young  of  this  great  city.  The  prime  years  of  his  life  were  given  to  building  and  developing  Chicago 
University.  No  personal  sacrifice  for  its  maintenance  was  too  great;  no  labor  to  make  it  a  success 
was  too  heavy.  No  insurmountable  obstacle  to  the  final  permanent  establishment  of  his  great  enter- 
prise was  ever  presented  to  his  mind.  The  permanent  reorganization  was  practically  accomplished 
before  his  death. 

As  a  siiperintendent  he  was  considerate  and  helpful,  critical,  yet  just,  quick  to  appreciate  and 
commend  any  system  or  method  of  instruction  which  was  based  on  recognized  educational  principles. 
In  his  personal  relations  with  the  teachers,  he  was  trusted  as  a  friend,  consulted  as  a  wise  counselor, 
was  tender  and  charitable  to  those  who  appealed  to  his  sympathies. 

In  1894  Mr.  William  W.  Speer  was  appointed  assistant  Superintendent.  Mr. 
Speer  became  prominent  in  educational  circles  by  the  introduction  of  a  new  method 
of  dealing  with  number.  It  is  known  as  "The  Speer  Method."  It  had  no  little 
vogue  for  some  time,  but,  like  many  other  innovations,  and  innovations  with  very 
decided  merits,  it  lost  the  attention  Df  teachers  within  a  few  years. 

At  this  time  there  were  nine  assistant  superintendents.  Mr.  Nightingale  had 
been  made  a  high-school  supervisor  and  the  others  were  assigned  respectively  to 
divisions  of  the  city  that  were  numbered  from  one  to  eight. 

In  1899  Mrs.  Young  tendered  her  resignation  and  her  place  was  filled  by  the 
appointment  of  Miss  M.  Elizabeth  Parson.  Miss  Parson  had  been  one  of  the  highly 
successful  grammar-school  principals.  She  became  a  teacher  in  the  city  schools  in 
September,  1878. 

As  has  been  stated,  Mr.  Lane  became  an  assistant  in  1900.  Meanwhile,  Mr. 
Nightingale  had  resigned  and  James  Hannan  had  died.  He  was  a  faithful  and 
competent  principal  and  devoted  himself  with  untiring  zeal  to  the  welfare  of  the 
schools.  When  he  was  advanced  to  an  assistant  superintendent's  place,  he  mani- 
fested those  superior  qualities  which  endeared  him  to  that  larger  circle  of  pupils, 
teachers  and  patrons  that  came  within  the  sphere  of  his  fine  influence. 

Still  other  additions  have  been  made  to  the  list  of  assistants.  The  new  appointees 
are  Charles  D.  Lowry,  Ella  C.  Sullivan,  Henry  G.  Clark,  Mary  E.  Vaughan,.  William 
C.  Payne,  William  C.  Dodge  and  Lincoln  P.  Goodhue,  making  fourteen  men  and 
women  to  aid  the  Superintendent  in  the  great  work  of  supervision.  But  these  are 
not  all.  Pour  special  superintendents  have  been  added.  They  are  Pred  M.  Sargent 
and  Charles  P.  Megan,  who  were  assigned  to  office  duties,  and  W.  Lester  Bodine, 
Superintendent  of  Compulsory  Education,  appointed  in  1899,  and  Thomas  H. 
MacQueary,  Superintendent  of  Parental  school. 

In  1901-2  there  was  a  change  in  the  revenue  law  that  reduced  the  income  of  the 
Board  of  Education  a  full  million  and  a  half.  In  consequence,  the  most  rigid  economy 
became  necessary.  Eight  of  the  fourteen  assistants  were  relieved  from  duty  and 
were  assigned  to  grammar  schools  if  they  desired  them.  Six  district  superintendents 
were  retained.  They  were  Messrs.  Kirk,  Delano,  Lowry,  Dodge,  Lane,  and  Miss 
Sullivan.      Mr.  William   M.  Roberts  became  an  assistant  superintendent  with  an 


476  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

office  assignment,  and  Mr.  Megan  was  retained  in  his  former  position,  as  were  Mr. 
Bodine  and  Mr.  McOueary, 

Nineteen  hundred  and  six  was  a  sorrowful  year  for  the  teaching  corps,  for  it 
placed  against  the  name  of  the  beloved  Albert  G.  Lane  the  "fatal  asterisk  of  death." 

The  following  sketch  was  prepared  for  the  Proceedings  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association  for  the  year  1906,  by  the  editor  of  this  volume: 

In  attempting  to  understand  such  a  character  as  Albert  Grannis  Lane  one  turns  to  his  family 
history  and  to  the  circumstances  of  his  childhood  and  youth.  His  father,  Elisha  Lane,  was  of  New- 
Hampshire  birth,  and  his  mother,  Amanda  Grannis,  was  a  native  of  New  York.  Both  came  of  Revolu- 
tionary ancestry  and  were  of  good,  sturdy  stock.  They  located  in  Chicago  in  1836,  six  years  after 
the  plat  of  the  village  was  filed  for  record.  The  thriving  town  had  already  extended  beyond  the 
original  territory,  which  was  about  equal  in  area  to  the  inter-loop  district  of  the  present  city.  Cook 
county  was  but  five  years  old  and  the  city  did  not  receive  its  first  charter  from  the  General  Assembly 
until  a  year  later.  They  found  a  community  of  about  thirty-five  hundred  people,  most  of  whom, 
like  themselves,  belonged  to  the  pioneer  type,  the  most  enterprising  element  in  any  population. 

The  first  home  was  on  what  is  known  as  the  Gale  farm,  at  Oak  Park.  There  Albert,  the  eldest 
of  eight  children,  was  born  on  the  15th  of  March,  1841.  Shortly  after,  the  family  moved  to  the  town 
and  occupied  a  one-story  wood  cottage,  that  had  been  prepared  for  their  coming.  It  was  located  on 
the  northeast  corner  of  State  and  Van  Buren,  the  present  site  of  the  Rothschild  department  store. 
With  the  growth  of  the  city  this  dwelling  was  removed  to  West  Monroe  street,  where  it  continued 
for  many  years  to  be  the  home  of  the  family.  A  half-century  later  it  again  yielded  to  the  pressure 
of  the  town  and  on  its  westward  journey  stopped  over  Sunday  directly  before  the  residence  of  Mr. 
A.  G.  Lane,  Superintendent  of  the  City  Schools. 

His  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  city  is  thus  explained.  "He  was  native  here  and  to  the 
manner  born."  And  the  city  served  him  well  in  many  of  the  situations  of  his  busy  life.  He  saw 
it  change  from  a  town  of  less  than  six  thousand  to  a  city  of  nearl}^  two  millions.  He  was  thoroughly 
familiar  with  every  aspect  of  its  wonderful  growth.  No  one  could  be  more  at  home  in  its  cosmo- 
politan life.     The  great  problems  of  the  metropolis  developed  under  his  eye. 

Albert  was  sent  to  school  at  an  early  age.  His  parents  believed  in  education,  and  the  home 
atmosphere  was  very  favorable  to  the  development  of  intelligence.  But  his  father  was  dependent 
upon  his  trade  as  carpenter  for  his  income.  The  family  was  large,  the  wages  were  low,  and  there  were 
interruptions  from  bad  weather  and  scant  business  and  the  ordinary  misfortunes  of  life.  A  dollar 
and  a  half  a  day  seems  a  pitiful  allowance  for  a  family  of  ten,  even  with  no  loss  of  time.  In  conse- 
quence there  was  the  greatest  need  of  Albert's  assistance  as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  to  find  remun- 
erative employment.  And  this  time  arrived  just  as  he  was  finishing  the  grammar  school.  But  the 
new  high  school  was  ready  to  open  its  doors  to  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  young  city,  and  it  was  possible 
for  him  to  finish  its  course  within  two  years  because  of  the  advanced  work  that  he  had  done  in  the 
grammar  school.  The  ardent  boy's  desire  for  further  education  had  been  fanned  to  a  flame,  and  it 
seemed  a  cruel  despoiling  of  his  hopes  to  be  obliged  to  give  up  his  cherished  ambition.  There  was 
a  family  council,  and  a  conclusion  was  reached  that  his  strength  and  intelligence  had  become  a  market- 
able commodity  whose  value  was  greatly  needed  by  the  family.  He  accepted  the  situation,  asked 
for  an  assessment  of  his  obligation,  and  entered  into  solemn  league  and  covenant  to  turn  into  the 
general  treasury  weekly  the  three  or  four  dollars  that  his  services  were  assumed  to  be  worth.  He 
could  not  entertain  the  thought  of  giving  up  his  education. 

It  was  a  trying  time  for  the  fifteen -year-old  lad,  but  he  kept  his  obligation.  At  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning  he  went  to  the  Tribune  office,  folded  his  papers  and  tramped  his  round.  He  herded 
cattle  on  the  prairies  of  the  West  Side  where  the  population  now  is  the  densest.  He  picked  up  odd 
pennies  at  various  small  jobs  and  he  kept  his  obligation.  Who  shall  tell  how  frequently  in  the  nine- 
teen years  that  he  v/as  paying  his  "national  debt,"  his  mind  may  have  reverted  to  the  struggles  of 
his  childhood  to  keep  up  his  weekly  contribution  to  the  common  purse? 

He  entered  the  high  school  on  the  first  day  of  the  first  term  and  remained  there  two  years.     He 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  477 

fell  a  little  short  of  graduating  although  a  few  weeks  more  would  have  accomplished  it ;  but  he  was 
after  the  substance  rather  than  the  external  show,  and  he  accepted  the  situation  without  complaint. 
It  had  been  a  great  discipline  for  him  and  it  gave  color  to  all  of  his  subsequent  life.  He  could  sym- 
pathize with  poverty,  for  he  had  experienced  it.  He  could  appreciate  the  inestimable  worth  of  an 
education,  for  he  had  bought  it  with  energy  and  privation  and  self-denial.  He  could  m.eet  the  humblest 
laborer  on  his  own  plane,  for  he  too  had  been  a  toiler  where  the  wage  was  verv  small.  But  it  was 
worth  all  that  it  had  cost. 

He  was  no  sooner  out  of  school  than  he  was  elected  to  the  principalship  of  the  old  Franklin  School. 
He  could  safely  lay  claim  to  the  honor  of  having  been  the  youngest  man  that  ever  held  such  a  position 
in  Chicago.  He  was  barely  seventeen  when  he  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  The  sug- 
gestion of  such  a  transaction  would  now  be  regarded  as  preposterous.  He  retained  this  position  until 
1869,  when  his  larger  career  began. 

In  November,  1S69,  he  was  elected  to  the  superintendency  of  the  schools  of  Cook  county.  He 
was  then  ia  his  twenty-ninth  year  and  in  the  full,  overflowing  vigor  of  a  splendid,  3'oung  manhood. 
He  was  good  to  see.  Tall,  muscular,  handsom.e,  with  a  clear,  ringing  voice,  a  face  that  won  its  wav 
to  full  confidence  at  the  first  meeting,  and  an  unusually  m.agnetic  manner.  He  lived  in  an  atmosphere 
of  perpetual  sunshine  and  ardent  enthusiasm.  His  sense  of  duty  was  exceptionally  keen,  and  was 
grounded  in  a  deep  religious  conviction.  Like  Abou  Ben  Adhem,  he  loved  his  fellow  man.  Like 
Pestalozzi,  he  saw  the  cure  of  the  greater  part  of  our  social  woes  not  alone  in  the  education  of  the 
head,  but,  as  well,  in  the  education  of  the  hand  and  especially  in  the  education  of  the  heart.  It  was 
clear  that  his  life  had  a  deeper  anchorage -than  that  of  most  men.  This  is  an  impression  that  he 
invariably  gave  to  those  who  knew  him  at  all  well.  He  seemed  to  draw  his  inspiration  from  .unfail- 
ing hidden  springs. 

Think  of  such  a  man  in  conjunction  with  such  an  opportunity !  He  pressed  himself  against  the 
task  with  all  of  the  ardor  of  a  crusader.  He  was  ready  for  any  drudgery,  yet  he  was  an  idealist  to  the 
.  core.  The  best  schools  were  poor  enough  and  the  rural  schools  were  worst  of  all.  The  average 
school  was  held  in  a  poor  building  with  little  if  anything  in  the  way  of  apparatus  and  nothing  in  the 
way  of  a  library.  Even  blackboards  were  a  novelty  in  many  localities.  There  was  no  definite  course 
of  study,  no  uniformity  of  text-books  and  rarely  a  trained  teacher.  The  multiplicity  of  duties  devolv- 
ing upon  the  superintendent  was  something  appalling.  He  nmst  be  lawyer,  man  of  business,  peace- 
m.aker,  educational  exhorter,  and  miOst  difficult  of  all,  perhaps,  licenser  of  teachers.  He  was  all  of 
these  and  more.  He  brought  to  the  discharge  of  his  manifold  duties  a  sympathetic  personality  that 
made  him  not  only  a  public  official,  entrenched  behind  the  law  and  exercising  his  formal  authority, 
but  a  warm-hearted  friend  as  well,  full  of  gracious  courtesies  to  everybody.  He  unraveled  legal 
tangles ;  examined  accounts  of  trustees  and  treasurers ;  adjusted  neighborhood  quarrels ;  pleaded  with 
parents  for  the  inalienable  rights  of  their  own  children ;  urged  more  liberal  appropriations  upon  penu- 
rious voters ;  encouraged  overworked  and  poorly  paid  teachers ;  sympathetically  eliminated  the  ineffi- 
cient by  tactful  methods;  organized  institutes  for  the  instruction  and  inspiration  of  all,  and  did  it 
with  tireless  patience  and  abounding  good  nature. 

Under  his  guidance,  the  work  which  that  faithful  pioneer  of  education,  John  F.  Eberhart,  had 
started,  began  to  expand  and  develop.  He  introduced  into  the  country  schools  a  uniform  course 
of  study.  The  children  were  thus  enabled  to  move  from  grade  to  grade  until  they  had  completed 
the  rudim.ents  of  an  English  education.  Previously  the  waste  of  tim.e  had  been- beyond  computa- 
tion. The  constant  change  of  teachers  meant  an  endless  round  of  deadening  repetition,  for  there 
were  no  records  to  determine  the  work.  No  other  one  thing  was  in  any  way  comparable  to  this  single 
reform.  He  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  his  plans  put  into  operation  in  many  localities  in  his  own 
and  in  other  States.  This  done,  he  attacked  the  problem  of  the  secondary  school  and  was  largely 
instrumental  in  securing  its  multiplication  until  almost  every  child  had  within  his  possibilities 
a  high- school  education. 

In  1873  a  burden  was  dropped  upon  his  faithful  shoulders  which  he  was  foredoomed  to  bear  for 
nearly  a  score  of  years.  He  had  in  his  possession  an  undistributed  school  fund  of  $33,000.  The 
County  Commissioners  approved  the  bank  in  which  it  was  deposited.     With  the  coming  of  the  panic 


478  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

of  that  year  the  bank  fell  to  pieces  like  a  house  of  cards.  It  is  probable  that  his  responsibility  ended 
with  the  action  of  the  Commissioners.  But  he  lived  under  the  higher  law.  Nothing  could  deter 
him  from  assuming  the  entire  responsibility.  He  called  his  sureties  together,  arranged  for  them  to 
pay  the  loss,  turned  over  to  them  all  that  he  had,  and  began  the  long  task  of  reimbursing  them  for 
their  outlay.  The  county  did  not  lose  a  penny.  To  add  to  his  misfortune  he  failed  of  reelection 
that  year.  Four  years  later  the  people  recalled  him  to  his  former  work  and  kept  him  there  until  the 
city  called  him  to  a  higher  estate. 

It  took  him  more  than  nineteen  years  to  square  himself  with  the  world,  but  he  did  it.  No  bonds- 
man lost  a  dollar.  He  paid  principal  and  interest  to  the  last  cent.  When  the  task  was  done  he  had 
put  forty-five  thousand  dollars  into  the  investment  — •  a  snug  little  fortune  for  a  man  of  modest  desires. 
I  remember  how  we  grasped  hands  when  he  told  me,  one  day,  that  his  "national  debt"  was  at  last 
paid.     I  had  no  words  for  the  occasion. 

He  was  county  superintendent  for  nineteen  years.  What  would  Colonel  Parker  and  his  Countv 
Normal  School  have  done  without  him  in  those  militant  years  when  his  institution  was  on  the  brink 
of  ruin?     They  called  him  down  there  on  his  fiftieth  birthday  and  told  him  what  they  owed  him. 

The  story  of  his  accession  to  the  city  superin tendency  has  been  briefly  told.  The  seven  years 
that  followed  were  years  of  battle  against  the  gang  and  for  the  children.  The  howls  of  the  "grav 
wolves  "  were  always  in  his  ears.  But  he  never  lost  heart.  In  one  of  the  series  of  articles  contributed 
to  the  Record-Herald  on  the  History  of  the  Chicago  Schools,  by  Henry  Barrett  Chamberlin,  he  says 
that  Mr.  Lane's  administration  "marked  a  new  era  in  educational  thought  and  practice."  He 
enum^erates  some  of  them : 

"The  extension  of  the  manual  training  into  the  grammar  grades;  the  introduction  of  sewing  and 
cooking  as  a  form  of  manual  training ;  the  added  importance  attached  to  drawing ;  the  change  in  the 
style  of  penmanship ;  original  investigation  on  the  part  of  the  pupils  in  the  laboratories  of  the  high 
schools;  new  interest  in  the  subnormal  pupils,  resulting  in  ungraded  rooms  for  the  defective  pupils 
in  the  regular  school  buildings  ;  in  the  erection  of  the  John  Worthy  School  and,  later,  in  the  law  author- 
izing the  parental  school ;  correlation  of  the  child's  school  life  with  his  home  life  through  lecture  courses 
and  parents'  m.eetings;  the  vacation  school  suggestion;  the  plan  of  a  commercial  high  school  and  a 
course  in  civics ;  the  law  authorizing  a  pension  for  teachers  and  employees ;  simplification  of  the  work 
in  arithm.etic ;  vitalization  of  the  language  work  —  all  of  these  featured  in  the  administration  of  Mr. 
Lane  and  showed  that  the  new  education  was  abroad." 

Here  was  material  enough  for  the  critics.  The  newspapers  had  an  abundance  of  sensational  stuff 
for  headlines.  The  cartoonists  sharpened  their  pencils.  Members  of  the  Board  of  Education  actually 
visited  schools.  It  was  inevitable  that  much  of  the  work  sh(,>uld  be  imperfectly  done,  for  it  was  in 
the  first  stages  of  its  development.  A  portion  of  it  was  eliminated,  but  the  atmosphere  was  changed. 
Henceforward  there  was  to  be  a  freer  life. 

In  1898  he  failed  of  reelection.  It  is  probable  that  this  was  the  severest  disappointment  of  his 
life.  He  was  urged  by  his  friends  to  withdraw  from  the  schools,  but  he  would  not  listen  to  such  advice. 
He  accepted  the  lower  position  without  a  mur.imr  and  m.anifested  such  fidelity  as  to  gladden  the 
heart  of  his  chief.  The  tributes  to  his  devotion  from  Dr.  Andrews  and  from  Superintendent  Cooley 
dwelt  upon  his  great  skill  and  especially  upon  the  absolute  sincerity  of  his  character. 

No  biography  of  Mr.  Lane  would  be  at  all  complete  that  omitted  an  account  of  his  services 
to  the  National  Education  Association.  Yet  there  is  scant  space  to  speak  of  it.  Fuller  details  may 
be  found  in  the  article  from  which  this  has  been  cut.  His  membership  began  in  1884  and  he  was 
an  official  of  the  Association  the  larger  part  of  the  subsequent  twenty-two  years.  He  served  as 
state  director,  president,  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  practically  supervisor  of  the  fund  — 
offices  of  great  importance  to  the  welfare  of  the  organization.  Secretary  Shepard,  presidents  with 
whom  he  served  and  others,  joined  in  unstinted  praise  of  what  he  accomplished. 

The  time  came  at  last  when  he  could  no  longer  engage  in  the  laborious  service  to  which  he  had 
given  his  life.  On  the  23d  of  August,  1906,  his  beautiful  life  came  to  its  close.  From  one  end  of  the 
country  to  the  other  came  loving  tributes  to  his  memory.  The  Board  of  Education  adopted  an 
appreciative   memorial.      Religious   and   educational   institutions  recorded   their   admiration  of  his 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  479 

character  and  services.     A  great  meeting  at  the  Auditorium  was  addressed  by  President  James,  Dr. 
Gunsaulus,  Dr.  Rufus  A.  White,  and  others. 

In  Morituri  Salutamus,  one  of  the  sweetest  of  our  American  singers  chants  his  valedictory  to 
his  surviving  classmates  of  a  half-century  earlier: 

"  O  ye  familiar  scenes  —  ye  groves  of  pine, 
That  once  were  mine  but  are  no  longer  mine  — 

we  who  are  about  to  die 
Salute  you;  earth  and  air  and  sea  and  sky. 
And  the  imperial  sun  that  scatters  down 
His  sovereign  splendors  upon  grove  and  town. 

Ye  do  not  answer  us !     Ye  do  not  hear ! 
We  are  forgotten ;  and  in  your  austere 
And  calm  indifference,  ye  little  care 
Whether  we  come  or  go  or  whence  or  where." 

And  so  throughout  the  larger  part  of  this  beautiful  poem  there  is  the  haunting  echo  of  a  pensive 
melancholy.  Yet  he  was  not  old.  He  had  been  crowned  by  his  fellow  men  with  unfading  laurels. 
At  last  a  more  hopeful  spirit  inspires  the  theme  : 

"As  the  evening  twilight  fades  awa}^ 
The  sky  is  filled  with  stars  invisible  by  day." 

Ulysses  had  a  braver  spirit. 

"  ComiC  m.y  friends 
'Tis  not  too  late  to  seek  a  newer  world. 
Push  off,  and  sitting  well  in  order,  smite 
The  sounding  furrows ;  for  my  purpose  holds 
To  sail  beyond  the  sunset,  and  the  baths 
Of  all  the  western  stars,  until  I  die." 

Albert  Grannis  Lane  was  not  old,  yet  the  assaults  of  disease  had  made  him  battle  for  the  boon 
of  life.  But  it  was  the  unconquerable  spirit  of  Ulysses  that  inspired  the  heroic  figure  so  familiar  to 
us  all.  The  eyes  lost  none  of  their  luster  and  the  earnestness  and  fervor  of  the  uplifted  face  were 
undimmed.     He  was  never  younger  in  his  spirit  than  when  he  fell  asleep. 

Mr.  Lane  was  married  on  June  18,  1878,  to  Frances  Smallwood,  for  ten  years  a  teacher  in  the 
cit)^  nine  of  the  ten  being  in  the  old  High  School.  Two  daughters  sur\iv3  the  father,  Clara  Lane 
Noble  and  Harriet  Lane. 

In  1907  another  veteran  emplo}'ee  of  the  Board  of  Education  dropped  out  of 
service.  Edward  C.  Delano,  for  fifty-one  years  a  teacher  in  the  city,  died  on  June  7, 
1907.  He  began  his  work  in  September,  1856,  and  shortly  after  was  made  the  prin- 
cipal of  the  Normal  department  of  the  High  School.  He  continued  at  the  head  of 
the  Normal  school  until  it  was  discontinued  and  was  then  transferred  to  the  work 
of  assistant  superintendent.  He  served  in  the  latter  capacity  for  thirty  years. 
The  greatest  confidence  was  felt  in  his  character  and  capacity.  It  is  said  that  he 
might  have  been  city  superintendent  if  he  had  wished  the  ofifice  but  that  he  preferred 
the  less  responsible  position. 

He  made  warm  friends,  was  highly  valued  as  a  counselor,  was  the  most  welcome 
of  visitors,  was  never  harsh,  ancj  always  encouraged  the  development  of  the  highest 
moral  earnestness.     His  ambition  was  to  secure  character  rather  than  scholarship, 


480  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

although  he  beHeved  fully  in  the  latter.  His  firmness  for  the  right,  his  sense  of  honor, 
his  devotion  to  his  work  made  a  place  for  him  by  the  side  of  his  friend  who  went 
before  him  into  the  unknown.  He  and  Mr.  Lane  worked  side  by  side  in  the  evening- 
schools  in  1856-7,  their  only  compensation  1)eing  the  joy  of  service. 

He  was  spared  a  lingering  sickness.  There  was  no  intimation  of  approaching 
death.  Like  his  friend,  Howland,  he  answered  to  the  call  of  the  messenger  in  the 
night  and  while  he  was  alone. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Lane  and  Mr.  Delano  left  two  vacancies  in  the  board  of  assist- 
ants. In  1907  Mr.  Kirk  withdrew,  so  that  in  1907-8  there  were  but  three  assistants 
left  for  the  district  work  — Mr.  Lowry,  Mr.  Dodge,  and  Miss  Sullivan.  Mr.  Roberts 
and  Mr.  Megan  remained  in  the  office,  and  Mr.  Bodine  as  Superintendent  of  Compulsory 
Education,  but  Mr.  Rufus  M.  Hitch  became  Superint;.^ndent  of  Parental  School, 
being  promoted  to  that  position  from  a  grammar-school  principalship  which  he  had 
occupied  for  several  years. 

Mr.  Cooley  soon  discovered  the  inadequacy  of  the  assistant  force.  In  1908-9 
three  notable  additions  were  made  to  the  corps:  Edward  C.  Rosseter,  principal  of 
one  of  the  high  schools;  Minnie  R.  Cowan,  principal  of  one  of  the  grammar  schools, 
and  Orville  T.  Bright,  also  a  grammar-school  principal.  Of  these  three  Mr.  Bright 
had  been  longest  in  service,  and  we  shall  hear  of  him  again  when  the  grammar  schools 
are  under  consideration.  With  the  exception  of  the  eleven  years  that  he  was  county 
superintendent,  he  has  been  connected  with  education  in  Chicago  for  approximately 
forty  years. 

In  1909  still  other  additions  were  made  to  the  force  of  assistants.  Mr.  Hitch 
was  transferred  from  the  superin tendency  of  the  Parental  School,  and  Henry  C.  Cox, 
Gertrude  E.  English  and  Kate  Kellogg  were  promoted  from  principalships.  John 
D.  vShoop  was  made  First  Assistant  Superintendent,  an  office  that  was  created  at 
the  time  of  the  election  of  Mrs.  Young.  Mr.  Peter  A.  Mortenson  succeeded  Mr. 
Hitch  as  Superintendent  of  Parental  School. 

The  situation  for  1910-11  is  as  above  indicated:  First  Assistant  Superintendent, 
ten  District  Superintendents,  and  two  office  superintendents  and  the  two  special 
superintendents. 

COMPULSORY  EDUCATION. 

On  October  17,  1888,  the  attention  of  the  Board  was  called  to  this  subject  by 
a  resolution  introduced  by  Hon.  Charles  Kozminski.  The  resolution  was  referred 
to  the  Committee  on  Judiciary,  who  carefully  considered  the  act  of  1883  and  declared 
that  it  could  not  be  enforced.  This  latter  date  marks  the  beginning  of  a  serious 
attempt  to  do  something  with  the  non-attendants.  The  legislation  accomplished 
little  more  than  to  accustom  the  public  to  the  phrase  and  to  set  it  up  as  matter  for 
future  consideration. 

The  resolution  referred  to  above  resulted  in  the  appointment  of  a  special  com- 
mittee whose  duty  was  to  inform  itself  on  the  subject  and  prepare  a  bill  to  be  acted 
upon  by  the  legislature,  which  was  then  in  session. 

A  public  meeting  was  held  on  January  19,  1889,  which  was  attended  by  a  large 
number  of  prominent   citizens,   including  a   number  of   members   of  the    General 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  481 

Assembly.  It  resulted  in  the  preparation  of  three  bills  —  see  pages  24-7,  School  Report 
for  1889.  The  bill  that  became  a  law  may  be  found  on  pages  29-30  of  the  same 
report. 

Abram  E.  Frankland  was  appointed  Superintendent  of  Compulsory  Education, 
an  office  created  to  meet  the  necessities  of  the  new  law.  He  served  until  1894,  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  Thomas  J.  Bluthardt,  who  assumed  the  added  duties  of  Sanitary 
Inspector.  He  in  turn  served  until  1899  and  was  succeeded  by  W.  Lester  Bodine, 
who  was  still  in  that  position  in  1910-11. 

The  special  supervisors  will  receive  attention  later.  The  organized  agencies  in 
the  way  of  schools  have  been  indicated.     At  the  head  is  the 

TEACHERS'  COLLEGE. 

The  City  Normal  School  was  at  first  a  department  of  the  High  School.  The 
latter  was  provided  for  by  an  ordinance  which  was  passed  in  January,  1855.  Its 
history  will  be  traced  on  subsequent  pages. 

The  Normal  School  began  its  career  in  1856,  a  year  before  the  establishment  of 
the  Illinois  State  Normal  University.  It  was,  therefore,  the  first  Normal  School 
in  the  Mississippi  valley.  Doubtless  this  pioneer  movement  had  no  inconsiderable 
influence  upon  the  success  of  the  enterprise  in  which  so  many  of  the  early  educational 
people  were  then  engaged,  which  had  for  its  end  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University. 

The  specific  aim  of  the  City  Normal  School  was  the  preparation  of  young  women 
for  teaching  in  the  grades  of  the  city  schools.  Great  difficulty  had  been  experienced 
in  securing  teachers  for  these  positions.  A  two-3^ear  course  was  offered,  much 
attention  being  paid  to  the  study  of  the  common  branches  and  especially  to  the 
development  of  the  ability  to  explain  to  the  pupils  the  difficulties  encountered  in 
teaching  these  subjects.  The  higher  matliematics  and  their  application  to  the 
practical  sciences  were  also  included  in  the  course  as  was  a  considerable  segment 
of  history  and  belles-lettres.  The  pupils  were  required  to  conduct  classes  in  each 
of  the  subjects  of  instruction,  their  classmates  serving,  meanwhile,  in  the  capacity  of 
children. 

Its  first  principal  was  Ira  Moore,  a  graduate  of  Bridgewater  Normal  School, 
Massachusetts,  an  institution  that  has  exerted  so  powerful  an  influence  upon  edu- 
cation in  Illinois  because  of  the  five  graduates  who  were  connected  with  the  State 
Normal  University  within  the  first  thirty- three  years  of  its  life.  Mr.  Moore  went 
to  Bloomington  in  1857,  becoming  one  of  the  first  teachers  in  the  institution  there. 
The  second  principal  was  Edward  Delano,  who  remained  at  the  head  of  the  school 
until  its  discontinuance  in  1877.  In  1871  the  school  was  detached  from  the  High 
School  and  given  a  separate  home. 

It  soon  became  apparent  that  the  method  of  playing  at  teaching  by  using  the 
Normal  students  as  practice  classes  was  at  best  only  an  extremely  poor  substitute 
for  the  real  experience  needed.  In  consequence  one  of  the  graduates  of  the  school, 
N.  Ella  Flagg,  was  selected  to  conduct  classes  of  children  for  the  illustration  of 
method  and  to  supervise  practice  work  in  which  the  Normal  pupils  engaged.  She 
remained  in  this  position  for  a  number  of  years  and  until  the  department  was  thor- 
oughly established.     She  was  succeeded  by  Miss  Caroline  S.  A.  Wygant. 

31 


482  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  school  came  to  an  abrupt  termination  in  1877,  Mr.  Delano  going  to  the 
work  of  assistant  superintendent,  as  has  been  seen. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  Normal  School  was  seriously  missed  and  an  effort  was 
made  to  find  something  in  the  way  of  an  agenc}^  that  would  take  its  place.  Instead 
of  a  separate  institution,  the  principals  of  the  grammar  schools  were  required  to 
manage  a  cadet  system,  young  women-graduates  from  the  High  School  being  assigned 
to  them  to  learn  the  art  of  teaching  in  such  way  as  they  might  be  able  to  do  by  observ- 
ing the  work  of  the  grade  teachers,  occasionally  engaging  in  practice,  and  receiving 
such  tiseful  hints  as  the  principals  and  the  teachers  might  give  them.  After  two 
months  of  such  experience  they  received  seventy-five  cents  a  day.  They  were 
assigned  to  vacancies  as  the  need  for  them  developed.  They  got  something  of  worth 
from  their  contact  with  the  schools,  but  it  was  soon  made  apparent  that  the  system 
was  a  failure.  Mr.  Lane  found  the  plan  in  operation  when  he  came  to  the  super- 
intendency.  A  Teachers'  Training  School  was  declared  to  be  a  crying  need  of  the 
city,  and  the  establishment  of  such  an  institution  was  warmly  recommended.  The 
recommendation  was  adopted  and  the  Board  voted  to  organize  a  training  class  for 
teachers  in  September,  1893.  All  applicants  for  positions  who  had  never  taught  and 
who  had  succeeded  in  passing  the  examinations  and  all  high-school  graduates  who  had 
received  certificates  to  teach  because  of  the  excellence  of  their  scholarship  were 
instructed  for  five  months  in  a  special  training  class  one  half  of  each  day  and  engaged 
in  practice  teaching  for  the  remaining  half.  As  soon  as  they  demonstrated  sufficient 
ability  they  were  assigned  to  the  charge  of  roomis.  The  special  teachers  under  this 
arrangement  were  at  first  Miss  A^nes  M.  Hardinge  and  Miss  Theresa  McGuire. 
Later,  Miss  H.  Amelia  Kellogg,  principal  of  the  Riverside  Grammar  School,  was 
added  to  the  corps.  She  was  a  most  significant  addition,  as  she  was  a  graduate  of 
the  State  Normal  University,  a  woman  of  charming  personality  and  a  principal  and 
teacher  of  rare  power.     But  a  better  plan  was  soon  made  possible. 

The  history  of  the  Cook  County  Normal  School  has  been  narrated  at  some 
length  in  these  pages.  In  the  year  1895-6  it  became  the  property  of  the  city  and  its 
splendid  faculty  went  with  the  tangible  property.  The  story  has  been  told  of 
Colonel  Parker's  connection  with  it  and  of  the  succession  of  Arnold  Tompkins  to 
the  principalship. 

Chicago  has  long  been  an  educational  storm  center  and  it  is  no  unusual  thing 
for  a  tempest  to  arise  at  any  time.  Before  the  city  took  the  Normal  School  over, 
the  radical  policy  of  its  distinguished  principal  invited  great  praise  and  also  extremely 
sharp  criticism.  It  was  not  anticipated  that  he  would  have  smooth  sailing  all  of 
the  time  after  the  transfer  was  made.  Indeed,  the  opposition  was  sharper  than 
ever  before.  In  consequence,  a  committee  of  the  Board,  under  the  chairmanship 
of  Joseph  W.  Errant,  President  Harper  being  also  a  member  of  the  committee, 
made  a  careful  investigation  of  the  school  and  of  Colonel  Parker's  methods.  The 
investigation  resulted  in  a  unanimous  report,  favoring  the  retention  of  the  entire 
faculty  and  also  of  enlarging  its  membership  and  of  increasing  the  facilities  of  the 
school.  The  Training  vSchool  for  Teachers,  which  had  been  maintained  in  the 
Thomas  Hoyne  school  building  from  1893  to  1896,  was,  in  September  of  the  latter 
year,  transferred  to  the  recently  acquired  Normal  School. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  483 

In  1899,  a  fine  building,  costing  $110,000,  was  added  to  the  equipment.  The 
course  was  changed  the  same  year  from  one  year  to  two.  It  was  at  this  time  that 
Colonel  Parker  resigned  and  became  the  principal  of  the  school  projected  by  Mrs. 
Emmons  Blaine.  E.  G.  Cooley,  principal  of  the  La  Grange  Township  High  School, 
was  elected  to  succeed  him,  but  his  Board  would  not  release  him.  Mr.  Giffin  acted 
as  principal  until  the  election  of  Arnold  Tompkins  in  1900.  In  1904  the  magnificent 
new  building,  costing  $400,000,  was  assured. 

In  the  School  Report  of  1906  appeared  an  appreciation  of  Dr.  Tompkins.  It 
was  substantially  as  follows: 

Arnold  Tompkins  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  eight  miles  south  of  Paris,  Illinois,  on  Septem- 
ber 10,  1849.  He  died  at  his  country  home  at  Menlo,  northern  Georgia,  on  August  12,  1905.  His 
early  education  was  received  at  "Possum  Kingdom,"  a  country  school  near  his  father's  farm.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  walked  three  miles  to  attend  another  country  school,  which  was  taught  by  a  man 
of  college  training,  a  teacher  who  taught  algebra  and  geometry.  This  man  inspired  him  to  go  to 
college.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  taught  a  term  of  school  in  the  country.  In  the  spring  of  the 
same  year  he  attended  the  high  school  at  Paris  for  two  or  three  months.  The  following  winter  he 
again  taught  a  country  school,  all  of  the  time  looking  forward  to  the  day  he  might  enter  college. 
That  day  came  in  1869  when  he  entered  Indiana  University,  dropping  out  before  the  end  of  the  year 
because  of  overwork.  The  following  September  he  entered  Butler  University,  but  was  again  forced 
to  leave  because  of  illness. 

In  1875  he  entered  the  State  Normal  School,  at  Terre  Haute,  where  his  work  with  William  A. 
Jones,  first  president  of  the  school,  started  him  in  organic  thinking.  He  was  graduated  from  this 
school  in  1880.     He  spent  the  next  two  years  at  Worthington,  Indiana,  as  superintendent  of  schools. 

In  1882  he  became  superintendent  of  schools  at  Franklin,  Indiana,  where  he  prepared  a  graded 
course  of  study,  organizing  the  work  on  a  philosophical  basis.  In  1885  he  was  chosen  head  of  the 
English  Department  in  the  Normal  School  of  DePauw  University.  He  was  made  dean  of  the  school 
in  1889,  and  was  graduated  the  same  year  from  the  University  of  Indiana,  just  twenty  years  after 
matriculating.  In  1890  he  became  the  head  of  the  Department  of  English  in  the  State  Normal  School 
at  Terre  Haute,  where  he  remained  two  years. 

In  1893  he  entered  the  University  of  Chicago,  where  he  rem^ained  as  a  graduate  student  for  two 
years.  At  the  end  of  this  time  he  accepted  the  chair  of  pedagogy  in  the  University  of  Illinois.  In 
1899  he  resigned  to  become  the  president  of  the  State  Normal  University,  at  Normal.  The  following 
year  he  accepted  the  principalship  of  the  Chicago  Normal  School,  where  he  remained  until  his  death. 

Dr.  Tompkins  did  much  work  as  a  writer,  publishing  in  1889  "The  Science  of  Discourse,"  in 
1893  "The  Philosophy  of  Teaching,"  and  in  1895  "The  Philosophy  of  School  Managemient."  In 
addition  to  these  he  prepared  shorter  articles  for  the  educational  press. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  work  of  his  life  was  done  on  the  lecture  platform  before  the  teachers  of  the 
country.  No  one  ever  approached  him  in  ability  to  talk  pedagogy  in  an  attractive  and  inspiring 
way.  He  held  a  unique  position  as  an  impassioned  orator  and  exponent  of  educational  ideas.  Those 
who  heard  his  famous  addresses  at  the  meeting  of  superintendents  at  Columbus,  to  the  Illinois  teachers 
at  Springfield,  or  to  the  members  of  the  St.  Andrew's  Society,  when  he  spoke  of  Robert  Burns,  realized 
that  he  was  first  in  this  field  ahd  the  others  nowhere.  His  firmest  friends  have  believed  for  many 
years  that  this  gift  of  oratory  in  the  exposition  of  educational  ideals  was  worth  more  to  the  cause  of 
education  than  an3^thing  that  he  could  contribute  as  a  teacher  or  as  an  administrator. 

In  administering  the  affairs  of  the  Chicago  Normal  School,  Dr.  Tompkins  met  with  many  diffi- 
culties, for  which  he  was  not  responsible.  Colonel  Parker  had  taken  with  him  a  large  number  of  the 
Normal  School  faculty,  many  of  the  vacancies  thus  created  having  been  filled  during  the  interim 
between  Colonel  Parker  and  Dr.  Tompkins.  In  filling  other  vacancies  he  was  sure  to  offend  the 
community  and  teachers  in  the  old  school,  who  jealously  guarded  the  ideals  of  Colonel  Parker,  and 
resented  anything  that  looked  like  a  change.     Further  difficulties  arose  from  the  fact  that  he  took 


484  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

charge  of  the  school  when  there  was  a  large  surplusage  of  teachers,  a  long  list  of  cadets,  and  the  policy 
had  just  begun  of  doubling  the  demand  upon  the  students  of  the  Normal  School.  Financial  diffi- 
culties, too,  forced  the  Board  of  Education  to  give  up  the  small  salary  of  $200  a  year  which  had  been 
paid  to  cadets  while  on  the  waiting  list.  The  long  wait  before  appointnicnt,  the  deprivation  of 
salary,  and  the  longer  period  of  study  required  before  graduation  at  the  Normal  School,  together 
with  the  inevitable  difficulties  connected  with  the  taking  charge  of  a  new  school  and  the  inauguration 
of  a  new  policy,  made  the  situation  a  difficult  one  to  handle. 

He  faced  these  difficulties  with  a  courage  and  hopefulness  that  endeared  him  to  all  that  were 
associated  with  him.  His  faith  that  truth  would  prevail,  that  there  was  something  in  the  universe 
working  for  righteousness,  that  the  situation  would  somehow  spell  "success,"  was  absolutely  invin- 
cible. When  difficulties  arose,  and  complaints  and  denunciations  of  his  policy  were  under  considera- 
tion, he  would  urge  that  logic  would  win  in  the  end,  and  that  success  must  be  ours  in  our  efforts  to 
build  up  a  great  teachers'  college. 

It  was  Dr.  Tompkins'  ambition  to  see  the  Teachers'  College  thoroughly  established,  equipped 
with  a  good  faculty,  and  prepared  to  train  all  classes  of  teachers  needed  in  the  schools  of  Chicago. 
When  this  work  was  done  he  was  anxious  to  resign.  His  ambition  was  purely  impersonal ;  he  thought 
first  of  his  school  work,  second  of  his  own  leadership.  One  of  the  saddest  things  connected  with  his 
death  is  the  fact  that  he  was  so  near  a  realization  of  all  of  his  hopes,  and  yet  was  not  permjitted  to 
open  up  the  school  in  the  new  quarters  he  worked  so  long  to  secure.  He  had,  however,  lived  long 
enough  to  see  the  threatened  destruction  of  the  school  averted,  to  see  the  tide  turn  and  increasing 
numbers  of  students  enter  the  school,  and  to  realize  that  he  was  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  best  and 
most  finely  equipped  Normal  schools  in  America. 

THE  HIGH  SCHOOLS. 

As  early  as  1843  the  subject  of  a  high  school  had  been  broached.  In  1852  a  com- 
mittee miade  an  elaborate  report  and  a  convincing  argument  for  its  establishment, 
and  in  January,  1855,  the  ordinance  was  x^assed.  The  plans  for  the  building  were 
furnished  by  Superintendent  Dore  and  were  so  admirable  that  the  State  Agricultural 
Society  awarded  him  a  diploma  and  a  premium  for  "  the  best  design  for  a  high-school 
building."  He  received  similar  consideration  from  other  societies,  indicating  that 
the  high  school  was  in  the  near  future.  The  building  and  its  furnishings  cost  $50,000. 
It  could  accommodate  three  hundred  and  fifty  pupils.  It  was  regarded  as  a  noble 
edifice  and  its  erection  marked  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  city.  When  it  is 
remembered  that  it  was  but  sixty  feet  by  ninety  and  but  three  stories  high  it  will 
be  seen  that  it  belonged  to  the  pioneer  period. 

The  school  was  opened  on  the  8th  of  October,  1856,  with  Charles  A.  Dupee  as 
principal.  One  hundred  and  twenty-five  students  appeared  and  were  provided 
with  four  male  teachers.  It  was  co-educational.  In  1857  the  name  of  George 
Howland  appears  on  the  list  of  teachers.  He  was  to  become  a  most  significant 
factor  of  the  social  and  educational  life  of  the  city.  He  became  the  principal  of  the 
school  in  1860  and  remained  in  that  position  until  he  was  promoted  to  the  superin- 
tendency. 

There  were  a  number  of  men  and  women  on  the  old  high  school  faculty  who 
subsequently  became  conspicuous  in  the  schools  of  the  city  and  elsewhere.  Leander 
H.  Potter  went  from  its  staff  to  the  Normal  University  in  1860,  and  became  finally 
the  colonel  of  the  "  Normal"  Regiment.  S.  H.  Peabody,  later  the  president  of  the 
University  of  Illinois,  was  a  teacher  there  in  1866.      Mr.  Sabin  and  Mr.  Westcott 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  485 

served  there  for  a  time.  As  has  been  said,  Mrs.  Young  was  also  one  of  the  early 
assistants. 

In  the  School  Report  of  1879  there  are.  very  interesting  historical  sketches  of 
the  first  high  school,  the  Normal  school,  and  also  of  the  division  high  schools 
that  were  opened  in  1875.  They  may  be  found  on  pages  48-70.  Lack  of  space 
prevents  their  introduction  here. 

In  1875  there  was  a  marked  development  of  the  high-school  idea.  The  new 
scheme  provided  for  an  English  high  school  in  each  division  of  the  city.  The 
courses  were  to  be  two  years  long  and  embraced  the  more  practical  branches  of 
higher  instruction.  The  North  Division  school  was  located  at  the  corner  of  Elm 
and  North  State  streets;  the  South  Division  High,  at  the  comer  of  Michigan  avenue 
and  Twent3'-fourth  street ;  and  the  West  Division  on  Aberdeen  at  the  corner  of  Jack- 
son. The  old  high  school  was  called  the  Central.  The  surroundings  of  this  school 
were  declared  to  be  of  such  a  character  as  to  necessitate  a  change  of  site,  vice  in  its 
most  objectionable  form  having  taken  possession  of  the  immediate  environs. 

These  division  high  schools  were  a  development  of  high-school  classes  that  had 
been  organized  in  each  division  of  the  city  as  early  as  1869.  The  high  school  was 
overcrowded.  Many  of  the  pupils '  left  after  one  year  of  work.  Arrangements 
were  made,  therefore,  in  the  Franklin,  Haven,  Foster  and  Hayes  schools  for  a  year 
of  high-school  work,  with  the  understanding  that  at  the  end  of  this  year  the  pupils 
would  be  transferred  to  the  high  school.  The  first  school  was  located  on  the  North 
Side,  the  second  on  the  South,  and  the  third  and  fourth  on  the  West  Side. 

The  principals  of  these  schools  were  respectively  H.  H.  Belfield,  Jeremiah  Slocum, 
Ira  S,  Baker.  ,  Mr.  Howland  retained  the  principalship  of  the  Central  until  his 
promotion. 

The  year  1889-90  was  a  banner  year  for  the  increase  in  the  number  of  high  schools, 
which  in  a  single  year  were  increased  from  three  to  twelve.  Much  the  greater  part 
of  this  increase  was  due  to  the  annexation  to  the  city  of  adjacent  territory  already 
supplied  with  fine  high  schools.     Here  is  the  list  with  their  principals  : 

North  Division,  Oliver  S.  Westcott;  South  Division,  Jeremiah  Slocum;  West  Division,  George 
M.  Clayberg;  Northwestern  Division,  Franklin  P.  Fisk;  Calumet,  Avon  S.  Hall;  Englewood,  Orville 
T.  Bright;  Hyde  Park,  William  A.  McAndrew;  Jeft'erson,  Charles  A.  Cook;  Lake,  James  E.  Armstrong; 
Lake  View,  Charles  W.  French;  South  Chicago,  Charles  I.  Parker;  English  High  and  Manual  Train- 
ing, James  F.  Claflin.     The  latter  school  will  receive  especial  attention  later. 

There  were  changes  in  some  of  these  principalships  soon,  Mr.  Armstrong  going  to  Englewood 
when  Mr.  Bright  became  county  superintendent,  Edward  F.  Stearns  to  Lake,  Mr.  French  to  Hyde 
Park,  Mr.  James  H.  Norton  to  Lake  View,  and  Albert  R.  Robinson  to  the  English  High. 

The  Marshall  and  Medill  were  added  in  1895;  the  Austin,  in  1899;  the  McKinley  and  Waller,  in 
1901;  the  R.  T.  Crane,  in  1903;  the  Curtis,  the  Phillips,  the  Tuley  and  two  Manual  Training  High 
Schools  in  existing  buildings,  in  1905;  the  Lane  Technical,  in  1908;  the  Farragut,  in  1909;  the  Schurz 
and  the  Parker,  in  1910. 

The  classification  of  these  schools  was  as  follows  in  1911: 

Technical:  Crane,  William  J.  Bartholf,  principal;  Lane,  William  J.  Bogan,  principal.  Having 
partial  manual  training  equipment:  Austin,  George  H.  Rockwood;  Bowen  (South  Chicago),  Charles 
I.  Parker,  principal;  Calumet,  Avon  S.  Hall,  principal;  Curtis,  Thomas  C.  Hill,  principal;  Englewood, 
James  E.  Arnistrong,  principal;  Farragut,  Frank  L.    Morse,  principal;  Lake,  Edward  F.  Stearns; 


486  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Lake  View,  Benjamin  F.  Buck;  Marshall,  Louis  J.  Block;  McKinley,  George  M.  Clayberg;  Medill, 
Albert  R.  Sabin;  Parker,  William  B.  Owen;  Phillips,  Spencer  R.  Smith;  Schurz,  Walter  F.  Slocum; 
Waller,  Oliver  S.  Westcott.  Without  manual- training  equipment:  Hyde  Park,  Hiram  B.  Loomis; 
Jefferson,  Charles  A.  Cook;  Tuley,  Franklin  P.  Fisk. 

Most  of  the  buildings  in  which  these  schools  are  housed  are  models  of  their  kind. 

THE  PARENTAL  SCHOOL. 

In  1899  the  legislaUire  passed  a  law  requiring  the  Board  of  Education  of  the 
city  to  build  and  maintain  a  Parental  School.  This  movement  was  in  harmony 
with  the  Juvenile  Reform  Law,  which  created  a  Juvenile  Court  and  provided  for 
a  parole  system  and  probation  officers  to  look  after  truants.  This  movement  marks 
an  epoch  in  the  treatment  of  the  delinquent  pupils.  Its  effect  became  immediately 
noticeable. 

The  Board  of  Education  responded  at  once  to  the  provisions  of  the  law  requiring 
the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  the  Parental  School.  Mr.  Thomas  H.  Mac- 
Queary  was  selected  as  superintendent  after  a  careful  examination  of  the  relative 
merits  of  a  number  of  available  men.  Following  the  recommendation  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Compulsory  Education,  he  was  instructed  to  visit  institutions  similar  to 
the  proposed  school  and  make  a  careful  examination  of  the  methods  that  had  been 
found  to  be  successful  in  their  experience.  Very  properly  the  Supervisor  of  Manual 
Training  was  directed  to  accompany  him. 

Mr.  Bodine  had  so  far  covered  the  constructive  features  of  such  schools  in  a  report 
from  his  department  that  these  gentlemen  devoted  their  time  mainly  to  the  study 
of  the  educational  principles  and  practices  involved  in  such  institutions,  the  most 
successful  ones  in  the  East  being  visited  and  carefully  scrutinized.  Their  report  may 
be  found  on  pages  15-29  of  the  School  Report  for  1900. 

A  site  was  selected  in  the  northern  part  of  the  city.  The  plans  contained  pro- 
visions for  ample  school  room,  dormitory  and  shop  facilities,  and  were  based  on  the 
cottage  plan.  Sixty  acres  of  land  were  set  apart  for  the  use  of  the  school.  The 
first  pupils  were  received  January  1,  1902.  A  description  of  the  organization  and 
work  of  the  schools  may  be  found  in  the  Report  for  1901-2. 

Rufus  M.  Hitch  became  superintendent  of  the  school  in  1907  and  continued  in 
that  capacity  until  his  promotion  to  a  district  superintendency  in  1909.  His  suc- 
cessor was  Peter  A.  Mortenson. 

THE  JOHN  WORTHY  SCHOOL. 

The  condition  of  the  boys  committed  to  the  city  Bridewell  could  not  escape  the 
attention  of  any  visitor  to  that  institution  of  correction.  They  were  associated 
with  hardened  criminals  and  seemed  foredoomed  to  criminal  careers.  In  1896,  the 
Common  Council  imposed  upon  the  Board  of  Education  the  task  of  direction  and 
training  of  these  boys.  A  suitable  building  was  erected  and  the  school  was  organized 
on  November  1,  1896.  Robert  M.  Smith,  from  the  English  High  and  Manual 
Training  School,  was  made  the  principal.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  John 
Worthy  School,  so  conspicuous  among  the  educational  agencies  of  the  city. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  487 

THE  GRAMMAR  SCHOOLS. 

In  1857  the  system  of  numbering  the  grammar  schools  was  abandoned  and  they  were  given 
names.  This  custom  has  perpetuated  the  names  of  many  of  the  pubHc-spirited  citizens  of  the  city ' 
who  by  their  devotion  to  the  interests  of  education  have  deserved  well  of  their  fellow  citizens.  The 
Dearborn  has  been  described.  The  report  of  the  the  superintendent  for  the  year  ending  February  1, 
1858,  mentions  also  the  Jones,  on  Clark  and  Harrison;  the  Scammon,  on  Madison  between  Halsted 
and  Union;  the  Kinzie,  on  Ohio  and  La  Salle;  the  Franklin,  on  Division  and  Sedgwick;  the  Washing- 
ton, on  Owen  and  Sangamon ;  the  Moseley ,  on  Michigan  avenue  and  Monterey ;  the  Brown,  on  War- 
ren and  Page;  the  Foster,  on  Union  street  near  Twelfth;  the  Ogden,  on  Chestnut  between  Dearborn 
and  Wolcott. 

The  principals  of  these  schools  were  among  the  early  workers  in  education.  Their  names  are 
household  words  in  the  city.  The  principal  of  the  Jones  was  Willard  Woodard,  who  retained  the 
position  for'  seven  years.  He  was  long  a  member  of  the  book-publishing  firm  of  George  Sherwood 
Sc  Co.  He  served  on  the  Board  of  Education  later.  Daniel  S.  Wentworth  was  principal  of  the 
Scammon  School  until  1863.  We  have  heard  of  him  in  connection  with  the  Cook  County  Normal 
School.  The  principal  of  the  Kinzie  at  this  time  was  Philip  Atkinson.  After  a  year  Ben.  D.  Slocum 
succeeded  him,  serving  until  1862.  Then  William  J.  Armstrong  was  principal  for  a  year;  then,  Jere- 
miah Slocum  for  a  year,  and  then  Ira  S.  Baker.  The  principal  of  the  Franklin  was  William  Drake; 
a  year  later  Albert  G.  Lane  succeeded  to  the  position  and  continued  until  his  election  to  the  county 
superintendency  in  1869.  George  A.  Low  was  principal  of  the  Washington  but  he  was  succeeded 
the  next  year  by  B.  R.  Cutter,  who  served  in  that  capacity  until  his  death,  June  17,  1875.  The 
principal  of  the  Moseley  was  Bradford  Y.  Averill  until  1859,  then  Samuel  A.  Briggs,  until  1863,  then 
Jeremiah  Slocum  until  July  1,  1870.  Henry  M.  Keith  was  principal  of  the  Brown  School  until  1859, 
then  S.  H.  White  served  until  he  went  to  the  Peoria  County  Normal  School  in  1868;  he  was  followed 
by  J.  K.  Merrill.  The  Foster  School  principal  was  G.  W.  Spofford  who,  in  1870,  was  succeeded  by 
O.  T.  Bright,  who  in  1874  went  to  the  Douglas  School  and  won  fine  repute  in  a  service  there  of  several 
years.  The  principal  of  the  Ogden  School  was  Appleton  H.  Fitch  who  was  succeeded  in  1859  by 
George  W.  Dow.  Two  years  later  John  E.  Kimball  was  principal  and  served  two  years.  F.  S.  Hey- 
wood  became  principal  in  1863.  Ann  E.  Winchell  appears  in  1858  as  principal  of  a  branch  of  the 
Jones  School. 

The  great  fire  of  1871  may  well  serve  as  a  division  line  between  the  earlier  and  later  history  of 
the  schools.  Fifteen  school  buildings,  ten  of  which  were  the  property  of  the  city,  were  burned.  Not- 
withstanding the  loss  of  so  many  buildings,  the  schools  were  interrupted  but  two  weeks.  This  is 
not  the  place  to  dwell  upon  the  scene  of  desolation  that  was  presented  to  the  spectator  after  the 
destruction  had  ceased.  The  writer  has  a  vivid  recollection  of  the  pitiful  situation.  Although  it 
was  a  manifest  calamity  to  great  numbers,  the  city's  recovery  was  little  short  of  marvelous. 
Indeed,  the  fire  was  not  without  its  advantages. 

After  the  fire  the  teachers  were  divided  into  four  groups  and  were  taken  on  as  rapidly  as  places 
could  be  found  for  the  schools  and  in  the  following  order:  1.  The  homeless.  2.  Those  who  had 
others  dependent  upon  them.  3.  Those  who  must  support  themselves.  4.  Those  who  had  friends 
that  could  provide  for  them.     It  was  a. time  that  called  for  self-sacrifice.     All  rose  to  the  occasion. 

The  following  brief  extracts  are  from  the  Report  of  the  President  of  the  Board  of  Education  for 
the  year  ending  June  28,  1872: 

"The  old  landmarks  of  youthful  Chicago  were  represented,  in  school  parlance,  by  the  Jones, 
Dearborn  and  Kinzie  school  buildings.  When  built  they  were  models  of  their  kind,  and  for  a  long  time 
were  looked  upon  by  the  outside  world  as  monuments  of  the  folly  and  extravagance  of  the  School 
Board."  He  then  contrasts  the  more  modern  buildings  that  had  been  erected  and  that  were  the  pride 
of  the  city  and  that  had  accommodations  for  ten  thousand  children.  "All  of  these  were  in  one  day 
and  without  warning  swallowed  up  by  the  devouring  flames.  The  thousand  pupils  and  more  than 
one  hundred  teachers  were  turned  into  the  streets,  without  home  or  shelter,  and  the  most  beautiful 
and  wealthy  portion  of  the  city  became  a  barren  waste. 


488  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

"In  that  dark  day,  when  it  seemed  that  our  schools  must  close  for  want  of  money,  and  the  Board 
of  Trustees  were  disheartened,  our  teachers  met  in  the  hall  of  the  Skinner  School,  and  removed  from 
us  the  burden,  without  a  dissenting  voice.  They  said  in  language  eloquent,  because  of  its  earnestness, 
'  We  are  ready,  willing,  and  cheerfully  tender  you  our  services  to  continue  the  schools  until  the  close 
of  the  year,  regardless  of  compensation.'  And  with  willing  hands  and  cheerful  hearts  they  assumed 
their  duties." 

In  the  Report  of  the  Board  for  1875  appears  an  appreciation  of  Ben.  R.  Cutter,  for  seventeen 
years  principal  of  the  Washington  School. 

"  Few  men  possess  the  power  of  control  to  such  a  degree  as  did  Mr.  Cutter.  In  the  midst  of  what 
might  seem  to  a  stranger  as  inextricable  confusion,  a  word  would  secure  the  most  perfect  order.  It 
was  not  necessary  for  him  to  hold  his  school  constantly  subject  to  set  rules,  for  the  power  of  control 
was  so  consciously  held  by  him  that  the  rules  were  not  needed. 

"His  absorption  in  his  work  was  complete.  He  had  no  other  interest  than  that  of  his  school. 
His  methods  were  peculiarly  his  own.     The  results  of  his  work  were  always  satisfactory." 

Mr.  Cutter  was  well  known  by  the  down-state  schoolmasters,  for  he  was  a  constant  attendant 
at  the  State  meetings.     He  is  recalled  with  great  pleasure  by  not  a  few  of  the  veterans. 

In  1880,  when  Mr.  Howland  came  to  the  superintendent's  office,  the  city  was  using  seventy-three 
buildings,  twelve  of  which  were  rented.     There  were  958  teachers  and  63,141  pupils  enrolled. 

Interest  always  attaches  to  those  who  have  been  building  a  system  and  who,  by  their  long  service, 
have  given  it  its  characteristic  features. 

Here  are  some  of  the  long-service  teachers  that  greeted  Mr.  Howland : 

George  P.  Wells  became  a  teacher  of  Latin  in  the  High  School  in  1860.  He  was  now  the  principal 
of  the  West  Division  High  School.  His  service  had  not  been  continuous  for  the  twenty  years  but  the 
interruptions  had  not  been  long.  Jeremiah  Slocum,  now  the  principal  of  the  South  Division  High 
School,  entered  the  service  of  the  city  in  March,  1863.  Samuel  Willard,  a  teacher  in  the  West  Division 
High,  came  to  the  old  High  School  in  1870.  Charles  F.  Babcock,  principal  of  the  Holden  School, 
dated  back  to  1862.  Henry  H.  Belfield,  principal  of  the  North  Division  High,  began  in  1866.  O.  T. 
Bright,  principal  of  the  Douglas  School,  already  had  a  ten-year  record.  Hattie  M.  Butterfield,  prin- 
cipal of  the  Pearson,  had  been  in  the  service  fourteen  years;  Louise  S.  Curtis,  principal  of  the  Cottage 
Grove,  twelve  years;  Electa  E.  Dewey,  principal  of  the  Calumet  avenue,  sixteen  years;  Tammie  E. 
Flowers,  principal  of  the  W.  Fourteenth  street,  seventeen  years;  Jennie  E.  Gillespie,  principal  of  the 
Garfield,  eleven  years;  Elsie  H.  Gould,  principal  of  the  Vedder  street,  twenty -three  years,  approxi- 
mately; James  Hannan,  principal  of  the  La  Salle,  eleven  years;  George  W.  Heath,  principal  of  the 
Ogden,  nine  years;  Frank  S.  Hey  wood,  principal  of  the  Lincoln,  eighteen  years;  Alfred  Kirk,  principal 
of  the  Moseley,  nearly  fifteen  years;  Luella  V.  Little,  principal  of  the  Foster,  thirteen  years;  Eliza 
Lundegreen,  principal  of  the  Wicker  Park,  eighteen  years;  Jeremiah  Mahoney,  principal  of  the  Wash- 
ington, sixteen  years;  Alden  N.  Merriman,  principal  of  the  Hayes,  twenty -one  years;  Albert  R.  Sabin, 
principal  of  the  Kinzie,  eight  years;  Jeremiah  Slocum,  principal  of  the  South  Division  High,  seven- 
teen years;  Emily  M.  C.  Stevens,  principal  of  the  Scammon,  nine  years;  Corydon  G.  Stowell,  princi- 
pal of  the  Newberry,  ten  years;  Henry  A.  Van  Zwoll,  principal  of  the  Dore,  nineteen  years;  Frank 
B.  Williams,  principal  of  the  Marquette,  thirteen  years;  Hattie  N.  Winchell,  principal  of  the  Eliza- 
beth street,  sixteen  years;  Ella  F.  Young,  principal  of  the  Skinner,  eighteen  years;  Oliver  S.  Westcott, 
a  teacher  in  the  North  Division  High,  twelve  years,  and  the  Assistant  Superintendent,  Mr.  Delano, 
more  than  twenty-two  years. 

We  have  seen  the  beginning  of  something  approximating  a  system  with  the  erection  of  the  Dear- 
born School,  in  1844.  When  there  were  four  districts  with  a  building  in  each,  Chicago  was  proud 
of  her  educational  facilities.  In  1911  there  were  274  schools  with  an  enrollment,  including  the  high 
schools,  of  more  than  300,000  pupils. 

The  quaint  little  Jones  School,  on  Harrison  street,  is  a  type  of  the  best  schools  of  that  early 
period.  It  is  worth  a  visit  that  one  may  see  the  past.  The  modern  grammar  schools  are,  by  compari- 
son, nothing  short  of  palatial.  The  liberality  of  the  city  would  have  seemed  the  wildest  extrava- 
gance to  the  Chicago  of  1860. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  489 

SPECIAL  SCHOOLS. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  aspects  of  educational  administration  in  Chicago  has  been  the  per- 
sistent poHcy  for  many  years  to  reach  all  classes  of  children.  In  1910-11  provision  was  made  for 
blind  pupils  in  four  elementary  schools  and  three  high  schools.  This  unfortunate  class  labors 
under  a  handicap  that  appeals  to  all.  Their  instruction  is  not  difficult,  but  special  appliances 
are  essential  to  their  progress  and  the  necessity  of  separating  them  from  the  seeing  pupils  is 
too  obvious  to  need  anything  more  than  a  mere  statement.  The  plan  has  now  been  in  operation 
some  ten  years. 

The  deaf  children  have  also  had  their  infirmity  recognized  and  special  classes  have  been  organized 
for  them.     This  plan  has  also  been  in  operation  for  several  years. 

The  crippled  children  have  been  cared  for  with  tender  consideration.  Their  transportation  from 
their  homes  to  the  school  has  been  in  operation  for  several  years,  beginning  in  1870. 

Within  the  last  two  years  open-air  schools  have  been  organized  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  have 
indicated  tuberculosis  affection.  The  experiments  thus  far  undertaken  for  their  benefit  are  extremely 
encouraging. 

Attention  has  already  been  called  to  the  Parental  School  and  its  fine  equipment.  It  indicates  the 
earnestness  with  which  the  city  is  endeavoring  to  rescue  the  submerged  element  and  convert  it 
into  a  reliable  citizenship. 

The  establishing  of  a  Juvenile  Court  marks  a  new  method  of  treating  the  young  that  have  violated 
the  city  ordinances,  often,  doubtless,  with  slight  conception  of  what  they  were  doing.  A  volume 
might  be  written  upon  the  beneficent  work  that  has  been  accomplished  since  the  courts  joined  the 
school  in  a  persistent  attempt  to  reform  boys  and  girls  instead  of  sending  them  to  the  city  Bridewell, 
where  their  only  associates  were  of  the  criminal  class. 

Free  evening  schools  were  first  organized  in  the  winter  of  1856.  The  sessions  were  held  in  the 
West  Market  Hall,  on  West  Randolph  street,  three  evenings  each  week.  They  were  under  the  charge 
of  Daniel  S.  Wentworth,  Principal  of  School  No.  3  (Scammon).  The  city  furnished  the  hall,  and  the 
teachers,  who  were  from  the  day  schools,  gave  their  services.  The  total  enrolment  for  the  session 
was  208  with  an  average  attendance  of  about  150. 

Nothing  further  was  done  until  the  winter  of  1863.  A  term  of  three  months  began  in  the  Dear- 
born School  on  January  8.  Men  attended  on  Monday,  Wednesday  and  Friday  evenings  and  women 
OTi  the  other  evenings.  The  enrolment  was  294  males  and  189  females.  The  average  attendance 
was  about  half  of  these  numbers.  The  cost  for  teachers  was  $389.  The  school  was  reopened  Novem- 
ber 6  for  a  four  months'  term.  The  enrolment  was  more  than  700;  the  average  attendance,  186; 
the  cost,  $767.10. 

In  1864  an  appropriation  of  $5,000  was  made  for  these  schools.  This  enabled  the  Board  to  enlarge 
the  scope  of  the  schools,  one  being  opened  in  the  Franklin,  North  Division,  one  each  in  the  Dearborn 
and  the  Haven  in  the  South  Division,  and  one  each  in  the  Washington  and  Foster  in  the  West  Division. 

These  schools  were  continued  until  the  fire  and  were  then  suspended  until  1873.  They  were  then 
resumed  and  have  been  continued  ever  since. 

The  first  Evening  High  School  Class  was  formed  in  the  fall  of  1868,  by  Selim  H.  Peabody,  then 
teaching  in  the  High  School.  They  were  continued  until  the  fire,  when  they  were  interrupted  until 
1874.  Detailed  statements  with  respect  to  cost  and  other  particulars  down  to  1878  may  be  found 
on  page  79  of  the  Report  for  1878-9. 

The  first  kindergarten  was  established  by  Mrs.  E.  W.  Blatchford,  in  1863.  For  several  years  it 
was  the  only  one  in  the  city.  The  Froebel  Association,  the  Free  Kindergarten  Association,  and  the 
Chicago  Kindergarten  College  were  successively  organized  to  promote  the  movement.  In  1892 
there  were  ninety  kindergartens,  with  an  enrolment  of  3,392  children.  The  city  furnished  the  rooms 
but  these  associations  furnished  the  teachers.  The  city  adopted  the  system  the  same  year  and  ten 
kindergartens  were  authorized.  The  student  of  this  aspect  of  education  will  find  ample  details  as 
to  its  development  in  the  successive  reports  of  the  Board. 


490  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

MANUAL  TRAINING. 

The  manual  training  idea  began  to  trouble  the  waters  in  the  early  eighties.  There  has  been  for 
many  years  an  organization  in  the  city  that  without  making  much  fuss  about  it  has  a  way  of  doing 
things  for  the  promotion  of  the  general  welfare.  The  Chicago  Commercial  Club  began  to  discuss 
the  question  and  that  meant  that  something  positive  in  the  way  of  action  would  happen.  On  the 
25th  of  March,  1882,  there  was  a  meeting  in  which  there  was  a  free  expression  of  the  sentiment  of  the 
members.  At  the  close  of  the  meetings  subscriptions  were  called  for  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  secre- 
tary reported  a  fund  of  $57,000.  Soon  after,  the  fund  was  increased  to  $100,000.  A  committee  con- 
sisting of  Marshall  Field,  R.  T.  Crane,  O.  W.  Patten,  E.  W.  Blatchford,  N.  K.  Fairbank,  John  W. 
Doane  and  John  Crerar  prepared  a  careful  report  on  the  situation.  On  the  30th  of  December,  1882, 
an  organization  was  effected  by  the  appointment  of  the  above  committee  and  Edson  Keith  and  George 
M.  Pullman  as  a  Board  of  Trustees.  A  building  was  soon  erected  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Michigan 
boulevard  and  Twelfth  street.  H.  H.  Belfield,  principal  of  the  North  Division  High  School,  was 
selected  as  principal  and  the  Chicago  Manual  Training  School  began  its  career  of  remarkable  useful- 
ness. It  continued  as  a  separate  institution  until  it  became  a  part  of  the  equipment  of  the  University 
of  Chicago. 

The  city  could  not  escape  the  responsibility  thrown  upon  it  by  the  action  of  these  public-spirited 
men.  The  enthusiasm  created  by  the  work  of  Dr.  Belfield  and  his  associates  bore  its  legitimate  fruit. 
But  there  were  members  of  the  Board  of  Education  who  denied  the  legal  power  of  that  body  to  expend 
the  money  of  the  people  for  such  an  institution  or  for  that  kind  of  school  work. 

As  early  as  1881,  the  president  of  the  Board,  in  the  annual  report,  stated  that  there  should  be  at 
least  three  fully  equipped  institutions  for  manual  training,  but  he  regarded  the  situation  as  offering 
the  gravest  difficulties,  as  the  children  lacked  time  to  do  little  or  anything  more  in  the  schools  than 
to  acquire  the  elements  of  an  English  education.  Furthermore,  the  law  would  not,  in  his  opinion, 
warrant  the  Board  in  making  expenditures  in  that  direction. 

In  the  Report  for  1883,  Superintendent  Rowland  suggested  the  advisability  and  practicability 
of  opening  a  few  rooms  and  equipping  them  with  tools  and  instructors  so  that  children  could  go  to 
them  for  mechanical  instruction  some  hours  each  week.  In  his  report  for  1884-5,  he  again  refers  to 
the  subject  and  makes  a' plea  for  manual  training.  It  is  not  a  vigorous  championing  of  the  cause, 
but  it  shows  that  this  lover  of  the  humanities  had  an  open  mind  for  new  ideas. 

In  1885-6  a  room  was  furnished  with  benches  and  tools  and  some  of  the  high-school  pupils  were 
permitted  to  nibble  at  the  new  educational  diet.  It  consisted  of  carpenter  work  and  freehand  and 
mechanical  drawing.  Soon  wood  turning,  patternmaking,  modeling,  moulding,  and  casting  of  soft 
metals  were  added.  The  results  were  not  satisfactory,  and  in  1890  the  matter  was  put  into  better 
shape  by  organizing  an  independent  school,  where  time  enough  was  given  to  the  work  to  make  it  of 
some  consequence. 

This  was  the  English  High  and  Manual  Training  School.  Its  course  was  three  years  in  length 
and  was  sharply  dififerentiated  from  the  other  high  schools  in  the  subjects  studied.  For  several  years 
a  manual-training  department  had  been  maintained  at  the  old  Central  High  School  building,  and 
high-school  pupils  were  permitted  to  go  there  for  instruction  in  the  afternoons.  Out  of  this  beginning 
the  new  school  developed  A  discussion  of  its  work  may  be  found  in  the  Report  for  1891.  Its  first 
principal  was  James  F.  Clafiin.  He  opened  the  school  in  September,  1891.  His  death  occurred 
shortly  after.     His  successor  was  Albert  R.  Robinson. 

Training  for  boys  in  the  higher  grammar  grades  was  attempted  through  the  generosity  of  Mr. 
R.  T.  Crane,  who  in  January,  1891,  equipped  a  basement  room  in  the  Tilden  School,  at  a  cost  of 
about  $2,000,  and  employed  a  teacher  to  conduct  the  work.  Bench  work  in  wood  was  selected  and 
fifteen  classes  of  twenty-four  boys  each  were  selected  from  the  two  highest  grammar  grades  of  six 
schools.     They  received  an  hour  and  a  half  of  instruction  each  week. 

The  Chicago  Evening  PoJ^  donated  a  somewhat  similar  equipment  for  the  Jones  School  and  the 
city  employed  a  teacher.      Mr.   Crane  added  a  similar  equipment  for  student  teachers.     Further 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  491 

details  may  be  found  in  the  Report  for  1898.  It  must  suffice  here  to  say  that  from  this  beginning 
the  work  spread  rapidly  until  it  has  practically  covered  the  city. 

In  1903-4  Mr.  R.  T.  Crane  came  again  to  the  promotion  of  manual  training.  The  building  is 
located  at  Oakley  avenue  and  Van  Buren  street  and  became  the  home  of  the  boys  who  were  formerly 
housed  in  the  old  High  School  on  the  West  Side.  By  this  noble  gift  to  the  city  Mr.  Crane  has  forever 
identified  himself  with  one  of  the  greatest  educational  schemes  any  municipality  has  ever  undertaken. 

The  introduction  of  sewing  into  the  lower  grades  of  the  grammar  schools  occurred  in  1892. 
Special  teachers  were  indispensable  for  the  proper  conduct  of  this  work  and  the  first  exam- 
ination for  such  work  took  place  in  September,  1891.  It  is  interesting  to  follow  the  evolu- 
tion of  the  modern  school  as  it  gradually  won  to  its  support  those  who  but  a  few  years  ago  character- 
ized these  systems  of  instruction  as  "fads."  Manual  training,  sewing,  cooking,  care  of  the  house, 
and  all  of  the  various  subjects  that  cluster  about  the  general  designation  of  "Hand  Work,"  are  now 
represented  in  practically  all  of  the  schools. 

MUSIC. 

In  December,  1841,  a  meeting  of  the  school  inspectors  and  a  committee  appointed  for  that  pur- 
pose was  held  for  the  consideration  of  the  propriety  of  introducing  instruction  in  vocal  music  into 
the  public  schools.  The  matter  was  referred  to  the  Commoi  Council  and,  in  consequence,  the  first 
teacher  of  vocal  music  in  the  city,  Mr.  N.  Gilbert,  was  appointed  in  December,  1841,  at  a  salary  of 
$16  a  month. 

In  the  following  year  he  was  reappointed  for  six  months  longer  at  $400  per  annum,  "payable 
when  the  tax  was  collected."  In  July,  1845,  the  courage  of  the  council  gave  out,  as  the  city  was 
too  poor  to  employ  the  teacher  longer.  In  1846,  the  inspectors  reported  to  the  council  that  the 
children  were  very  fond  of  the  music  and  as  the  city  could  not  employ  a  teacher  permission  was  granted 
to  a  teacher  to  give  the  instruction,  the  children  consenting  to  pay  for  the  same. 

January  1,  1848,  Mr.  F.  Lombard  was  appointed  teacher  of  music  at  a  salary  of  $250  for  the 
remainder  of  the  year.  In  1850  an  appropriation  of  $400  was  made  for  instruction  in  music.  Mr. 
Lombard  was  elected  as  teacher  in  the  four  schools.  In  1852  the  salary  was  increased  to  $500.  Mr. 
Lombard  continued  as  teacher  until  December,  1853.  He  was  succeeded  by  several  in  their  turn, 
the  salary  rising  to  $1,000,  until  1860,  when  music  was  discontinued.  Three  years  later  the  Board 
appropriated  $500  for  instruction  with  the  understanding  that  the  balance  of  the  cost  should  be  paid 
by  subscription.  Mr.  Charles  Ansorge  was  appointed  teacher  of  music  in  the  High  School,  the  Board 
contributing  $50  a  year  toward  his  salary.  This  was  the  year  in  which  Mr.  Orlando  Blackman  began 
his  work  in  the  elementary  grades  at  a  salary^  of  $450.  In  1864  his  salary  was  raised  to  $1,400.  In 
1865  Mr.  Edward  Whittemore  devoted  part  of  his  time  to  music  instruction.  These  men  worked 
together  until  June,  1875,  when  Mr.  Whittemore  resigned  and  Mr.  Blackman  assum^ed  charge  of  the 
music  and  so  continued  for  many  years  and  until  the  close  of  his  life. 

DRAWING. 

Drawing  was  not  regularly  a  part  of  the  instruction  of  the  schools  until  1869.  It  did  not  approve 
itself  to  the  Board,  and  was  discontinued  after  |;he  first  year.  The  following  fall  the  authorities 
reinstated  it,  but  in  times  of  financial  stress  it  was  interrupted ;  but  the  interruptions  were  usually 
brief  and  it  has  held  its  place  quite  continuously.  It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  a  matter  of  so  much 
importance  may  not  be  detailed  far  more  completely. 

GROWTH  AND  EXPENSES  OF  THE  SCHOOLS. 

The  following  table  gives  some  interesting  statistics:  Total 

Year.  Population.  Enrolment.  Teachers.  Salaries.  Expenditures. 

1840 4,479                           317  4  $1,700                     $2,000 

1845     12,088                        1,051  9  2,277                       4,413 

1850     29,963                        1,919  21                 6,037 


Inrolment. 

Te 

:achers 

6,820 

42 

14,199 

123 

39,000 

537 

60,000 

900 

135,500 

2,711 

,255,861 

5,806 

334,564 

6,258 

SALARIES 

Total. 

Salaries. 

Expenditures. 

16,626 

16,546 

50,000 

70,000 

414,655 

527,741 

583,000 

662,000 

1,468,000 

3,696,000 

4,813,000 

6,300,000 

7,115,000 

9,180,000 

492  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

Year.  Population. 

1855  80,000 

1860  109,200 

1870  300,000 

1880  491,500 

1890  1,208,600 

1900  2,000,000 

1910  


The  salaries  of  the  early  teachers  were  very  low.  As  late  as  1860  teachers  in  the  grades  received 
from  $250  to  $375.  Head  assistants  were  paid  from  $400  to  $450.  Principals  of  primary  schools 
received  from  $450  to  $500.  Principals  of  buildings  were  paid  $1,000.  As  we  have  seen,  the  super- 
intendent's salary  at  first  was  $1,500. 

The  advance  in  salaries  was  slow  but  persistent.  In  1872  the  Superintendent  received  $4,000; 
the  Assistant  Superintendent,  $2,400;  Teachers  of  Vocal  Music,  $2,200;  Principal  of  High  School, 
$2,500;  Male  Assistants,  after  second  year,  $2,200;  Female  Assistants,  $1,000;  Principal  of  Normal 
School,  $2,500;  Principal  of  School  of  Practice,  $1,200;  Female  Assistant,  $1,000;  District  School 
Principals,  after  the  second  year,  $2,200;  Head  Assistants,  after  the  second  year,  $1,000;  Female 
Assistants,  after  the  second  year,  $700. 

In  1911  the  showing  is  as  follows :  Superintendent,  $10,000;  First  Assistant,  $6,000;  District 
and  Assistant  Superintendents,  $4,000;  Exam.iner,  $3,400;  Director  Child  Study  Department,  $2,800, 
Assistant,  $2,300;  Special  Teachers  of  Art,  $1,800;  of  Music,  same;  Supervisor  of  Physical  Education, 
$3,500;  of  Manual  Training,  same;  of  Household  Arts,  $3,000;  of  the  Bhnd,  $2,000. 

Principal  of  the  Normal  School,  $5,000;  Heads  of  Departments,  from  $2,400  to  $2,700;  Instruc- 
tors, from  $1,500  to  $2,300.     The  teachers  in  the  grades  received  from  $650  to  $1,200    • 

Those  desiring  to  make  detailed  studies  in  city  salaries  will  find  the  annual  reports  full  of  admirable 
material. 

SUNDRY  HAPPENINGS. 

Interesting  events  worthy  of  narration  are  constantly  occurring.  So  brief  a  sketch  can  do  little 
with  them  nor  can  it  do  justice  to  individual  workers. 

In  the  reports  of  the  early  seventies  may  be  found  the  judgments  of  special  committees  that  were 
appointed  to  pass  judgment  on  the  work  of  the  teachers  in  the  high  schools,  as  manifested  by  the 
examinations  of  the  pupils.  A  candor  in  judgment  is  often  manifest  and  one  wonders  if  accuracy 
were  another  quality. 

In  1872-3  the  half-day  scheme  was  tried.  It  was  necessitated  by  lack  of  school  buildings.  It 
was  highly  approved  for  a  time,  but  it  had  its  day;  perhaps  it  would  be  better  to  say,  its  half-day. 
At  the  same  time  the  corporal  punishment  question  came  up  and  the  infliction  of  physical  pain  was 
regarded  as  a  relic  of  barbarism.     By  a  vote  of  the  teachers  it  was  banished  from  the  schools. 

A  highly  condensed  history  of  the  schools  may  be  found  on  page  30  of  the  Report  for  IST^. 

Special  Funds,  to  the  number  of  fourteen,  have  been  established  by  philanthropic  citizens,  begin- 
ning with  the  Moseley  Fund,  in  1856;  the  Foster  Medal  Fund,  in  1857;  the  Jones  Fund,  in  1858;  the 
Newberry  Fund,  in  1862;  the  Carpenter,  Holden  and  Burr  Funds,  in  1868.  The  others  are  later 
benefactions. 

For  many  years  the  city  spent  large  sum.s  of  money  for  the  teaching  of  German  in  the  elementary 
schools.  The  matter  was  often  discussed,  but  the  German  element  was  strong  in  the  city  and  the 
fondness  for  the  mother  tongue  kept  the  subject  on  the  programs  until  within  a  few  years  ago. 

Vertical  writing  came  in  about  1893-4  and  remained  for  several  years  and  then  departed,  fol- 
lowed by  the  maledictions  of  some  who  were  anxious  for  its  adoption. 

In  1894-5  the  question  of  Teachers'  Pensions  began  to  be  discussed.  It  had  no  rest  until  the 
present  system  was  finally  organized  and  put  into  operation. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  493 

The  two  reports  that  appeared  while  Dr.  Andrews  was  superintendent  contain  matters  of  the 
greatest  importance.  The  first  contains  the  elaborate  report  of  Dr.  W.  S.  Christopher,  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Education. 

The  subject  of  the  report  was  Child  Study  and  Scientific  Pedagogy.  Dr.  Christopher  was  assisted 
by  Victor  Campbell,  a  principal  in  one  of  the  evening  schools,  and  by  Mr.  Fred  Smedley,  a  teacher 
of  Child  Study  in  the  University  of  Chicago.  The  reader  miust  be  referred  to  the  annual  report  for 
1899  for  details.  There  are  twenty-nine  tables  covering  results  of  examinations  on  seven  points  in 
several  of  the  city  schools. 

In  consequence  of  the  excellence  of  this  work  the  department  of  Child  Study  was  established 
and  Mr.  Smedley  was  placed  in  charge.  To  the  great  regret  of  all  who  were  conversant  with  his 
work  he  was  not  permitted  to  continue  it.  A  long  illness  resulted  in  his  death.  He  was  succeeded 
in  1902  by  Daniel  P.  MacMillan. 

The  second  report  in  this  administration  contains  more  of  Mr.  Smedley's  work.  It  covers  eighty 
pages  and  is  'of  the  greatest  value  to  students  of  education. 

In  December,  1897,  Mayor  Harrison  appointed  an  Educational  Commission  composed  of  men 
of  education  and  superior  intelligence.  Its  chairman  was  the  distinguished  President  W.  R.  Harper, 
then  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education.  It  held  meetings  in  various  parts  of  the  country  and 
invited  specialists  in  school  matters  to  its  councils. 

The  work  of  this  body  attracted  the  attention  of  the  school  men  and  received  their  warmest 
praise.  A  bill  embodying  the  results  of  their  deliberations  was  presented  to  the  General  Assembly, 
but  it  shared  the  fate  of  a  large  part  of  the  efforts  that  have  been  made  to  improve  the  School  Law 
of  Illinois. 

The  administration  of  Mr.  Cooley  is  memorable  in  the  annals  of  Chicago  for  several  features  of 
especial  importance.  Most  notable  is  the  abolition  of  the  system  of  political  "pulls"  that  had  cursed 
the  city  for  many  years.  For  the  purpose  of  basing  promotion  on  merit  a  scheme  of  promotional 
examinations  was  devised,  involving  a  systematic  course  of  study.  It  failed  to  meet  the  approval 
of  the  teaching  body,  however,  and  was  abandoned. 

The  present  days  of  the  city  system  are  its  happiest  days.  For  the  first  time  in  many  years 
peace  reigns  within  the  educational  borders  of  the  metropolis.  The  fear,  entertained  by  some,  that 
the  men  teachers  would  not  be  loyal  to  the  woman  placed  in  authority  over  them  proved  to  be  ground- 
less. She  has  the  profound  satisfaction  of  realizing  that  this  condition  is  not  alone  due  to  a  chivalric 
sentiment,  but  more  to  the  recognition  of  the  singular  ability  with  which  she  is  meeting  the  demands 
of  her  arduous  task. 


494  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


GHAPTTR   XXI. 
THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  A  FEW  TYPICAL  SCHOOLS 

BLOOMINGTON. 

BLOOMINGTON  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  smaller  cities.  It  had  its  begin- 
nings at  about  the  same  time  as  Chicago.  Previous  to  the  passage  of  the  law 
of  1855  it  had  no  public  schools.  There  were  private  schools  and  they  con- 
tinued for  some  years  after  that  time,  for  the  public  schools  were  inferior  in  quality. 

In  1857  the  legislature  granted  the  city  a  special  charter  providing  for  the  organ- 
ization and  control  of  the  schools.  The  bill  was  prepared  by  Hon.  Owen  T.  Reeves, 
who  was  long  a  practicing  attorney  in  the  city,  after  a  most  honorable  record  of  several 
years  on  the  Circuit  bench.  The  law  provided  for  a  board  of  seven  members  having 
the  entire  control  of  all  matters  of  public  education.  The  first  board  was  elected 
the  first  Monday  in  April,  1857,  and  succeeded  five  boards  of,  directors  in  control 
of  the  five  school  districts  in  the  town. 

As  soon  as  the  board  had  organized,  a  resolution  was  adopted  calling  for  the 
erection  of  four  school  buildings,  as  soon  as  the  finances  would  permit.  An  estimate 
calling  for  a  five-mill  tax  was  sent  to  the  city  council.  The  city  council  declined  to 
make  the  levy  on  the  ground  that  the  tax  was  excessive.  The  Board  of  Education 
immediately  called  to  its  assistance  a  Springfield  attorney,  Abraham  Lincoln  by 
name,  who  soon  convinced  the  city  council  of  its  error.  The  levy  was  made  and 
the  first  building  was  erected  the  following  year. 

The  members  of  this  first  board  were  C.  B.  Merriam,  O.  T.  Reeves,  R.  O'  Massiner, 
E.  R.  Roe,  Eliel  Barber,  Samuel  Gallagher  and  Henry  Richardson.  Although  all 
of  these  men  have  passed  away,  their  names,  with  the  possible  exception  of  two,  are 
household  words  in  the  city. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  the  successive  superintendents  with  their  terms: 
D.  Wilkins,  1857-9;  Gilbert  Thayer,  1859-60;  Ira  Bloomfield,  1860-1;  C.  B.  Merri- 
man,  1862-3;  J.  H.  Burnham,  1863-4;  John  Monroe,  1864-5;  John  F.  Gowdy,  1865-7; 
A.  H.  Thompson,  1867-8;  S.  M.  Etter,  1869-73;  S.  D.  Gaylord,  1873-4;  Sarah  E. 
Raymond,  1874-92;  E.  M.  Van  Petten,  1892-1901;  J.  K.  Stableton,  1901. 

Several  of  these  names  have  been  encountered  in  this  history.  Daniel  Wilkins 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association  and  was  the  first  county 
superintendent  of  McLean  county.  Ira  Bloomfield  was  a  brigadier-general  in  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion.  J.  H.  Burnham  was  one  of  the  early  graduates  of  the  Normal 
University  and  was  a  gallant  officer  in  the  war  and  is  a  highly  respected  and  very 
influential  citizen  of  Bloomington.  A.  H.  Thompson  was  a  brother-in-law  of  Major 
Powell,  was  with  him  in  his  explorations  and  was  his  most  valuable  assistant  in  his 
subsequent  work  in  Washington.     S.   M.  Etter  was  for  four  years  Superintendent 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  495 

of  Public  Instruction.  Sarah  E.  Raymond,  now  Mrs.  Fitzwilliam,  was  connected 
with  the  schools  of  Bloomington  for  twenty-four  years.  She  taught  in  all  of  the 
grades,  was  a  grammar-school  principal  and  was  elevated  to  the  superintendency 
after  a  service  in  these  various  capacities  for  six  years.  She  held  the  highest  position 
for  eighteen  years.  At  the  beginning  of  her  administration  there  were  fifty-seven 
teachers,  all  women;  at  the  close  there  were  seventy-eight,  three  of  whom  were  men. 
Under  her  management  the  course  of  study  was  greatly  improved  from  year  to  year; 
new  buildings  w^ere  erected  to  take  the  peaces  of  the  old  ones  and  to  accommodate 
the  increased  population ;  she  did  a  great  work  and  is  still  living  and  retains  a  warm 
interest  in  the  Bloomington  schools. 

Mr.  Van  Petten  was  superintendent  for  nine  years.  He  brought  into  the  schools 
those  improved  conditions  that  were  attracting  the  attention  of  the  school  men  of 
the  country.  The  two  features  that  were  his  especial  contribution  were  the  semi- 
annual promotions  and  the  system  of  special  supervisors  instead  of  supervising  prin- 
cipals. 

In  1901  J.  K.  Stableton  came  from  Charleston,  Illinois,  to  the  superintendency 
of  the  schools.  A  few  men  who  were  deeply  interested  in  the  success  of  the  system 
knew  of  the  phenomenal  work  that  Mr.  Stableton  had  done.  His  intense  enthu- 
siasm, his  absorbing  interest  in  childhood,  his  remarkable  success  in  getting  the  chil- 
dren into  the  schools  and  keeping  them  there,  the  corps  spirit  that  he  had  aroused 
among  his  teachers  and  the  response  of  the  public  to  his  efforts  had  determined 
them  to  do  what  they  could  to  bring  him  to  Bloomington. 

Bloomington  is  peculiarly  fortunate  in  the  character  of  her  school  board.  One 
man,  a  lawyer,  Horatio-  G.  Bent,  long  the  president  of  the  board,  has  given  his  efforts 
with  a  single-mindedness  rarely  equaled  and  never  surpassed.  Mr.  Bent  must  have 
been  looking  about  for  an  opportunity  to  do  his  city  a  noble  service  and  must  have 
decided  that  the  schools  presented  the  best  field.  No  labor  has  been  too  great  too 
daunt  him.  His  name  should  be  written  large  in  the  educational  annals  of  the 
State  as  that  of  a  model  board  member.  He  and  the  other  members  of  the  board, 
and  several  of  them  have  been  and  are  kindred  spirits,  have  cordially  seconded  the 
efforts  of  Mr.  Stableton  to  produce  a  highly  successful  system  of  schools. 

In  the  last  six  years  especially  there  has  been  a  gradual  evolution  of  the  course 
of  study.  The  beginnings  made  in  Manual  Training,  in  Domestic  Science  and 
Domestic  Art,  have  developed  and  to-day  these  subjects  are  as  well  cared  for  as  any 
part  of  the  school  work.  The  department  of  Art  or  Drawing  has  been  brought  into 
such  close  touch  with  the  department  of  Manual  Training  that  the  two  together 
may  as  well  be  called  Manual  Arts.  The  high  school  is  equipped  with  suitable  labor- 
atories for  the  work  in  Domestic  Science  and  Domestic  Art,  and  for  Manual  Training 
and  woodwork.  It  also  has  one  of  the  best-equipped  business  departments  in  the 
State. 

The  work  of  beautifying  the  school  grounds  and  of  supplying  the  playgrounds 
with  various  kinds  of  play  apparatus  has  given  to  the  city  some  of  the  most  beautiful 
school  grounds  to  be  found  anywhere  in  the  State  as  well  as  some  of  the  very  best- 
equipped  playgrounds. 

So  great  is  the  interest  in  furnishing  ample  school  grounds  for  each  school  that 


496  THEEDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

the  Board  of  Education  purchased  additional  properties  adjoining  the  school  grounds 
and  converted  them  into  playgrounds. 

Every  precaution  is  taken  to  preserve  the  health  of  the  children.  The  buildings 
generally  have  fan  ventilation.  At  evfery  intermission  the  windows  of  the  school- 
rooms are  opened  and  the  rooms  are  flooded  with  pure  air.  Once  a  month  each  of 
the  buildings  is  thoroughly  fumigated  with  formaldehyde.  If  a  child  should  be  taken 
sick  with  a  contagious  disease  his  building  would  receive  an  additional  fumigation. 
Pencils,  scissors  and  other  materials  belonging  in  common  to  the  pupils  are  placed 
in  a  fumigating  box  at  the  close  of  each  day  and  subjected  to  a  strong  charge  of 
formaldehyde  fumes.  A  vacuum  cleaner  has  been  placed  in  one  of  the  buildings  as 
an  experiment  and  has  proved  so  satisfactory  that  each  of  the  buildings  will  be  so 
equipped.  Arrangements  are  made  for  a  visiting  nurse  and  for  medical  advice. 
With  the  consent  of  the  parents  the  teeth  of  the  children  in  some  of  the  grades  have 
been  carefully  examined,  and  with  the  assistance  of  the  Associated  Charities  all  needy 
children  are  cared  for  so  that  not  a  single  child  is  out  of  school  for  lack  of  clothing, 
food,  or  home. 

The  next  move  is  the  erection  of  a  high-school  building  commensurate  with  the 
needs  of  the  city,  the  present  building  having  been  outgrown.  In  brief,  the  city 
is  a  community  in  which  the  people  are  proud  of  their  schools  and  are  happy  to 
cooperate  with  the  board,  the  superintendent  and  the  teachers  in  further  developing 
their  efficiency. 

CAIRO. 

At  the  lower  extremity  of  the  State  is  the  capital  of  Egypt,  the  river  city  of 
Cairo.  When  Charles  Dickens  visited  America  he  got  some  of  his  most  vivid  impres- 
sions of  the  new  world  from  the  experiences  that  he  encountered  while  visiting  that 
part  of  the  great  West.  Early  as  was  his  visit  he  could  have  found  the  ubiquitous 
school.  There  is  in  existence  a  history  of  the  city  which  was  published  in  1910  and 
written  by  Hon.  John  Lansden,  a  resident  of  prominence.  This  volume  contains 
a  chapter  on  the  schools  of  the  city. 

It  is  there  stated  that  the  population  of  the  city  ranged  from  less  than  one  hundred 
to  two  thousand  in  the  period  from  1836  to  1842.  The  schools  were  supported  by 
the  contributions  of  the  parents  ot  the  children  in  attendance.  Since  the  year  1853 
the  development  has  been  recorded  in  the  minutes  of  the  proceedings  of  the  school 
boards.     The  following  quotation  is  from  Mr.  Lansden 's  history: 

At  the  commencement  of  the  year  (1853)  there  was  no  schoolhouse,  and  the  first  step  was  to 
apply  to  the  legislature  for  the  privilege  of  using  the  interest  on  the  funds  obtained  by  the  sale  of  the 
school  lands  above  town  for  the  erection  of  a  building.  On  the  10th  of  February  of  that  year  the 
permission  was  granted.  On  the  21st  of  May  the  voters  assembled  and  held  their  meeting.  The 
resolution  authorizing  the  erection  of  a  building  to  cost  not  more  than  $500  was  unanimously  adopted ; 
on  the  31st  of  May  a  building  twenty-five  by  forty-five  feet  and  twelve  feet  high  was  contracted  for, ' 
which  was  to  cost  $570.  On  the  27th  of  August  a  contract  was  made  with  Charles  T.  Lind  to  teach 
the  school  for  one  year  for  $625,  payable  quarterly,  he  to  furnish  the  fuel  and  to  insure  the  house  for 
one  year. 

The  original  building  still  stands  where  it  was  erected  and  has  been  almost  continuously  in  ser- 
vice until  recently. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  497 

The  first  superintendent  of  schools  was  E.  A.  Angel,  who  had  charge  of  the  schools  but  one  year 
—  1865-6.  In  1866  E.  P.  Burlingham  was  elected  as  his  successor.  Mr.  Burlingham  had  been  serv- 
ing as  principal  of  the  grammar-school  department  of  the  Normal  training  school  for  one  year  and 
was  called  to  Cairo  at  a  large  advance  in  salary.  Mr.  Burlingham  was  a  brilliant  teacher  and  put 
the  Cairo  schools  upon  a  substantial  footing.  He  served  until  1869  and  left  teaching  to  engage  in 
business. 

The  superintendents  from  1869  to  the  present  time  are  as  follows:  1869-70,  Joel  G.  Morgan; 
1870-1,  H.  S.  English;  1871-2,  W.  H.  Raymond,  1872-81;  George  G.  Alvord;  1881-2,  M.  Bigley; 
1882-3,  E.  S.  Clark;  1883-6,  B.  F.  Armitage;  1886  to  the  present,  Taylor  C.  Clendenen.  Mr.  Clen- 
denen  is  therefore  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  superintendents  in  continuous  service  in  any  one  Illinois 
city.  He  has  been  permitted  to  direct  affairs  quite  in  his  own  way  and  the  schools,  in  consequence, 
have  steadily  improved  in  character. 

AURORA,   EAST  SIDE. 

Schools  supported  by  private  subscription  were  taught  by  various  teachers  in  Aurora,  beginning 
in  1834  on  the  East  Side  and  in  1836  on  the  West  Side.  During  the  same  period  there  were  occa- 
sionally supported  "select"  schools  for  secondary  instruction. 

In  1851,  the  East  Side  district  was  organized  by  a  special  act  of  the  legislature.  In  the  same 
year  a  two-story  frame  building  was  erected  and  a  free  school  established  with  Mr.  Merwin  Tabor 
as  the  principal.  This  was  four  years  before  the  free  school  law  was  passed.  Three  years  later  this 
school  was  enlarged  and  three  more  were  built'.     Principal  Tabor  was  succeeded  by  F.  H.  Van  Liew. 

The  first  graded  schools  were  organized  on  the  East  Side,  in  1855,  under  the  principalship  of 
P.  C.  Heywood.  He  was  succeeded  by  W.  F.  Nichols,  who  had  charge  of  the  schools  for  six  months. 
In  1864,  W.  A.  Jones  was  elected  superintendent  of  the  schools.  It  was  a  red-letter  day  for  Aurora. 
He  was  a  man  of  remarkable  ability.  He  introduced  into  the  schools  the  newly  imported  methods 
of  the  Oswego,  New  York,  Normal  School,  which  had  introduced  to  this  country  the  ideas  that  had 
been  worked  out  by  Pestalozzi  in  his  epoch-making  reforms  in  Switzerland.  It  was  at  this  time  that 
the  Center  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $70,000.  The  first  class  completed  the  high-school  course 
in  1868. 

In  1869  the  Brady  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $35,000.  Its  first  principal  was  J.  H.  Free- 
man. Mr.  Jones  was  called  at  this  time  to  the  presidency  of  the  Indiana  State  Normal  School,  at 
Terre  Haute.  He  won  marked  distinction  in  the  management  of  that  celebrated  institution.  From 
that  time  to  the  present  it  has  followed  substantially  the  lines  of  development  laid  down  by  him. 

Mr.  Jones  was  followed  by  William  B.  Powell,  of  Peru.  He  was  another  of  the  great  school- 
masters of  Illinois.  His  work  at  Peru  had  attracted  the  attention  of  the  school  people.  In  his  schools 
there  many  of  the  notable  reforms  of  the  later  period  were  antedated.  Mr.  Powell  remained  in 
charge  of  the  Aurora  schools  for  sixteen  years.  In  1872  he  established  a  city  training  school  for  the 
preparation  of  teachers  for  the  grade  work  of  the  city.  This  was  one  of  the  early  institutions  of  its 
kind. 

In  1871  Thomas  H.  Clark  became  the  principal  of  the  high  school.  He  was  a  most  interesting 
and  skilful  teacher  and  gave  to  his  school  notable  repute.  He  and  Mr.  Powell  united  their  energies 
to  make  Aurora  famous  as  an  educational  center.  Mr.  Clark  died  in  1883.  In  1885  Mr.  Powell 
was  called  to  the  superin tendency  of  the  schools  of  Washington  City,  where  he  remained  for  many 
years.  His  death  occurred  in  1903.  Rev.  N.  A.  Prentiss  was  promoted  from  the  head  of  the  high 
school  to  the  head  of  the  schools  as  a  successor  to  Mr.  Powell. 

Mr.  Prentiss  was  succeeded  in  1889  by  Joseph  H.  Freeman,  who  was  called  from  the  position 
of  Assistant  State  Superintendent  to  the  headship  of  the  schools.  Under  his  administration  there  were 
marked  changes  in  management.  Supplementary  reading  for  the  children  effected  a  reform  in  the 
teaching  of  that  subject.  The  natural  science  work  was  greatly  extended  and  a  special  teacher  of 
music  was  employed.  There  was  as  great  a  change  in  the  methods  of  discipline,  the  modern  ideas 
having  taken  the  place  of  the  harsher  methods  of  the  earlier  period.  The  school  and  the  home  were 
brought  into  a  closer  and  more  sympathetic  relation. 
32 


498  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  training  department  was  discontinued  in  1892,  and  Miss  Emma  J.  Todd,  who  had  been  with 
the  schools  for  twenty-three  years  as  teacher,  supervisor  and  teacher  in  the  training  department, 
withdrew  from  the  schools  to  devote  her  energies  to  literary  work. 

In  1893  a  new  high-school  building  was  erected  and  E.  G.  Cooley  was  the  first  principal  to  con- 
duct its  affairs.  In  1896  Mr.  Freeman  resigned  to  become  for  a  second  time  Assistant  State  Super- 
intendent of  Public  Instruction.  He  was  succeeded  by  C.  M.  Bard  well,  superintendent  of  the  Canton 
schools.  Mr.  Bardwell  has  been  called  to  other  cities  of  greater  population  but  East  Side  Aurora 
has  always  checkmated  the  efforts  to  get  him  away  by  promptly  meeting  all  financial  inducements 
that  others  offered. 

Mr.  Freeman  has  long  been  a  worker  in  the  schools  of  Illinois.  He  is  now  living  in  delightful 
retirement  in  Aurora.  He  was  born  in  Poland,  Maine,  May  13,  1841.  In  1860  he  entered  the  Maine 
State  Seminary,  in  Lewiston.  In  1862  he  enlisted  for  nine  months  in  the  23d  Maine  Volunteer 
Infantry  and  was  elected  2d  lieutenant,  his  regiment  being  assigned  to  picket  duty  and  engaged  in 
the  defense  of  Washington.  On  leaving  the  army  at  the  end  of  his  term  of  enlistment  he  reentered 
the  seminary,  which  had  been  merged  into  Bates  College.  In  the  winter  of  1864-5  he  reenlisted  and 
became  captain  of  Company  H,  14th  Maine  Volunteer  Infantry,  which  he  commanded  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  returned  to  college  and  received  the  degree  of  M.  A.  in  1866.  He  had  taught 
from  time  to  time  meanwhile,  and  in  1866  went  to  Leland,  Illinois,  as  principal  of  schools.  He 
remained  there  until  called  to  the  Brady  school  as  noted  above.  In  1870  he  was  called  to  the  super- 
intendency  of  the  Polo  schools,  where  he  remained  until  1874.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  was  elected 
principal  of  the  Denver  High  School,  but  on  account  of  ill  health  in  the  high  altitude  he  remained  but 
a  single  year,  going  to  his  old  home  in  Maine  for  recovery.  While  there  he  taught  for  a  time  in  a 
private  school  but  was  recalled  to  Polo  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  resume  work.  He  filled  out  a 
part  of  a  year  at  Streator  Township  High  School  but  was  back  at  Polo  from  1876  to  1879.  While 
there  he  was  made  mayor  of  the  city,  and  thus  looked  after  the  grown-up  folk  as  well  as  the  children. 

In  1879  he  served  as  president  of  the  Illinois  School  Principals'  Society  and  the  same  year  was 
called  to  the  West  Side  schools  of  Aurora.  He  remained  there  until  called  to  assist  Superintendent 
Edwards  in  the  State  office,  as  has  been  stated  on  a  previous  page.  In  1889  he  went  back  to  East 
Aurora,  where  he  remained  until  called  by  State  Superintendent  Inglis  to  aid  him  in  the  administra- 
tion of  the  State  office.  We  have  seen  his  appointment  to  the  office  of  State  Superintendent  after 
the  death  of  Mr.  Inglis.  He  served  as  assistant  to  Mr.  Bayliss  until  July  1,  1902,  resigning  to  succeed 
Frank  Hall  as  Superintendent  of  the  School  for  the  Blind.  In  1907  he  asked  for  release  and  retired 
from  a  long  and  most  honorable  service  as  a  teacher  and  administrative  officer. 

He  was  president  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association  in  1893  and  served  twice  as  president  of  the 
Illinois  Schoolmasters'  Club.  In  1907  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Aurora  Public  Library,  and  in  1909  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Library  Extension  Com- 
mission, both  of  which  positions  he  still  holds. 

Captain  Freeman  is  a  member  o^  the  First  Congregational  Church,  in  which  he  serves  as  deacon, 
and  since  his  return  to  Aurora  has  been  superintendent  of  its  Sabbath-school  until  the  present  year. 
For  the  past  thirty-two  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  Aurora  Post,  No.  20,  G.  A.  R.,  having  served 
as  Commander  four  terms.  He  was  formerly  Master  of  Mystic  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  Polo,  and 
has  been  a  member  of  Aurora  Commandery,  No.  22,  K.  T.,  for  the  past  thirty-two  years,  having  served 
two  terms  as  Commander. 

Captain  Freeman  was  married,  August  25,  1867,  to  Mary  A.  Stone,  Unity,  Maine.  To  them 
six  children  have  been  bom,  of  whom  four  are  living.  Grace  is  at  the  head  of  the  history  department 
of  the  West  Side  School  in  Aurora  and  three  sons  are  in  business. 

AURORA,  WEST  SIDE. 

This  district  was  organized  in  1862.  A  two-story  stone  building  was  erected  the  same  year, 
a  school  beginning  in  it  the  following  January,  temporarily  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Theo.  N.  Mor- 
rison, who  substituted  for  a  few  weeks  during  the  illness  of  Principal  John  J.  Jewett.     In  the  next 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  499 

eight  years  there  were  four  principals,  as  follows:     Messrs.  Parrish,  Hunt,  Waterman,  Parrington. 
Mr.  Parrington  resigned  to  enter  the  army  and  was  followed  by  W.  W.  Wilkie. 

Mr.  Wilkie  regraded  the  schools,  making  eight  grades  below  the  high  school,  and  brought  the 
system  to  a  high  grade  of  efficiency.  In  1868  Frank  H.  Hall  began  his  term  of  management,  as  has 
been  mentioned  elsewhere.  When  he  went  to  Sugar  Grove  in  1875,  L.  M.  Hastings  succeeded  him. 
We  have  seen  how  Mr.  Freeman  came  to  the  schools  in  1879  and  remained  until  1886.  Drawing 
was  introduced  and  the  way  prepared  for  related  branches  of  industrial  training..  An  industrial 
exhibit  that  was  given  in  1886  gave  a  marked  impulse  to  work  of  this  character  in  the  schools. 

When  Mr.  Freeman  went  to  Springfield,  in  1886,  Charles  Riley  succeeded  him.  Two  years  later 
Frank  Hall  came  back  to  the  schools  and  remained  until  1890,  when  he  went  to  the  School  for  the 
Blind.     He  was  followed  in  turn  by  Mr.  A.  V.  Greenman. 

Aurora  has  been  peculiarly  blessed  in  her  superintendents.  Mr.  Greenman  maintained  the 
traditions.  He  was  a  progressive,  earnest  educator,  who  gave  much  attention  to  the  subject  of  child 
study.  He  was  an  inspiration  to  his  teachers,  to  his  community  and  to  every  organization  with 
which  he  was  connected.  He  endeavored  to  ground  all  teaching  in  the  nature  of  the  child.  He 
introduced  the  study  of  nature  into  the  elementary  grades  of  his  schools.  He  was  alike  interested 
in  the  youngest  and  the  oldest.  He  knew  no  higher  and  no  lower  in  the  various  grades;  all  were 
equally  significant  in  the  unfolding  life  of  the  child. 

Superintendent  Greenman  died  on  the  6th  of  October,  1909,  having  served  his  school  district 
a  little  more  than  nineteen  years.  In  his  death  the  school  lost  an  ideal  superintendent,  and  the  city 
and  State  a  pure-minded  and  progressive  citizen.  The  purity  of  his  life,  the  exalted  quality  of  his 
ideals,  his  genial,  sunny  nature,  his  ringing  laugh,  his  clear  conception  of  the  function  of  the  school  — • 
all  of  these  united  to  form  a  character  at  once  so  engaging  as  to  give  him  a  rare  and  delightful  promi- 
nence among  the  teachers  of  the  State.  His  untimely  passing  was  most  sincerely  deplored  by  all 
who  had  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  an  acquaintance  with  him. 

In  January,  1910,  Mr.  C.  E.  Douglass  entered  upon  the  duties  of  superintendent.  He  has  met 
the  high  expectations  and  demands  of  the  people  of  his  district. 

Year  by  year  the  courses  of  instruction  on  both  sides  of  the  river  have  been  enriched  by  new 
studies  so  correlated  with  the  old  as  to  meet  the  modem  demands.  Each  district  employs  special 
teachers  in  drawing,  music,  manual  training  and  domestic  science,  exceptionally  good  work  being 
done  in  all  of  these  subjects.  Recently  a  visiting  nurse  has  been  employed  on  the  East  Side,  from 
whose  work  laudable  results  have  been  secured.  The  high  schools  rank  among  the  best  in  the  State. 
A  new  building,  costing  about  $250,000,  is  now  approaching  completion  on  the  East  Side.  Intimate 
relations  subsist  between  the  schools  and  the  public  library. 

*GALESBURG. 

The  Board  of  Education  of  Galesburg  has  done  a  thing  for  which  all  students  of  the  evolution  of 
a  system  of  schools  are  grateful.  This  is  nothing  less  than  the  publication  of  the  history  of  the  schools 
under  their  charge.  The  author  of  this  interesting  volume  is  Dr.  W.  L.  Steele,  for  the  last  twenty- 
seven  years  superintendent  of  the  city  schools.  The  following  brief  article  derives  its  information 
from  the  pages  of  this  book. 

It  is  probable  that  the  first  district  was  organized  in  1840,  when  the  village  of  Galesburg  num- 
bered 272  souls.  As  the  population  increased,  this  district  was  subdivided  from  time  to  time  until 
there  were  eight  districts,  each  having  its  board  of  directors  and  a  little  schoolhouse  of  one  depart- 
ment. In  1858  they  were  united  into  a  single  district,  comprising  the  territory  within  the  present 
limits  of  Galesburg  and  known  as  the  Union  Graded  School  District  No.  1.  At  this  time  the  city  had 
acquired  a  population  of  nearly  5,000. 

The  first  building  was  erected  in  1840.  Mr.  Eli  Farnham  was  the  first  teacher  to  occupy  it,  as 
he  taught  there  the  winter  of  1840-1.  The  school  was  in  session  from  four  to  six  months  each  year. 
Professor  George  Churchill  was  a  student  there  the  first  year  and  taught  there  in  the  winter  of  1848-9, 

♦Galesburg  Public  Schools:  Their  History  and  Work.     1861-1911.     By  William  Lucas  Steele. 


500  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

when  a  sophomore  in  college.  He  received  a  dollar  a  day  and  got  his  meals  by  the  "boarding  around" 
project,  sleeping  at  home.  One  of  his  pupils  that  winter  was  Mary  Allen  West.  The  school  buildings 
of  this  period  were  of  very  inferior  quality,  a  local  paper  declaring  in  1856  that  "our  present  school 
pens  should  be  sold  for  coal  houses."  It  should  be  remembered  that  free  schools  were  not  popular 
in  those  early  times. 

The  schools  depended  for  their  support  upon  the  interest  of  the  fund  secured  by  the  sale  of  the 
school  section.  As  this  fund  amounted  to  about  $5,500  and  as  the  interest  rate  was  ten  per  cent  it 
is  obvious  that  the  income  was  about  $550.  The  indifference  of  the  people  with  regard  to  public 
schools  is  not  to  be  taken  as  an  indication  of  their  interest  in  education,  however.  Here  and  there 
were  earnest  advocates  of  a  development  of  an  excellent  public  system,  but  the  interest  seems  to  have 
centered  in  the  institutions  for  higher  education  in  their  midst  and  reliance  was  placed  in  the  academies 
maintained  by  these  institutions  for  the  education  of  the  children.  In  addition  to  these  schools  there 
were  several  select  schools  with  large  patronage.  These  were  hostile  to  the  public-school  idea  as  the 
growth  of  the  latter  meant  their  decay.  Some  of  them  were  taken  over  for  public  purposes  when  the 
time  caijie  for  the  organization  under  the  law  of  1855.  There  were,  then,  the  colleges,  the  private 
schools,  the  unwillingness  of  the  rich  to  be  taxed  and  the  jealousy  of  the  several  districts  cooperating 
against  the  free- school  idea. 

Dr.  Steele  gives  to  Professor  Churchill  the  credit  of  uniting  these  discordant  elem.ents  into  a  har- 
monious movement  for  free  schools  and  therefore  declares  him  to  be  the  father  of  the  system.  He 
says  of  him : 

"He  was  endowed  by  nature  and  qualified  by  training  for  the  part  he  took  in  this  great  work. 
At  ten  years  of  age  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Galesburg  in  1839  —  three  years  after  the  first  settlers. 
He  attended  the  first  public  school  taught  in  Galesburg,  in  1840-1.  He  taught  the  same  school  in 
the  winter  of  1848-9,  while  a  sophomore  in  college.  After  graduating  from  Knox  College,  he  taught 
a  year  in  Farmington.  He  then  spent  a  3^ear  in  Europe,  devoting  much  of  his  time  to  the  public 
schools  of  Germany  —  especially  to  the  Frederick  William  Gymnasium,  a  graded  school  of  four  thou- 
sand students  from  seven  to  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  said  it  was  here  that  he  first  imbibed  his 
enthusiasm  for  graded  public  schools.  Full  of  this  spirit  he  returned  to  Galesburg  and  took  charge 
of  Knox  Academy  in  1855  —  the  very  year  the  free-school  law  was  passed.  In  the  winter  of  this  year 
he  attended  the  State  Teachers'  Association  at  Bloomington.  He  met  Dr.  Bateman  there  and  came 
home  with  fresh  enthusiasm,  and  began  writing  articles  for  the  Galesburg  Free  Democrat,  to  show  the 
advantages  of  graded  schools  and  a  consolidated  district. 

"In  1856  he  read  a  paper  on  German  schools  at  the  State  Teachers'  Association,  in  Chicago. 
Henry  Barnard,  who  was  present  and  heard  this  paper,  at  once  became  interested  in  the  young  man 
from  Galesburg;  and  there  was  no  other  man  in  this  country,  engaged  in  public-school  work,  whose 
friendship  could  be  so  valuable  to  one  in  Professor  Churchill's  position,  wrestling  with  the  problem 
of  organizing  and  grading  a  system  of  schools." 

The  editor  regrets  the  necessity  of  abbreviating  this  interesting  record.  It  must  suffice  to  say 
that  Professor  Churchill  arranged  with  Mr.  Barnard  for  the  loan  of  one  of  his  Connecticut  lieutenants 
for  a  six  weeks'  campaign  —  Mr.  W.  S.  Baker,  who  was  to  receive  $100  and  his  board  for  his  labors. 
Mr.  Baker  visited  the  schools,  talked  to  the  teachers  and  the  children,  called  public  meetings  which 
he  addressed,  made  a  house  to  house  visitation  and  talked  to  the  people,  and  thus  aroused  a  favorable 
public  sentiment.  Professor  Churchill  boarded  him  and  paid  half  of  his  salary.  Mr.  Baker's  visit 
was  followed  by  another  from  Horace  Mann,  the  greatest  educator  America  has  produced.  He  gave 
two  lectures  and  the  cause  was  won. 

The  effect  of  Mr.  Mann's  visit  was  felt  for  many  years.  The  plan  that  he  pressed  upon  the  Board 
and  the  people  was  carefully  followed  in  quite  minute  details.  An  incident  of  his  visit  was  a  call 
with  Professor  Churchill  upon  Mr.  Silas  Willard,  by  request  of  the  latter.  Mr.  Willard  was  smitten 
with  a  fatal  disease  and  was  near  his  death,  but  he  especially  requested  an  interview  with  the  great 
educator.  At  the  close  of  the  conference  Mr.  Willard  promised  to  provide  in  his  will  for  a  gift  of 
$30,000  for  the  erection  of  a  union  graded-school  building.  Mr.  Willard  was  faithful  to  his  promise,. 
but  for  some  reason  the  conditions  were  not  fulfilled. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  501 

Although  the  date  must  be  determined  inferentially,  it  is  quite  beyond  doubt  that  the  eight 
districts  were  consolidated  in  May  or  June,  1858.  It  was  determined  that  a  special  charter  should 
be  secured  from  the  legislature  for  the  organization  and  management  of  an  excellent  system.  A  bill 
was  introduced,  but  it  encountered  unexpected  opposition  from  certain  sources  and  did  not  become 
effective  until  June,  1861. 

The  consolidated  district  —  No.  1  —  elected  a  board  of  three  directors  in  September,  1859;  they 
were  George  Churchill,  A.  B.  Campbell  and  J.  H.  Knapp.  This  board  at  once  organized  a  system 
of  graded  schools  consisting  of  four  departments:  primary,  secondary,  grammar  and  high.  There 
had  been  eight  ungraded  schools  in  the  eight  districts,  each  with  one  teacher.  In  these  eight  build- 
ings the  primary  and  secondary  schools  were  placed  with  eight  teachers  in  charge.  The  schools  were 
opened  on  September  19,  1859.  The  grammar  and  high  schools  were  opened  nine  days  later  in  rented 
rooms.  There  was  an  enrolment  of  859  children  in  the  course  of  the  year  and  60  of  them  were  in 
the  high  school.  Galesburg,  therefore,  had  one  of  the  earliest  of  the  high  schools.  Mrs.  Tryon,  the 
proprietor  of  a  private  school,  seems  to  have  been  taken  with  her  pupils  into  the  high  school.  She 
had  immediate  charge  of  the  A  grade.  Miss  Nettie  Smith  had  charge  of  the  B  grade,  and  Mrs.  Ken- 
dall of  the  C  grade. 

The  charter  was  adopted  on  June  30,  1860,  but  because  of  a  provision  respecting  the  election 
of  the  board  it  did  not  go  into  effect  until  June,  1861.  The  union  graded  schools  were  continued  for 
another  year,  Mr.  R.  B.  Guild  acting  as  superintendent  and  seventeen  lady  assistants  filling  the 
other  positions.  It  was  still  necessary  to  clinch  the  "free"  feature  of  the  charter,  but  that  was  finally 
done  on  July  9,  1861. 

The  Board  of  Education  authorized  by  the  charter  was  elected  on  the  3d  of  June,  1861,  and 
organized  for  business  on  the  11th  of  the  same  month.  It  consisted  of  six  members,  the  mayor  being 
president.  The  members  were  Chauncy  S.  Colton,  first  ward;  Edwin  Post,  second  ward;  David  San- 
bom,  third  ward ;  George  H.  Ward,  fourth  ward ;  Clement  Leach,  Jr.,  fifth  ward ;  R.  P.  Sage,  sixth  ward. 

Mr.  Guild  was  continued  as  superintendent  of  the  schools  at  a  salary  of  $700  for  the  year.  The 
women  in  the  high  school  received  $6  a  week  and  the  others  $5. 

Beginning  with  June  30,  1862,  there  was  a  period  of  twelve  years  which  Dr.  Steele  characterizes 
as  the  period  of  collegiate  control.  It  will  be  remembered  that  this  is  the  home  of  Knox  College. 
It  would  be  expected  that  its  faculty  would  contribute  a  controlling  influence  to  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion.    The  town  itself  was  a  college  enterprise. 

In  1862  Mr.  Junius  B.  Roberts  was  elected  superintendent  of  schools,  a  position  which  he  held 
for  twelve  years.  He  was  a  capable  and  scholarly  man  and  was  active  in  the  teachers'  gatherings  of 
the  State.     He  is  well  remembered  by  the  surviving  members  of  the  "old  guard." 

The  first  building  erected  by  the  new  board  was  built  in  the  summer  of  1862  and  cost  $435.  The 
money  was  borrowed  at  12  per  cent  interest.  George  Churchill  became  a  member  of  the  Board  in 
1863.  A  fine  building  in  harmony  with  the  suggestions  of  Horace  Mann  had  been  the  dream  of  the 
city  ever  since  his  visit.  Its  cost  so  far  discouraged  the  friends  of  education  that  they  feared  to  sub- 
mit it  to  popular  vote.  At  last  the  die  was  cast  and  to  the  astonishment  of  the  leaders  there  were 
but  sixteen  votes  against  a  $40,000  bond  issue  in  a  total  vote  of  approximately  one  thousand.  The 
building  was  occupied  on  the  first  Monday  of  1867.  The  total  cost  of  building,  equipment  and  grounds 
was  about  $60,000.  This  achievement  in  popular  education  was  enough  to  give  to  the  little  city 
a  most  conspicuous  place  among  the  cities  of  the  State. 

Mr.  Roberts  began  with  a  salary  of  $550.  It  was  increased  almost  yearly  so  that  in  1871  he 
was  receiving  $1,800.  We  have  seen  what  the  women  received  at  first.  Such  a  condition  could  not 
long  continue.  The  salary  question  was  an  ever-present  topic.  In  1863  there  was  an  increase  of 
$1  a  week.  In  1864  there  was  another  small  increase.  In  1865  the  pay  had  reached  $8  a  week  all 
around. 

The  high  school  under  the  charter  was  opened  on  October  14,  1861.  It  occupied  only  a  single 
room  for  some  time.  The  superintendent  acted  as  its  principal  until  June,  1868,  when  Edward  Hayes 
became  principal  at  a  salary  of  $1,200  a  year.  The  next  year  Mrs.  Sarah  M.  McCall  succeeded  him 
at  a  salary  of  $60  a  month.     She  served  for  seven  years. 


502  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  color  question  brought  some  trouble  to  the  school  people  in  1863.  The  charter  had  excluded 
negroes.  A  separate  school  was  provided  for  them  and  was  taught  by  Mary  Allen  West,  a  woman 
of  the  rarest  qualities  and  afterwards  prominently  identified  with  education  in  Illinois.  She  was 
a  teacher  in  Galesburg  the  first  year  under  the  charter.  In  1872  the  separate  school  was  discontinued 
and  the  colored  children  were  admitted  without  distinction  to  all  of  the  schools. 

Mr.  Roberts  resigned  in  1874  and  was  succeeded  by  Matthew  Andrews,  Superintendent  of  Schools 
of  Macomb.  Mr.  Andrews  remained  with  the  schools  for  eleven  years.  He  was  an  admirable  man 
and  won  the  warm  regard  of  the  teachers  and  the  people.  He  was  of  a  type  quite  in  contrast  with 
that  represented  by  Mr.  Roberts  and  had  his  troubles  at  first,  but  happily  was  equal  to  them.  He 
became  principal  of  one  of  the  district  schools  in  Chicago  and  found  it  less  agreeable  than  he  had 
hoped.  He  returned  to  Galesburg  some  years  later  and  served  for  a  time  as  county  superintendent  of 
schools. 

In  1885  W.  L.  Steele  was  appointed  to  succeed  Mr.  Andrews.  At  the  close  of  the  present  school 
year  (1911-12)  he  will  have  served  the  people  of  Galesburg  for  twenty-seven  years.  On  pp.  214-15 
will  be  found  a  summing  up  of  the  changes  that  have  occurred  in  the  long  period  of  his  incumbency 
of  the  honorable  office  that  he  has  filled  so  acceptably. 

"While  all  of  the  buildings  save  one  have  been  erected,  enlarged  or  remodeled  at  a  cost  of  approx- 
imately $400,000,  the  high  school  and  the  heating  plant  were  its  chief  addition  to  the  physical  equip- 
ment. The  installation  of  sanitary  closets  in  place  of  the  unhealthful  and  demoralizing  outhouses, 
mechanical  ventilation,  automatic  temperature  control,  the  method  of  admitting  light  into  the  school- 
rooms, the  drinking  fountains  and  the  school  nurse  were  its  contribution  to  sanitation.  No  serious 
attention  was  paid  to  sanitation  before  1888.  The  introduction  of  music,  drawing,  physical  training, 
manual  training  and  domestic  science  came  in  this  period ;  as  also  supplementary  reading,  the  removal 
of  the  fetich  of  examinations,  and  the  articulation  of  the  schools  with  the  public  librar}^  by  means  of 
the  Children's  Reading  Room.  During  this  period,  also,  the  average  enrolment  of  pupils  in  a  room 
was  reduced  from  48  in  1885  to  41  in  1910;  the  maximum  salary  in  the  grades  was  raised  from  $55 
to  $70,  and  a  training  school  for  teachers  was  established.  The  inauguration  of  the  elective  system 
and  the  development  of  the  high  school  into  an  institution  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  many  who 
wish  to  prepare  themselves  for  the  manual,  mechanical  and  commercial  pursuits  of  life,  as  well  as  the 
relatively  few  who  desire  to  prepare  for  college,  was  the  most  distinctive  work  of  the  period." 

An  interesting  exhibit  of  tax  levies  reveals  the  growth  of  expenditures.  The  increase  is  from 
$22,000  in  1885  to  $144,000  in  1910. 

The  Galesburg  High  School  holds  a  unique  position  in  Illinois.  In  1895  all  of  its  courses  were 
made  elective.  This  was  a  radical  departure  from  the  traditions.  There  is  no  space  to  present  here 
the  full  statement  of  the  case.  The  inquiring  reader  is  referred  to  the  history.  It  is  enough  to  say 
that  Superintendent  Steele  was  called  to  account  by  his  pedagogical  brethren.  From  the  fact  that 
within  two  years  after  the  adoption  of  the  elective  system  the  building  had  to  be  more  than  doubled 
to  accomniodate  the  applicants  while  there  was  no  material  change  in  the  enrolment  in  the  grades 
it  must  be  concluded  that  something  had  happened.  In  1910  approximately  twenty  per  cent  of  the 
enrolment  was  in  the  high  school.  Two  courses  are  maintained,  a  three-year  course  and  a  four-year 
course.  Much  objection  was  raised  by  the  colleges  to  this  arrangement,  but  all  fair-minded  people 
must  conclude  that  Superintendent  Steele  has  the  better  of  the  argument.  The  College  Associa- 
tion saw  it  in  the  same  way  when  conditions  were  made  clear  to  the  members.  When  a  high  school 
in  a  city  of  25,000  people  enrols  767  pupils  and  graduates  150  pupils  a  year  it  is  evident  that  it 
meets  the  wants  of  the  boys  and  girls. 

The  principals  have  been  as  follows:  Edward  Hayes,  1868-9;  Mrs.  Sarah  M.  McCall,  1869-75; 
Mrs.  Mary  Gettemy,  1875-95;  Frank  D.  Thompson,  1895-1909;  Arthur  W.  Willis,  1909.  Mr.  Thomp- 
son's salary  was  advanced  to  $2,500  and  Mr.  Willis  is  on  the  way  to  similar  emoluments,  having  reached 
the  $1,800  mark  in  1910. 

The  Training  School  was  opened  in  September,  1888.  Only  those  candidates  were  admitted 
to  this  department  whom  the  Board  expected  to  appoint  as  teachers  should  they  prove  to  be  competent. 
Applicants  were  required  to  have  a  certificate  from  the  county  superintendent  and  to  be  appointed 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  503 

by  the  Board.  Each  year  from  four  to  seven  were  thus  selected.  They  were  paid  a  salary  of  $20  or 
$25  a  month  according  to  their  preparation.  They  were  given  a  year  of  instruction  and  practice 
teaching.      Miss  F.  Lillian  Taylor  has  had  charge  of  this  work  from  its  inception. 

DECATUR. 

The  schools  of  that  city  may  be  said  to  date  from  1851,  when  on  the  26th  day 
of  July  the  people,  acting  under  the  law  of  1849,  held  an  election  at  which  a  tax  of 
one  mill  on  the  taxable  property  of  the  district  was  levied  by  a  majority  of  twelve 
in  a  total  vote  of  forty-two.  This  money  was  not  to  be  devoted  to  the  running  of 
the  school;  it  was  for  the  purpose  of  repairing  "  the  brick  schoolhouse  and  furnishing 
the  same.','  The  second  levy  was  in  1854.  As  soon  as  the  school  law  was  passed, 
in  1855,  a  tax  of  five  mills  was  levied.  In  1856  a  building  was  erected  and  was 
opened  in  the  fall  of  1857.  The  principal  was  J.  H.  Remsberg,  and  his  assistants 
were  David  L.  Bunn  and  Miss  Helen  E.  Parsons.  In  1860,  August  20,  fourteen 
teachers  were  elected.  The  highest  salaries  were  paid  to  two  principals  —  $400; 
another  teacher,  a  man,  received  $300;  a  fourth  teacher,  principal  of  the  primary 
room,  received  $270.  Three  other  gentlemen  received  $240  each  and  seven  ladies 
received  $180  each.  This  principal  of  the  primary  room  was  to  remain  in  the  employ 
of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  city  for  forty-seven  years.  After  the  board  of 
directors  had  provided  for  its  successors  all  of  the  members  resigned. 

As  there  was  but  one  school  building  and  as  the  population  was  rapidly  increas- 
ing, the  basements  of  the  churches  were  rented  and  a  few  other  rooms  were  secured, 
the  teachers  getting  on  as  well  as  they  could  under  such  trying  circumstances. 

In  the  fall  of  1861  D.  C.  McCloir  was  made  principal  of  the  Big  Brick  school. 
He  Was  unable  to  manage  the  children,  as  the  boys  took  matters  into  their  own 
hands  and  attended  or  not  as  they  chose.  The  assistants  were  called  upon  for 
assistance,  but  they  declared  their  independence  of  the  "man  upstairs,"  and  cour- 
teously but  firmly  declined  to  go  to  his  assistance.  It  was  obvious  that  something 
better  in  the  way  of  an  organization  was  necessary. 

In  July,  1862,  it  was  decided  to  elect  a  principal  for  all  of  the  schools  who  should 
also  be  the  principal  of  the  high  school.  Enoch  A.  Gas t man,  who  had  been  in  the 
employ  of  the  Board  for  two  years,  was  selected  for  the  position  at  a  salary  of  $480 
for  a  term  of  six  months. 

Mr.  Gastman  was  a  graduate  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  in  the 
class  of  1860  —  the  first  class.  Another  member  of  the  class  was  Miss  Frances 
Peterson.  She  also  went  to  Decatur  to  teach  in  the  high  school  in  1862,  at  a  salary 
of  $30  a  month.  In  the  same  year  Mr.  Gastman  was  promoted  to  the  superinten- 
dency  of  the  schools  and  was  also  made  principal  of  the  high  school.  Not  long  after, 
Mr.  Gastman  and  Miss  Peterson  were  married.  Mrs.  Gastman  did  not  long  survive 
their  marriage. 

In  1862  it  was  determined  to  erect  an  additional  house  and  arrangements  were 
made  for  the  levy.  In  view  of  the  unsettled  condition  of  things  it  was  thought 
advisable  to  defer  the  levy,  first  securing  the  needed  site  and  then  hoping  for  better 
times.     The  following  year  the  house  was  erected.     It  was  a  one-story  structure 


504  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

and  now  forms  a  part  of  the  Wood  Street  School.  It  was  built  up  to  the  street  line 
for  the  supposed  convenience  of  the  children. 

In  1865  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  organize  the  city  in  a  more  effective  way 
for  the  development  and  support  of  the  schools,  so  a  charter  was  secured  from  the 
General  Assembly.  This  gave  ample  powers  to  the  school  authorities  and  under 
the  management  of  Mr.  Gastman  the  schools  have  kept  pace  with  the  growth  of  the 
city.  The  management  was  always  careful  and  wisely  conservative.  Buildings 
were  erected  as  they  were  needed  and  generally  so  constructed  that  they  could  be 
added  to  without  loss  by  the  destruction  incident  to  enlargement.  Salaries  were 
advanced  from  time  to  time  so  that  places  in  the  Decatur  schools  were  regarded  as 
desirable. 

Mr.  Gastman  resigned  in  1907  and  was  succeeded  by  H.  B.  Wilson.  The  latest 
addition  to  the  Decatur  equipment  is  a  fine  high-school  building. 

This  incomplete  sketch  must  suffice.  The  volume  from  which  the  statements 
have  been  taken  will  be  sought  by  students  of  the  modern  student. 

If  space  permitted  it  would  be  interesting  to  add  to  this  record  accounts  of  the 
development  of  the  educational  systems  of  other  Illinois  towns.  Those  studied  are 
characteristically,  typical. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  505 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
GRADED   HIGH   SCHOOLS. 

FOR  many  years  after  the  admission  of  Illinois  to  the  Union  the  people  were 
dependent  upon  private  schools  for  secondary  education.     After  the  passage 
of  the  school  law  of  1855  some  of  the  schools  extended  their  courses  of  study 
above  the  eighth  grade  and  called  this  extension  a  high  school.     As  the  law  has 
made  no  provision  for  any  high  schools  except  the  township  high  schools,  all  others 
rest  for  their  legality  upon  the  decision  of  1874. 

But  the  matter  of  public  seminaries  for  secondary  instruction  was  in  the  minds  of 
the  leaders  as  early  as  the  meeting  of  the  Illinois  Educational  Convention  in  Vandalia, 
in  1834.  It  will  be  remembered  that  .the  temporary  secretary  of  this  convention 
was  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  In  an  address  to  the  people  with  regard  to  public  educa- 
tion it  was  suggested  that  a  portion  of  the  school  fund  should  be  devoted  to  the 
maintenance  of  seminaries  for  the  preparation  of  teachers  and  also  to  afford  oppor- 
tunities for  ambitiotis  young  men  and  women  to  enlarge  their  culture  without  the 
necessity  of  going  from  home  to  college. 

In  a  memorial  to  the  legislature  from  the  same  body  it  was  urged  that  the  State 
should  appropriate  an  annual  sum  for  the  support  of  at  least  one  academy  in  each 
cotmfy.  A  bill  was  prepared  and  introduced  into  the  legislature  for  the  establish- 
ment and  maintenance  of  coimty  seminaries,  the  office  of  which  should  be  the  encour- 
agement of  higher  branches  of  education  and  the  preparation  of  teachers  for  com- 
mon schools.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  nothing  was  done  in  the  matter  by  the 
law-making  power.  When  it  was  impossible  to  secure  proper  elementary  schools 
the  more  advanced  schools  would  not  be  considered.  The  memorial  may  be  found 
in  full  in  the  School  Report  for  1885-6. 

The  first  free  public  high  school  in  Illinois  was  organized  by  Newton  Bateman. 
In  1851  he  opened  the  West  Jacksonville  District  School  with  four  departments, 
the  highest  being  a  high  school.  This  high  school  had  a  course  of  study  that  fitted 
for  college.  Some  time  before  the  passage  of  the  law  of  1855  this  school  became  free 
in  all  departments. 

The  Peoria  High  School  was  the  second  of  the  free  high  schools  to  come  into 
being.  It  was  opened  in  June,  1856,  with  Charles  E.  Hovey  as  principal.  This 
school  was  three  months  in  advance  of  the  Chicago  High  School,  of  which  mention 
has  been  made. 

The  Decatur  High  School  was  opened  on  September  22,  1862.  The  first  prin- 
cipal was  Enoch  A.  Gastman,  who  was  also  the  superintendent  of  the  city  schools. 
His  only  assistant  was  Mrs.  Gastman,  nee  Frances  Peterson,  a  classmate  of  Mr. 
Gastman  in  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University.     The  school  was  conducted  at 


506  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

first  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  a  grammar-school  building.  The  next  year  it  was  removed 
to  the  basement  of  the  Baptist  Church,  where  it  remained  for  the  next  six  years. 
In  1868-9  a  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $30,000. 

The  Galesburg  High  School  was  opened  October  14,  1861,  with  R.  B.  Guild, 
the  superintendent,  as  principal.  It  held  its  sessions  at  first  in  the  old  Academy 
building  and  remained  there  for  four  years.  It  was  then  removed  to  the  Baptist 
Church,  where  it  held  half-day  sessions  for  a  year  and  a  half,  when  it  was  moved  into 
the  High  School,  January,  1867.  It  was  some  time  before  it  occupied  more  than 
a  single  room. 

The  high  school  found  no  place  in  the  reports  from  the  State  Education  Depart- 
ment until  the  passage  of  the  act  for  the  establishment  of  township  high  schools. 
In  his  report  for  1871-2  Dr.  Bateman  discusses  the  new  creation  and  expresses  great 
expectations  of  what  it  is  to  do  for  the  children.  In  1874  it  had  become  numerous 
enough  to  merit  a  place  in  the  statistical  tables.  For  the  year  1873,  106  are  reported. 
It  is  probable  that  many  of  these  were  not  properly  designated,  but  it  is  clear  that 
the  movement  was  well  begun  at  that  time.  It  is  possible  that  several  were  estab- 
lished in  the  sixties,  but  information  with  regard  to  the  matter  is  not  now  available. 
Four  were  added  the  next  year.  In  1875  the  number  was  reported  as  133,  but  in 
1876  the  number  dropped  back  to  110.  It  is  not  likely  that  any  of  the  schools  had 
been  discontinued,  but  the  term  "  high  school "  began  to  be  more  distinctively  defined, 
and  some  of  the  schools  that  had  been  included  under  the  term  were  then  excluded. 
This  also  explains  the  further  reduction  of  the  number  in  1877  to  103.  In  1878  the 
number  is  reported  at  128.  In  1890  there  were  204,  including  the  township  schools ; 
in  1900,  311;  and  in  1910,  509  are  reported.  These  numbers  exclude  those  schools 
that  have  less  than  a  three-year  course. 

In  the  great  majority  of  cases  the  high  school  is  preceded  by  eight  years  of  work 
in  the  elementary  grades.  The  Decatur  schools  have  for  many  years  promoted  the 
seventh  grade  graduates  to  the  high  school.  It  is  the  testimony  of  the  managers 
of  the  school  that  the  children  are  able  to  hold  their  own  and  graduate  in  four  years 
more.  Further,  these  pupils  have  been  followed  to  the  higher  institutions  and  their 
success  there  seems  to  be  indistinguishable  from  that  of  the  twelve-year  pupils. 

These  schools  have  established  themselves  in  the  esteem  of  the  people  and  have 
received  generous  treatment  at  the  hands  of  taxpayers.  In  Chicago  they  are  splen- 
didly housed  and  amply  furnished.  In  many  of  the  cities  they  are  equally  sup- 
ported. The  Galesburg  High  School  has  won  wide  repute  on  account  of  the 
success  that  has  attended  the  elective  system,  in  which  it  is  unique.  Rockford, 
Peoria,  Bloomington,  Springfield,  Danville,  Quincy  and  a  number  of  the  smaller 
cities  have  taken  especial  pride  in  the  development  of  their  secondary  schools.  By 
a  system  of  accrediting  many  of  them  are  so  related  to  the  higher  institutions  that 
their  graduates  are  admitted  upon  presentation  of  their  diplomas. 

These  schools  in  their  earlier  history  greatly  resembled  the  old  New  England 
academies  whose  main  function  was  the  preparation  of  boys  for  the  colleges.  With 
the  growth  of  interest  in  natural  science  there  was  a  falling  off  in  the  study  of  the 
humanities.  Large  numbers  of  these  schools  are  now  fitted  with  manual  training 
shops  for  the  boys  and  not  a  few  have  added  domestic  science  and  art  for  the  girls. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  507 

Agricultural  courses  have  also  developed  within  recent  years  and  the  high  school  is 
now  asserting  itself  as  an  independent  institution,  seeking  not  alone  the  good  of  the 
prospective  college  student  but  of  all  classes. 

*TOWNSHIP  HIGH  SCHOOLS. 

The  establishment  of  the  Princeton  High  School  was  due  to  the  educational 
zeal  of  certain  citizens  of  Princeton.  The  movement  began  in  the  autumn  of  1865. 
April  23,  1866,  an  election  was  held,  in  consequence  of  which  a  site  of  ten  acres  was 
selected  and  a  board  of  three  directors  was  chosen.  The  board  organized  April  30, 
and  issued  provisional  bonds  that  were  guaranteed  by  certain  public-spirited  citizens. 
A  contract  was  executed  for  a  building  that  was  to  be  completed  in  time  for  school 
to  begin  in  September,  1867.  There  was  a  fear,  however,  that  the  proceedings 
might  not  be  sustained  under  existing  laws,  hence  a  bill  was  introduced  into  the  leg- 
islature legalizing  all  proceedings.  It  became  a  law  January  28,  1867.  To  provide 
for  the  future  the  school  was  incorporated  by  an  additional  act,  approved  February 
5,  1867.  B}^  this  act  the  township  was  constituted  a  school  district  for  high- 
school  purposes.  A  board  of  five  trustees  was  given  all  necessary  power  to  organize 
and  conduct  the  school. 

The  first  principal  was  Henry  L.  Boltwood,  a  graduate  of  Amherst  College. 
There  were  three  female  assistants.  Mr.  Boltwood  remained  with  the  school  eleven 
years,  leaving  to  become  the  principal  of  the  Ottawa  Township  High  School  when 
it  was  established  in  1878.  He  remained  at  the  head  of  that  school  for  five  years 
and  was  then  called  'to  the  head  of  the  Evanston  Township  High  School,  where  he 
remained  until  the  close  of  his  life. 

In  1872  the  school  law  was  revised  and  in  Section  35  provision  was  made  for  the 
township  high. school.  The  details  of  the  section  may  be  found  in  the  present  law. 
This  is  the  only  high  school  specifically  recognized  by  the  law.  In  1904  a  decision 
of  the  Supreme  Court  declared  that  "  Any  district  may  establish  and  maintain  a  high- 
school  department."  This  renders  unnecessary  any  legislation  to  validate  the 
school. 

The  Jefferson  Township  High  School  was  the  second  of  the  schools  of  this  char- 
acter. Its  first  principal  was  J.  B.  Fams worth.  It  was  annexed  to  Chicago  with 
the  town  of  Jefferson.     It  was  established  in  1869. 

In  1874  the  Lake  View  Township  High  School  was  established.  There  were  no 
buildings  within  a  half  mile  of  the  school,  but  the  houses  soon  sprang  up  around  it. 
In  1889  it  was  taken  into  the  city  of  Chicago.  Its  first  principal  was  A.  F.  Night- 
ingale. 

In  April,  1874,  a  school  was  established  at  Tolono.  It  was  unfortunately  located 
and  dissensions  arose  that  resulted  in  the  closing  of  the  school.  From  the  contro- 
versy a  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  emerged  that  placed  the  township  high  school 
on  a  sure  foundation.  A.  C.  Palmer  was  the  first  principal  and  served  for  three 
years.  In  1879  the  law  was  so  amended  as  to  provide  a  method  of  discontinuing 
this  class  of  schools. 


*The  material  in  this  article  is  obtained  from  a  sketch  of  these  schools  by  Edward  Bangs,  Assistant  State  Super- 
intendent, appearing  in  the  Twenty-fifth  Biennial  Report  of  the  Department  of  Education. 


508  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

The  Streator  Township  High  School  was  the  fourth;  it  was  established  in  1875. 
Until  1887  it  occupied  an  old  bank  building.  It  then  went  to  the  Methodist  church, 
where  it  remained  until  1882,  when  it  went  to  its  permanent  home,  erected,  furnished 
and  donated  by  Col.  Ralph  Plumb,  at  a  cost  of  $50,000.  This  building  proving 
inadequate  to  accommodate  the  growing  school  an  addition  was  built  in  1902. 
Another  attempt  was  made  to  kill  the  township  high  school,  but  the  courts  amply 
sustained  it. 

The  Ottawa  school  was  established  in  1879.  As  has  been  stated,  Mr.  Boltwood 
was  called  from  Princeton  to  take  charge  of  it.  In  1873  the  Evanston  school  was 
established  and  Mr.  Boltwood  became  its  first  principal.  Then  followed  Nauvoo, 
in  1873,  but  there  was  an  interim  of  several  years  before  other  schools  were  added. 
Then  came  Lyons,  in  1888;  Highland  Park  in  1890;  Taylorville  the  same  year; 
Pontiac  in  1894,  and  twenty- two  more  in  the  next  ten  years.  The  first  principal  of 
Nauvoo  was  W.  F.  Sloan;  of  Taylorville,  A.  C.  Butler;  of  Pontiac,  J.  E.  Bangs. 

The  article  cited  contains  much  additional  information  respecting  this  type  of 
school.  The  Report  of  the  Department  for  1875-6  contains  further  details  respecting 
the  early  history  of  Princeton  and  also  an  extended  report  from  Mr.  Nightingale 
respecting  the  Lake  View  School. 

In  1911  the  number  of  township  high  schools  was  seventy-one.  Nearly  all  of 
these  schools  are  well  equipped  and  are  well  supported.  They  have  proven  to  be 
very  popular  with  the  people  and  the  number  will  be  greatly  increased  within  the  next 
few  years. 

THE  CONSOLIDATED  SCHOOLS. 

Within  recent  years  the  country  school  has  attracted  a  degree  of  attention  alto- 
gether unusual.  That  neglected  member  of  the  educational  family  for  many  years 
got  on  as  best  it  could  with  little  of  the  fostering  care  of  the  State  Department  of 
Education.  With  the  election  of  Alfred  Bayliss  to  the  superintendency  there  was 
a  change  of  policy.  One  of  his  reasons  for  seeking  that  office  was  a  firm  belief  in 
the  possibilities  of  improving  the  means  of  education  which  were  offered  to  the 
country  boys  and  girls.  In  consequence,  he  began  a  crusade  in  their  behalf  as  soon 
as  he  had  donned  his  official  robes. 

In  discussing  the  topic,  "  The  Rural  Schools,"  in  his  first  biennial  report,  he  sets 
over  against  each  other  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  town  and  rural  schools 
and  makes  a  good  case  for  the  latter.  Among  them  he  finds  many  weak  schools, 
however,  and  the  problem  of  their  betterment  engages  his  attention  and  warm 
interest.  The  readiest  relief  seems  to  lie  in  a  system  of  consolidated  schools  with 
the  transportation  of  the  children  who  live  at  an  uncomfortable  walking  distance. 

Desiring  information  with  regard  to  schools  of  that  character  he  visited  Ohio, 
where  the  experiment  had  been  made,  and  reported  the  results  of  his  inquiry.  This 
beginning  of  the  movement  elicited  warm  interest,  and  thoughtful  country  people 
began  to  reflect  upon  the  wisdom  of  trying  in  Illinois  what  had  proved  to  be  very 
satisfactory  in  Ohio.  Superintendent  Bayliss  therefore  recommended  such  legis- 
lation as  would  make  it  possible  for  communities  to  consolidate  weak  and  adjoining 
districts  and  transport  the  children  at  public  expense.     It  may  as  well  be  said  at 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  509 

this  point  that  there  have  been  repeated  attempts  to  secure  from  the  legislature  the 
legal  power  to  carry  out  this  recommendation,  but  all  such  bills  have  thus  far  met 
with  inglorious  defeat. 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  State  lies  the  county  of  Winnebago.  For  several 
years  they  have  had  the  wisdom  to  keep  in  the  office  of  county  superintendent  O.  J. 
Kern,  an  educational  enthusiast  and  especially  an  enthusiast  for  country  schools. 
He,  too,  investigated  the  Ohio  plan,  and  went  home  with  a  confirmation  of  the 
practicability  of  the  idea.  He  went  to  his  people  and  told  them  about  it  and,  in 
consequence,  matters  were  soon  moving  toward  the  fruition  of  his  hopes. 

The  first  movement  toward  consolidation  was  in  February,  1899,  when  the  citizens  of  Seward 
and  vicinity  invited  O.J.  Kern,  superintendent  of  schools  of  Winnebago  county,  to  deliver  an  address 
upon  the  subject  of  "Township  High  Schools."  This  was  with  a  view  of  organizing  such  a  school 
at  the  village  of  Seward,  which  is  a  small  station  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  fifteen  miles  from 
Rockford.  The  address  was  delivered  February  22,  1899,  the  superintendent  taking  the  position 
that  what  was  needed  at  Seward  was  not  a  township  school,  but  a  consolidation  of  a  number  of  the 
outlying  small  district  schools.  The  idea  was  not  well  received  at  the  time,  only  one  or  two  expressing 
assent  to  the  position  taken  by  the  superintendent. 

Sentiment  grew,  however,  and  in  March,  1903,  petitions  looking  toward  consolidation  were 
circulated  in  three  districts.  In  district  90,  thirty-seven  favored  and  twelve  opposed  the  project; 
in  district  91,  five  favored  and  twelve  opposed,  a,nd  in  district  93,  twenty-one  favored  and  five  opposed. 

Thus  was  originated  the  first  consolidated  district,  covering  exactly  one-third  of  the  township, 
which  is  six  miles  square.  It  contains,  therefore,  twelve  sections  of  7,680  acres  of  land,  with  an  assessed 
valuation  of  $146,315.  As  real  estate  is  assessed  at  one-fifth  cash  value  this  indicates  that  the  total 
property  of  this  district,  real  and  personal,  is  not  far  from  one  million  dollars. 

A  few  days  after  organization,  by  a  vote  of  thirty-eight  for  and  fifteen  against,  the  people  voted 
to  bond  the  district  for  $7,000  for  ten  years'  time  at  four  per  cent,  and  to  erect  a  modern  schoolhouse 
large  enough  for  present  and  prospective  needs.  A  little  later,  by  a  vote  of  forty-seven  to  one,  a  site 
of  3.6  acres  of  land  was  purchased  for  $1 ,000.     Plans  were  drawn  and  contracts  let  for  a  $6,000  building. 

An  excellent  building  was  erected  and  the  grounds  were  decorated  in  accordance  with  the  plans 
furnished  by  students  of  the  State  University. 

The  building  was  dedicated  January  30  with  appropriate  exercises.  School  opened  the  Monday 
following,  with  an  attendance  of  103  pupils,  fifteen  of  whom  were  non-residents  who  will  pay  tuition, 
leaving  eighty-eight  as  representing  the  attendance  from  the  three  consolidated  districts.  It  is  a 
significant  fact  that  the  total  registration  of  the  three  abandoned  districts  during  the  entire  previous 
year  was  only  seventy-nine,  yet  here  upon  the  first  day  upon  the  opening  of  the  consolidated  school 
eighty-eight  young  people  presented  themselves,  a  gain  of  nine  the  first  day  as  compared  with  the 
total  registration  under  the  old  plan.  This  school  will  do  all  of  the  work  attempted  by  the  abandoned 
schools  and  two  years  of  high-school  work  in  addition. 

More  than  to  anyone  else  credit  is  due  to  Superintendent  Kern,  not  only  for  the  achievement 
at  Seward,  but  for  the  sentiment  of  the  county,  which  will  proceed  to  organize  other  schools. 

This  school  was  so  immediately  successful  that  an  additional  teacher  was  soon  employed. 

This  first  effort  was  followed  in  April,  1904,  by  two  other  groups  of  four  districts  each,  in  "Win- 
nebago county. 

THE  BUNCOMBE  CONSOLIDATED  SCHOOL. 

The  second  consolidated  school  in  Illinois  was  dedicated  on  Friday,  December 
15,  1905,  at  Buncombe,  Johnson  county.  This  consolidation  joined  two  districts 
and  part  of  a  third.  The  assessed  valuation  of  the  consolidated  district  was  $53,194. 
A  good,  four-room  building,  with  basement,  library  room  and  cloak  rooms,  with  a 


510  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

large  yard,  took  the  place  of  the  old-fashioned  one-room  school;  143  pupils  were 
enrolled,  fifty-three  in  the  primary,  forty-five  in  the  intermediate  and  forty-five  in 
the  higher  grades.  Three  teachers  were  employed  and  it  was  clear  that  a  fourth 
would  be  necessary  very  soon. 

State  Superintendent  Bayliss  was  present  and  made  an  address  suitable  to  the 
occasion.  It  must  have  been  a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to  that  generous  spirit 
to  see  such  tangible  evidence  of  the  progress  of  the  cause  to  which  he  had  given  so 
much  effort.     President  Parkinson,  of  Carbondale,  was  another  of  the  speakers. 

THE  JOHN  SWANEY  CONSOLIDATED  SCHOOL. 

For  many  years  there  has  been  the  warmest  interest  in  the  quality  of  their  schools 
manifested  by  certain  districts  in  Putnam  county.  This  little  county  has  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  smallest  in  the  State.  It  contains  within  its  narrow  limits, 
however,  a  most  admirable  body  of  people.  They  are  well-to-do  and  are  not  afraid 
to  spend  money  for  the  education  of  their  children.  Their  teachers  are  selected  with 
the  greatest  care  and  are  paid  excellent  salaries.  Magnolia  township  has  long 
been  very  much  alive  to  the  inadequacy  of  the  ordinary  one-room  school,  and  when 
the  consolidated  school  idea  began  to  attract  attention  the  people  of  that  township 
became  immediately  interested.  In  the  spring  of  1905,  petitions  were  circulated 
in  five  districts,  but  the  doubters  were  not  quite  ready  to  go  with  the  enthusiasts. 
The  following  spring  the  friends  of  the  measure  tried  it  again  and  three  districts 
indicated  their  readiness  to  proceed.  The  petition  was  submitted  to  the  township 
trustees  at  their  spring  meeting,  but  for  some  reason  they  refused  to  grant  it.  An 
appeal  was  taken  to  the  county  superintendent,  who  reversed  the  action  of  the 
trustees  and  the  consolidation  was  thus  assured. 

An  election  of  officers  for  the  district  resulted  in  the  selection  of  three  admirable 
men  —  Victor  Kays,  a  Normal  school  and  University  graduate;  W.  B.  Mills,  and 
John  Wilson.  John  Swaney,  a  farmer  in  the  district,  offered  a  twenty-four  acre 
tract  of  land  for  the  site.  By  a  vote  of  the  people  this  offer  was  accepted  and  bonds 
were  voted  to  furnish  the  money  for  the  erection  of  the  building. 

Work  on  the  building  was  begun  in  July  and  arrangements  were  made  to  open 
the  school  in  the  September  following.  Three  teachers  were  employed,  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  the  conveyance  of  the  children  and,  the  building  not  being 
completed,  school  opened  on  September  3d,  in  one  of  the  abandoned  schoolhouses 
and  the  grange  hall  near  by.  Two  wagons  were  used  for  the  transportation  of  the 
pupils  from  the  outlying  districts.  On  January  21,  1907,  the  new  building  was  ready 
for  occupancy. 

It  is  a  two-and-a-half-story  brick  building,  containing  four  recitation  rooms, 
two  laboratories,  a  large  auditorium,  two  library  and  office  rooms,  a  boys'  manual 
training  room,  a  girls'  play  room,  furnace  room  and  cloak  room.  All  are  lighted  by 
gas  generated  on  the  premises.  The  building  is  heated  by  steam  and  is  furnished 
with  running  water  supplied  by  an  air-pressure  system. 

The  interest  in  the  enterprise  is  indicated  by  the  donations  to  the  school.  In 
addition  to  the  generous  gift  of  the  land  by  Mr.  Swaney,  other  gifts  to  the  amount 
of  $2,000  were  made. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  511 

A  four-year  course,  suitable  for  a  school  with  an  agricultural  constituency,  was 
arranged.  It  was  not  wanting  in  culture  subjects,  but  its  main  lines  are  related 
to  the  occupation  of  its  pupils.  A  few  miles  away  is  the  village  of  Granville,  where 
that  momentous  convention  was  held  more  than  a  half-century  before  and  the  first 
great  blow  was  struck  by  Jonathan  Turner  and  his  friends  for  a  university  for  the 
workingman. 

The  first  class  consisted  of  five  young  women  and  five  young  men,  and  they 
received  their  diplomas  in  June,  1910.  The  university  was  open  to  them,  as  were 
the  other  institutions  of  higher  culture.  It  is  something  that  is  good  to  see  —  this 
secondary  school  in  a  pure  country  environment. 

The  consolidated  schools  in  operation  at  the  time  of  the  issuance  of  the  last 
report  of  the  State  Department  of  Education  are  as  follows : 

Buncombe,  Johnson  county.  John  Swaney,  Putnam  county. 

Congerville,  Woodford  county.  Wasco,  Kane  county. 

Scottland,  Edgar  county.  Youngstown,  Warren  county. 

Seward,  Winnebago  county. 

An  additional  school  has  been  organized  in  Winnebago  county,  and  six  and  a  half 
districts  have  decided  upon  consolidation  in  the  southern  part  of  De  Kalb  county. 

THE  ILLINOIS  SOLDIERS'  COLLEGE. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  the  interests  of  the  surviving  soldiers  and  sailors  were 
discussed  by  private,  philanthropic  citizens  and  by  deliberative  bodies.  Various 
schemes  were  projected  looking  toward  their  welfare.  The  establishment  of  a  State 
Home  was  considered,  but  at  once  the  suggestion  was  made  that  these  men,  many 
of  whom  were  young,  would  have  no  desire  to  pass  their  lives  in  idleness.  The 
feeling  of  intense  gratitude  to  these  rescuers  of  a  nation  would  have  prompted  a 
generous  people  to  undertake  anything  in  their  behalf.  Many  of  the  soldiers  cast 
about  in  search  of  an  institution  of  learning  in  which  the  expense  of  board  and  instruc- 
tion would  be  so  minimized  as  to  come  within  their  means. 

Some  thoughtful  mind  suggested  the  advisability  of  a  college  that  should  offer 
to  the  soldiers  and  to  their  children  an  opportunity  for  education  without  charge  for 
tuition  or  for  board.  The  plan  was  laid  before  Governor  Oglesby,  Senator  Trum- 
bull, General  Grant  and  other  leading  men  of  the  State,  and  it  met  their  hearty 
approval.  There  was  an  equally  cordial  response  from  the  general  public.  There 
was  a  college  building  at  Fulton  that  was  available  for  a  nominal  price  and  it  was 
by  all  odds  the  best  opportunity  in  sight  for  the  materialization  of  the  project.  The 
plant  was  offered  for  the  purposes  contemplated  at  a  cost  of  $36,000  and  in  the 
spring  of  1866  was  fully  paid  for.  The  trustees,  who  were  elected  by  the  subscribers 
to  the  fund,  organized  under  the  general  law  of  Illinois,  appointed  agents  to  canvass 
the  State  in  behalf  of  an  endowment  and  sustaining  fund,  and  elected  a  president 
and  faculty. 

The  college  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  students  September  12,  1866.  There 
were  168  students  the  first  year  and  250  the  second.  The  legislature  granted  a  liberal 
charter  and  made  an  appropriation  for  its  assistance.     The  plan  of  organization 


512  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

included  a  preparatory  department,  a  commercial,  a  normal,  a  scientific  and  a  classical 
department. 

The  Board  elected  Leander  H.  Potter  president.  He  was  at  one  time  a  teacher 
in  the  Chicago  High  School,  left  it  to  go  to  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University  as 
teacher  of  literature,  and  left  there  with  the  Thirty-third  Illinois  Infantry,  known 
as  the  "Normal"  Regiment.  He  became  lieutenant- colonel  of  the  regiment.  He 
was  a  man  of  fine  scholarship  and  was  admirably  fitted  for  the  headship  of  the  school. 

The  school  had  a  few  years  of  fair  prosperity,  but  the  especial  need  of  such  an 
institution  soon  passed.  It  was  conducted  later  as  a  private  institution,  but  met 
with  indifferent  success. 

THE  STATE  TRAINING  SCHOOL  FOR  GIRLS. 

This  institution  is  located  at  Geneva.  It  was  incorporated  by  act  of  the  legis- 
lature June  22,  1893.  The  bill  carried  an  appropriation  of  $75,000  for  the  purchase 
of  a  site  and  for  buildings.  Mrs.  M.  Wallace  was  chiefly  responsible  for  pressing 
the  matter  upon  the  attention  of  the  General  Assembly.  The  institution  was 
located  at  Geneva,  May  19,  1894.  Mrs.  Julia  Harvey  is  credited  with  that  advocacy 
of  the  location  which  mainly  determined  the  result.  A  building  was  rented  by  the 
trustees  while  the  permanent  home  was  preparing.  This  building  was  3111  Indiana 
avenue,  Chicago.  It  was  furnished  and  equipped  for  inmates  by  the  first  of  Jan- 
uary, 1894. 

The  first  Board  of  Trustees  consisted  of  Mrs.  Kennery,  of  Peoria;  Mrs.   W.  D 
Kerfoot,   Mrs.  R.   M.  Wallace,   Mrs.  George  A.  Weiss,  and  Mrs.  G.   M.  Hall,   all  of 
Chicago,  and  Mrs.  Julia  Harvey,  of  Geneva. 

In  June,  1894,  the  building  was  completed  and  ready  for  occupancy.  Mrs. 
Amigh  had  been  appointed  superintendent  and  began  her  work  with  twenty-six 
inmates.  The  attendance  has  increased  to  more  than  900.  Mrs.  Amigh  retained 
the  superintendency  for  more  than  seventeen  years.  About  the  first  of  January, 
1912,  she  was  succeeded  by  Miss  Margaret  M.  Elliott. 

ST.  CHARLES  SCHOOL  FOR  BOYS. 

C.  B.  Adams,  Superintendent. 

The  State  legislature,  in  1901,  enacted  a  law  to  establish  a  home  for  delinquent 
boys.  Through  the  efforts,  previous  to  this  time,  of  Judge  R.  S.  Tuthill,  Nelson 
W.  McLain,  T.  D.  Hurley,  and  Henry  E.  Weaver,  a  school  for  boys  was  organized. 
In  July,  1901,  Governor  Yates  appointed  a  committee,  consisting  of  Judge  Tuthill, 
Mr.  E.  G.  Keith,  and  Mr.  B.  E.  Sunny,  to  select  a  site  for  the  school.  They  selected 
the  present  site  of  the  St.  Charles  School  for  Boys,  and  the  money  previously  raised, 
amounting  to  $100,000,  was  used  to  purchase  about  1,000  acres  of  land,  which  was 
donated  by  the  organizers  of  the  school  to  the  State. 

The  first  Board  of  Trustees  was  appointed  by  the  Governor,  July  19,  1902,  and 
consisted  of  the  following  persons:  Richard  S.  Tuthill,  Chicago;  Henry  E.  Weaver, 
Chicago;  J.  Stanley  Browne,  Rockford;  John  W.  Gates,  Chicago;  Robt.  H.  Allerton, 
Monticello;  Timothy  D.  Hurley,  Chicago;  Mrs.  Henry  M.  (Ellen  M.)  Rainey,  Car- 
rollton.     The  first  superintendent  was  Charles  W.  Hart. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  513 

The  first  boys  were  received  in  December,  1904,  and  were  forty-three,  from  the 
John  Worthy  School,  Chicago.  The  present  population  of  the  school  is  460.  The 
aggregate  number  of  new  boys  received  into  the  school  up  to  this  time  is  1,490. 
These  boys  come  from  all  walks  of  life.  They  are  released  on  parole  after  a  proper 
advancement,  and  a  very  large  number  of  them  have  become  good  citizens. 

The  institution  now  consists  of  twelve  cottages  for  boys,  four  farm  colonies, 
school  building,  hospital,  kitchen,  bakery,  laundry,  power  plant,  industrial  building 
containing  carpenter,  blacksmith,  tailor,  printing  and  shoemaking  departments; 
a  large  dairy,  creamery,  farm  buildings,  and  a  large  gymnasium  which  was  donated 
to  the  school  by  the  Commercial  Club  of  Chicago. 

Up  to  December  31,  1909,  the  school  was  under  the  control  of  a  board  of  trustees, 
consisting ,  of  seven  members:  Benjamin  Carpenter,  Chicago;  Stanley  Field,  Chi- 
cago; W.  J.  Conzelman,  Pekin;  Richard  S.  Tuthill,  Chicago;  Henry  Davis,  Spring- 
field; Timothy  D.  Hurley,  Chicago;  Mrs.  Henry  M.  Rainey,  Carrollton. 

On  January  1,  1910,  an  act  creating  the  Board  of  Administration  went  into 
effect.  The  Board  of  Administration  consists  of  five  members  and  also  controls  the 
sixteen  other  charitable  institutions  of  the  State.  It  is  made  up  of  the  following 
persons:  L.  Y.  Sherman,  Springfield;  B.-  R.  Burroughs,  Edwardsville ;  F.  D.  Whipp, 
Springfield;  J.  L.  Greene,  Kankakee;  Thomas  O'Connor,  Peoria. 

THE  STATE  REFORM  SCHOOL. 

The  State  Reform  School  was  established  by  law  in  1867.  One  of  its  first  trustees 
was  Hon.  S.  W.  Moulton,  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of 
the  State  of  Illinois.  The  Board  appointed  as  superintendent  George  W.  Perkins, 
who  had  been  for  some  years  superintendent  of  the  Chicago  Reform  School.  He 
resigned  soon  after  and  John  D.  Scouller  was  appointed  as  his  successor  and  remained 
in  that  position  until  the  institution  became  the  State  Reformatory,  in  1891. 

The  Board  purchased  276  acres  of  land  near  Pontiac  and  this  tract  became  the 
home  of  the  school.  Mr.  Scouller  was  a  faithful  and  efficient  superintendent.  He 
was  not  satisfied  with  the  law  under  which  the  institution  was  operated  and  warmly 
recommended  such  an  amendment  as  would  convert  the  school  from  a  prison  to  a 
genuinely  reformatory  institution.  In  1891  the  law  was  changed  in  such  a  way 
as  to  render  possible  a  new  and  more  efficient  administration.  Gen.  B.  F. 
Sheets,  then  a  member  of  the  State  senate,  was  largely  instrumental  in  securing 
the  needed  legislation.  Governor  Fifer,  a  most  humane  and  efficient  executive,  was 
deeply  interested  in  the  project.  General  Sheets  was  made  the  first  superintendent 
under  the  new  organization  and  lent  himself  to  the  task  of  putting  matters  in  order 
with  great  industry  and  efficiency.  He  continued  to  hold  the  position  until  Septem- 
ber, when  he  was  succeeded  by  Maj.  R..  W.  McClaughry,  who  had  served  the  State 
in  the  capacity  of  warden  of  one  of  its  prisons.  No  better  appointment  could  have 
been  made.  Governor  Fifer  selected  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  Gen. 
Samuel  Fallows,  widely  known  as  Bishop  Fallows,  of  Chicago,  and  he  has  continued 
to  hold  the  place  until  the  present.     The  selection  of  such  a  man  for  so  responsible 

33 


514  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

a  position  was  a  voucher  that  the  affairs  of  the  institution  would  be  looked  after 
with  extreme  intelligence  and  faithfulness. 

Major  McClaughry  served  the  Board  of  Trustees  until  called  to  take  charge  of 
one  of  the  national  prisons.  He  was  succeeded  by  M.  M.  Mallary,  of  Lacon.  He 
held  the  position  until  1910,  when  Judge  R.  A.  Russell,  long  the  county  judge  of 
McLean  county,  was  appointed  to  succeed  him.  The  institution  is  now  in  an  admir- 
able condition.     Details  may  be  obtained  from  the  reports  of  the  officials. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  515 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
SCHOOL  JOURNALISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

ENSLEY  T.  and  C.  Goudy  began  in  January,  1837,  to  publish  the  first  educa- 
tional journal  in  Illinois,  probably  the  first  in  the  Mississippi  valley.  It  was 
entitled  Common  School  Advocate,  and  was  issued  monthly.  Only  a  printer 
like  Goudy,  who  failed  in  many  journalistic  undertakings,  would  have  had  the  courage 
to  use  labor,  ink  and  paper,  even,  in  publishing  a  school  journal  in  Illinois  at  that 
time.  There  was  no  common-school  system;  there  were  no  required  qualifications 
for  school-teachers,  and  there  was  a  latent  antagonism  on  the  part  of  a  large  portion 
of  the  populace  to  an  educational  S3^stem  which  would  entail  taxation.  "We  appre- 
hend," said  S.  S.  Brooks,  editor  of  the  Jacksonville  Gazette  and  News,  in  a  notice  of 
the  Common  School  Advocate,  "there  is  not  sufficient  intelligence  among  the  mass  of 
teachers  in  the  State  to  appreciate  the  merits  of  such  a  work,  nor  interest  enough 
taken  by  parents  in  the  success  of  common  schools,  or  in  the  education  of  their 
children,  to  induce  them  to  extend,  at  the  present  time,  an  adequate  support  to  the 
enterprise."  The  editorial  labor  was  done  by  "a  few  literary  gentlemen  who,  from 
their  deep  interest  in  this  subject,  generously  volimteered  their  services  for  one 
year  without  remuneration. "  Samuel  Willard  ascribes  the  editorship  to  Rev.  Theron 
Baldwin.  But  Brooks'  pessimism  seems  to  have  been  warranted,  for  the  journal 
did  not  continue  beyond  the  year.  The  failure  of  the  Advocate  was  the  fate  of  all 
educational  journals,  four  in  number,  which  had  been  established  up  to  that  time 
in  the  United  States.  The  first  was  begun  in  1818;  the  least  unsuccessful  lived  ten 
years;  others,  four,  two  and  one,  respectively.  Considering  the  conditions  the 
Common  School  Advocate  had  its  due  length  of  life.* 

The  paper  was  published  at  Jacksonville.  It  is  probable  that  the  editorial 
assistance  mentioned  came  from  the  faculty  of  Illinois  College.  The  C.  Goudy 
mentioned  was  Calvin  Goudy,  who  w^as  a  member  of  the  legislature  twenty  years 
later  and  aided  greatly  in  securing  the  Normal  University.  He  was  also  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  State  of  Illinois  for  a  number  of  years,  and  is  well 
remembered  by  the  writer  as  a  most  zealous  school  man.  He  has  received  mention 
elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Of  this  paper  Mr.  Pillsbury  says:  "  The  Advocate  —  eleven  of  the  twelve  numbers 
published  are  before  me  —  was  an  8-page  quarto,  10  by  12  inches,  three  cohimns 
to  the  page,  a  part  in  long  primer  but  the  most  in  brevier,  and  both  typography 
and  presswork,  as  well  as  paper,  being  such  as  to  be  a  credit  to  the  publishers.  The 
editors  of  school  journals  .to-day  would,  I  am  sure,  agree  that  the  Advocate  was  ably 

*Illinois  Historical  Collections,  Volume  VI. 


516  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

edited.     The  character  of  the  paper  is  well  shown  by  a  list  of  topics  suggested  in 
the  first  editorial  to  such  as  might  write  for  the  Advocate. 

"  The  same  editorial  urged  also  the  importance  of  National  and  vState  Secretaries 
of  Education.  This  is  the  first  mention  that  I  have  found  of  a  State  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction  for  Illinois." 

Dr.  Willard  says  that  "from  May  to  September,  1841,  E.  R.  Wiley,  of  Spring- 
field, issued  the  Illinois  Common  School  Advocate,  but  this  undertaking  proved 
premature." 

Respecting  this  paper,  Mr.  Pillsbury  says:  "In  May,  1841,  appeared  the  first 
number  of  the  Illinois  Common  School  Advocate,  published  at  Springfield  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Illinois  State  Education  Society,  and  in  accordance  with  a  resolution 
passed  by  it  December  28,  1840,  requiring  the  directory  of  the  Society  to  issue  a 
periodical  paper.  Edmund  R.  Wiley  and  Albert  T.  Bledsoe  were  the  publishing 
committee,  as  appears  from  the  first  two  numbers;  afterwards  the  name  of  Mr. 
Bledsoe  is  dropped. 

"  The  motto  of  the  Advocate  was:  '  In  Proportion  as  the  Structure  of  a  Govern- 
ment Gives  Force  to  Public  Opinion,  it  is  Essential  that  Public  Opinion  Should  be 
Enlightened. ' — Washington. 

"  It  bore  this  endorsement: 

'  From  otir  knowledge  of  the  individuals  concerned  in  the  i^ublication  of  the  Illi- 
nois Common  School  Advocate,  and  our  conviction  of  the  vital  importance  of  the 
interests  which  it  is  designed  to  promote,  we  cordially  recommend  it  to  the  support 
of  our  friends  and  the  public;  and  hope  that  every  citizen  will  consider  it  a  duty 
and  a  pleasure  to  aid  in  extending  its  circulation  to  every  school  and  family  in  the 
State.  Joseph  Duncan,  Silas  W.  Robbins, 

S.  A.  Douglas,  J.   M.  Sturtevant, 

Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  J.  W.  Meril, 

Thomas  Ford,  Charles  Dresser. 

"  The  Advocate  was  a  32-page  octavo,  83^  inches  by  6  inches,  two  columns  on 
a  page.  The  four  numbers  (it  is  said  five  were  published)  which  I  have,  were  edited 
chiefly  '  with  the  scissors. '  Besides  its  salutatories,  it  has  editorials  advocating  the 
support  of  schools  by  taxation,  teaching  music  in  common  schools,  and  the  forma- 
tion of  teachers'  associations." 

The  Union  Agriculturist  and  Prairie  Farmer  was  established  in  1841  by  the  Union 
Agricultural  Society,  and  edited  in  the  beginning  by  the  corresponding  secretary, 
John  S.  Wright.  At  the  close  of  the  second  volume  the  publication  passed  from  the 
Society  to  John  S.  Wright,  with  whom  J.  Ambrose  Wright  became  associated  as 
editor.  The  title  was  then  changed  to  the  Prairie  Farmer.  This  paper  is  still 
published. 

In  its  early  life  it  was  as  well  a  school  journal  as  an  agricultural  journal.  Indeed, 
it  was  the  best  of  school  journals,  for  it  went  to  the  people  who  were  most  of  all  in 
need  of  being  influenced  in  matters  of  education,  and  a  school  journal  would  never 
have  reached  them. 

Previous  mention  has  been  made  of  the  activity  of  Mr.  Wright  in  the  promotion 
of  the  common  school  interests.     He  came  to  Chicago  in  the  fall  of  1832,  when  he 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  517 

was  seventeen  ye^ars  of  age.  Before  he  was  twenty-one  he  had  acquired  a  large 
property.  In  the  panic  of  1837  his  property  was  swept  away  because  he  was  a  few 
thousand  dollars  in  debt  and  could  not  realize  on  his  holdings.  He  is  credited  with 
the  erection  at  his  own  expense  of  the  first  building  intended  for  the  use  of  a  school 
in  the  city  of  Chicago,  because  of  the  interest  of  his  mother  in  an  elementary  school. 
After  the  loss  of  his  property  he  devoted  himself  and  his  energies  to  agricultural 
and  educational  interests.  It  was  at  his  suggestion  that  the  Union  Agricultural 
Society  lent  its  name  to  the  enterprise.  He  published  two  advance  numbers  in  the 
fall  of  1840.  "  In  these  he  wrote  at  length  of  the  great  need  in  the  new  country  of 
good  teachers,  and  proposed  as  the  remedy  that  the  State  should  at  once  establish 
a  teachers'  seminary  and  endow  it  with  the  College  and  Seminary  Funds.  So  far 
as  I  have,  found  this  is  the  first  definite  proposition  for  a  State  Normal  vSchool  in 
Illinois."     (Pillsbury.) 

In  the  first  number  of  the  paper  he  returns  to  his  idea  of  the  Normal  school  and 
declares  that  having  interviewed  many  members  of  the  legislature  he  finds  a  strong 
sentiment  in  favor  of  the  plan. 

Mr.  Wright  and  his  Prairie  Farmer  were  in  the  thick  of  the  fight  for  public  schools 
and  professional  education  for  teachers,  and  the  State  superintendent  and  the  county 
superintendents,  and  for  everything  else  that  he  regarded  as  helpful  to  the  cause. 
It  is  difficult  to  see  how  the  success  that  was  achieved  could  have  been  accomplished 
without  them.  It  was  a  piece  of  the  greatest  good  fortune  to  all  concerned  that 
he  determined  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  school  people  and  with  the  agriculttiral 
interests.  For  nearly  twenty  years  he  was  the  most  energetic  private  citizen  con- 
nected with  these  great  interests,  with  the  possible  exception  of  Professor  Turner. 
"  From  the  start  (of  the  Prairie  Farmer)  in  1841,  until  the  publication  of  the  Illinois 
Teacher  was  begun  in  1855  this  paper  occupied  the  field  of  school  journalism  in 
Illinois.  The  school  history  of  this  period  must  be  largely  written  from  its  pages." 
(Pillsbury.) 

THE  "ILLINOIS  TEACHER." 

At  the  Bloomington  Convention  of  1853,  called  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  the 
State  Teachers'  Association,  the  committee  on  business  reported  as  one  of  the  reso- 
lutions proposed  for  discussion,  the  following:  "  That  the  convention  take  measures 
to  secure  the  establishment  of  a  paper  or  periodical  devoted  to  the  interests  of  com- 
mon-school education." 

This  resolution  was  adopted.  The  committee  on  publication  consisted  of  C.  G. 
Hawthorne,  of  Chicago;  Bronson  Murray,  of  La  Salle  cotmty;  C.  C.  Bonney  and 
W.  F.  M.  Arny.  At  the  Peoria  meeting  the  next  year,  the  plans  for  the  appearance 
of  the  Illinois  Teacher  were  completed.  A  committee  was  appointed  to^edit  the 
journal.  The  first  number  appeared  February,  1855.  Daniel  Wilkins  and  W.  H. 
H.  Amy  were  the  managing  editors.  It  was  not  a  financial  success  the  first  year, 
nor  did  the  editorial  committee  of  twelve  members,  widely  scattered  over  the  State, 
make  a  great  success  of  the  editorial  work.  Perhaps  it  was  done  as  well  as  could 
have  been  expected  when  all  of  the  circumstances  are  taken  into  account.  Indeed, 
from  that  day  to  this  the  publishing  of  school  journals  has  had  a  large  admixture  of 


518  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

philanthropy.  The  succeeding  year  a  wiser  poHcy  was  adopted;  one  editor  was 
chosen  and  he  added  to  his  editorial  duties  those  also  of  business  manager.  As 
a  consequence  the  paper  soon  reached  a  self-supporting  circulation.  We  have  heard 
of  him  before.  His  name  was  Charles  E.  Hovey.  Mrs.  Hovey  took  charge  of  the 
subscriptions  and  personally  mailed  the  journals.  At  the  end  of  the  first  year  there 
was  a  paying  list  that  was  well  up  to  the  two  thousand  mark  and  the  next  year  it 
touched  it.  But  he  now  had  a  Normal  school  to  build,  so  he  turned  the  work  over 
to  Dr.  Bateman.  It  had  done  its  part  in  the  fight  for  the  Normal  school  and  thus 
had  justified  the  demand  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association  for  aii  organ. 

When  the  Association  met  in  1858,  there  was  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  several 
of  the  leading  members  to  free  the  organization  from  all  responsibility  for  the  further 
support  of  the  paper.  The  contest  was  a  memorable  one.  A  report  of  the  discus- 
sions covers  several  pages  of  the  printed  proceedings.  The  measure  at  last  carried. 
A  few  responsible  men,  among  whom  were  Hovey,  Hewett,  Bateman  and  a  dozen 
more  of  their  sort,  met  and  chose  Charles  A.  Dupee  editor,  and  Hewett  mathematical 
editor,  pledged  twenty-five  dollars  each  to  meet  current  expenses  and  started  the 
Teacher  on  another  year.  It  made  its  monthly  visits  to  its  subscribers  and  came 
up  smiling  at  the  end  of  the  period.  Its  vitality  was  marvelous.  When  disaster 
seemed  impending  its  friends  rallied  around  it  and  kept  it  moving. 

In  1860,  Dr.  Samuel  Willard,  who  was  then  a  teacher  in  the  new  Normal  school, 
assumed  editorial  control.  He  continued  through  1861.  Alexander  M.  Gow  fol- 
lowed him  in  1862  and  1863.  S.  A.  Briggs,  who  had  been  Gow's  assistant,  served 
in  1864;  Richard  Edwards  in  1865  and  1866;  William  M.  Baker,  in  1867,  1868  and 
1869.  In  1870,  S.  H.  White,  who  had  been  serving  as  assistant  for  five  years,  accepted 
the  editorship  and  continued  it  for  two  years.  E.  W.  Coy,  for  the  last  thirty-eight 
years  principal  of  the  Hughes  High  School,  Cincinnati,  was  his  assistant.  In  accord- 
ance with  the  most  approved  principle  of  civil  service,  he  succeeded  to  the  editor's 
chair  in  1872.  At  the  close  of  the  year  the  journal  was  sold  to  Aaron  Gove  and 
E.  C.  Hewett  and  was  merged  in  The  Illinois  Schoolmaster,  which  they  were  con- 
ducting at  Normal. 

One  of  the  leading  functions  of  this  pioneer  school  journal  was  the  training  of 
editors  who  were  willing  to  work  for  no  other  compensation  than  the  consciousness 
that  they  were  serving  the  cause  of  education.  Counting  the  twelve  monthly  editors 
who  served  the  first  year,  there  were  twenty- two  in  the  aggregate.  There  were,  in 
addition  to  this  list,  several  assistants  that  have  not  been  enumerated.  Among  these 
were  James  H.  Blodgett,  Professors  Stetson  and  Pillsbury,  of  the  Normal  School, 
and  Professor  Standish,  of  Galesburg. 

The  journal  had  finally  become  the  property  of  a  printer  by  the  name  of  N.  C. 
Nason.  He  was  far  more  than  a  printer,  however.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  intelli- 
gence and  sacrificed  no  little  for  the  good  of  the  school  folk.  Gove  and  Hewett 
purchased  the  good- will  for  a  small  consideration. 

"THE  SCHOOLMASTER." 

Some  time  in  the  year  1866,  E.  D.  Harris,  of  Normal,  Illinois,  started  a  small 
paper  with  an  educational  bias,  which  he  called  The  Normal  Index.     Some  two  years 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  519 

later,  Mr.  John  Hull,  then  county  superintendent  of  schools  in  the  county  of  McLean, 
purchased  the  paper,  changed  its  name  to  The  Schoolmaster,  enlarged  and  otherwise 
improved  it,  and  pushed  it  into  public  notice.  Prof.  Albert  Stetson,  of  the  State 
Normal  School,  was  associated  with  Mr.  Hull  in  the  editorial  management.  In 
May,  1870,  Mr.  I.  S.  Baker,  principal  of  the  Skinner  school,  Chicago,  joined  forces 
with  Professor  Stetson  in  the  control  of  the  paper,  and  its  influence  began  to  grow 
in  a  very  tangible  way.  In  July  of  the  same  year,  it  was  thought  advisable  to  remove 
the  office  of  publication  from  Bloomington  to  Chicago,  and  its  name  was  changed 
to  The  Chicago  Schoolmaster.  In  May,  1871,  Mr.  Hull  sold  the  paper  to  Mr.  Aaron 
Gove,  of  Normal,  who  was  soon  joined  by  Professor  Hewett  of  the  Normal  School. 
Mr.  Gove  took  general  charge  of  the  paper.  In  1873,  as  has  been  stated,  these  gentle- 
men purchased  the  Illinois  Teacher,  consolidated  it  with  The  Chicago  Schoolmaster 
and  called  it  The  Illinois  Schoolmaster.  In  1874  Mr.  Gove  sold  his  interest  in  the 
paper  to  John  W.  Cook,  a  teacher  in  the  Normal  School.  Professor  Hewett  con- 
tinued to  retain  an  interest  in  the  paper  although  not  actively  engaged  in  its  man- 
agement. In  January,  1876,  The  Illinois  Schoolmaster  and  several  other  educational 
magazines  in  the  Northwest  were  purchased  by  S.  R.  Winchell  and  tmited  in  the 
Educational  Weekly.  The  life  of  this  paper  was  comparatively  brief.  The  West 
seemed  not  yet  ready  for  so  radical  a  change  in  educational  journalism.  In  the 
more  populous  East  a  weekly  had  made  a  place  for  itself  and  it  had  already  found 
generous  patronage  in  the  Northwest. 

While  The  Schoolmaster  had  no  hobby,  it  printed  a  good  deal  of  valuable  matter. 
Its  contributors  were  among  the  leaders  of  educational  thought  in  the  State.  Dr. 
J.  A.  Sewell,  a  teacher  of  the  Normal  School,  and  later  the  first  president  of  the 
University  of  Colorado,  was  a  frequent  writer  for  its  pages  in  the  early  and  middle 
seventies.  E.  C.  Hewett,  H.  H.  Belfield,  E.  C.  Smith  —  familiarly  known  as  "  Smith 
of  Dixon" — Alfred  Kirk,  O.  Blackman,  and  the  gifted  and  lamented  Jeremiah 
Mahoney  did  far  more  than  any  others  during  the  editorial  management  of  Mr. 
Baker.  The  versatile  Jonathan  Piper  came  across  the  line  from  Iowa  about  that 
time  and  introduced  himself  to  the  Illinois  pedagogues  by  some  spicy  extracts  from 
a  notebook  filled  with  observations  upon  things  that  he  had  seen  in  the  schools. 
Aaron  Gove  occupied  the  humble  position  of  editor  for  the  Illinois  Normal  Depart- 
ment, all  unmindful  of  the  dignities  that  were  soon  to  devolve  upon  him  as  editor- 
in-chief. 

In  May,  1871,  Mr.  Baker  retired  from  the  editorial  management.  While  he  was 
in  no  sense  a  brilliant  editor  he  was  helpful  and  thoroughly  in  earnest".  In  the 
management  of  a  large  city  school  he  was  constantly  in  the  presence  of  the  problems 
that  confronted  his  readers.  He  treated  them  from  the  practical  rather  than  from 
the  theoretical  standpoint.  When  Mr.  Gove  took  charge  he  found  a  respectable 
subscription  list,  a  fair  reputation,  and  almost  a  free  field. 

In  1872  Mr.  Gove  began  the  publication  of  a  series  of  language  lessons.  They 
were  a  new  departure  in  the  way  of  language  teaching  and  attracted  no  little  atten- 
tion. They  were  in  a  way  the  forerunner  of  that  large  crop  of  "Introductions  to 
Grammar"  that  soon  crowded  the  market.  Their  author  was  W.  B.  Powell,  after- 
wards so  widely  knoWn  for  his  readers,  his  books  on  language,  and  for  his  great  work 


520  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

as  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Washington  city.  Whether  Mr.  Powell  or  Hiram 
Hadley  was  first  in  this  field  the  writer  is  unable  to  decide.  Jeremiah  Mahoney 
continued  to  contribute  his  brilliant  and  original  articles.  Among  the  occasional 
contributors  were  President  J.  M.  Gregory,  of  the  University  of  Illinois;  O.  S.  West- 
cott,  still  a  teacher  in  the  Chicago  schools  and  learning  a  new  language  every  year 
or  two ;  George  Rowland,  then  the  principal  of  the  Chicago  High  School  —  there 
was  but  one  in  those  days;  "Father"  Roots,  of  "Egypt;"  E.  A.  Gastman,  J.  H. 
Blodgett,  J.  L.  Pickard,  Superintendent  of  the  Chicago  schools;  Hon.  Newton  Bate- 
man,  Prof.  S.  A.  Forbes,  President  Richard  Edwards,  Henry  L.  Boltwood  and  Dr. 
Samuel  Willard.  Mary  Allen  West  made  her  bow  as  a  writer  of  short  educational 
stories.  Her  name  was  destined  to  become  a  household  word  in  the  Northwest 
because  of  her  devotion  to  the  cause  of  temperance.  She  died  in  far-away  Japan 
and  lie's  in  the  quiet  cemetery  in  Galesburg,  where  her  loving  pupils  laid  her  with 
grateful  benedictions. 

This  was  a  brilliant  group  of  writers.  They  made  their  contributions  without 
money  and  without  price.  It  would  not  have  been  possible  to  compensate  them  out 
of  the  proceeds  of  the  enterprise. 

In  1874  Mr.  Gove  was  called  to  the  superintendency  of  the  schools  of  Denver, 
where  he  was  to  remain  for  thirty  years  and  make  a  national  reputation  for  himself. 
He  was  succeeded  by  the  present  writer  in  the  editorial  and  business  management 
of  the  magazine.  There  was  little  change  in  its  policy  or  general  character.  As 
I  look  over  the  numbers  that  were  prepared  amid  the  pressing  duties  of  a  very  busy 
life  I  am  impressed  with  the  fact  that  we  were  only  playing  at  school  journalism. 
Little  was  really  lost  when  the  paper  was  merged  in  The  Educational  Weekly.  And 
the  cause  of  popular  education  did  not  go  to  the  wall  when  that  ambitious  effort 
ended  in  financial  disaster.  Civilization  seems  capable  of  surviving  the  decay  of 
some  of  its  most  conspicuous  pillars. 

Excellent  financial  support  was  given  to  The  Illinois  Schoolmaster  when  Mr. 
Hewett  and  myself  were  obliged  to  look  the  printer  in  the  face.  I  am  sure  that  we 
received  fair  financial  compensation  for  the  work  we  put  upon  it.  And  the  book 
publishers  —  those  genial  gentlemen  who  made  their  benefactions  under  the  pleasing 
guise  of  business  —  made  educational  journalism  possible  by  their  generous  patron- 
age in  the  advertising  pages.     Did  they  get  back  cents  where  they  put  in  dollars? 

"THE  ILLINOIS  SCHOOL  JOURNAL." 

Late  in  the  seventies  —  exactly  when,  the  writer  is  unable  to  say  —  a  certain 
gentleman  of  Napoleonic  qualities  conceived  the  notion  that  it  was  possible  to  cover 
the  whole  field  of  American  school  journalism  by  a  very  simple  and  economical 
arrangement.  If  we  are  really  a  Nation  —  with  a  big  N  —  why  should  not  the 
same  matter  answer  as  well  for  one  State  as  for  another?  Full  of  this  idea  this 
ingenious  gentleman  cast  about  for  the  necessary  talent  to  give  a  local  coloring  to 
each  of  the  communities  that  he  desired  to  serve.  He  was  very  fortunate  in  his 
choice  for  Illinois.  There  was  a  young  man  "of  excellent  pith,"  who  was  working 
on  a  small  salary  as  principal  of  the  grammar  room  in  the  practice  school  of  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  521 

Illinois  State  Normal  University.  His  name  is  Charles  DeGarmo.  It  has  since 
become  quite  familiar  about  the  country,  because  of  the  books  that  he  has  written 
and  the  work  that  he  has  done  at  the  head  of  the  pedagogical  department  of  Cornell 
University.  He  was  promptly  engaged  as  local  editor.  It  was  supposed  to  be  his 
duty  to  gather  a  little  something  to  indicate  that  the  school  people  were  not  for- 
gotten in  the  largeness  of  sweep  of  the  eyes  of  the  editor-in-chief. 

But  before  many  moons  the  young  man  became  disgusted  with  the  management 
of  the  venture,  which  had  received  the  modest  title  of  the  News  Gleaner.  He  bought 
out  the  Illinois  edition  and  soon  another  school  paper  was  launched  on  the  perilous 
sea  of  educational  journalism.     It  was  christened  The  Illinois  School  Journal. 

The  first  number  was  highly  promising.  It  appeared  May,  1881.  It  was  nearly 
the  size  of  The  Illinois  Schoolmaster,  was  filled  with  practical  material  all  ready  to 
be  served,  it  had  discarded  a  considerable  part  of  the  news  notion,  and  showed 
a  page  of  wide-awake  editorial  matter  that  had  a  snap  to  it.  There  was  associated 
with  Mr.  DeGarmo  the  young  principal  of  the  high-school  department  of  the  Normal 
University.  Edmund -Janes  James  had  already  done  admirable  work  abroad  and 
in  this  country,  and  was  on  the  way  to  that  eminence  that  he  has  won  as  a  great 
university  president.  With  two  such  spirits  in  charge  it  was  clear  that  in  the  race 
for  precedence  the  Journal  would  have  the  "pole"  at  the  start.  There  was  much 
of  the  audacity  and  dash  of  the  "Jerry"  Mahoney  articles.  Evidently  these  editors 
were  not  afraid. 

The  work  done  by  Dr.  James  in  the  pedagogical  courses  of  German  universities 
gave  a  dignity  and  character  to  whatever  he  chose  to  write  and  especially  to  his 
educational  articles.  They  at  once  began  to  attract  wide  attention.  It  was  a  new 
era  in  school  journalism.  The  old  contributors  began  to  reappear.  There  was  a 
happy  combination  of  philosophy  and  practical  ingenuity.  Dr.  James  was  pro- 
found; Mr.  DeGarmo  was  ingenious  and  inventive  in  the  line  of  schoolroom  devices. 

During  the  winter  Congress  was  discussing  the  question  of  national  aid  to  edu- 
cation. The  Journal  engaged  in  this  discussion  with  great  spirit  and  ability,  and 
formulated  one  of  the  plans  that  received  the  respectful  consideration  of  that  body. 
Members  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Illinois  seemed  not  unwilling  to  be  informed 
respecting  their  duties  in  the  line  of  popular  education  by  a  school  journal  that 
insisted  upon  being  heard. 

In  1883  Mr.  DeGarmo  determined  to  go  to  Germany  to  enter  upon  a  course 
of  imiversity  studies.  The  present  writer  purchased  the  paper  and  found  himself 
again  upon  the  editorial  tripod.  Mr.  DeGarmo  had  just  arranged  with  the  well 
known  writer  and  lecturer,  William  Hawley  Smith,  for  the  production  of  a  serial 
story  with  an  educational  motive.  Two  or  three  numbers  had  appeared  before 
I  succeeded  to  the  editorial  management.  I  soon  discovered,  from  the  large  increase 
in  the  subscription  list,  that  the  educational  public  was  disposed  to  give  its  cordial 
approval  to  the  idea.  "The  Evolution  of  Dodd"  was  no  less  a  business  than  a 
literary  success.  The  circulation  of  the  magazine  increased  with  great  rapidity  and 
the  back  numbers  were  soon  exhausted.  It  became  very  apparent  that  teachers  are 
not  averse  to  a  highly  practical  system  of  pedagogics  when  it  has  the  concrete  set- 
ting which  Mr.  Smith  so  happily  illustrated  in  his  charming  little  book.     The  enor- 


522  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

mous  circulation  which  it  has  enjoyed  has  valuable  suggestions  for  the  school  journal 
people. 

After  a  year  of  oppressive  labor  I  was  joined  by  Mr.  R.  R.  Reeder,  a  teacher  in 
the  Normal  School  and  for  the  last  few  years  the  superintendent  of  the  New  York 
State  Orphanage,  at  Hastings-on-Hudson.  He  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
reputable  of  all  the  workers  in  this  coimtry  engaged  in  the  education  of  those  unfor- 
tunate wards  of  the  State.  Little  is  to  be  said  of  our  success.  Financially  it  was 
unequivocal.     Educationally  there  is  little  of  which  to  be  proud. 

In  November,  1886,  the  magazine  was  purchased  by  Mr.  George  P.  Brown,  the 
widely  known  publicist  and  educational  philosopher,  who  had  made  an  enviable 
reputation  as  superintendent  of  the  city  schools  of  Indianapolis  and  as  president  of 
the  Indiana  State  Normal  School,  at  Terre  Haute.     The  name  was  soon  changed  to 

"THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  JOURNAL." 

This  journal  was  at  once  marked  by  the  remarkable  personality  of  its  editor 
He  began  to  train  a  body  of  readers  to  interest  themselves  in  really  difficult 
aspects  of  the  educational  problems  and  to  understand  a  rigorous  and  philosophic 
analysis  of  them.  It  was  a  compliment  to  the  teachers  to  assume  that  they  desired 
to  deal  with  fimdamentals.  In  consequence  of  the  character  of  the  topics  considered 
and  the  way  in  which  they  were  treated  the  Journal  won  the  high  respect  of  the  most 
capable  school  men  in  the  coimtry. 

Believing  that  the  school  must  have  the  cooperation  of  the  family  and  regarding 
it  as  a  possibility  to  interest  parents  in  the  work  of  educating  their  children  by 
cooperating  with  the  school,  the  name  of  the  magazine  was  changed  to 

• 
"SCHOOL  AND  HOME  EDUCATION." 

The  boimd  volumes  of  this  admirable  journal  constitute  a  unique  pedagogical 
library.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Brown,  which  occurred  in  1909,  the  management 
of  the  journal  devolved  upon  Mr.  George  A.  Brown,  who  had  been  for  several  years 
associated  with  the  management.     The  office  of  publication  is  Bloomington. 

"THE  CHICAGO  TEACHER." 

This  magazine  was  an  interesting  episode  in  the  history  of  educational  journalism 
in  Illinois.  It  merits  this  characterization  because  of  its  brief  career.  Allusion  has 
been  made  to  the  brilliant  but  somewhat  erratic  Jeremiah  Mahoney.  In  company 
with  Ira  S.  Baker  he  started  the  Teacher  in  1873.  It  was  destined  to  have  a  short 
history.  The  repute  of  Mr.  Mahoney  as  a  writer  and  the  excellent  business  capacity 
of  Mr.  Baker  put  it  upon  an  admirable  basis  very  soon.  The  death  of  the  editor 
accounts  for  its  early  disappearance. 

"OUR  COUNTRY  AND  VILLAGE  SCHOOLS." 

In  the  early  eighties  it  began  to  be  whispered  about  the  State  that  John  Trainer, 
county  superintendent  of  schools  of    Macon  county,  had  achieved  a  marked  sue- 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  523 

cess  of  the  schools  under  his  charge.  Mr.  Trainer  was  a  man  of  remarkable  ingenuity 
and  possessed  the  happy  faculty  of  interesting  the  public  in  his  work.  He  is  mainly 
entitled  to  the  credit  of  introducing  into  the  schools  of  Illinois  what  is  known  as 
"the  graded  course  for  country  schools."  To  extend  the  area  of  Mr.  Trainer's 
influence  and  also  to  derive  whatever  of  advantage  might  accrue  from  such  an  enter- 
prise, Mr.  Charles  I.  Powner  started  the  magazine  called  Our  Country  and  Village 
Schools.  It  was  a  happy  thought  and  deserved  success.  The  paper  soon  sprang 
into  a  prominence  that  was  beyond  its  merit,  but  its  publisher's  business  methods 
soon  wrecked  the  enterprise,  and  it  joined  the  melancholy  shades  of  defunct  school 
journals,  respectable  at  least  in  numbers.  The  idea  was  not  permitted  to 'drop, 
however,  for  another  and  wiser  publisher,  Mr.  C.  M.  Parker,  of  Taylorville,  started 

"THE  SCHOOL  NEWS  AND  PRACTICAL  EDUCATOR." 

This  excellent  school  periodical  grew  out  of  Mr.  C.  M.  Parker's  connection  with 
the  John  Trainer  movement  for  the  grading  of  country  schools.  It  has  now  occupied 
a  field  peculiarly  its  own  for  several  years.  Its  intimate  relation  to  the  Course  of 
Study  for  Coimtry  Schools,  used  so  generally  throughout  the  State,  has  given  it 
a  deserved  popularity  and  a  most  gratifying  success. 

"INTELLIGENCE." 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  Educational  Weekly.  It  was  an  attempt  to  com- 
bine a  number  of  existing  monthly  magazines  into  a  vigorous  weekly,  that  should 
do  for  the  West  what  Mr.  Bicknell's  great  venture.  New  England  Educational  Journal, 
was  expected  to  do  for  its  part  of  the  coimtry.  It  was  undertaken  by  Mr.  S.  R. 
Winchell.  In  1876  he  was  joined  in  the  management  by  Mr.  E.  O.  Vaile.  The  West 
did  not  take  kindly  to  the  weekly  idea  and  a  meritorious  enterprise  suffered  ship- 
wreck. 

The  Intelligence,  a  semi-monthly,  was  in  a  way  the  lineal  successor  of  the  Weekly. 
It  was  personally  conducted  and  usually  spoke  in  the  first  person.  Its  editor  was 
Mr.  E.  O.  Vaile  and  the  place  of  publication  was  Oak  Park.  The  editor  is  one  of 
the  most  capable  and  pungent  writers  that  have  had  to  do  with  educational  journalism 
in  Illinois.  He  did  not  attempt  to  deal  with  the  philosophical  presuppositions  of 
education,  but  was  a  most  acute  observer  of  current  events  and  tendencies  and  com- 
mented upon  them  with  a  shrewdness  and  critical  discrimination  that  have  not  been 
surpassed. 

In  connection  with  the  magazine  he  published  The  Week's  Current,  a  paper  for 
the  use  of  schools,  and  numerous  excellent  aids  to  school  work.  He  sold  the  paper 
to  an  eastern  combination,  but  the  purchasers  were  unsuccessful  and  Intelligence 
disappeared. 

OTHER  JOURNALS. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  to  write  of  the  more  recent  publications.  There  are  a 
number  of  them  that  are  proving  to  be  successful  ventures. 


524  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

GEORGE  P.  BROWN. 

George  P.  Brown  became  identified  for  the  first  time  with  education  in  IlHnois 
when  he  purchased  The  Illinois  School  Journal  in  1886,  and  became  a  permanent 
resident  of  Bloomington.  There  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  and  devoted  his 
energies  to  the  editorial  and  business  management  of  the  Journal  and  to  the  writing 
and  publication  of  books  especially  intended  for  teachers  and  for  schools. 

Mr.  Brown  was  born  at  Lennox,  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio,  on  November  10, 
1836.  After  attending  the  common  schools  he  went  to  Grand  River  Institute,  at 
Austinburg,  Ohio,  where  he  completed  his  course  when  a  young  man.  He  began 
teaching  when  but  sixteen  years  of  age,  in  a  coimtry  school  near  the  place  of  his 
birth.  In  1860  he  was  elected  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  at  Richmond, 
Indiana,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  eleven  years,  resigning  to  accept  the  prin- 
cipalship  of  the  high  school  in  Indianapolis.  After  serving  in  this  position  for  three 
years  he  was  promoted  to  the  superintendency  of  the  system  in  1874.  Here  he 
served  imtil  he  was  made  president  of  the  State  Normal  School,  at  Terre  Haute. 
This  institution  had  won  a  unique  place  among  the  schools  of  its  kind  in  this  country 
and  its  reputation  was  materially  enhanced  by  the  work  which  Mr.  Brown  did  while 
in  charge  of  it.  He  retired  from  the  presidency  in  1886,  and  for  the  rest  of  his  life 
was  devoted  to  the  work  indicated  above. 

He  was  the  author  of  "Elements  of  English  Grammar,"  "The  Story  of  Our 
English  Grandfathers,"  "The  King  and  His  Wonderful  Castle,"  and  other  books 
with  the  same  general  motive.  He  was  a  voluminous  writer,  not  alone  for  his  own 
publication,  but  for  the  press  of  the  city  in  which  he  lived. 

He  was  a  life-long  member  of  the  National  Education  Associatio;i  and  of  the 
National  Council  of  Education,  having  been  identified  with  them  from  their  organiza- 
tion. He  was  also  a  member  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science,  and  of  several  of  the  literary  clubs  of  the  city  in  which  he  lived.  He  died 
February,  1910. 

The  following  is  from  an  extended  notice  in  the  leading  paper  of  his  home  city, 
Bloomington : 

In  many  respects  Mr.  Brown  occupied  a  unique  position  in  this  community  —  a  position 
which  he  chiseled  out  for  himself  by  his  own  forceful  personality,  his  strong  moral  courage  and  his 
facility  in  directing  the  minds  of  the  people  in  matters  relating  to  their  own  welfare. 

For  some  years  he  has  been  looked  upon  as  a  free  lance  in  the  discussion  of  public  questions  in 
the  newspapers  and  on  the  platform.  Taking  pains  to  inform  himself  thoroughly  on  any  question 
of  acute  present  interest,  Mr.  Brown  concentrated  the  powers  of  his  really  wonderfully  trained  mind 
upon  the  subject  until  he  had  mastered  all  of  the  phases  of  it.  Then  with  a  remarkable  facility  of 
expression  in  written  and  spoken  language  he  stated  the  truth  as  it  seemed  to  him,  and  reiterated 
the  principles  in  which  he  believed,  until  in  time  the  trend  of  public  thinking  was  apt  to  follow  him, 
although  at  first  it  had  been  hostile.  The  sincerity  and  honesty  of  Mr.  Brown's  advocacy  of  any 
given  proposition  was  never  anywhere  questioned,  even  by  those  who  were  most  averse  to  following 
him.  His  efforts  were  always  for  the  betterment  of  the  life  of  the  city  in  which  he  lived  and  of  the 
commonwealth  and  the  republic  to  which  he  was  unbending  in  his  allegiance.  In  doing  so  he 
feared  no  party  lash  and  worshiped  no  party  fetich.  While  nominally  affiliating  with  the 
Republican  party  in  national  politics,  his  independence  of  thought  led  him  to  break  away  from  the 
current  trend  of  Republican  policies  on  more  than  one  occasion. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  525 

In  municipal  affairs  one  of  his  most  noticeable  efforts  at  bettering  conditions  was  his  leadership 
in  the  formation  of  the  Municipal  League,  in  the  city  campaign  of  1907.  His  personal  work  was 
largely  responsible  for  that  organization  which,  while  it  failed  so  far  as  electing  any  of  its  candidates, 
yet  succeeded  in  calling  attention  to  many  matters  in  local  politics  which  demanded  the  kind  of  dis- 
interested consideration  which  Mr.  Brown  gave  to  them.  The  very  latest  question  in  which  he  took 
a  prominent  part  in  discussing  was  the  gas  franchise.  The  last  article  which  appeared  in  a  local 
paper  over  the  signature  of  Mr.  Brown  was  a  very  able  contribution  to  The  Pantagraph  of  January  14, 
entitled  "Democracy  or  Plutocracy  —  Which?"  This  was  a  calm  treatment  of  some  of  the  present 
tendencies  in  national  politics. 

As  an  educator  Mr.  Brown  was  much  in  demand  for  addresses  before  learned  societies.  He 
delighted  in  philosophical  studies  for  their  own  sake,  and  for  many  years  gathered  around  him  a  little 
band  of  kindred  spirits  who  sat  at  his  feet  in  weekly  meetings  to  hear  his  discourse  on  questions  of 
religion  and  metaphysics. 

The  following  extracts  are  from  one  of  three  addresses  given  at  his  funeral : 

About  1884  I  came  upon  an  article  in  an  educational  magazine,  that  marked  a  turning  point  in 
my  intellectual  life.  It  was  one  of  those  cross-roads  experiences  upon  which  we  afterwards  dwell 
with  fond  recollections  and  that  we  count  as  epochal  in  our  careers.  It  was  a  philosophical  discus- 
sion of  the  nature  of  human  freedom.  I  clipped  it  from  its  setting  and  carried  it  in  my  pocket  until 
it  was  worn  to  shreds.  It  gave  me  a  footing  where  I  had  been  groping  in  a  blind  way  and  I  had  a 
warm  desire  to  meet  the  writer  in  order  that  I  might  express  my  gratitude  to  him  by  word  of  mouth. 
One  day  I  received  a  letter  from  a  gentleman  whose  name  I  at  once  recognized  as  that  of  the  author 
of  the  article  which  had  illuminated  the  darkness  of  my  thought.  He  solicited  an  interview  with  regard 
to  the  purchase  of  a  teachers'  magazine  which  I  was  then  engaged  in  editing  and  publishing  in  con- 
junction with  R.  R.  Reeder.  He  came,  and  on  that  day  began  one  of  the  most  delightful  and  stimu- 
lating friendships  that  I  have  ever  known.  It  has  continued  to  the  present  without  a  moment's 
interruption,  nor  is  it  now  to  cease  although  the  tide  has  borne  him  out  to  sea  and  my  poor  eyes  no 
longer  catch  the  gleaming  of  his  sail. 


He  who  lies  here  to-day  was  the  friend  of  man.  He  greatly  loved  the  companionship  of  those 
congenial  spirits  who  were  seized  with  the  same  enthusiasms  as  himself.  He  enjoyed  in  a  rare  and 
beautiful  way  the  search  with  them  for  hidden  truth,  the  subtle  dialectic  with  which  mind  encounters 
mind  in  its  efforts  to  fathom  the  mystery  of  its  own  existence;  but  he  was,  as  well,  the  friend  of  man, 
the  common  rhan,  as  we  blindly  call  him,  not  less  than  the  exceptional  man.  He  was  not  only  sage 
and  writer  and  publicist;  he  was  also  that  which  alone  makes  all  the  rest  significant:  he  was  a  phil- 
anthropist. 

And  the  conditions  of  his  early  life,  in  some  happy  way,  turned  him  into  the  lines  of  effort  that 
offered  the  widest  opportunity  for  the  free  exercise  of  his  dominating  passion.  For  he  was  essentially 
and  fundamentally  a  teacher  of  his  fellow  men.  -  Here  was  the' field  in  which  his  philanthropy  was 
to  manifest  itself,  for  the  greatest  thing  that  man  can  do  for  man  is  to  help  him  to  help  himself.  He 
saw  this  truth  as  Socrates  saw  it  when  he  struggled  to  resolve  the  conflict  between  the  exacting  insti- 
tutionalism  of  the  old  Greek  life  and  the  extreme  individuahsm  of  the  new.  He  saw  it  as  Pestalozzi 
saw  it  when  he  strove  to  rescue  the  children  of  his  native  Switzerland  from  the  curse  of  ignorance 
where  there  were  no  schools,  and  from  the  benumbing  influence  of  a  wretched  system  of  instruction 
where  there  were.  He  believed  with  all  his  soul  in  the  formative  and  also  in  the  redemptive  power 
of  education.  And  it  was  into  this  calling  that  he  threw  himself  with  all  of  the  ardor  of  an  intense 
and  tireless  nature. 

Naturally  reflective  he  soon  found  himself  attempting  to  solve  some  of  the  ultimate  problems 
of  education.  He  sought  the  aid  of  those  great  minds  that  have  made  their  times  epochal  by  their 
contributions  to  human  knowledge  and  especially  by  their  contributions  to  a  knowledge  of  humanity 
itself.  He  wanted  to  discover  the  way  in  which  the  mind  performs  the  miracle  of  learning,  and  espec- 
ially how  that  learning  becomes  a  constant  and  unerring  guide  to  daily  living.     He  was  the  implac- 


526  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

able  foe  of  shallow  routine  and  meaningless  iteration,  so  he  sought  the  companionship  of  the  masters 
of  men  and  he  would  not  let  them  go  until  they  5aelded  to  him  the  essence  of  their  message  to  the 
world.  Men  sometimes  called  him  a  dealer  in  abstract  subtleties  and  begged  him  to  walk  upon  the 
solid  ground,  but  their  voices  were  lost  in  the  empty  air;  he  pursued  his  quest  and  came  back  to  his 
daily  task  with  a  new  light  upon  his  face  and  with  a  new  revelation  for  the  teacher  and  the  child. 
He  would  have  every  teacher  of  the  children  a  prophet  of  the  new  life  of  the  spirit  and  thus  he  would 
have  the  school  of  the  people  join  hands  with  the  family  in  the  upbuilding  of  a  great  nation  and  a 
great  race. 

But  the  life  of  the  school  was  too  severe  a  tax  upon  his  physical  endurance.  The  time  arrived 
when  he  was  obliged  to  choose  between  the  surrender  of  the  exacting  duties  of  school  administration 
and  a  permanent  invalidism.  And  thus  it  was  that  he  came  to  Bloomington  and  cast  in  his  lot  with 
those  of  us  who  were  here.  He  purchased  the  magazine  property  to  which  I  have  referred  and  began 
his  new  career  of  teaching  at  longer  range.  He  was  now  in  the  high  maturity  of  his  remarkable 
intellectual  powers  and  his  entrance  into  the  field  of  educational  journalism  introduced  a  new  and 
extremely  virile  element. 

He  began  at  once  the  discussion  of  matters  of  genuine  import.  He  did  not  shrink  from  the 
consideration  of  a  subject  because  it  was  difficult,  nor  from  the  oft-repeated  remark  that  his  readers 
might  not  understand  what  he  had  to  say.  He  believed  that  men  and  women  desire  fundamental 
truth  and  he  began  deliberately  to  accustom  those  who  cared  to  follow  him  to  an  abiding  faith  in  the 
existence  of  universal  principles  of  guidance  in  the  extraordinary  art  of  education,  and  also  to  inspire 
them  with  a  splendid  courage  in  the  endeavor  to  discover  and  master  them.  Like  Aristotle,  he  was 
"the  master  of  those  who  know."  The  journal  that  he  edited  at  once  won  a  unique  eminence  in 
American  education. 

But  his  separation  from  the  mind-to-mind  and  heart-to-heart  contact  of  the  schoolroom  was 
a  sore  trial.  As  a  compensation  he  soon  gathered  about  him  for  an  evening  a  week  those  who  hun- 
gered for  leadership  in  the  field  of  philosophic  thought.  As  those  who  walked  with  Plato,  while  he 
discoursed  upon  the  great  themes  that  pressed  for  solution  in  the  Greek  life  of  his  time,  reverted 
with  fond  satisfaction  to  the  shades  of  the  Academy,  so  does  the  thought  of  those  who  were  privileged 
to  sit  at  the  feet  of  this  great  teacher  return  with  grateful  delight  to  that  modest  home  wherein  they 
had  their  new  intellectual  birth.  Bloomington  has  had  no  similar  organization  in  the  half  century 
that  I  have  known  it.  The  earlier  seminars  were  devoted  mainly  to  the  study  of  certain  of  the 
modern  German  philosophers  in  their  investigations  of  the  nature  and  processes  of  knowledge. 
Later,  the  literary  bibles  of  the  Italians,  the  Germans  and  the  English-speaking  peoples  were 
selected  for  study  and  for  free  discussion,  and  always  for  the  purpose  of  penetrating  to  the  motive 
of  the  poem,  the  ultimate  theme  that  was  struggling  to  express  itself. 

Such  were  the  occupations  that  engaged  the  attention  of  those  who  constituted  the  membership 
of  those  devoted  groups  of  students.  No  nobler  themes  can  attract  the  attention  of  the  human  minds 
than  those  that  lie  at  the  heart  of  great  literature.  Sin  and  its  dreadful  expiation ;  the  struggle  between 
the  sense  of  duty  and  the  pull  of  inclination ;  God,  Freedom,  and  Immortality  —  these  sphinx -problems 
of  life,  that  urge  themselves  upon  the  thought  of  all  that  have  opened  the  eyes  of  the  soul  to  serious 
inquiry  —  were  the  subject  matter  of  earnest  and  sincere  discourse.  And  no  scoffing  spirit  of  agnos- 
ticism obtruded  its  depressing  presence.  The  limitations  of  knowledge  were  candidly  recognized, 
but  optimism  was  the  pervading  genius  of  those  hours  of  delightful  intellectual  commerce. 

His  mind  gravitated  naturally  toward  philosophic  thought.  He  therein  resembled  his  distin- 
guished friend  William  Torrey  Harris.  Unlike  him,  however,  he  was  not  the  propagandist  of  any 
elaborated  system  of  philosophic  thought.  The  originality  and  independence  of  his  mind  rendered 
such  an  attitude  impossible.  He  worked  in  his  own  harness  but  changed  it  to  meet  the  needs  of  his 
ever- widening  thought. 

He  was  most  content  with  the  interplay  of  thought  in  the  minds  of  those  about  him  and  had  reproof 
for  those  only  who  preferred  the  bolstering  of  an  opinion  to  the  discovery  of  thought. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  527 

He  entered  into  the  wider  life  of  his  community  by  a  generous  contribution  to  the  columns  of  the 
press.  He  became  a  lay  preacher,  selecting  his  themes  from  the  widest  ranges,  and  with  the  daily 
papers  as  his  pulpit.  Here  he  created  for  himself  a  most  unique  and  interesting  place  in  the  esteem 
of  the  community.  He  had  been  regarded  by  some  of  the  few  who  knew  him  as  a  philosophic  recluse, 
a  closet  philosopher,  little  interested  in  public  affairs.  They  were  unprepared  for  the  outcome.  He 
talked  to  the  people  on  the  themes  that  engrossed  the  metaphysicians  and  he  did  it  in  so  simple  and 
so  illuminating  a  way  that  he  carried  them  with  him. 

But  he  was,  as  well,  the  people's  advocate.  He  was  not  alone  sage  and  philosopher  but  publicist, 
interesting  himself  in  all  questions  that  concerned  the  people.  And  they  soon  recognized  in  him 
a  writer  whom  they  could  trust;  he  went  directly  to  the  heart  of  the  question,  asking  no  favors,  and 
making  no  concessions  where  concessions  meant  any  sacrifice  of  the  interests  of  the  community. 
He  would  not  barter  and  compromise.  As  a  workingman  said  of  him,  "He  was  both  feared  and 
revered,  and  he  was  revered  by  those  who  feared  him." 

The  last  two  discussions  in  which  he  was  engaged  illustrate  the  versatility  of  his  mind.  One 
was  a  debate  with  the  attorney  of  the  local  gas  trust  —  a  close  friend  and  his  nearest  neighbor  —  on 
the  whole  question  of  gas  production  and  a  fair  equivalent  for  its  manufacture  and  sale.  The  other 
was  a  presentation  by  a  luminous  analysis  of  the  latest  word  that  science  has  to  say  of  the  immortality 
of  the  human  soul,  to  the  College  Alumni  Club  of  his  home  city. 

His  wife,  the  sympathetic  companion  of  his  life  and  quest,  survives  him,  as  do  four  sons,  all 
college  men. — J,  W.  C. 


528  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

SOME   EARLY   TEACHERS 

JULIAN   STURTEVANT* 

THE  Sturtevants  and  Sturdevants  of  our  country  are  all  descendants  of  one 
man,  Samuel  Sturdevant,  who  was  a  citizen  of  Plymouth  Colony  in  1643, 
whose  four  sons,  Samuel,  John,  James,  and  Joseph,  survived  him.  The 
family  was  soon  planted  in  Connecticut,  and  there,  about  the  beginning  of  the  cen- 
tury, in  Warren,  Litchfield  county,  lived  a  farmer,  Warren  Sturtevant,  with  Lucy 
Tanner,  his  wife.  In  1803  was  born  their  son,  Ephraim  Tanner  Sturtevant,  the 
first  teacher  and  professor  in  Western  Reserve  College,  1828;  and  July  26,  1805, 
was  bom  the  second  son,  Julian  Monson  Sturtevant,  first  teacher  and  professor 
of  Illinois  College,  1830,  the  subject  of  our  sketch. 

"When  Julian  was  eleven  years  old,  his  father,  straitened  by  the  hard  times 
brought  on  by  the  war  with  England,  emigrated  to  the  Western  Reserve  and  settled 
in  Talmadge,  Summit  county,  Ohio.  Here  the  labors  of  the  farm  were  renewed  on 
the  new  lands  of  the  wilderness  from  which  the  savage  had  just  retired.  Marietta, 
the  oldest  town  in  the  State,  was  not  yet  thirty  years  old;  Buffalo  was  only  fifteen 
years  old;  Cleveland  was  a  village  of  perhaps  350  inhabitants.  Steamboats  had 
first  stirred  western  waters  only  three  years  before;  the  railroad  was  yet  to  be 
invented;  Clinton's  great  canal  to  join  Lake  Erie  to  the  Hudson  was  not  yet  begun. 
No  emigration  now  to  Idaho,  Montana,  Manitoba,  implies  such  difficulty,  such 
danger,  such  remoteness  from  friends  and  from  the  centers  of  civilization  as  did 
then  a  removal  from  New  England  to  Ohio.  But  these  Yankee  emigrants  set  up 
the  school  and  the  church  as  soon  as  they  had  covered  their  own  heads,  and  the 
academy  was  not  long  wanting  on  the  Western  Reserve. 

"Julian's  youth  was  spent  at  work  on  the  farm  with  regular  study  and  with 
intervals  of  schooling.  He  became  very  familiar  with  the  preparatory  classics, 
especially  did  he  know  Virgil  so  well  that  if  any  one  cited  two  consecutive  lines  he 
could  tell  where  they  were  and  relate  the  context.  With  the  kindly  aid  of  the 
neighboring  minister  and  the  teaching  pf  the  academy  at  Talmadge  he  was  ready 
for  Yale  in  the  summer  of  1822.       ... 

"  Mr.  Sturtevant  graduated  in  1826  and  began  teaching  shortly  after.  It  was 
his  purpose  to  become  a  minister  and  he  completed  a  course  in  theology  and  was 
ordained  in  1829.  Four  days  later  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Maria  Payer  weather 
and  a  few  weeks  later  was  on  his  way  to  Illinois  with  that  Mr.  Baldwin  of  whom 
we  have  heard  in  connection  with  the  founding  of  Illinois   College.     It  has  been 


*  From  an  address  delivered  to  the  State  Teachers'  Association,  December  28,  1886,  by  Dr.  Samuel  Willard. 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  529 

seen  that  conditions  were  extremely  primitive  when  Professor  Turner  made  his 
memorable  trip  to  the  West  with  his  bride ;  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  journey 
of  Mr.  Sturtevant  was  still  earlier  and  conditions  were  still  more  trying. 

"When  Mr.  Sturtevant  reached  Jacksonville  a  part  of  the  old  chapel  building 
was  already  erected  but  unfinished.  The  main  room  lacked  lath  and  plaster  and 
had  but  a  few  seats.  There,  on  Monday,  January  1,  1830,  he  began  his  work  with 
nine  pupils.  .  .  .  For  most  of  that  year  the  college  was  a  day  school  with 
only  one  teacher  and  twenty-five  to  thirty  pupils.  During  the  year,  Edward  Beecher 
was  chosen  president  and  began  his  work  and  Mr.  Sturtevant  became  Professor  of 
Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy.  He  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  first  class 
that  graduated  in  Illinois  take  their  diplomas  —  Richard  Yates  and  Jonathan 
Edwards  Spilman.  The  former  was  our  great  war  Governor,  1861-5,  and  the  latter 
has  given  pleasure  in  thousands  of  homes  as  author  of  the  simple,  sweet  melody 
generally  used  for  Bums'  poem,  'Flow  Gently,  Sweet  Afton.' 


"I  went  to  Illinois  College  in  May,  1836,  and  first  saw  Professor  Sturtevant. 
He  was  not  then  popular  among  the  students.  He  was  fond  of  order,  promptness, 
discipline,  thoroughness.  They  were  often  too  democratic  for  obedience  to  rules, 
for  democracy  has  sometimes  an  anarchic  tendency.  Hence  his  sharp,  exacting 
ways  seemed  harsh.  As  he  grew  older  he  became  somewhat  milder,  though  no  less 
insistent  upon  the  ends  to  be  obtained  by  discipline,  and  on  the  other  the  spirit  of 
the  young  men  changed  no  little.  When  he  was  elected  president  in  1844  they 
rejoiced  heartily. 


"Professor  Sturtevant  was  not  a  mere  algebraist  or  geometer;  indeed,  as  I  think 
of  him  now  I  think  he  took  the  wrong  chair.  His  real  interest  lay  in  the  great  prob- 
lems of  humanity ;  in  questions  of  right  and  wrong ;  of  practical  expediency ;  of  human 
progress;  of  government  and  political  economy;  and  of  the  church  and  its  work  in 
the  world.  When  I  first  learned  of  him  he  was  only  the  algebraist  who  made  it  so 
clear  to  me  that  I  could  never  forget  it  that  in  multiplying  a  minus  b  by  c  minus  d, 
minus  d  times  minus  b  gives  plus  db;  but  now  I  think  of  him  as  the  man  whose 
glances  surveyed  the  world  that  now  is,  in  all  its  human  relations,  and  whose  fore- 
cast gave  glimpses  of  the  world  that  is  to  be  —  he  is  not  the  professor  but  the 
philosopher. 

"  The  distinguishing  characteristic  of  all  of  his  teaching  was  his  demand  for 
clearness  of  thought  and  for  certainty.  As  the  eagle  is  said  to  look  with  undimmed 
eyes  upon  the  meridian  sun,  so  must  he  see  and  rejoice  in  the  pure  light  of  truth 
in  the  full  blaze  of  glory.  He  wanted  apodictical  certainty.  Give  him  the  premises, 
and  he  would  force  you  to  his  conclusion.  His  instruction  was  no  gentle  invitation; 
a  giant  hand  clutched  our  arms  and  hurried  us  along  to  heights  above  the  vulgar 
level.  After  I  became  accustomed  to  his  methods  he  was  one  of  the  few  preachers 
to  whom  I  liked  to  listen,  for  his  sermons  were  so  logical  that  they  were  like  a  master 
builder's  driving  of  nails.     I  often  used  to  borrow  his  notes  and  copy  them.     He 

34 


530  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

almost  always  preached  from  a  brief,  and  the  single  catchword,  '  illustrate, '  might 
represent  a  very  important  part  of  the  discourse. 

"  Upon  all  who  came  within  his  reach  he  made  the  impression  that  he  was  a  man 
of  great  power.  A  lawyer  said  to  me  in  1843,  '  I  never  hear  Professor  Sturtevant 
and  his  fellow  professors,  especially  Professor  Sturtevant,  without  thinking  what 
great  lawyers  they  would  make.  How  much  fame  and  wealth  they  sacrifice  by 
adhering  to  their  posts  as  teachers.     Splendid  lawyers,  splendid  lawyers,  they'd  be.' 

"One  of  his  pupils  of  recent  years  asked  me  my  opinion  of  him  as  a  teacher, 
and  when  I  had  given  it,  he  said  he  asked  because  he  did  not  know  but  what  he 
had  over- valued  him.  For  his  own  part  he  had  had  many  teachers ;  but  no  other  one 
had  laid  such  hold  upon  him  as  Sturtevant  had  done. 

"And  all  his  teaching  was  marked  by  an  intense  earnestness,  such  a  zeal  to  gain 
his  end  and  truth's  at  once,  that  his  fire  and  energy  warmed  and  moved  his 
pupils. 

"  In  church,  state  and  society,  he  was  not  without  staunch  opponents.  His 
views  were  too  positive  and  his  shoulders  pushed  too  hard  to  escape  opponency; 
and  men  who  disliked  him  disliked  him  strongly,  not  for  his  own  sake  but  for  his 
cause.  But  as  years  rolled  on,  many  old  controversies  were  settled,  and  the  spirit 
of  the  time  grew  milder,  and  asperities  were  softened,  and  honor  came  to  him  where 
dislike  had  prevailed. 

"President  Sturtevant 's  work  for  education  was  not  limited  to  the  college  and 
the  church.  In  all  local  and  general  efforts  for  education  his  voice  was  heard  as  coun- 
sellor and  helper.  I  remember  his  presence  at  the  meetings  for  establishing  free 
schools  over  which  Doctor  Bateman  presided  for  so  many  years.  In  1845  there 
was  a  gathering  of  teachers  —  one  of  the  earlier  unsuccessful  attempts  at  a  general 
organization.  Professor  Sturtevant  was  there.  The  records  of  this  association 
show  his  frequent  presence  and  his  sharing  in  its  exercises.  With  tongue  or  pen  he 
was  always  ready  to  speak  or  write  for  education  of  every  grade  and  every  class. 
Some  of  his  views  were  very  different  from  those  of  most  of  you.  He  did  not  regard 
the  high  school  as  a  legitimate  part  of  the  public-school  system.  This  view  he  held 
on  general  grounds  of  public  policy;  but  he  wanted  the  high  schools  as  steps  in  the 
course  of  higher  instruction.  He  preferred  colleges  for  women  exclusively  to  colleges 
for  co-education,  but  he  would  have  women  as  well  educated  as  men.  The  amount 
of  work  and  influence  which,  directly  and  indirectly,  he  threw  into  the  system  of 
public  instruction  and  private  education  can  as  little  be  estimated  as  the  value  to  all 
our  broad  fields  of  a  day's  sunshine  in  summer." 

Dr.  Willard  pays  a  glowing  tribute  to  his  friend's  ability  to  inspire  young  men 
to  achieve  great  deeds  and  summons  many  men  of  renown  in  illustration  of  that 
capacity.  He  was  a  voluminous  writer  for  the  current  periodicals  of  his  time  and 
many  of  his  lectures  and  sermons  were  printed  in  pamphlet  form. 

He  was  twice  married,  his  second  wife  being  a  sister  of  the  bride  who  accom- 
panied him  to  the  wilds  of  Illinois.  Two  sons  and  a  daughter  survived  him.  One 
of  the  sons  was  a  teacher  and  the  other  a  preacher.  In  1876  he  resigned  his  presi- 
dency* of  the  college  in  order  that  he  might  have  a  little  time  to  put  down  some  of 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OFILLINOIS  '531 

the  many  things  that  especially  impressed  him.  He  died  on  Thursday,  February 
11,  1886. 

Dr.  Willard  closes  his  appreciation  of  his  master  in  a  paragraph  that  discloses 
his  gratitude  and  admiration  on  one  hand  and  on  the  other  betrays  the  devotion 
to  high  ideals  that  has  characterized  his  own  beautiful  life : 

''Farewell,  strong  worker!  Farewell,  brave  servant  of  God!  Farewell,  true 
lover  of  men!  Farewell,  teacher  and  friend!  But  thou  wert  like  a  star,  and  thy 
light  shall  shine  and  shine  and  shine  in  the  souls  of  men,  until  it  is  lost  to  them  in 
the  greater  glory  of  the  vast  eternities !  " 

SIMEON  WRIGHT. 

The  name  of  Simeon  Wright  has  often  appeared  in  this  record.  In  the  Edtica- 
Uonal  Weekly  of  February  1,  1877,  the  following  sketch  appeared: 

Mr.  Wright  came  to  Illinois  about  the  time  of  the  educational  ferment  some  twenty  or  thirty- 
years  ago.  The  precise  time  is  unknown  to  the  present  writer.  Previous  to  this  he  had  lived  in  Michi- 
gan, at  Battle  Creek,  and  possibly  at  other  places.  In  Illinois  he  became  identified  with  the  younger 
race  of  men,  who  were  making  popular  education  their  specialty  and  rendered  very  efficient  service 
in  the  positions  that  he  filled.  Of  the  Board  of  Education  he  was  one  of  the  original  members,  and, 
during  the  six  years  of  his  connection  with  it,  was  very  active  in  its  counsels,  as  the  records  of  its 
meetings  amply  show.  His  appointment  as  agent  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association  was  made  in 
Decatur  in  1857.  The  writer,  having  been  present  at  the  meeting  as  a  stranger  from  another  State, 
remembers  well  the  discussion  upon  the  subject  of  the  appointment.  He  was  to  stir  up  the  people 
by  lectures  and  otherwise,  and  to  develop  the  public  sentiment  for  public  schools.  A  salary  of 
$1,200  was  to  be  paid  him  and  it  was  contributed  by  members  of  the  Association.  The  arrangement 
continued  perhaps  only  one  year. 

In  1861,  when  the  country  was  aroused  by  the  call  to  war,  Mr.  Wright  joined  the  Thirty-third 
Regiment  and  was  made  its  quartermaster. 

Mr.  Wright,  early  in  the  history  of  the  Normal  University,  counseled  the  formation  of  a  literary 
society  among  the  students,  in  addition  to  the  one  then  existing.  After  some  effort  the  plan  was 
adopted.  A  society  was  formed  which  was  placed  upon  the  same  footing,  in  respect  to  its  connection 
with  the  University,  as  its  elder  sister,  the  Philadelphian.  Having  been  organized  largely  through 
the  efforts  of  Mr.  Wright,  and  having  received  some  help  from  him  in  money  and  in  books  for  a  library, 
it  was  named  the  Wrightonian  Society.     It  made  the  Society  one  of  his  heirs. 

Mr.  Wright  died  in  Kinmundy,  Marion  county,  November  30,  1876.  The 
society  adopted  appropriate  resolutions  expressive  of  their  gratitude  for  his  friendship 
and  regret  for  his  death, 

BENATAH  G.  ROOTS. 

Southern  Illinois  has  long  been  known  as  "Egypt."  How  the  designation  arose 
seems  not  to  be  a  matter  of  authentic  history.  For  many  years  that  portion  of  the 
State  had  a  civilization  somewhat  peculiar  to  itself.  It  was  settled  in  large  part  by 
people  from  the  slave  States  and  they  marked  it  with  their  characteristics.  Thsy 
were  a  people  who  were  proud  of  the  States  from  which  they  came  and  they  trans- 
ferred their  loyalty  to  the  portion  of  Illinois  in  which  they  made  their  homes.  There 
developed  among  them  many  interesting  characters. 

One  of  the  early  settlers  was  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was  not  from  the 
South,  but  he  was  as  strikingly  original  as  any  who  were.     His  home  was  in  the 


532  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

immediate  vicinity  of  Tamaroa,  a  village  in  Perry  county.  He  so  completely  identi- 
fied himself  with  the  educational  interests  of  "Egypt"  that  with  the  school  people 
his  name  was  indissolubly  associated  with  that  region.  The  sketch  from  which 
what  follows  here  was  taken  was  prepared  by  Enoch  A.  Gastman,  of  Decatur,  and 
was  delivered  before  the  Perry  County  Institute  on  July  3,  1888. 

Benaiah  G.  Roots  was  born  in  Onondaga  county,  New  York,  April  20,  1811,  and  died  at  his 
home  near  Tamaroa,  IlUnois,  May  8,  1888,  being  seventy-seven  years  old. 

He  commenced  teaching  in  1827  and  continued  in  the  work  until  his  death,  thus  having  completed 
a  record  of  over  sixty  years.  To  Ilhnois  and  her  teachers  have  been  given  the  rich  fruits  that  have 
followed  the  labors  of  more  than  fifty  of  those  sixty  years.  In  1839  he  began  to  teach  in  Perry  county. 
It  would  be  a  work  of  supererogation  for  me  to  enumerate  the  labors,  the  trials,  and  the  triumphs 
of  this  half-century  of  earnest  and  faithful  effort.  They  are  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  this  com- 
monwealth. 

In  a  new  and  sparsely  settled  country  education  is  of  necessity  a  matter  of  secondary  considera- 
tion. Houses  must  be  built,  farms  opened  and  mills  erected.  In  all  such  work  our  friend  did 
valiant  service,  but  he  did  not  stop  with  these  things.  It  is  an  old  legend  that  where  the  fruits  of  cul- 
ture are  to  grow  there  must  be  leisure  and  wealth.  The  primal  prairies  of  Illinois  afforded  neither. 
Notwithstanding  these  disadvantages,  he  at  once  commenced  to  plan  for  building  up  human  character 
and  vitalizing  the  general  intelligence  of  the  community.  The  homes  of  the  early  settlers  contained 
but  few  "spare  rooms,"  but  the  dwelling  of  "Father"  Roots  was  large  enough  for  a  schoolhouse. 
Into  it  were  gathered  the  children  of  his  neighbors.  It  is  probable  that  this  school  had  but  few  of 
the  modern  appliances,  but  it  can  be  emphatically  said  that  it  had  what  many  a  modern  school  lacks: 

A  LIVE  TEACHER. 

In  later  years  this  school  developed  into  an  institution  of  higher  grade  where  many  received  an 
education  which  admirably  fitted  them  to  do  life's  work  well.  It  is  the  universal  testimony  of  the 
pupils  of  this  school  that  it  gave  inspiration  and  lofty  aims  to  those  who  came  within  its  influence. 

But  the  labors  of  our  friend  did  not  end  with  this  home  school.  His  power  and  influence  extended 
over  the  State,  and,  in  consequence,  he  became  one  of  the  founders  of  the  free-school  system  of  Illinois. 
He  helped  to  organize  the  State  Teachers'  Association,  and  was  chosen  its  fifth  president  at  the  meet- 
ing held  at  Decatur  in  1857.  From  that  time  until  his  death  he  missed  scarcely  a  meeting  of  that 
body.     He  worked  with  tongue  and  with  pen  to  secure  both  of  our  State  Normal  Universities. 

In  February,  1865,  the  Governor  appointed  him  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  the  corporate  body  that  managed  the  affairs  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University. 
He  continued  to  fill  this  position  until  his  death.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  no  one  took  a  deeper  interest 
in  its  proceedings  or  wielded  a  more  potent  influence  in  shaping  its  policies.  The  pupils  and  teachers 
at  Normal  came  to  regard  him 'as  a  father  to  the  institution.  He  was  always  ready  with  a  kindly 
word  to  reward  the  successful  or  to  strengthen  tliose  who  needed  encouragement. 

B.  G.  Roots  rendered  invaluable  service  to  the  cause  of  education  in  this  State.  No  movement 
has  been  inaugurated  in  Illinois  during  the  past  fifty  years  for  the  improvement  of  the  means  or  the 
methods  of  popular  education  that  did  not  receive  his  cordial  support  and  aid.  He  never  "sulked 
in  his  tent,"  but  was  ever  ready  to  "lend  a  hand,"  whoever  might  lead. 

He  was  never  too  old  to  learn.  He  never  wearied  in  discussing  with  those  who  had  the  pleasure 
of  his  friendship,  the  various  methods  proposed  for  the  improvement  of  the  schools.  Although  his 
special  field  was  the  primary  school,  yet  his  mind  was  broad  enough  to  take  in  the  whole  field  of  edu- 
cation. By  a  careful  reading  of  educational  journals  and  a  constant  attendance  upon  teachers' 
meetings,  he  kept  himself  fully  abreast  with  the  discussions  of  this  busy  age.  His  enthusiasm  was 
the  wonder  and  admiration  of  his  friends.  He  was  never  discouraged.  If  a  favorite  measure  met 
an  undeserved  defeat  to-day  he  was  ready  to  champion  it  on  the  morrow. 

But  he  was  not  a  teacher  only.  As  a  churchman  he  never  wavered  in  his  loyalty  to  that  body 
of  Christian  believers  to  which  he  had  been  so  long  attached.  In  Sabbath-schools  and  temperance 
organizations  his  voice  was  always  heard  in  favor  of  earnest  and  progressive  work.     As  a  citizen  he 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  533 

believed  in  equal  and  exact  justice  to  all.  When  the  name  "abolitionist"  was  a  term  of  reproach 
in  Illinois,  he  was  not  afraid  to  espouse  the  cause  of  the  colored  man  and  to  insist  that  he  should 
receive  all  the  rights  which  the  laws  of  the  land  vouchsafed  to  him. 

It  was  the  privilege  of  the  editor  of  this  volume  to  have  for  many  years  a  personal 
acquaintance  with  "Father"  Roots.  He  was  a  large  man  physically  and  mentally. 
His  marked  individuality  always  attracted  attention.  His  fearlessness  kept  him 
on  the  firing  line.  He  was  by  nature  a  pioneer.  He  could  never  compromise  with 
wrong,  however  thoroughly  it  might  be  entrenched  in  public  opinion.  His  outspoken 
denunciation  of  bad  methods  in  the  school,  the  church,  the  state,  or  in  any  other 
department  of  the  social  order,  gave  offense  to  those  only  who  stood  in  the  way  of 
progress.  He  served  as  superintendent  of  schools  in  his  county  and  was,  in  the  days 
of  his  maturit}^  and  power,  the  most  original  and  stimulating  man  of  his  time  in  his 
part  of  the  State. 

ENOCH  A.  GASTMAN.* 

Enoch  A.  Gastman  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York  in  1834,  on  the  15th  day  of  June.  He  was 
the  son  of  a  sturdy  Hollander,  hence  of  Dutch  descent  on  his  father's  side.  His  mother  was  Irish. 
The  family  removed  to  Illinois  in  1838,  and  made  their  home  near  Bloomington  on  a  farm.  In  1851 
my  parents  moved  into  the  same  locality,  where  we  soon  became  acquainted  with  the  dozen  families 
residing  within  the  radius  of  a  few  miles.  One  of  the  pioneer  farmers  was  this  sturdy  Hollander. 
He  had  encountered  strange  experiences.  Born  in  1801,  he  became  a  bootblack  on  a  French  man- 
of-war  before  he  was  eight.  The  Moscow  campaign  undid  the  great  Napoleon  and  in  the  reduction 
of  the  fleet  the  boy  was  sent  to  his  home.  But  the  sailor  habit  had  taken  him  for  its  own.  For 
almost  twenty  years  he  was  at  sea.  He  suffered  incredible  hardships,  at  one  time  being  one  of  but 
five  survivors  of  shipwreck.  He  with  his  comrades  was  for  days  afloat  in  an  open  boat  in  the  stormy 
North  Sea.  How  much  the  stories  of  his  adventures  may  have  kindled  the  imagination  of  his  boys 
I  can  not  say.  I  can  easily  recall  my  own  childish  wonder  when  I  saw  him  first,  for  I  had  heard  of 
his  visits  to  distant  lands  and  of  his  hairbreadth  escapes  from  the  terrors  of  the  merciless  ocean. 

One  can  not  imagine  a  more  hospitable  neighbor  than  this  burly  Dutchman.  To  be  near  his 
home  and  to  neglect  the  courtesy  of  a  call  was  to  incur  his  manifest  displeasure,  and  he  was  able  to 
express  himself  in  very  forcible  and  equally  unequivocal  terms.  There  were  three  sons  in  his  home, 
of  whom  Enoch  was  the  eldest. 

This  young  man  was  then  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  was  tall,  angular,  and  rather  awkward, 
but  of  excellent  parts  and  of  fine  repute  through  all  the  countryside  on  account  of  his  manliness  and 
exceptional  reliability.  He  had  a  way  of  holding  his  head  erect  and  of  looking  at  some  distant  goal, 
as  if  he  were  native  to  the  sea  or  to  the  sweep  of  the  prairies.  We  have  all  noticed  this  habit  in  him 
many  times  and  the  extreme  earnestness  of  his  penetrating  eyes  when  unrelieved  by  the  light  of  his 
playful  humor.  I  was  always  impressed  by  this  peculiarity  of  expression,  but  when  I  learned  the 
method  of  his  life  it  was  simple  enough ;  he  had  acquired  from  his  sailor  father  the  habit  of  guiding 
his  course  by  the  fixed  stars. 

In  the  early  forties  a  school  district  was  organized  in  his  locality  and  a  small  frame  schoolhouse 
was  erected  by  the  people  living  in  the  district.  A  subscription  school  was  taught  for  three  or  four 
months  in  the  year  and  there  Enoch  was  introduced  to  the  formal  methods  of  education.  The  house 
was  rude  enough.  It  was  covered  with  undressed  walnut  lumber,  sawed  at  the  water-mill  not  far 
away  —  a  mill  which  my  father  purchased  a  few  years  later,  mainly  for  the  purpose  of  preparing 
lumber  for  his  own  dwelling. 

It  was  at  this  little  schoolhouse  that  he  and  I  were  fellow  pupils  in  the  winter  of  1852-3.  While 
he  had  the  equivocal  honor  of  being  the  biggest  boy  in  school  I  have  the  distinct  impression  that 
I  was  the  smallest.     One  Warren  Coman  was  our  teacher.     He  was  a  New  Englander,  I  think,  and 

*This  sketch  was  prepared  for  a  memorial  service  at  the  State  Teachers'  Association  in  1907. 


534  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

had  charge  of  the  school  for  several  terms,  although  I  had  the  enjoyment  of  his  instruction  for  only  a 
single  winter.  He  was  neat  in  his  attire,  precise  in  his  manners,  and  must  have  been  an  excellent 
teacher.  There  we  diligently  conned  our  lessons  in  the  three  r's,  stood  up  in  a  row  to  spell  the  words 
from  the  Webster  spelling  book,  and  spoke  pieces  on  the  Friday  afternoons —  selections  from  the 
reading  books : 

"O,  were  you  ne'er  a  schoolboy, 
And  did  you  never  train. 
And  feel  that  swelling  of  the  heart, 
You  ne'er  will  feel  again?" 

There  were  other  familiar  ones  which  the  graybeard  readers  will  remember.  Who  will  say  that  we 
were  not  well  employed?  I  can  recall  every  one  of  them  although  I  have  not  spoken  them  since, 
unless  it  may  have  been  when  Enoch  and  I,  in  reminiscent  mood,  were  living  over  again  the  pioneer 
days  of  our  boyhood. 

On  the  10th  day  of  October,  1854,  he  began  to  teach  school  near  the  village  of  Saybrook,  twenty- 
six  miles  east  of  Bloomington.  The  next  year  he  was  a  student  for  a  time  at  the  Illinois  Wesley  an 
University.  In  the  year  1856-7  he  taught  two  terms,  aggregating  nine  months,  in  the  village  of 
Kappa,  a  few  miles  .north  of  Bloomington.  As  this  was  my  home  I  became  his  pupil  and  the  old 
friendship  was  cordially  renewed.  It  was  while  he  was  here  that  he  made  up  his  mind  to  give  his 
life  to  teaching. 

He  was  the  best  teacher  the  little  community  had  ever  known  and  when  his  first  term  was  com- 
pleted he  was  reemployed  for  a  second  and  at  his  own  price.  It  was  a  material  advance  over  the 
first,  for  it  required  no  little  solicitation  to  secure  him.  He  had  extended  his  scholarship  somewhat 
meanwhile,  for  he  had  been  a  term  at  Eureka  College,  and  had  decided  to  go  on  with  his  education. 
His  response  to  the  urgency  of  the  call  was  an  occasion  of  great  joy  to  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  village. 
Doubtless  his  salary  would  seem  small  when  compared  with  the  present  standards,  but  it  was  extremely 
liberal  for  the  time. 

It  was  an  epoch-making  experience  for  us  who  were  his  pupils.  We  parsed  "The  Elegy,"  and 
in  doing  so  we  committed  it  to  memory.  It  was  there  that  I  learned  it.  It  was  not  a  mechanical 
drill,  I  am  sure,  for  we  loved  the  lines  and  responded  to  the  pensive  melancholy  of  the  sentiment. 
But  the  main  thing  that  he  did  for  us  was  to  enable  us  to  locate  some  of  those  same  fixed  stars  that 
his  long  vision  had  discovered.  Many  years  after  I  tried  to  tell,  in  a  story  for  a  magazine,  how  one 
of  my  early  schoolmasters  stopped  the  fighting  on  the  school  grounds.  I  am  not  sure  that  he  recog- 
nized himself  at  first. 

At  the  close  of  the  second  term  he  declined  reappointment,  for  the  new  Normal  School  was  to 
open  its  doors  to  students  on  the  succeeding  October  and  there  he  had  determined  to  go.  On  the  first 
day  of  the  first  term,  with  less  than  a  score  of  others,  he  enrolled  in  the  Illinois  State  Normal  Univer- 
sity, the  first  school  of  its  kind  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  but  eighteen  years  younger  than  the 
pioneer  Normal  School,  at  Lexington,  Massachusetts. 

Of  his  student  days  at  the  Normal  School  one  of  his  classmates  writes  me:  " The  Enoch  of  later 
life  was  the  Enoch  of  1857-60,  grown  larger  and  stronger.  There  were  ^no  surprises  in  his  develop- 
ment. His  chief  characteristics  as  a  student  were  trustworthiness,  caution,  persistence  and  hatred 
of  shams.  I  should  not  omit  that  good  judgment  which  in  practical  matters  gave  him  safe  foundation. 
His  success  in  his  class  work  was  much  like  that  of  his  classmates.  In  this  respect  he  would  have 
stood  higher  but  for  the  fact  that  he  gave  his  Saturdays  and  other  odd  times  to  his  duties  as  constable 
of  his  home  township,  by  which  he  was  able  to  meet  the  expenses  of  maintenance  at  school." 

He  finished  his  course  in  June,  1860,  being  the  first  of  the  graduates  to  deliver  a  commencement 
part  in  the  new  building,  which  was  utilized  for  the  first  time  for  the  closing  exercises  of  the  year. 

Shortly  after  graduation  he  was  engaged  as  the  principal  of  the  primary  grade  in  the  thriving  town 
of  Decatur,  and  there  he  began  his  work  on  the  10th  of  September,  1860.  On  the  12th  of  July,  1862, 
he  was  elected  superintendent  of  the  city  schools  and  principal  of  the  high  school,  as  has  been  stated. 
Eleven  days  later  he  was  married  to  Miss  Peterson,  as  narrated  on  a  previous  page.  He  was  the 
first  superintendent  and  the  first  high-school  principal.     He  continued  to  act  in  the  latter  capacity 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  535 

until  the  high  school  became  so  large  as  to  require  a  principal  who  could  give  it  his  whole  time.  He 
was  superintendent  until  the  close  of  the  year  1906-7,  having  served  without  interruption  for  forty- 
five  years.     In  all  of  that  time  but  one  vote  was  recorded  as  opposed  to  his  election. 

It  was  his  settled  purpose  to  retire  from  the  superintendency  at  the  age  of  seventy,  but  the  per- 
sistent solicitations  of  his  school  board  and  of  the  patrons  of  the  school  induced  him  to  defer  his 
resignation.  He  withdrew  at  the  high  tide  of  his  usefulness  and  in  opposition  to  the  wishes  of  his 
employers. 

It  was  a  notable  career  and  paralleled  by  few  others  in  the  history  of  American  education.  Forty- 
seven  years  in  the  service  of  a  single  city  and  all  but  the  first  two  at  the  head  of  the  schools  is  a  rare 
record.  He  never  sought  reelection.  In  every  instance,  with  a  single  exception,  it  was  unanimous. 
Once  or  twice  efforts  were  made  to  defeat  candidates  for  board  membership  who  were  known  to  be 
his  friends,  but  he  never  uttered  a  word;  the  people  attended  to  the  matter  in  a  very  positive  way. 
In  a  recent  letter,  Mr.  Roach,  President  of  the  Board,  writes:  "  Mr.  Gastman  and  I  were  good  friends 
for  forty  years,  and  for  the  twelve  years  that  I  have  been  on  this  Board  I  flatter  myself  that  I  have 
had  his  full  confidence,  for  which  I  feel  proud.  There  is  nothing  but  good  to  say  of  such  a  grand 
and  noble  character."  Mr.  Roach  adds:  "With  perhaps  the  exception  of  one  member,  many  years 
ago,  the  Boards  have  been  uniformly  harmonious,  relations  pleasant,  discussions  respectful,  con- 
fidence full,  integrity  never  doubted,  motives  never  questioned.  He  hewed  to  the  line  no  matter 
where  the  chips  fell.  He  was  to  the  school  machinery  like  a  great  balance-wheel.  His  broad  com- 
mon sense  and  good  judgment  of  those  he  had  to  deal  with  enabled  him  to  steer  clear  of  all  of  the 
breakers."     Another  member  of  the  Board  writes 'in  a  similar  vein. 

Mr.  Gastman's  traits  were  so  clearly  marked  that  his  definition  is  very  easy. 

First  of  all,  he  was  a  Person  in  the  strict  sense  of  that  loosely  used  term.  He  had  discovered 
himself  and  he  was  not  afraid  to  look  himself  straight  in  the  eye.  He  found  something  in  himself 
that  he  respected  and  genuinely  valued  and  he  did  not  propose  to  do  it  violence  nor  would  he  permit 
others  to  do  so.  To  him  it  was  the  most  precious  thing  in  the  world  and  he  preserved  it  inviolate 
to  the  end.  That  something  was  the  sense  of  moral  obligation.  Rather  than  to  disobey  its  voice 
he  would  walk  alone. 

He  was  a  plain  man,  plain  in  his  speech,  plain  in  his  manners,  and  plain  in  his  living.  It  was 
always  easy  to  find  out  what  he  was  about.  He  was  never  afraid  to  show  his  hand.  And  he  never 
was  confused  as  to  his  relationship  to  the  public.  Mr.  Roach  said:  "He  was  more  than  willing  to 
let  the  members  of  the  Board  assume  all  of  the  responsibilities,  but  was  free  to  give  advice  when  it 
was  called  for.  He  was  always  deferential  to  the  members  of  his  Board  and  seldom  acted  in  matters 
that  were  likely  to  come  before  them  without  first  consulting  one  or  more  of  them."  He  regarded 
himself  as  employed  by  the  entire  community  and  considered  it  his  duty  to  give  to  them  an  account 
of  his  stewardship.  This  he  did  in  his  reports,  which  were  models  of  clearness.  They  were  saturated 
with  his  personality  yet  they  were  mainly  statistical.  He  did  not  print  elaborate  treatises  upon 
pedagogy  but  exhibited  in  patient  detail  the  expenditure  of  every  penny  of  the  people's  money.  He 
believed  in  the  principle  of  publicity,  and  rigidly  applied  it  to  all  of  his  dealings  with  the  public.  This 
sincere  frankness  and  transparent  candor  contributed  in  largest  measure  to  the  esteem  in  which  he 
was  held  by  his  people.     They  knew  that  they  could  trust  him  to  tell  them  what  was  going  on. 

The  same  quality  of  simple  candor  manifested  itself  with  regard  to  knowledge  in  general.  He 
was  the  least  pretentious  of  men.  Indeed,  his  modesty  often  led  him  to  affectations  of  ignorance 
regarding  matters  of  which  he  was  profoundly  wise.  His  large  experience  and  plain,  common  sense 
made  him  a  safe  counselor,  not  only  in  educational  affairs,  but  in  all  matters  of  practical  concern. 
He  was  rather  fond  of  making  fun  of  the  educational  philosophers  and  of  expressing  some  doubt 
as  to  whether  they  understood  the  meaning  of  their  own  terms,  but  he  deceived  no  one  who  knew 
him.  They  had  all  found  him  out  long  ago  and  knew  that  he  coveted  most  intensely  any  revelation 
that  would  make  him  of  greater  worth  to  the  children,  all  of  whom  he  loved.  He  was  not  a  radical 
reformer,  but  he  was  a  sane  administrator.  He  built  admirable  schoolhouses  and  did  it  economically. 
He  clung  to  what  was  good  and  would  not  throw  it  aside  simply  because  it  was  old,  yet  he  was  always 
on  the  lookout  for  what  was  better  in  courses  of  study  and  methods  of  instruction.     Especially  was 


536  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

he  interested  in  nature  study.  He  was  one  of  those  who  greeted  Agassiz  at  Penikese,  in  that 
memorable  school  of  which  Whittier  wrote : 

"On  the  Isle  of  Penikese, 
Ringed  about  by  sapphire  seas, 
Fanned  by  breezes  salt  and  cool. 
Stood  the  master  with  his  school." 

It  was  a  matter  of  course  that  nature  would  appeal  to  him,  for  he  responded  so  spontaneously  to 
simple  reality.  I  have  before  me  his  earnest  plea  for  its  introduction  into  the  schools  as  a  regular 
study,  and  when  I  turn  to  the  title-page  of  the  magazine  I  find  that  it  bears  a  date  of  more  than  thirty- 
six  years  ago.  His  recreations  were  in  his  gardens  and  with  his  bees.  He  loved  the  flowers  which 
he  so  abundantly  cultivated  and  the  home  was  decorated  with  them  from  the  early  spring,  when 
the  crocus  came,  until  the  close  of  the  season.  Who  that  ever  visited  his  office  in  the  season  of  flowers 
did  not  stop  to  admire  the  wealth  of  blossoming  plants  in  the  high-school  yard  ? 

His  reputation  for  a  conservative  course  hid  some  of  his  more  radical  departures  from  conven- 
tional methods.  While  we  have  for  years  been  considering  the  advisability  of  reducing  the  course 
below  the  high  school  to  seven  years,  he  did  it  long  ago  and  said  nothing  about  it.  In  consequence, 
his  high  school  was  crowded  to  the  doors  and  his  eleven-year  pupils  went  to  all  of  the  universities  and 
held  their  own  without  trouble  along  with  the  old  twelve-year  graduates.  And  this  was  his  method 
generally.  He  left  the  talk  to  others  and  incorporated  into  his  schools  what  comm^ended  itself  to  his 
cool  and  sane  judgment. 

There  were'  three  other  qualities  that  were  well  developed  and  that  were  genuinely  characteristic. 
No  one  of  them  dominated  his  life  to  the  suppression  of  the  others,  but  they  played  into  each  other 
in  a  most  interesting  and  charming  fashion. 

One  of  them  was  the  exceedingly  mirthful  vein  in  his  disposition.  Perhaps  it  was  an  inheritance 
from  his  Irish  mother.  He  was  sensitive  to  the  humorous  aspects  of  situations  and  was  extremely 
fond  of  the  comedy  side  of  life.  He  was  a  good  laugher  and  loved  to  make  others  laugh.  He  looked 
for  the  relief  that  comes  with  the  play  of  fancy  as  it  festoons  with  its  airy  grace  and  delightful  draperies 
the  severer  forms  of  reality.  He  knew  that  to  the  most  favorably  conditioned  there  will  be  at  times 
enough  to  fill  the  stoutest  heart  with  anguish.  He  felt  that  this  "harp  of  a  thousand  strings"  should 
often  be  unstrung.  This  quality  made  him  a  charming  institute  worker  and  explained  no  small 
part  of  his  popularity  with  his  teachers.  Then  it  was  of  great  value  to  him  as  an  anteroom  to  which 
he  would  admit  the  stranger  until  he  had  measured  him  and  found  his  message.  It  was  an  instinct 
with  him  to  contribute  to  the  personal  happiness  of  those  about  him.  Tacked  to  his  desk,  where 
he  might  always  see  it  when  at  his  work,  was  the  familiar  quotation  from  Henry  Drummond :  "  I  shall 
pass  through  this  world  but  once.  Any  good  thing,  therefore,  that  I  can  do,  or  any  kindness  that  I 
can  show  to  any  human  being,  let  me  do  it  now,  let  me  not  defer  it  nor  neglect  it ;  for  I  shall  not  pass 
this  way  again." 

Over  against  this  quality  was  set  the  most  tender  sentiment ;  an  inclination  to  melancholy  would 
not  be  too  strong  a  characterization,  perhaps.  It  turned  him  toward  childhood,  which  he  invested 
with  that  dignity  and  sacredness  which  every  true-minded  teacher  recognizes.  He  loved  to  repeat, 
in  a  striking  way,  "It  is  the  will  of  the  Father  that  not  one  of  these  little  ones  shall  perish."  Few 
faces  were  so  sad  as  his  when  he  was  absorbed  by  reflection.  The  young  sculptor  caught  it  and  fixed 
it  in  the  bust  we  unveiled  many  years  ago  in  the  high-school  building.  When  I  saw  him  thus  buried 
in  his  thought  I  fancied  that  he  was  busy  with  the  memories  of  his  little  girl  and  of  the  two  manly 
sons,  whose  untimely  passing  so  wrung  his  patient  heart,  and  I  stole  away  in  silence  as  one  who  finds 
himself,  all  unawares,  invading  the  sacred  precincts  of  a  sanctuary. 

It  was  this  side  of  his  nature  that  made  him  capable  of  those  personal  relations  with  the  friends 
who  shared  his  inner  life  and  many  of  them  were  his  associates  in  the  schools  under  his  care.  He  was 
the  friend  of  his  teachers,  and  it  was  his  settled  policy  to  defend  them  so  long  as  there  was  ground 
for  a  just  defense.  However  intimate  these  relations  might  be,  he  never  hesitated  to  express 
his  dissent  from  views  that  did  not  meet  his  approval.     He  was  always  perfectly  free  and  frank  in  his 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  537 

refusal  to  coincide  with  suggested  policies  that  he  deemed  unwise,  but  it  in  no  way  chilled  the  ardor 
of  his  friendship. 

Here,  too,  was  the  realm  of  his  religious  experience,  and  he  was  deeply  religious  in  the  best  sense. 
He  made  little  of  much  that  was  written  in  the  creeds  and  it  would  have  been  difficult  for  one  who 
did  not  know  him  to  determine  his  denominational  preference.  He  was  deeply  impressed  by  the 
thought  of  the  divine  immanence  in  all  of  the  affairs  of  the  world  and  the  Man  of  Nazareth  early 
won  his  unfaltering  allegiance. 

A  third  aspect  of  his  character  was  a  certain  sternness  and  rigor  that  added  to  his  attractiveness, 
at  least  to  those  who  love  the  truth  and  the  true-hearted.  As  I  have  suggested,  whatever  ties  bound 
him  to  others,  he  always  reserved  the  right  to  walk  alone.  He  answered  so  simply  and  so  instinc- 
tively to  the  call  of  the  right,  as  he  saw  the  right,  that  there  was  no  wavering  or  hesitation.  As  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  State  of  Illinois  for  thirty-six  years,  and  as  chairman  of  its 
most  important  committee  for  a  good  part  of  that  time,  he  was  closely  identified  with  the  management 
of  the  institution  with  which  I  was  connected  for  more  than  a  third  of  a  century.  In  consequence, 
there  was  a  considerable  period  in  which  our  business  as  well  as  our  personal  relations  were  more  than 
ordinarily  close;  but  the  affectionate  relations  of  a  lifetime  did  not  silence  his  dissent  from  any, view 
that  I  might  hold  as  to  the  policy  of  the  institution,  if  it  did  not  square  with  his  good  judgment.  And 
so  it  was  that  no  political  party  could  count  him  in  with  any  degree  of  certainty.  It  must  sail  by 
the  chart  and  must  be  honest  about  it,  too,  if  it  was  to  have  his  name  on  its  rolls.  He  was  never  a 
member  of  any  educational  clique,  but  was  ready  at  all  times  to  criticize  the  actions  of  any  man  or  of 
any  group  of  men,  or  to  give,  with  equal  freedom,  his  hearty  approval.  I  do  not  mean  that  he  was 
captious  or  contentious.  He  was  serenely  above  all  such  littleness.  He  simply  decided  for  himself 
in  the  light  of  what  he  believed  to  be  ultimate  and  fundamental  principles.  He  would  not  quarrel 
with  men ;  if  he  could  not  agree  with  them  he  walked  apart  and  he  did  it  good  naturedly.  The  torch 
that  showed  him  his  path  was  lighted  at  a  high  altar  and  he  kept  it  burning. 

And  so  he  stood  foursquare  to  all  the  world.  You  could  tell  the  directions  to  the  cardinal  points 
by  looking  at  him.  He  had  none  of  the  arts  of  the  "  Manager."  He  was  too  blunt  for  the  delicate 
finesse  upon  which  so  many  pride  themselves.  He  had  never  taken  on  those  extreme  refinements 
which  men  call  urbanity  and  which  mark  the  man  of  society  manners.  I  do  not  believe  that  they 
would  have  added  to  the  impression  which  he  made  upon  his  community.  People  who  are  in  daily 
contact  with  a  man  who  is  shaping  the  life  of  their  town  in  significant  ways  soon  learn  his  method 
and  estimate  it  by  the  elements  of  genuine  vitality  that  it  exhibits,  rather  than  by  the  clothes  it  wears. 
And  he  made  a  most  profound  impression  upon  the  life  of  the  city  in  which  he  lived  for  almost  a  half 
century.     To  take  out  of  Decatur  what  he  put  into  it  would  beggar  it,  indeed. 

I  have  spoken  of  his  connection  with  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  He  was 
a  member  for  thirty-six  years,  and  for  thirteen  years  was  its  president.  It  is  my  understanding  that 
in  all  of  these  years  he  never  missed  a  meeting.  He  was  also  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
the  James  Milliken  University.  He  was  once  president  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association  and  was 
its  senior  member.  He  was  present  at  its  first  meeting,  in  1854,  and  was  rarely  absent  from  the 
annual  sessions.  The  only  other  member  of  the  first  meeting  who  still  attends  even  occasionally 
is  the  venerable  and  honored  John  F.  Eberhart,  of  Chicago.  And  he  was  also  the  best-known  mem- 
ber of  the  Association.  Everyone  knew  "Gastman  of  Decatur."  The  stalwart  figure,  the  earnest, 
attentive  listener,  speaking  only  when  he  had  something  of  worth  to  say  and  then  with  brevity  and 
clearness  and  usually  with  a  touch  of  genial  humor  that  brought  the  answering  smile  or  rippling 
laughter  —  years  and  years  and  years  had  made  them  all  very  familiar  to  the  schoolmasters 
of  Illinois. 

While  a  good  share  of  the  joy  of  life  came  to  him,  for  he  had  a  sunny  temper,  he  was  a  man  of 
many  sorrows ;  yet  he  bore  them  with  a  fortitude  that  was  heroic.  Few  men  have  been  more  sorely 
afflicted,  yet  he  uttered  no  complaint. 

I  had  thought  to  speak  of  his  home  life,  so  cheery  and  so  gracious  and  in  such  fine  accord  with 
the  kindred  spirits  there ;  but  I  will  not  cross  the  threshold  that  separates  the  inner  temple  from  the , 


538  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

outer  court.      Many  of  us  were  privileged  to  know  it  and  all  can  anticipate  the  words  that  press  for 
speech. 

He  was  not  old,  but  he  was  impressed  with  the  thought  that  he  was  soon  to  go  away.  He  was 
under  the  shadow  of  the  apprehension  when  I  last  spoke  with  him.  We  looked  to  see  him  sit  for 
years  contentedly  among  the  sheaves  in  glad  content  before  the  final  call  of  fate.  He  told  his  pastor 
his  simple  wishes  as  to  what  should  be  done  when  he  had  no  voice,  and  he  confided  to  his  loving  wife 
the  names  of  a  few  friends  to  whom  the  quick  and  fateful  message  should  go  if  the  end  should  come 
unexpectedly. 

I  have  spoken  of  Mr.  Gastman's  first  marriage.  On  the  25th  of  August,  1864,  he  was  married 
to  Caroline  Smith  Sargent,  of  Decatur.  On  the  25th  of  April,  1868,  they  lost  their  little  daughter. 
She  would  have  been  three  years  old  in  another  month.  On  the  24th  of  July,  1893,  their  son  Win- 
throp  Enoch  gave  up  the  hopeless  struggle  with  the  "white  plague."  He  would  have  been  twenty- 
five  in  a  few  days.  He  had  won  university  honors  and  was  getting  on  in  the  world  after  the  desire 
of  his  parents.  Before  another  month  had  passed,  their  last  boy,  Floyd  Agassiz,  almost  nineteen, 
joined  his  brother  behind  the  veil.  Like  Winthrop  he  had  chosen  a  university  career.  On  the  3d 
of  April,  1904,  the  strong,  brave  woman,  who  for  forty  years  had  shared  his  joys  and  sorrows,  laid 
down  the  burden  of  life  and  entered  into  the  rest  that  comes  to  the  saints  of  God.  They  had  grown 
strangely  alike  in  their  long  and  close  companionship.  Two  daughters  survive:  Elizabeth  Gastman 
Powell,  a  dweller  on  the  west  coast,  and  Louise  Gastman  Goben,  who  lives  in  eastern  Illinois. 

On  Christmas  Day,  1905,  Mr.  Gastman  was  joined  in  marriage  to  Miss  Belle  Hobbs,  of  De  Kalb. 

Upon  his  retirement  from  the  duties  of  his  office  he  indulged  a  taste  for  travel.  In  the  night, 
in  a  distant  city,  without  warning,  with  no  one  near  that  he  knew  except  his  faithful  wife,  like  the 
sudden  blowing  out  of  a  taper,  the  end  came,  and  he  was  gone.  As  was  said  of  the  great  master  whom 
he  met  and  loved  at  Penikese, 

"Where  the  eyes  that  follow  fail. 
On  a  vaster  sea  his  sail 
Drifts  beyond  our  beck  and  hail." 

He  was  borne  to  the  scene  of  his  life-work,  and  covered  with  the  flowers  that  he  loved,  he  was 
laid  to  rest. 

It  was  a  fine  life !  The  record  of  his  deeds  will  forever  adorn  the  pages  that  recount  the  service 
of  the  schoolmasters  of  Illinois. — ^J.  W.  C. 

P.  R.  WALKER. 

In  the  land  of  the  Winnebagoes,  on  the  pleasant  prairie  river,  the  Rock,  is  the 
beautiful  city  of  Rockford.  Its  school  system  reaches  back  to  an  early  period  in 
the  history  of  the  State.  At  the  head  of  its  schools  is  one  of  the  veteran  teachers 
of  Illinois. 

P.  R.  Walker  was  born  July  1,  1835,  in  Brooklyn,  Connecticut.  He  had  a  com- 
mon school  education,  which  was  gained  by  going  to  school  winters  until  he  was  fifteen 
years  of  age.  The  summers  were  devoted  to  work  on  the  farm.  He  then  entered 
West  Killingly  Academy  for  winter  schooling,  still  devoting  his  summers  to  manual 
labor.  This  he  did  until  he  was  seventeen,  when  he  taught  his  first  school.  It  was 
a  winter  school,  but  the  following  year  he  devoted  to  teaching.  These  were  district 
schools  of  the  New  England  variety.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  came  west  and  settled 
with  his  parents  in  Ogle  county,  Illinois.  Here  he  taught  a  district  school  for  the 
two  following  winters. 

In  April,  1858,  he  entered  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  at  Normal. 
This  was  the  second  year  of  the  life  of  that  notable  institution.     There  he  became  a 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  539 

pupil  of  Charles  E.  Hovey  and  Ira  Moore  and  Edwin  C.  Hewett  and  Samuel  Willard 
and  Dr.  Edward  R.  Roe  —  and  they  were  men  of  the  sort  to  win  his  high  esteem. 
Others  came  before  he  was  through  with  the  school  and  made  their  impression  upon 
his  life.     Especially  was  this  true  of  Leander  H.  Potter  and  Joseph  Addison  Sewall. 

He  graduated  in  June,  1861.  There  were  but  eight  in  his  class,  but  six  of  them 
were  men.  Five  of  the  six  entered  the  army  and  the  sixth  would  have  done  the  same 
if  the  doctors  had  been  willing  to  let  him  in.  Two  of  his  five  male  classmates  became, 
like  himself,  eminent  as  teachers.  One  of  them  was  of  national  repute  —  Gove,  of 
Denver,  as  he  was  familiarly  known  from  one  sea  to  the  other.  Another  was  on  the 
way  to  a  national  reputation  when  he  dropped  out  of  line  and  was  laid  to  rest  under 
bowers  of  roses  on  the  Santa  Cruz  hills  in  California.  This  was  Henry  Norton, 
poet  and, sage. 

Mr.  Walker  taught  eleven  months  at  Creston,  Illinois,  before  entering  the  army. 
He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  K,  22d  Illinois  Volunteers,  on  the  12th  of 
August,  1862.  He  was  promoted  to  3d  sergeant  September  24,  to  2d  lieutenant 
April  26,  1863,  and  to  1st  lieutenant  May,  1865.  He  had  commanded  his  company 
one  year  before  his  last  promotion  because  of  the  absence  of  his  captain.  He  was 
in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  on  the  march  to  the  sea  through  the  Carolinas.  He 
was  discharged  July  10,  1865. 

On  the  12th  of  August,  1865,  he  was  married  and  began  teaching  at  Creston  the 
first  of  the  following  October,  as  principal  of  the  village  schools.  He  taught  there 
seven  years.  In  August,  1872,  he  was  called  to  the  principalship  of  the  schools  at 
Rochelle  where  he  remained  for  twelve  years  He  was  then  called  to  the  superin- 
tendency  of  the  Rockford  schools,  where  he  has  now  been  for  nearly  twenty-eight 
years. 

In  1883  Mr.  Walker  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  the  governing  board  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  and  is 
now  serving  his  twenty-ninth  year  in  that  capacity.  Since  the  death  of  E.  A.  Gast- 
man  he  has  been  the  president  of  the  board. 

Mr.  Walker's  interest  in  school  work  has  steadily  increased  with  his  years  of 
service.  There  is  no  more  diligent  student  of  education  in  charge  of  schools  in  the 
State.  The  reputation  of  the  Rockford  system  has  gone  abroad  with  its  increase 
of  numbers.  Its  high  school  is  the  pride  of  the  city,  and  its  elementary  schools  are 
similarly  esteemed.  The  management  has  been  extremely  sane  and  steadily  pro- 
gressive. 

It  is  difficult  to  write  of  the  regard  in  which  Mr.  Walker  is  held  by  the  school 
people  who  know  him  without  seeming  to  be  given  to  extreme  praise.  His  trans- 
parent honesty  is  equaled  only  by  his  simplicity  and  unpretentiousness.  He  was 
one  of  the  few  leaders  who  on  all  suitable  opportuuities  pressed  the  demands  of 
Northern  Illinois  for  a  Normal  school.  He  was  chairman  of  the  legislative  com- 
mittee of  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association  for  year  after  year,  and  kept 
the  idea  before  the  people  in  that  portion  of  the  State  and  as  well  before  the  members 
of  the  General  Assembly,  at  Springfield.  As  is  stated  on  another  page,  when  the 
institution  was  finally  a  reality  he  was  remembered  by  the  Association  and  cordially 
thanked  for  his  faithful  and  efficient  service. 


540  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

JOHN  WILLISTON  COOK. 

Mr.  Cook  was  bom  near  Oneida,  New  York,  on  the  20th  of  April,  1844.  He  is 
the  son  of  Harry  Dewitt  and  Joanna  Hall  Cook.  His  parents  emigrated  to  the  wilds 
of  Illinois  in  1851  and  located  on  the  line  of  the  projected  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
twelve  miles  north  of  Bloomington.  They  were  people  of  superior  intelligence  and 
made  a  careful  study  of  the  topography,  climate,  and  other  natural  features  of  the 
State,  so  far  as  they  were  able  to  do  so  with  the  literature  at  their  command.  Mr- 
Cook  had  watched  with  great  interest  the  progress  of  the  bill  in  Congress  which 
Senator  Douglas  had  championed,  and  which  provided  for  the  construction  of  the 
road.  When  its  passage  was  assured  he  determined  to  seek  the  undeveloped  West, 
locate  on  the  line  of  the  new  road,  and  take  part  in  the  building  of  a  great  common- 
wealth. 

He  was  a  carpenter  and  became  a  contractor  and  builder.  Upon  his  arrival  he 
engaged  in  the  construction  of  trestles  and  bridges  for  the  railroad  people,  and  when 
the  trains  were  ready  for  service  he  became  a  station-master  and  grain-dealer,  and 
also  purchased  and  developed  a  tract  of  the  prairie  land  which  was  then  purchasable 
at  three  or  four  dollars  an  acre. 

He  was  twice  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly,  served  thirty-nine  months 
as  a  cavalry  officer  in  the  army  and  was,  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1873,  chairman 
of  the  State  Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commission. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  had  the  stimulation  that  comes  from  a  father  who 
was  a  man  of  affairs  and  a  mother  who  had  been  a  school-teacher  and  a  lover  of  books. 
Although  the  schools  were  not  numerous  there  were  some  of  them  that  were  excellent 
in  quality,  and  the  one  in  the  village  which  was  his  home  enjoyed  the  instruction  of 
Enoch  A.  Gastman  and  others  of  his  kind  along  with  some  that  were  less  deserving 
of  praise.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  an  opportunity  was  offered  to  secure  a  good 
elementary  education  along  with  a  little  Latin,  some  elementary  astronomy,  the 
beginnings  of  algebra,  a  fair  grasp  of  English,  and  especially  was  there  available 
a  fair  library  of  well-selected  books.  The  home  was  quite  well  supplied  with  good 
literature  and  with  the  supplementing  of  its  stock  by  a  small  public  library  there 
was  enough  to  enable  one  who  inclined  to  books  to  become  fairly  familiar  with  the 
leading  American  writers  of  the  time. 

In  addition  to  the  school  there  was  office  work  at  the  station,  farm  work  in  the 
summer  —  and  it  was  greatly  preferred  —  and  there  were  political  gatherings  in 
which  the  all-absorbing  question  of  slavery  or  freedom  for  the  new  States  was  ardently 
discussed.  There  was  much  to  stimulate  intelligence  and  to  interest  one  in  the 
serious  problems  of  social  and  political  life. 

In  1862  he  entered  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University.  There  was  no  especial 
thought  of  becoming  a  teacher,  but  the  school  was  but  a  few  miles  away  and  its 
repute  had  become  a  matter  of  quite  general  intelligence.  Once  in  the  school  and 
interested  in  its  work  the  rest  came  about  as  a  matter  of  course.  His  entrance 
coincided  with  the  beginning  of  the  administration  of  Richard  Edwards  as  president. 
Mr.  Cook  has  often  remarked  that  some  kind  fate  must  have  led  him  where  he  came 
into  the  closest  personal  relations  with  that  noble  and  inspiring  character  and  his 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  541 

devoted  associates.  It  was  not  long  before  the  influences  of  the  institution  deter- 
mined his  career  for  him. 

Graduating  in  1865  he  began  his  professional  career  as  principal  of  the  public 
schools  of  the  village  of  Brimfield,  in  Peoria  county.  The  class  of  1865  turned  out 
to  be  a  teachers'  class,  as  it  has  the  longest  average  record  of  any  of  the  fifty-three 
that  have  left  the  institution.  It  numbered  but  eleven  from  the  Normal  department, 
but  all  became  teachers  and  two  of  the  class  have  taught  continuously  since  1865  — 
Dr.  Burrell,  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr.  Cook 
remained  but  a  single  year  at  Brimfield,  being  called  the  next  year  to  a  position  in 
the  training  school  of  the  institution  from  which  he  had  so  recently  graduated; 
There  he  remained  for  thirty-three  years  —  two  years  in  the  training  school,  one 
year  as  teacher  of  geography  and  history  in  the  absence  of  Professor  Hewett,  seven 
years  as  teacher  of  reading,- fourteen  years  as  head  of  the  department  of  mathematics, 
and  nine  years  as  president. 

In  1899  he  was  called  to  the  presidency  of  the  Northern  Illinois  State  Normal 
School,  one  of  the  two  new  schools  that  were  the  product  of  what  has  been  designated 
in  this  history  as  "the  new  Normal  school  movement."  He  is  now  completing  his 
thirteenth  year  at  the  head  of  that  institution. 

Mr.  Cook  is  the  author  with  Miss  N.'  Cropsey  of  a  series  of  arithmetics,  has  been 
for  many  years  a  member  of  the  National  Council  of  Education,  has  been  president 
of  the  State  Teachers'  Association,  president  of  the  Normal  Department  of  the 
National  Education  Association,  president  of  the  same  association,  and  has  been 
a  lecturer  on  educational  themes  for  more  than  forty  years.  He  has  also  been  con- 
nected with  other  educational  organizations,  his  life  having  been  spent  in  school 
work.  He  was  for  more  than  six  years  engaged  in  educational  journalism,  first  in 
the  seventies  and  afterward  in  the  middle  eighties,  and  is  a  constant  contributor  to 
educational  periodicals.  He  has  led  a  busy  life,  but  declares  that  if  he  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  repeat  it  he  would  above  all  other  professions  choose  that  of  the  teacher. 

In  1867  Mr.  Cook  was  married  to  Miss  Lydia  F.  Spoflord,  of  North  Andover, 
Massachusetts.  Mrs.  Cook  is  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Charles  E.  Hovey,  wife  of  the  first 
president  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  of  the  wife  of  Major  Aaron  Gove, 
who  was  for  thirty  years  superintendent  of  the  Denver  schools,  and  she  is  a  daughter 
of  an  old  Nantucket  schoolmaster  who  is  still  remembered  on  the  island  by  a  few  of 
the  oldest  residents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook  have  one  daughter  —  Mrs.  Henry  Gordon 
Gale,  of  Chicago,  a  writer  of  Greek  stories  for  children  —  and  one  son,  John  Loring 
Cook,  a  voice  teacher  in  the  same  city.  Mr.  Cook  is  probably  the  dean  of  the 
Normal  school  presidents,  having  been  engaged  continuously  in  Normal  school  work 
for  forty-six  years  without  a  vacation. 


542  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

SOME   INTERESTING   ITEMS 

ILLINOIS'  FIRST  SCHOOL 

THE  Daily  News  of  December  3,  1906,  contained  an  article  from  which  the 
following  extracts  are  made. 
"  Cahokia,  the  quaint  little  'deserted  village,'  way  down  in  St.  Clair 
county,  almost  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  is  now  claimed  as  the  cradle  of  the 
great  free-school  system  of  Illinois,  by  members  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society, 
who  have  brought  to  light  an  old  document  dated  May  6,  1794,  in  which  the  citizens 
of  Cahokia  request  'the  judges  of  the  honorable  court  of  Cahokia'  to  allow  them  to 
hold  their  first  public  school  in  the  courthouse.  The  old  courthouse,  said  to  be  the 
oldest  in  the  West,  and  now  on  Wooded  Island,  in  Jackson  Park,  was  the  scene  of  the 
recent  handing  of  commissions  to  the  judges  of  the  Municipal  Court. 

"  The  old  document  which  fixes  the  time  of  the  founding  of  Illinois  schools  was 
discovered  a  few  weeks  ago  after  it  had  been  hidden  from  human  eyes  for  almost 
a  hundred  years.     It  is  written  in  French.     Translated,  it  reads  as  follows: 

"To  the  Gentlemen,  the  Judges  of  the  Honorable  Court  of  Cahokia: 

"The  inhabitants  of  the  parish  of  the  Holy  Family  of  Cahokia  have  the  honor  to  express  to  you 
at  their  assembly  that  they  have  the  desire  to  establish  a  school  at  their  said  parish  (or  town)  for  the 
instruction  of  their  children. 

"As  they  are  obliged  to  do  many  necessary  public  works  in  the  parish,  they  can  not  at  once  under- 
take the  construction  of  a  building  to  hold  the  said  school,  so  these  representatives  ask  you  gentlemen 
to  allow  them  to  hold  the  said  school  in  the  audience  room  of  the  courthouse  until  they  construct 
a  building  which  will  oblige  all  the  inhabitants  whose  children  have  their  instruction  in  the  school, 
and,  in  which  case,  should  there  arise  any  defacement  of  the  said  audience  room,  they  will  leave  it  in 
the  best  condition  which  you  judge  necessary  and  proper. 

"That  is  why  they  supplicate  you  to  accord  them  this  request  as  being  necessary  for  the  public 
good.  In  this  cause  they  submit  themselves  to  your  good  will  and  have  the  honor  to  be,  very 
respectfully, 

"Your  very  humble  and  very  obedient  servants,  "Louis  Sebrun. 

"Cahokia,  6  May,  1794.  "Louis  Grand." 

"  This,  according  to  the  historians,  was  the  first  request  for  a  public  school  in 
Illinois  after  the  Revolutionary  War,  when,  under  our  first  laws,  one  section  in  each 
township  was  set  aside  for  school  purposes." 

NATHANIEL  POPE. 

Those  who  are  interested  in  education  —  and  who  is  not  ? —  should  gratefully 
remember  Mr.  Nathaniel  Pope,  the  territorial  delegate  in  Congress  when  the  enabling 
act  for  the  admission  of  the  State  was  passed.  To  him  belongs  the  honor  of  having 
secured  an  amendment  to  the  bill,  changing  the  northern  boundary  of  the  State 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  543 

from  a  line  running  east  and  west  from  the  south  end  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  present 
line  of  42°,  30'.  That  was  enough  to  give  him  a  permanent  place  in  the  annals  of 
the  State,  but  it  is  not  so  generally  known  that  on  the  same  day  he  succeeded  in 
getting  another  amendment  to  the  bill  which  secured  for  the  schools  the  foundation 
of  a  generous  part  of  our  present  school  fund. 

When  several  of  the  States  were  admitted  to  the  Union  they  had  within  their 
territory  large  amounts  of  unsold  public  lands.  Congress  was  generous  and  it  was 
the  custom  to  grant  to  the  States  some  portion  of  the  proceeds  of  these  lands.  Thus 
Ohio  and  Indiana  received  a  five  per  cent  gift  of  that  character  and  elected  to  have 
it  expended  on  canals  and  public  roads.  In  imitation  of  these  States  such  a  pro- 
vision was  put  into  the  bill  providing  for  the  admission  of  Illinois.  Mr.  Pope  moved 
to  insert,  instead  of  the  provision,  an  amendment  which  reserved  three  per  cent  for 
the  uses  of  schools  instead  of  expending  them  on  roads. 

There  was  no  opposition  to  the  change  and  it  therefore  became  a  part  of  the 
Enabling  Act.  This  action  secured  the  School  Fund  Proper  and  the  College  Fund, 
for  one-sixth  of  the  three  per  cent  was  reserved  as  a  college  fund.  Two  per  cent 
was  retained  for  roads  and  canals,  but  it  has  disappeared,  as  Mr.  Pope  predicted. 

SOME  EARLY  WORKERS. 

In  the  twenties  and  the  thirties  there  were  among  the  workers  for  a  system  of 
free  education  Edward  Beecher,  Julian  M.  Sturtevant,  Truman  M.  Post,  Theron 
Baldwin,  William  Kirby,  Samuel  Adams,  John  Adams,  Elisha  Jenny,  Asa  Turner, 
Jonathan  B.  Turner,  John  F.  Brooks,  Hon.  Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  Rev.  J.  M.  Ellis, 
Rev.  Albert  Hale  and  Judge  William  Brown.  Most  of  them  were  called  to  Illinois 
by  the  founding  of  Illinois  College  and  the  Jacksonville  Academy  for  the  education 
of  young  women.     The  student  of  this  period  is  constantly  encountering  these  names. 

JACKSONVILLE  ASSOCIATION. 

In  1833  there  was  formed  in  Jacksonville  the  Ladies'  Association  for  the  Educa- 
tion of  Females.  The  women  who  were  responsible  for  this  philanthropic  enterprise 
were  moved  to  attempt  it  because  they  saw  the  daughters  of  the  pioneers  growing 
up  in  ignorance.  The  schools  were  few  and  miserable  in  quality  and  it  was  impos- 
sible for  the  great  majority  to  send  their  young  women  to  the  distant  East  from  which 
many  of  them  had  come.  Moreover,  these  women  were  closely  identified  with  the 
men  who  had  founded  Illinois  College  and  they  were  moved  by  the  same  fine  spirit. 

The  first  article  of  the  constitution  reads  as  follows : 

"  This  association  shall  be  called  '  The  Ladies'  Association  for  Educating  Females,' 
the  principal  object  of  which  shall  be  to  encourage  and  assist  young  ladies  to  qualify 
themselves  for  teachers." 

The  plan  was  undertaken  in  the  largest  spirit,  all  denominational  differences 
being  ignored.  Although  the  main  object  was  the  education  of  teachers,  because 
of  the  crying  need  for  such  workers,  yet  there  was  no  obligation  on  the  part  of  those 
who  received  help  to  become  teachers. 

Neither  was  there  any  obligation  to  refund  the  money  which  the  beneficiaries 


544  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

received.  Some  did  make  returns  in  order  that  others  might  receive  what  they  had 
received.  The  first  year  five  were  aided.  The  third  year  forty-five  were  helped  in 
various  parts  of  the  State.  And  so  the  good  work  went  on.  Money  was  raised  in 
various  ways.  The  association  did  not  get  a  large  amount,  but  it  was  used  so  care- 
fully that  large  returns  were  realized.  Fifty  years  had  passed  when  Mr.  Pillsbury 
wrote  the  account  of  the  organization  and  work  of  the  association.  It  had  then  dis- 
bursed about  $25,000,  but  it  had  aided  twelve  hundred  young  women  to  get  an  edu- 
cation. The  original  officers  were  Mrs.  John  Tilson,  Hillsboro,  president;  Miss  Sarah 
C.  Crocker  (afterwards  Mrs.  Elihu  Wolcott),  Jacksonville,  vice-president;  Mrs. 
Theron  Baldwin,  Jacksonville,  secretary;  Mrs.  H.  Batchelder,  Jacksonville,  treasurer. 

MONTI  CELLO  SEMINARY. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  early  interest  taken  in  the  more  liberal  education  of 
women  Monticello  Seminary  is  an  admirable  example.  It  was  founded  in  1838  and 
was  opened  on  April  11  of  that  year.  It  was  located  near  Alton,  at  a  town  now  known 
as  Godfrey,  where  it  still  continues  its  beneficent  work.  The  founder  was  Capt. 
Benjamin  Godfrey,  from  whom  the  town  doubtless  takes  its  name.  The  first  prin- 
cipal was  Rev.  Theron  Baldwin.  Considering  the  time,  the  gifts  were  extremely 
liberal,  amounting  to  more  than  $50,000  in  addition  to  a  land  gift  of  fifteen  acres. 
Miss  Philena  Forbes  succeeded  to  the  principalship  in  1845  and  continued  in  that 
position  for  twenty  years. 

Monticello  Seminary  seems  to  have  escaped  the  starving  time  through  which 
so  many  educational  institutions  seem  predestined  to  pass.  It  has  always  been 
prosperous. 

"WHITE." 

From  what  has  been  written  of  conditions  in  Illinois  in  the  early  years  of  state- 
hood it  would  be  expected  that  the  word  "white"  would  frequently  appear  in  the 
statutes.  With  a  strong  pro-slavery  sentiment  in  many  parts  of  the  State  it  was 
inevitable  that  the  color  line  would  be  sharply  drawn  in  all  matters  relating  to  social 
life.  As  the  school  can  not  recognize  caste  in  the  presence  of  knowledge,  where  all 
must  take  their  rank  from  their  capacity,  the  only  satisfactory  solution  of  the  educa- 
tional problem,  for  those  who  regarded  the  negro  as  foredoomed  to  servitude  and 
racial  inferiority,  was  the  separation  of  the  whites  from  the  blacks  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  public  schools. 

Section  1  of  the  school  law  of  1825  declares  that  "there  shall  be  established 
a  common  school  or  schools  in  each  of  the  counties  of  this  State,  which  shall  be 
open  and  free  to  every  class  of  white  citizens  between  the  ages  of  five  and  twenty-one 
years." 

During  the  succeeding  thirty  years  there  was  not  an  attempt  to  expunge  the 
ever  recurring  "white"  from  the  statutes.  The  first  free-school  law,  the  "Law  of 
'55,"  as  it  is  familiarly  called,  made  no  effort  in  that  direction.  Section  84  provided 
that  in  townships  where  there  were  persons  of  color  the  board  of  education  should 
allow  such  persons  to  withdraw  from  the  school  fund  the  amount  which  they  h'ad 
contributed.     They  were  counted  in  the  enumeration  by  which  the  amount  of  the 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  545 

State  fund  was  distributed,  and  the  township,  therefore,  profited  by  their  presence 
as  much  as  would  have  been  the  case  if  they  had  been  as  white  as  the  snows  of  winter. 
If  they  had  been  allowed  to  use  their  share  of  the  State  fund  as  well  as  what  they 
had  personally  contributed,  they  might  have  been  able  to  do  something  in  the  edu- 
cation of  the  young  of  their  race.     It  is  another  instance  of  the  inhumanity  of  man. 

The  Constitution  of  1870  was  the  first  to  contain  an  educational  article.  Its 
sections  have  been  quoted.  It  is  enough  in  this  connection  to  remind  the  reader 
that  it  declared  that  the  advantages  of  the  schools  are  to  be  enjoyed  by  all  of  the 
children  of  the  State.  "White"  is  at  last  eliminated  from  the  fundamental  law  of 
the  land.  Henceforth  the  child  of  the  black  man  is  to  receive  the  advantages  of  the 
public  schools  as  well  as  the  child  of  the  white  man. 

This  does  not  mean  that  there  are  to  be  mixed  schools  in  all  of  the  counties  of  the 
State.  It  simply  means  that  there  is  no  longer  a  barrier  to  one's  education  because 
of  the  shadow  on  his  face. 

Where  there  were  colored  children  enough  to  constitute  a  separate  school  it  has 
been  the  general  policy,  especially  in  southern  Illinois,  to  segregate  such  pupils. 
This  has  not  always  been  satisfactory  to  the  negroes.  It  has  sometimes  meant 
inferior  accommodations  and  poor  instruction.  In  consequence,  the  matter  has 
occasionally  found  its  way  into  the  courts.  It  has  been  very  difficult  at  tim.es  to 
bring  the  question  fairly  before  the  courts  on  its  legal  aspects.  There  has  been 
such  a  degree  of  sensitiveness  on  the  part  of  the  whites  as  to  lead  the  courts  at  times 
to  obscure  the  issue  and  to  render  decisions  on  minor  points  and  generally  against 
the  blacks. 

The  most  interesting  case  of  this  character  with  which  the  writer  is  familiar  is 
that  of  Scott  Bibb,  a  colored  man  residing  in  the  city  of  Alton.  About  1896  two 
new  school  buildings  were  erected  which  were  occupied  exclusively  by  colored  chil- 
dren. Previous  to  that  time  the  schools  were  mixed,  being  attended  by  both  blacks 
and  whites.  The  children  of  Scott  Bibb  had  been  in  attendance  near  his  place  of 
residence.' ■  Upon  presenting  themselves  for  admission  at  the  beginning  of  a  term 
they  were  refused  the  privilege  of  attendance  at  that  school  and  were  directed  to 
go  to  a  distant  school  where  only  colored  children  were  admitted.  The  matter  was 
taken  into  the  courts  by  Bibb  and  an  attempt  made  to  gain  for  his  children  the 
privilege  of  attendance  at  a  school  near  their  home. 

The  petitioner  was  beaten  again  and  again,  and  the  case  dragged  on  for  some 
ten  years.  The  active  attorney  for  the  petitioner  was  John  J.  Brenholt,  of  Alton. 
Five  times  the  case  was  tried  and  the  petitioner  beaten  in  the  lower  court.  An 
appeal  was  taken  to  the  higher  court  in  each  defeat  and  the  plea  maintained  and  the 
case  remanded  to  the  lower  court  for  retrial.  At  last  Mr.  Brenholt  had  the  satis- 
faction of  securing  justice  for  his  client. 

CIRCUIT  SCHOOLS. 

In  the  early  thirties  they  had  circuit  schools  in  Bond  county.  A  teacher  would 
work  from  eight  to  twelve  in  one  school  and  would  then  go  to  another  which  he  would 
teach  from  two  to  four  that  afternoon  and  from  eight  to  twelve  the  next  forenoon. 
He  would  then  return  to  the  first  school  and  repeat  the  formula.     Another  method 

35 


546  THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS 

that  was  applicable  when  the  schools  were  too  far  apart  for  the  first  plan  was  to  go 
from  one  to  another  at  noon  and  remain  for  two  or  three  days  and  then  return  to  the 
first  or  go  on  to  a  third.     An  advocate  of  the  plan  makes  four  points  in  its  favor: 

1.  Two  neighborhoods  can  thus  get  along  with  one  teacher,  when  neither  is  able 
alone  to  maintain  a  teacher. 

2.  The  scarcity  of  good  teachers  makes  it  a  great  advantage  when  one  such 
teacher  can  accommodate  two  communities. 

3.  Such  a  plan  cuts  tuition  and  thus  enables  poor  people  with  large  families  to 
secure  something  in  the  way  of  education  for  their  children. 

4.  Where  the  children  are  large  enough  to  help  in  the  labor  of  the  farms  they 
can  work  a  part  of  the  time  and  go  to  school  the  remainder,  thus  securing  an  educa- 
tion, helping  their  parents,  and  acquiring  habits  of  industry. 

It  was  claimed,  as  it  has  been  in  these  latter  days  for  half-day  schools,  that  the 
children  made  greater  progress  than  in  the  full-time  schools. 

EARLY  SCHOOLS  IN  ALTON. 

It  has  been  claimed  that  the  first  free  schools  were  established  in  Alton,  as  was 
stated  in  an  early  page  in  this  record.  Hon.  Ninian  W.  Edwards  makes  a  claim 
for  that  city  and  puts  the  date  as  early  as  1821.  It  is  certain  that  there  were  schools 
there  very  early. 

Mr.  W.  T.  Norton,  of  Alton,  a  most  painstaking  and  accurate  scholar,  sends 
the  following:  "In  November,  1831,  a  preparatory  school  was  opened  by  a  Mr. 
Davis  in  a  room  over  a  store  on  Second  street.  In  January,  1832,  this  school  was 
amplified  into  the  'Alton  Seminary,'  and  in  January,  1833,  was  removed  to  a  new 
two-story  building  on  Second  street,  near  Alton.  The  plan  of  this  school  introduced 
four  distinct  departments  and  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  school  in  Alton. 
Davis  died  about  1834. 

"  On  September  4,  1832,  an  institution  of  the  same  name  was  opened  in  Upper 
Alton,  under  the  care  of  Rev.  Hubbel  Loomis.  As  has  been  said,  this  was  the 
beginning  of  Shurtleff  College.  The  removal  of  Rock  Spring  Seminary  to  Upper 
Alton  in  1832  has  been  noted. 

"  In  1833  or  1834  Abel  R.  Corbin  kept  school  in  a  log  house  at  the  junction  of 
Second  and  Third  streets.     He  removed  to  St.  Louis  about  1833  or  1834. 

"  The  charter  adopted  by  the  city  of  Alton  in  1837  provides  for  the  establishment 
and  maintenance  of  free  schools. 

"  The  first  action  of  the  council  with  regard  to  schools  seems  to  have  been  taken 
in  1842,  when  William  Martin,  Dr.  B.  F.  Edmunds  and  B.  B.  Barker  were  appointed 
a  school  committee. 

"On  July  3,  1843,  the  city  council,  on  motion  of  Dr.  B.  K.  Hunt,  purchased 
Block  19  for  school  purposes.  The  price  was  $200,  but  Judge  Nathaniel  Pope 
donated  $100  of  the  price.  With  this  began  the  history  of  the  public  schools  in 
Alton. 

"  In  1846  an  Englishman  by  the  name  of  Smith  began  a  school  in  the  basement 
of  the  Episcopal  church  and  continued  it  to  1855.     He  had  previously  taught  in 


THE     EDUCATIONAL     HISTORY     OF     ILLINOIS  547 

Surrey  county,  England,  where  he  had  four  sons  of  Captain  Marryat,  the  noveUst, 
under  his  charge,  and  also  a  son  of  Lockhart,  Walter  Scott's  son-in-law." 

FOWLER  INSTITUTE. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Newark,  Illinois,  were  Horatio  Fowler  and  his  family, 
who  came  from  Canada.  In  the  family  were  two  sons,  Charles  and  Henry.  Charles 
graduated  from  an  Eastern  college,  entered  the  ministry,  became  distinguished 
as  a  preacher,  president  of  Northwestern  University,  and  bishop  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  Henry  became  a  physician  and  lived  for  many  years  in  Newark.  In  1855 
he  built  the  Fowler  Institute  and  the  first  school  started  in  the  Institute  in  the  fall 
of  that  year.  The  building  was  about  forty  by  fifty  feet,  was  three  stories  high,  and 
had  two  large  schoolrooms  and  a  recitation  room.  The  upper  story  was  a  dormi- 
tory. In  those  days  there  were  no  "accredited"  high  schools  and  this  institution 
met  a  need  that  was  keenly  felt.  Miss  Jemima  Washburn,  a  woman  of  fine  education 
and  sterling  qualities,  had  taught  a  private  school  in  Newark,  and  she  and  her  brother, 
Rev.  Sanford  Washburn,  were  the  first  teachers.  Miss  Washburn  went  to  Clark 
Seminary,  Aurora,  and  other  teachers  followed,  among  whom  were  Rev.  John  Higby 
and  Professor  Wilmarth. 

This  school  was  established  for  the  purpose  of  exerting  a  Christian  influence  in 
the  community.  There  were  two  saloons  in  the  village,  but  they  soon  disappeared 
and  for  fifty  years  no  intoxicating  drinks  have  been  sold  openly  in  the  town.  In  the 
ante-bellum  days  the  school  was  loyal  to  the  core  and  was  the  active  disseminator 
of  anti-slavery  doctrine.  In  April,  1861,  when  Beauregard  opened  his  batteries  on 
Fort  Sumter,  the  enlistment  of  a  company  was  immediately  started  in  Newark. 
Among  the  very  first  to  sign  the  muster  roll  was  Benjamin  Adams,  a  Fowler  Institute 
boy.  Professor  Wilmarth  shook  him  by  the  hand  saying,  "  Trust  in  God,  but  keep 
your  powder  dry."  Adams  was  killed  at  Vicksburg,  as  were  many  other  brave  boys 
of  the  Fowler  Institute. 

The  Institute  was  at  its  best  about  the  time  that  the  war  closed.  At  its  head 
was  Alexander  J.  Anderson,  a  Scotchman,  born  on  the  Atlantic  while  his  parents 
were  coming  to  America.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Knox  College  and  was  a  man  of 
genuine  character.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  principalship  by  Mr.  Poore,  Rev. 
John  Bums  and  others.  In  the  fall  of  1880,  while  Mr.  Brower  was  in  charge  of  the 
school,  the  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  was  never  rebuilt.  For  this  section 
of  the  country  Fowler  Institute  was  an  important  seat  of  learning. 

The  annual  circular  issued  in  1866  shows  a  faculty  of  five  teachers,  one  of  whom 
was  Miss  Sarah  E.  Raymond,  for  several  years  the  superintendent  of  the  city  schools 
of  Bloomington,  Illinois.  It  shows  that  the  Institute  was  chartered  in  1867,  and 
that  it  had  a  course  of  study  equal  to  a  modem  superior  high  school.  Its  main 
office  was  to  fit  for  college. 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


Francis  Grant  Blair 


FRANCIS  GRANT  BLAIR  was  born  October  30, 
1864,  at  Nashville,  Illinois.  He  is  the  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Mary  Jane  Blair,  the  former  a  native  of 
Missouri  ^  and  the  latter  of  Tennessee.  He  graduated 
from  Illinois  State  Normal  University  in  1892;  Swarth-- 
more  College,  1897;  was  a  Fellow  at  Columbia,  1899. 
His  early  education  was  secured  in  the  Jefferson  county 
country  schools  and  at  Mt.  Vernon,  Illinois,  high  school. 
He  took  one  year  of  post-graduate  work  in  the  School 
of  Pedagogy,  Buffalo,  New  York.  His  teaching  record 
is  as  follows :  Country  schools,  two  years ;  principal 
graded  schools,  six  years ;  principal  Franklin  School, 
Buffalo,  New  York,  two  years  ;  superintendent  training 
department.  Eastern  Illinois  State  Normal  School,  seven 
years;  Superintendent  Public  Instruction,  State  of  Illi-^ 
nois,  since  1906.  Mr.  Blair  is  a  member  of  the  National 
Education  Association,  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Cir- 
cle, of  the  National  Society  for  Scientific  Study  of  Edu- 
cation and  of  the  Illinois  Schoolmasters'  Club.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  was 
married  in  1898  to  Lillian  Cayton,  of  Leroy,  Illinois. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blair  have  two  boys.  Mr.  Blair  has  been 
a  prolific  writer,  being  author  of  numerous  monographs 
on  various  phases  of  education. 

Mr.  Blair  has  won  marked  distinction  as  an  executive 
officer.  He  has  increased  the  equipment  of  the  State 
office  by  additions  to  his  working  force  and  will  add 
other  features  in  the  near  future  that  will  still  further 
greatly  enhance  its  effectiveness.  Never  before  in  the 
history  of  the  Department  of  Education  was  it  so  deter- 
mining a  factor  in  the  educational  policies  of  the  State. 
Mr.  Blair  is  a  remarkable  public  speaker.  No  other 
face  is  so  familiar  to  the  school  people.  He  spends  a 
considerable  portion  of  his  time  in  the  field.  His  dis- 
cussions of  public  questions  are  interesting  alike  to  lay- 
men and  specialists.  He  is  unsurpassed  in  his  ability 
to  employ  simple  illustrations  out  of  the  lives  of  the 
people  in  illuminating  the  more  technical  subjects  that 
are  involved  in  any  thorough-going  treatment  of  so  com- 
prehensive a  theme  as  popular  education. 

Mr.  Blair  recognized  at  once  that  the  neglected  factor 
in  our  modern  education  is  the  one-room  country 
school.  He,  therefore,  selected  for  his  assistant  in  that 
field  of  effort  a  highly  competent  ex-county  superin- 
tendent of  schools.  A  plan  for  school  standardization 
was  adopted  and  a  careful  canvass  of  the  rural  schools 


was  undertaken.  Districts  reaching  the  requirements 
were  awarded  a  diploma  certifying  that  their  school 
plant  is  of  such  a  character  as  to  meet  the  approval  of 
the  State  Department.  This  means  that  the  house,  the 
furniture,  the  system  of  heating  and  ventilation,  the 
decorations,  the  grounds  and  out-buildings  are  excellent 
in  design  and  condition. 

Other  notable  achievements  of  his  administration  were 
the  authorization  by  the  Forty-fifth  General  Assembly 
of  an  Educational  Commission  to  study  the  public  school 
system  of  Illinois  and  the  laws  under  which  it  organized 
and  operates,  and  report  its  findings  to  the  next  session 
of  the  legislature.  It  carried  an  appropriation  of  $10,000. 
Each  subsequent  session  has  appropriated  $5,000  for  the 
completion  and  publication  of  the  findings  and  recom- 
mendations of  the  Commission. 

Its  greatest  work  was  the  codification  of  the  entire 
school  law,  reducing  its  volume  one-third  and  eliminating 
obsolete  parts,  and  the  harmonizing  of  the  contradictory 
passages  and  the  clearing  up  of  confused  and  ambiguous 
sections. 

It  recommended  to  the  Forty-sixth  General  Assembly: 

1.  The  adoption  of  this  new  code. 

2.  A  State  Board  of  Education. 

3.  A  new  certificating  law. 

4.  A  new  classification  of  counties  and  a  new  salary 
schedule  for  county  superintendents. 

5.  Fourteen  amendments. 

Of  these  recommendations,  the  code,  the  county  super- 
intendents' salary  act  and  some  of  the  amendments  have 
already  been  enacted  into  law.  The  Forty-seventh  Gen- 
eral Assembly  combined  the  State  Board  Bill  and  the 
certificating  bill  and  in  that  form  it  passed  the  Senate 
and  reached  third  reading  in  the  House. 

The  Commission  has  studied  the  question  of  practical 
education  and  formulated  a  report  to  the  legislature  sug- 
gesting changes  in  the  method  and  matter  of  public 
education,  courses  of  study  covering  the  subjects  of 
agriculture,  manual  training  and  domestic  science,  and 
such  new  legislation  as  seemed  necessary  to  provide 
needed  revenues  and  better  prepared  teachers. 

Mr.  Blair  has  large  purposes  with  regard  to  public 
education.  He  has  achieved  a  notable  success  in  the 
administering  of  his  exalted  office,  but  there  still  awaits 
him  the  accomplishment  of  still  greater  reforms  which 
he  is  sure  to  achieve. 


531 


tJ^.Ql^ 


n-yi^i 


U.  J.  Hoffman 


MR.  HOFFMAN  began  his  career  as  a  teacher  in 
1878  in  a  country  school  in  Putnam  county, 
Indiana.  After  one  year  of  service  here  he 
became  principal  of  a  three-room  school  at  Cloverdale 
in  the  same  county.  He  remained  there  two  years.  His 
work  as  an  institute  instructor  attracted  the  attention 
of  Dr.  T.  J.  Bassett,  a  professor  in  De  Pauw  Univer- 
sity, which  resulted  in  his  being  chosen  vice-president 
of  Jennings  Seminary,  at  Aurora,  Illinois,  of  which 
Doctor  Bassett  was  president.  Here  he  remained  for 
five  years,  having  the  opportunity  ,of  helping  to  build 
up  this  school  from  seventy-five  students  in  attendance 
to  three  hundred  and  fifty.  A  superior  order  of  young 
people  were  attracted  to  this  school  who  now  occupy 
positions  of  great  usefulness  in  the  world's  work. 

In  1886  Mr.  Hoffman  was  chosen  the  first  president 
of  Harvard  Collegiate  Institute  at  Fairfield,  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  for  three  years,  building  up  a  pros- 
perous  school.     In   1890  he  went  to  Florida  where  he 


spent  three  years  in  public  school  work.  Returning  to 
Illinois  he  became  connected  with  the  public  schools  of 
Marseilles,  serving  one  year,  when  he  was  elected 
county  superintendent  of  schools  of  La  Salle  county, 
in  1894.  He  devoted  himself  especially  to  the  country 
school,  put  into  operation  the  State  course  of  study, 
graded  the  schools  so  that  they  did  the  work  as  regu- 
larly and  systematically  as  do  the  city  schools.  La  Salle 
county  was  one  of  the  first  in  Illinois  to  secure  uni- 
formity of  text-books  and  to  graduate  pupils  from  the 
eighth  grade  in  the  country  schools.  Good  school 
libraries  were  established  in  every  country  school,  and 
as  many  as  two  thousand  pupils  earned  diplomas  in 
Illinois  Pupils'  Reading  Circle  annually.  He  declined 
to  be  a  candidate  for  reelection  for  a  fourth  term  in 
1906,  and  was  appointed  Assistant  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  in  1907  by  Hon.  F.  G.  Blair,  and 
given  the  work  of  Supervisor  of  Country  Schools.  In 
this  capacity  he  is  serving  at  the  present  time,  1912. 


553 


STATE  SUPERINTENDENTS 


NiNiAN  W.  Edwards, 
1854  to  1857. 


Portrait  Not  Obtainable. 


Wii.uiAM  H.  Powell, 
1857  to  1859. 


Newton  Bateman, 
185910  1863. 


Portrait  Not  Obtainable. 


John  P.  Brooks, 
1863  to  1865. 


554 


STATE   SUPERINTENDENTS 


Newton  Bateman, 
1865  to  1875. 


Samuel  M.  Etter, 
18-5  to  1879. . 


Jas.  p.  Slade, 
1879  to  1883. 


Henry  Raais, 
1883  to  1887. 
1891  to  1895. 


555 


STATE  SUPERINTENDENTS 


Richard  Edwards, 
1887  to  1801. 


Samuel  Inglis, 
1895  to  1898. 


Jos.  H.  Freeman, 
1898  to  1899. 


Alfred  Bayliss, 
1899  to  1906. 


556 


558 


Edmund  Janes  James 


EDMUND  JANES  JA^IES  was  born  in  Jacksonville, 
Illinois,  on  May  21,  1855.  A  few  years  later  the 
family  removed  to  McLean  county  and  made  a 
home  for  themselves  on  a  farm  ne^r  the  village  of 
Normal.  The  father  was  a  Methodist  clergyman  and 
the  mother  a  woman  of  imusual  qualities  in  all  ways. 
The  family  consisted  of  four  sons  and  a  daughter.  All 
became  teachers.  Two  of  the  sons  are  college  profes- 
sors, another  the  Dean  of  the  Department  of  Education 
in  a  great  State  University,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
the  president  of  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  State  univer- 
sities, and  the  daughter  the  wife  of  the  president  of 
Girard  College. 

The  writer  very  distinctly  remembers  a  somewhat 
under-sized  lad  of  twelve  who  came  to  his  grammar 
school  along  toward  the  end  of  the  sixties.  He  was 
much  fonder  of  books  than  of  play.  Perhaps  he  found 
enough  of  physical  exercise  in  the  tramp  from  his  home 
in  the  country  to  the  school  in  the  village.  Be  that  as 
it  may,  the  book  was  his  companion. 

He  was  soon  out  of  the  grammar  department  of  the 
"  Model "  School  at  Normal  and  into  the  high-school 
department  of  the  same  institution  —  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  University.  He  was  a  crack  scholar  from  the 
first  day  of  the  freshman  year  to  the  last  of  the  senior. 
At  sixteen  he  was  debating  in  the  annual  society  con- 
tests with  men  twice  his  age.  He  reminds  one  of  Alex- 
ander Hamilton  in  his  early  inclination  to  studies  of  the 
severer  sort.  He  was  not  averse  to  the  Latin  and  the 
Greek  that  were  so  fashionable  in  the  preparatory 
schools  of  forty  years  ago,  but  he  inclined  from  the  first 
to  the  political  and  social  sciences  and  has  made  them 
the  work  of  his  life. 

After  leaving  the  preparatory^  school  he  went  for  a 
year  to  Northwestern  University.  The  succeeding  sum- 
mer was  spent  in  vigorous  labor  in  the  United  States 
Lake  Survey,  for  there  was  manifest  need  of  an  out- 
of-door  life  for  the  young  student.  He  returned  from 
his  work  in  October  and  at  once  went  to  Cambridge 
and  applied  for  admission  to  the  sophomore  year  of 
Harvard  College.  Although  the  request  was  a  bit  irreg- 
ular he  was  granted  an  examination  out  of  the  customary 
time  and  demonstrated  his  fitness  for  admission  to  the 
second  year  of  the  course.  After  a  single  year  he 
determined  to  go  to  Germany  and  avail  himself  of  the 
best  available  instruction.  The  young  collegian  matricu- 
lated at  Halle  and  began  work  for  a  doctor's  degree, 
although,  as  has  been  seen,  he  was  not  yet  a  college 
graduate.  With  his  customary  vigor  he  prepared  for  the 
examination  a  year  in  advance  of  the  customary  time. 
What  could  the  university  do  with  this  young  fellow 
from  over  the  sea,  who  was  upsetting  the  statutes  made 
and  provided  for  conferring  degrees,  by  shortening  the 
time  of  preparation.  A  special  dispensation  of  the  gov- 
ernment was  necessary  to  permit  him  to  enter  the  exam- 
inations. He  won  his  degree  as  soon  as  he  had  his 
chance  and  was  offered  a  position  in  the  University  of 
Halle,  although  he  was  but  twenty-two.  He  determined, 
however,  to  return  to  America  and  engage  in  his  pro- 
fession in  the  land  of  his  birth. 

His  first  position  was  that  of  principal  of  the  Evans- 
ton  High  School.  After  a  service  of  one  year  in  that 
capacity  he  was  called  to  the  principalship  of  the  high 
school  department  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  Univer- 
sity, a  school  that  had  won  especial  repute  in  the  prep- 
aration  of    students   for   eastern   universities   and    from 


which  he  had  graduated.  His  success  was  immediate 
and  unusual.  His  superior  scholarship,  his  rare  skill  as 
a  teacher,  his  large  interest  in  affairs,  and  his  courage 
in  attacking  what  he  regarded  as  erroneous  views  of 
life  gave  him  marked  prominence. 

After  three  years  in  this  position  he  was  called  to  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania.  After  another  year  of 
study  in  Germany  he  began,  in  1883,  his  work  as  pro- 
fessor of  public  finance  and  administration  in  the  Whar- 
ton School  of  Finance  and  Economy  and  a  year  later 
the  additional  duties  involved  in  the  profes.sorship  of 
political  and  social  science  in  the  University.  He  was 
soon  advanced  to  the  directorship  of  the  Wharton 
School.  He  remained  in  Philadelphia  until  1895.  His 
work  there  established  his  reputation  as  a  publicist  and 
economist.  Although  other  institutions,  and  Harvard 
among  them,  called  him  to  their  faculties  he  returned 
to  the  West  and  accepted  the  chair  of  professor  of  public 
administration  and  director  of  the  extension  work  of 
the  University  of  Chicago.  He  remained  in  that  position 
from  ^896  until  1902  when  he  went  to  the  presidency  of 
Northwestern  University.  In  1904  he  went  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  as  its  president. 

This,  in  outline,  sketches  the  public  career  of  Dr. 
James,  but  it  gives  only  the  suggestion  of  the  extraordi- 
nary personality  that  has  vitalized  every  department  of 
institutional  life  that  he  has  touched.  While  at  Normal 
he  was  associated  with  Charles  DeGarmo  in  the  publica- 
tion of  a  school  journal.  It  was  a  modest  affair,  pri- 
marily intended  to  inspire  and  guide  teachers  in  the 
management  of  their  schools ;  but  it  leaped  into  promi- 
nence by  its  championship  of  the  most  radical  measures 
with  regard  to  the  relations  of  the  national  government 
to  public  education.  These  articles  from  the  pen  of 
Mr.  James  were  among  the  very  earliest  suggestions  of 
a  policy  that  is  now  pressed  with  extreme  vigor  upon 
the  attention  of  Congress. 

He  was  one  of  the  earliest  advocates  of  special  educa- 
tion for  all  classes  of  workers.  He  saw  the  business 
man  endeavoring  to  carry  over  his  college  disciplines  into 
his  daily  life  and  also  saw  how  badly  he  did  it  in  the 
majority  of  cases.  He  shocked  the  advocates  of  the 
traditional  curriculum  by  declaring  that  the  old  studies 
must  give  way  to  the  needs  of  modern  life.  There  was 
little  for  the  business  man  in  what  the  college  had  to 
offer  —  little  for  his  imme*Hate  needs.  Young  men  who 
selected  business  careers  felt  the  necessitv  of  technical 
preparation,  but  the  business  colleges  ( ?)  had  little  con- 
ception of  their  needs  bevond  penmanship,  bookkeeping 
and  commercial  arithmetic.  These  studies  were  suited 
to  the  preparation  of  clerks,  but  Dr.  James  was  thinking 
of  developing  great  leaders  of  economic  life. 

'■  Hard-headed  successful  business  men,  who  had 
begun  by  sweeping  out  the  office,  were  incredulous  — 
but  they  listened.  Later  they  were  skeptical  but  willing 
to  be  shown.  How  thoroughly  they  were  shown  was 
proved  by  the  fact  that  in  1901  the  American  Bankers' 
Association  sent  him  to  Europe  to  see  if  he  could  find 
anvthing  there  to  add  to  the  efficiency  of  his  courses. 
While  he  was  in  the  Wharton  School,  he  saw  and  spoke 
of  the  need  of  a  School  of  Railway  Administration.  No 
one  else  at  the  time  had  similar  vision,  or,  if  he  had,  did 
not  give  it  voice.  The  practical  nature  of  Dr.  James' 
idea  has  finally  been  recognized.  This  was  evident 
when,  in  November  last,  thirty  men,  presidents  of 
railroads   and    high   officials,   met   at   the   University   of 


559 


Illinois  to  discuss  the  founding  of  just  such  a  school; 
one  in  which  men  should  not  only  be  trained  in  the 
technical  engineering  subjects,  but  in  the  administration 
of  great  railway  systems." —  World  To-Day,  April,  191 1. 

While  in  Philadelphia  he  kept  his  eye  on  municipal 
affairs.  He  believed  that  cities  should  own  their  public 
utilities.  When  he  saw  organized  capital  owning  them, 
or  reaching  out  for  them  if  the  municipalities  owned 
them,  his  hostility  was  aroused.  A  private  corporation 
in  that  city  made  up  its  mind  that  there  was  money  in 
water  and  gas  and  that  it  was  possible  to  get  hold  of 
the  plants  then  in  the  possession  of  the  people.  It 
banked  upon  the  indifference  of  the  average  citizen  but 
it  did  not  count  the  young  man  over  at  the  University. 
He  laid  tribute  upon  all  of  the  experience  of  the  cities 
in  the  old  world  and  reduced  it  to  a  series  of  laconic 
propositions.  When  the  robbers  had  their  plans  about 
matured  he  called  a  meeting  of  the  men  who  determined 
things  and  read  his  paper.     The  city  did  not  sell. 

Recurring  to  the  article  from  which  the  above  quota- 
tion was  made : 

"  During  the  Wharton  school  period  Dr.  James  pub- 
4ished  much,  chiefly  in  the  form  of  monographs  and 
contributions  to  scientific  journals.  A  monograph  upon 
the  government  and  its  relations  to  the  forests  resulted 
in  the  establishing  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Forest 
Association,  the  first  association  of  the  kind  in  the 
United  States.  It  has  been  one  of  the  most  effective 
instrumentalities  in  urging  a  more  active  care  on  the 
part  of  the  government,  federal  and  state,  for  the  for- 
ests of  our  national  domain. 

"  Doctor  James  has  made  many  studies  of  municipal 
government  and  they  have  had  direct  and  practical 
results.  '  City  Administration  in  Germany '  resulted  in 
two  important  monographs  dealing  with  city  control  of 
railway  and  canal  organization  and  rates.  They  led  to 
wide  discussion  and  action.  Nor  was  he  with  his  teach- 
ing and  writing  too  busy  to  l)e  a  live  citizen.  He  was  the 
first  president  of  the  Philadelphia  Municipal  League, 
out  of  which  grew  that  other  organization  which  has 
been  so  powerful  a  force  in  municipal  affairs,  the  Na- 
tional Municipal  League. 

"  In  i88g  he  and  several  colleagues  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania  organized  the  Academy  of  Political  and 


Social  Science.  This  society  gained  rapidly  from  the 
start  in  numbers  and  influence.  Then  and  now  it  has 
included  in  its  ranks  the  meml:)ers  of  all  schools  and 
beliefs." 

Those  who  had  known  him  from  the  beginning  never 
lost  sight  of  him,  realizing  that  soon  or  late  he  would 
come  to  his  own  as  a  university  president,  a  position 
for  which  he  was  especially  fitted  by  his  native  endow- 
ments and  his  wide  scholarship.  The  Northwestern 
University  gave  him  his  first  large  opportunity  to  serve 
in  that  capacity.  He  remained  with  the  institution  for 
two  years  and  it  responded  to  his  virile  touch.  But 
there  was  a  larger  task  awaiting  him  when  President 
Draper  accepted  the  call  to  the  headship  of  the  schools 
of  New  York.  The  University  had  gone  forward  with 
leaps  and  bounds  under  the  management, of  the  latter. 
The  General  Assembly  greatly  increased  its  appropria- 
tions. Needed  buildings  sprang  up  on  the  campus. 
Dr.  James  followed  the  lead  of  his  predecessor  in  the 
matter  of  increasing  the  material  equipment  and  also 
reorganized  the  institution  on  the  inside.  For  this  task 
he  was  especially  fitted  because  of  his  familiarity  with 
vmiversities  at  home  and  abroad.  Under  his  direction 
the  institution  is  moving  on  to  new  triumphs  along  all 
lines  that  it  can  properly  occupy. 

And  although  his  immediate  duties  are  burdensome 
enough  he  is  still  pressing  new  schemes  upon  the  atten- 
tion of  the  public.  *He  has  always  had  the  largest  inter- 
est in  the  education  of  all  of  the  people.  The  elementary 
and  secondary  schools  have  no  warmer  friend.  He  is  a 
thorough  believer  in  the  policy  of  governmental  aid  to 
such  schools  in  all  of  the  States.  No  academic  theory 
of  State  rights  has  had  any  weight  with  him.  His  latest 
proposition  is  a  federal  tax  of  one  dollar  per  capita  for 
that  purpose.  The  lower  house  of  the  Illinois  legisla- 
ture has  adopted  the  suggestion  by  resolution. 

President  James  is  a  dauntless  fighter.  He  fears  no 
foe.  Once  convinced  that  a  policy  is  unwise  he  antag- 
onizes it  without  mercy.  As  a  winner  of  supplies  for 
the  University  he  is  unsurpassed.  He  has  won  some 
notable  victories  with  the  General  Assembly  and  there 
are  others  to  come. 

On  the  22d  of  August,  1879,  he  was  married  to  Anna 
Margaret  Lange.  of  Halle,  Prussia.  They  have  two 
sons  and  a  daughter. —  J.  W.  C. 


560 


tt« •  • •• n 


»«•   A  •  *•! 


't't^^z^^^p 


Ella  Flagg  Young 


OF  this  notable  personage,  it  may  be  truly  said  that 
she  has  been  the  world's  greatest  woman  educa- 
tor. In  her  remarkable  career  she  has  accom- 
plished wonderful  results  in  the  cause  of  education,  for 
monumental,  indeed,  has  been  her  success.  Of  the  main- 
spring to  which  her  tireless  energy  is  due,  she  has  said: 
"  It  is  love  of  my  work  —  teaching  is  a  passion  with  me. 
I  never  tire  of  it.  Of  course,  there  are  times  when  body 
and  mind  get  tired,  then  I  go  away  where  I  can  mingle 
with  people  who  will  give  me  new  perspectives  —  to  be 
a  human  being,  with  human  beings." 

Ella  Flagg  Young  was  born  in  Buffalo,  New  York, 
January  15,  1845,  daughter  of  Theodore  and  Jane  (Reed) 
Flagg.  After  the  usual  studies  in  the  elementary  schools, 
she  graduated  from  the  Chicago  High  School  and  the 
Chicago  Normal  School,  and  then  became  a  student  in 
and  graduate  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  from  which 
she  received  the  degree  of  Ph.D.  She  has  been  actively 
engaged  in  public-school  work  since  1862,  and  has  been 
uniformly  successful  and  increasingly  useful  in  every 
position  held  by  her.  From  1887  to  1899  she  served  effi- 
ciently in  Chicago  as  district  superintendent  of  schools, 
and  from  the  latter  year  to  1905  was  Professor  of  Edu- 
cation in  the  University  of  Chicago.  From  1905  to  1909 
Mrs.  Young  was  principal  of  the  Chicago  Normal 
School,  and  accomplished  much  to  advance  'the  status 
of  that  institution.  On  August  i,  1909,  she  was  honored 
by  being  elected  to  that  enviable  position,  "  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools,"  Chicago.  An  article  in  The  Survey 
said :  "  She  was  the  last  of  six  persons  summoned 
before  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education,  to  be  ques- 
tioned for  their  eligibility  to  the  superintendency  of  the 
city  .schools.  After  five  experienced  and  well-qualified 
men  had  been  interviewed  as  to  their  qualifications  and 
ideals,  Mrs.  Young  was  called  last,  in  alphabetical  order. 
An  hour's  answers  to  the  full  board,  sitting  in  informal 
session,  as  committee  of  the  whole,  left  her  the  only 
candidate.  She  was  unanimously  elected  without  further 
discussion,  and  her  appointment  was  publicly  ratified, 
without  dissent. 

"  This  was  most  remarkable  in  view  of  serious  dis- 
sensions within  the  Board  of  Education,  and  still  more 
irreconcilable  division  among  the  teachers,  both  of 
which  had  long  persisted.  Without  any  compromise  of 
her  educational  standards  or  democratic  spirit,  she  has 
so  equably  administered  this  vast  public  interest,  that 
the  divisiveness,  which  has  so  long  paralyzed  its  prog- 
ress, has  completely  faded  away." 

Questions  involving  the  status  and  salaries  of  the 
teachers  have  been  settled  justly,  and  without  friction. 
Policies  for  progress,  which  had  been  stubbornly  re- 
sisted for  many  years,  have  been  quietly  and  cordially 
adopted. 

Personally,  she  combines  the  "  human  touch "  with 
the  most  exacting  standards  of  thoroughness  and 
reality.  She  possesses  a  friendly,  but  direct  manner,  a 
considerately  deferential  attitude,  which  is  yet  firm, 
independent  and  fearless.     "  Superb  common  sense  and 


breadth  of  human  kindness"  sum  up  a  well-considered 
appreciation  of  her. 

We  quote  another  tribute  to  this  splendid  woman: 
"  Such  a  climax  as  crowned  this  unifying  personality, 
Chicago  has  never  witnessed.  Its  great  auditorium  was 
a  scene  set  for  the  occasion  by  six  thousand  teachers, 
as  a  reception  to  their  superintendent.  Men  and  women 
vied  with  each  other  in  making  the  affair  a  success. 
When  the  Auditorium's  doors  opened  to  admit  the  teach- 
ers holding  tickets,  its  forty-five  hundred  seats  were  so 
quickly  filled  that  the  doors  were  closed  long  before  the 
hour  for  the  reception  arrived.  Then  up  the  long  aisle, 
and  across  the  great  stage,  marched  two  hundred  school 
children,  each  bearing  an  American  Beauty  rose.  Be- 
neath these  roses,  held  in  the  hands  of  singing  children, 
the  guest  of  honor  took  her  place,  in  the  midst  of  her 
friends.  Then  as  the  stirring  strains  of  '  Illinois '  were 
struck  up  by  the  orchestra,  thousands  of  handkerchiefs 
fluttered,  and  the  entire  audience  arose  to  sing  a  para- 
phrase of  that  air,  the  refrain  being,  '  Mrs.  Young,  Mrs. 
Young,'  the  entire  effect  being  most  impressive.  With- 
out a  formal  word  uttered,  she  stood  up  to  receive  her 
friends  as  they  passed  by  to  clasp  her  hand,  and  then, 
from  her  seat,  she  witnessed  for  hours  the  merry  danc- 
ing that  followed.  For  spontaneous  homage  to  one  of 
its  leading  citizens  Chicago  has  never  beheld  such  a 
spectacle  as  this,  but  the  honor  was  well  bestowed." 

Mrs.  Young  was  also  the  first  woman  to  be  elected 
President  of  the  National  Education  Association.  This 
occurred  in  Boston  in  1910,  when,  by  a  vote  of  two  to 
one,  she  defeated  the  man  officially  nominated.  Her 
nomination  was  suggested  by  the  fact  of  her  appoint- 
ment to  the  superintendency  of  the  Chicago  schools,  in 
which  more  than  one  hundred  women  serves  as  princi- 
pals, but  this  was  not  the  only  cause,  for,  as  the  woman 
who  nominated  her,  said :  "  We  are  presenting  her  not 
as  a  woman,  but  as  the  best  human  being  for  the  presi- 
dency of  this  association." 

In  this  election,  as  in  her  appointment  to  lead  Chi- 
cago's six  thousand  teachers  and  three  hundred  thou- 
sand pupils,  in  a  school  system  requiring  a  $5©,ooo,ooo 
equipment,  and  an  annual  income  of  twelve  $12,000,000, 
it  was  the  "  human "  in  Mrs.  Young  that  triumphed, 
and  was  another  deserved  honor  conferred. 

Mrs.  Young  has  been  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Board  of  Education  since  1888,  and  was  its  president  in 
1910.  She  is  also  a  clubwoman,  holding  membership  in 
the  Chicago  Woman's  Everyday.  In  her  honor  an  or- 
ganization of  Woman  Principals  of  Chicago  was  named 
the  Ella  Flagg  Young  Club.  She  was  editor  of  the  Edu- 
cational Bi-monthly  from  1906  to  1909,  and  is  author  of 
a  number  of  educational  works,  among  them  being : 
"Isolation  in  the  School"  (1901)  ;  "Ethics  in  the 
School"  (1902)  ;  "Some  Types  of  Modern  Educational 
Theory"  (1902),  also  various  monographs.  She  was 
married  in  1868  to  William  Young,  a  gentleman  of  pro- 
nounced knowledge  and  intellect.  Mrs.  Young's  home 
is  at  S317  Cornell  avenue,  and  her  office  in  the  Tribune 
building,  Chicago. 


36 


561 


William  Edward  Andrews 

TWENTY-TWO   years'   active  work  in  the  town- 
ship high  schools  of  Illinois  has  made  the  above- 
named  gentleman  one  of  the  best  known  instructors 
of  the  State,  and  he  has  long  been  recognized  as  a  most 
successful  member  of  his  profession. 

Mr.  Andrews  was  born  in  this  State  in  1861,  son  of 
Joseph  B.  Andrews,  native  of  Illinois,  who  is  still  liv- 
ing, and  Mary  A.  (Rudrow)  Andrews,  native  of  New 
Jersey,  who  died  in  Illinois  in  1891.  After  preliminary 
studies  in  rural  Schools,  he  took  courses  in  Brighton 
(111.)  Academy  and  Blackburn  College,  graduating  from 
the  latter  with  the  degrees  of  A.B.  and  A.M.  He  also 
attended  Harvard  Summer  School,  and  from  the  Illi- 
nois Wesleyan  College  received  the  degree  of  Ph.D. 
From  1884  to  1894  Mr.  Andrews  was  an  instructor  in 
Blackburn  College,  then  became  principal  of  the  Tay- 
lorville  (111.)  Township  High  School,  which  he  left  in 
1907  in  order  to  spend  a  winter  in  southern  California. 
He  was  principal  of  the  San  Bernardino  city  high  school 
for  two  years,  returning  to  Illinois  for  his  work  as 
teacher  in  the  summer  school  of  the  Illinois  State  Nor- 
mal School  at  Normal.  For  six  years  he  has  taught 
biology  at  Normal.  He  is  now  principal  of  the  new 
township  high  school  at  Pana,  which  he  organized  as 
started  in  September,  1909. 

Mr.  Andrews  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle,  Eastern 
Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  of  which  he  was  the 
president  at  its  Mattoon  meeting,  the  St.  Louis  Academy 
of  Sciences,  National  Scientic  Association,  Masonic 
fraternity  and  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1887  to  Miss  Alberta  Taggart,  of  Carlinville, 
and  they  have  two  winsome  daughters,  Virginia  and 
Alberta. 


William  Edward  Andrews. 


Harry. J.  Alvis. 


Harry  J.  Alvis 

IN  the  educational  system  of  Illinois,  an  active  part 
has  been  taken  by  Harry  J.  Alvis,  now  one  of  the 
most  popular  instructors  in  East  St.  Louis,  and  being 
yet  a  comparatively  young  man,  the  indications  are  that 
many  more  years  of  usefulness  lie  before  him. 

Mr.  Alvis  was  born  November  4,  1872,  son  of  E.  Y. 
Alvis,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  who  came  to  this  State 
when  but  six  years  old,  and  Phoebe  E.  Alvis,  native  of 
Illinois,  both  of  whom  are  still  living.  He  was  educated 
in  the  rural  schools ;  the  Southern  Illinois  State  Nor- 
mal, at  Carbondale,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1898, 
and  Ewing  College,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1910 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science.  He  also  per- 
formed two  years'  post-graduate  work  in  the  law  school 
of  Washington  University,  St.  Louis.  Mr.  Alvis  taught 
in  rural  schools  in  Marion  County,  Illinois,  three  years; 
in  the  high  school  at  Nashville,  Illinois,  two  years ;  was 
elected  principal  of  that  school,  but  resigned  to  go  to 
the  Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  School,  where  he 
was  assistant  instructor  in  Latin  and  mathematics  for  a 
year ;  next  he  served  a  year  as  training  teacher  in  the  in- 
termediate department  of  the  Training  School ;  was  super- 
intendent of  the  city  schools  of  Mount  Vernon,  Illinois, 
three  years,  and  for  six  years  was  instructor  in  mathe- 
matics in  East  St.  Louis,  one  year  principal  of  Alta 
Sita  School,  and  is  now  principal  of  the  Rock  High 
School,  in  East  St.  Louis. 

Mr.  Alvis  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association, 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
the  Baptist  Church.  On  July  26,  1891,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Louisa  A.  Purdue,  and  they  have  two  children, 
Herbert  A.  and  Harry  J.  Alvis,  Jr.  They  reside  at  612 
Thirty-third  street,  East  St.  Louis,  and  are  popularly 
known. 


562 


Leonidas  Ellsworth  Arny 


BE  somebody  in  the  battle  of  life ! 
honorable,    be    just,     industrious 


Be  manly,  be 
and  thrifty : 
make  the  world  better  for  your  having  been  in 
it."  This  grand  motto  has  been  thoroughly  amplified 
in  the  life  of  Leonidas  Ellsworth  Arny,  now  superin- 
tendent of  schools  at  Venice,  Madison  County,  Illinois, 
and  a  veteran  in  the  educational  field. 

Mr.  Arny  was  born  April  19,  1862,  near  new  Phila- 
delphia, Ohio,  son  of  Leonidas  Arnj^  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  Mary  Eliza  Arny,  native  of  Ohio,  and 
both  now  deceased.  He  was  educated  in  country  and 
village  schools  in  Allen  County,  Ohio ;  the  Nor'thwest- 
ern  Ohio  University,  at  Ada,  Ohio,  and  the  Middlepoint 
Normal,  Vanwert  County,  Ohio,  graduating  from  the 
latter  in  the  spring  of  1886.  Through  continuous 
private  study  in  pedagogy  and  the  sciences,  he  has  added 
greatly  to  his  store  of  knowledge.  He  was  valedictorian 
of  his  class  at  Middlepoint,  and  instructor  in  history  in 
the  Middlepoint  Normal  up  to  the  time  of  his  departure 
for  California,  in  September,  1886. 

Mr.  Arny  first  taught  in  the  country  schools  of  Allen 
and  Vanwert  Counties,  Ohio ;  next,  in  Trinity  County, 
California,  and,  returning  east,  taught  in  the  village 
school  of  West  Cairo,  Ohio;  the  Normal  School,  of 
Middlepoint,  Ohio,  and  a  country  school  in  St.  Clair 
County,  Illinois,  and  since  then  has  been  connected 
with  the  schools  of  Venice,  Illinois,  first  as  instructor 
and  for  the  past  four  years  as  superintendent.  Here 
he  has  charge  of  nine  teachers  and  about  three  hundred 
pupils.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Madison  County  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
and  the  IMethodist  Church.  On  March  20,  1888,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Cora  B.  Bosley,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Clark  E.  and  Harry  C.  Arny. 


Leonidas  Ellsworth  Arny. 


James  E.  Armstrong. 


James  £.  Armstrong 

FOR  about  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  educational 
profession  has  had  an  able  exponent  in  James  E. 
Armstrong,  principal  of  the  Englewood  High 
School.  He  is  an  accomplished  scholar :  his  methods 
combine  all  that  is  best  in  the  psychological  and  prac- 
tical, and  the  substantial  results  accruing  under  his 
principalship  are  the  best  encomium  that  could  be  given 
him. 

Mr.  Armstrong  was  born  in  La  Salle  County,  Illinois, 
in  1855,  son  of  George  W.  Armstrong,  who  died  in 
1901.  He  was  educated  in  country  schools,  the  high 
school  at  Marseilles,  Illinois,  the  University  of  Illinois, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1881,  and  Johns  Hopkins 
University.  Through  post-graduate  work  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  he  received  the  degree  of  B.S.,  and 
in  1905  was  given  the  honorary  degree  of  M.A. 

Mr.  Armstrong  began  teaching  in  1882  at  Arlington 
Heights,  Illinois.  After  three  years'  work  there  he 
became  instructor  of  science  in  the  Lake  High  School, 
Chicago,  and  in  1889  was  made  principal.  In  1891  he 
was  appointed  principal  of  the  Englewood  High  School, 
and  he  still  retains  this  position.  Recently  he  has 
attracted  attention,  both  in  Europe  and  this  country, 
by  his  experiments  in  the  segregation  of  sexes  in  high- 
school  classes. 

Mr.  Armstrong  was  for  six  years  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  under 
President  Draper,  and  for  six  years  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  North  Central  Asso- 
ciation of  Colleges  and  Schools.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  National  Education  Association  and  the  People's 
Liberal  Church.  In  1885  he  was  married  to  Miss  Clara 
Clark,  and  they  have  had  four  children  —  George, 
Grace,  Charles  and  Juliette,  all  living  save  George,  the 
eldest. 


563 


Ben  C.  Allenworth 

THIS  gentleman  is  a  veteran  worker  in  the  educa- 
tional field  in  this  State  and  has  performed  yeo- 
man's service  for  the  public  weal.  He  is  pos- 
sessed of  admirable  executive  ability  and  is  also  a 
writer  of  merit.  He  is  the  author  of  the  "  History  of 
Tazewell  County,  Illinois"  (1904),  and  is  at  present 
managing  editor  of  the  Pekin   (111.)    Times. 

Mr.  Allenworth  is  a  native  of  this  State,  having  been 
born  in  Tazewell  county,  October  27,  1845,  son  of 
W.  P.  and  Arabella  (Wagenner)  Allenworth,  both  born 
in  Kentucky  and  both  deceased,  the  former  having  died 
in  May,  1874,  the  latter  March  25,  1902.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  public  schools  and  the  Illinois  State  Normal 
University,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1869.  He 
was  chosen  as  first  salutatorian  by  his  classmates  of 
that  year.  For  many  years  he  taught  school  in  Elm- 
wood  and  Minier,  Illinois,  was  county  superintendent 
of  schools  of  Tazewell  county  from  1877  to  1886,  post- 
master of  Pekin  from  1894  to  1898,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Pekin  Board  of  Education  for  eight  years. 

Mr.  Allenworth  was  the  first  president  of  the  Central 
Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  and  now  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America.  On  October  7,  1875,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Charity  Tanner,  of  Ohio,  and  they  have  had  five 
children.  Those  surviving  are  Nellie  A.,  Myra  M.  and 
Ellis  D.  Allensworth. 


Calvin  Bertram  Anthony 

OVER  ten  years'  experience  as  a  public  school 
instructor,  combined  with  his  native  ability  and 
natural  proclivities,  have  enabled  the  above  named 


Ben  C.  Allenworth. 


to  become  one  of  the  most  capable  and  valued  educa- 
tionists in  the  Prairie  State.  His  services  in  McLean 
County  have  been  of  a  particularly  noticeable  and  val- 
uable character. 

Calvin  Bertram  Anthony  was  born  near  Bloomington, 
McLean  County,  Illinois,  son  of  William  and  Mary 
(Stevenson)  Anthony,  both  natives  of  Canada  and  both 
still  living  at  their  farm  near  Bloomington,  where  our 
subject  passed  his  early  years.  His  primal  education 
was  obtained  in  country  schools,  succeeding  which  he 
attended  Normal  School  for  four  terms,  and  then  for 
six  years  was  a  student  in  Wesleyan  University, 
Academy  of  Illinois,  from  which  he  graduated  (class 
1896)  and,  in  1900,  was  a  graduate  from  the  College  of 
Letters,  same  institution.  Later  he  entered  upon  the 
study  of  law  and,  in  1907,  was  admitted  a  member  of 
the  Illinois  State  Bar  Association.  Upon  entering  his 
pedagogical  career  he  taught  for  five  years  in  McLean 
County  country  schools,  then  was  principal  at  Cooks- 
ville,  Illinois,  1906-1907;  principal  at  Downs,  Illinois, 
1907-1909,  and  then  was  appointed  principal  at  Gridley, 
Illinois,  his  present  incumbency,  where  he  has  the  super- 
intendency  of  four  teachers  and  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  pupils,  and  where  marked  success  is  attending  his 
management.  He  holds  membership  in  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  On 
February  12,  1904,  Mr.  Anthony  was  married  to  Miss 
Luella  J.  Otto,  of  Danvers,  Illinois,  their  felicitous 
union  resulting  in  the  birth  of  two  children,  Zelda  C. 
and  Weldon  Anthony.  Mrs.  Anthony  is  a  lady  of  rare 
attainments,  being  an  accomplished  performer  upon  both 
piano  and  violin  and  a  skilled  artist  in  oil  painting  and 
crayon  work.  Her  talents  have  won  high  commendation, 
and  her  worth,  combined  with  that  of  her  talented  hus- 
band, has  made  their  home  an  ideal  one. 


Calvin  Bertram  Anthony. 


564 


Harrison   Monroe  Anderson 

FOR  upward  of  a  score  of  years  Harrison  Monroe 
Anderson  has  been  an  active  worker  in  the  educa- 
tional field  in  Illinois  and  his  valuable  services  have 
met  with  due  appreciation.  xA.s  an  institute  instructor  he 
has  been  very  successful.  He  has  assisted  many  county 
superintendents  in  this  State  in  their  midsummer  insti- 
tutes, and  his  influence  with  teachers  in  giving  them 
inspiration  has  been  very  marked. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  born  in  Muscatine,  Iowa,  his 
parents  being  Berry  and  Anna  Anderson,  both  natives 
of  North  Carolina,  and  both  deceased.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  public  schools,  the  Ohio  National  Normal 
School,  Lebanon,  Ohio,  and  the  Illinois  State  Normal 
University,  of  which  he  is  a  graduate.  Through  post- 
graduate work  he  was  given  the  honorary  degrees  of 
M.A.  and  M.S.  Mr.  Anderson's  first  school  position  was 
that  of  principal  of  schools  at  Clayton,  Illinois,  which 
he  held  for  nine  years.  He  served  as  superintendent  at 
Chillicothe  five  years,  and  for  the  past  four  years  has 
held  a  similar  position  in  Bunker  Hill,  Illinois,  where 
he  has  a  staff  of  seven  teachers  and  an  enrolment  of 
three  hundred  pupils.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois 
State  Teachers'  Association,  Masonic  Order  and  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Anderson,  in  1884,  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Ella  Gardner,  and  they  have  had  five 
children,  of  whom  two  —  Lillian  and  Genevieve  —  are 
now  living. 


Harrison  Monroe  Anderson. 


George  Buchanan  Armstrong. 


George  Buchanan  Armstrong 

GEORGE  BUCHANAN  ARMSTRONG  was  born 
in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  from  whence  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  Chicago  and  was  educated  at 
the  old  Chicago  High  School,  under  the  guidance  of  the 
late  George  Howland,  and  at  the  Chicago  Union  College 
of  Law.  He  entered  journalism  shortly  after  his  law 
course  and  was  successively  editorial  writer,  city  editor 
and  music  critic  of  the  Chicago  Inter  Ocean,  and  literary 
critic  of  the  Detroit  Free  Press,  and  editorial  writer  and 
music  critic  of  the  Chicago  Evening  Post.  He  served 
three  years  as  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Edu- 
cation, one  year  as  its  vice-president ;  two  terms  as  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  Public  Library  Board,  one  year 
as  its  vice-president.  In  May,  1882,  he  was  appointed 
by  President  Arthur  to  be  Register  of  Public  Lands  at 
Huron,  Dakota  Territory,  an  office  that  he  held  four 
years.  He  aided  in  organizing  and  was  vice-president 
of  the  Huron  National  Bank  during  that  period,  and 
was  also  president  of  the  Beadle  County  (South  Dakota) 
Board  of  Education.  He  established  and  edited  for  four 
years  the  Huron  Daily  Times. 

George  Buchanan  Armstrong,  Sr.,  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  County  Armagh,  in  the 
north  of  Ireland,  and  came  to  this  country  when  about 
twelve  years  of  age.  His  branch  of  the  Armstrong 
family  was  related  to  President  Buchanan,  who  secured 
the  appointment  of  the  elder  Armstrong  as  clerk  in  the 
contract  department  of  the  Postoffice  Department  at 
Washington.  When  Isaac  Cook,  postmaster  of  the 
rapidly  growing  young  city  of  Chicago,  applied  for  the 
appointment  of  an  experienced  postoffice  man  as  his 
assistant,  the  senior  Armstrong  was  selected,  and  he 
moved  to  Chicago  with  his  family  in  1854.  He  will 
always  live  in  the  nation's  history  as  the  founder  of  the 
Railway  Mail  Service,  the  most  important  branch  of  the 
United  States  postal  service,  and  as  one  of  the  ablest 
officials  of  the  Postoffice  Department.     The  new  $25,000 


565 


grammar  school,  located  at  Greenleaf  Avenue  and  Pin- 
gree  Street,  Rogers  Park,  has  been  named  in  honor  of 
him  the  "  George  B.  Armstrong "  school.  The  mother 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  Julia  Huldah  Wallace 
(McKee)  Armstrong,  born  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  daugh- 
ter of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Brown  McKee,  a  distin- 
guished Scotch  Presbyterian  clergyman,  who  held 
charges  in  Cincinnati,  Baltimore,  Philadelphia  and 
Washington. 

George  Buchanan  Armstrong,  Jr.,  was  married  to 
Miss  Jennie  M.  Stanard,  of  Sublette,  Illinois,  and  has 
one  son,  George  B.  Armstrong  III.  He  published  one 
book,  an  account  of  the  great  work  achieved  by  the 
elder  Armstrong  in  establishing  the  Railway  Mail  Serv- 
ice, and  has  made  a  special  study  of  socio-economics,  and 
is  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Chicago  Piano  Trade,  a 
monthly  magazine  devoted  to  the  piano  industry.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church.  His  father 
died  in  May,  1871,  and  his  mother  is  yet  living. 


Edward  Anderson 

FOR  the  past  quarter  century  the  name  of  Edward 
Anderson  has  been  a  familiar  one  in  Illinois  Educa- 
tional circles.  As  much  as  one  individual  can  do, 
that  much  has  been  done  by  him  to  advance  the  status 
of  the  public  schools  at  large,  and,  in  particular,  those 
of  which  he  has  either  been  a  teacher  in  or  presided 
over.  That  his  merit  has  been  recognized  is  proven 
by  his  appointment  to  the  position  which  he  now  holds. 

Edward  Anderson  was  born  in  Richland,  Sangamon 
county,  Illinois,  in  1857,  son  of  Thomas  F.  Anderson, 
who  deceased  in  1898.  After  attending  the  public 
schools  and  graduating  from  the  high  school  of  Spring- 
field, Illinois,  he  took  a  course  at  the  Chicago  Normal, 
and,  in  1881,  began  his  pedagogical  career  as  teacher  of 
an  Illinois  country  school.  Removing  to  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois, after  his  four  years'  elementary  work,  Mr.  Ander- 
son was  appointed  principal,  and,  after  serving  efficiently 
from  1885  to  1906,  was  elected  superintendent  of  the 
schools  of  Springfield. 

Mr.  Anderson  comes  from  quite  an  illustrious  family. 
On  the  maternal  line  of  his  house,  he  is  one  of  the 
twelfth  generation.  One  of  his  original  ancestors  landed 
at  Boston  in  1631,  his  great-great-grandfather  was  a 
lieutenant  of  the  New  Hampshire  militia  during  the 
Revolution,  and  was  with  General  Gates  at  the  surren- 
der of  Burgoyne.  On  the  paternal  side  was  one  of  the 
pioneer  founders  of  Kentucky  (1797)  who  went  there 
from  Virginia. 

Mr.  Anderson  is  a  member  of  the  superintendents' 
division  of  the  National  Education  Association,  the  Illi- 
nois State  Teachers'  Association,  the  Central  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Masonic  Order,  Modern 
Woodmen,  and  the  Christian  Church.  He  was  married 
to  Miss  Lillian  McCullough,  and  their  happy  union  has 
brought  them  a  family  of  three  children,  two  daughters 
and  one  son,  named,  respectively,  Mary,  Edith  and 
Harold. 


Truman  William  Brophy,  D.D.S., 
M.D.,  LL.D. 

TRUMAN  W.  BROPHY  is  a  native  son  of  IlHnois, 
having  been  born  in  Will  county,  April  12,  1848, 
son  of  William  and  Amelia  Cleveland  Brophy.  He 
received  a  thorough  elementary  training  and  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  College  of  Dentistry,'  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, from  which  institution  he  received  the  D.D.S. 
degree  in  1872,  and  he  is  also  a  graduate  of  Rush  Med- 
ical College,  receiving  the  M.D.  degree  therefrom  in 
1880.  The  degree  of  LL.D.  was  conferred  by  Lake 
Forest  University  in   1895. 

Doctor  Brophy  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  the   National   Dental  Association,   Interna- 


Truman  William  Brophy,  X).D.S.,  M.D.,  LL.D. 


tional  Dental  Federation,  Illinois  State  Dental  Society, 
Chicago  Dental  Society,  Chicago  Medical  Society,  and 
many  other  medical  and  dental  societies.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Union  League  Club  and  the  Chicago 
Athletic  Association  and  the  Delta  Sigma  Delta  Fra- 
ternity. In  1873  he  was  married  to  Emma  Jean  Mason, 
of  Chicago,  who  died  February  6,  1899,  and  in  1908  to 
Esther  W.  Strawbridge,  of  Moorestown,  New  Jersey. 
He  has  four  children,  Jean  Brophy  Barnes,  of  Redlands, 
California ;  Florence  Brophy  Logan,  of  Chicago ;  Tru- 
man W.  Brophy,  Jr.,  of  Chicago,  and  Alberta  L.  Brophy, 
of  Chicago. 

While  Doctor  Brophy  has  achieved  eminence  in  the 
medical  profession,  he  has  devoted  a  great  deal  of  time 
and  labor  initiating  beginners  in  his  profession.  In  1883 
he  was  elected  professor  of  dental  pathology  and  sur- 
gery in  Rush  Medical  College,  and  for  many  years  he 
has  been  dean  of  the  Chicago  College  of  Dental  Surgery. 
He  was  president  for  the  United  States  of  the  Four- 
teenth International  Commission  of  Education.  He  was 
a  delegate  to  the  Fourth  International  Medical  Congress 
at  Madrid,  Spain,  in  1903,  and  has  been  president  of 
various  State  and  local  dental  and  medical  societies  and 
an  officer  in  national  bodies. 

While  Doctor  Brophy  is  widely  known  throughout 
the  United  States  and  Europe  as  an  educator,  his  repu- 
tation as  a  surgeon  is  perhaps  even  more  general.  As 
an  oral  surgeon  he  is  counted  an  authority  everywhere. 
He  devised  the  operation  for  the  radical  cure  of  cleft 
palate  known  as  the  Brophy  operation,  which  was  a  de- 
parture from  the  rules  of  surgery  and  looked  upon  at 
first  with  a  great  deal  of  doubt,  but  which  has  come 
to  be  recognized  and  adopted  everywhere  advanced  sur- 
gery is  practiced.  The  study  and  development  of  this 
work  and  the  operations  on  the  hundreds  of  patients 
who  come  to  him  have  occupied  nearly  all  of  his  time 
for  several  years  past.  Doctor  Brophy  has  contributed 
many  articles  to  medical  and  dental  publications  and  to 
many  works  of  reference.  He  has  a  book  on  oral  sur- 
gery almost  ready  for  publication. 


566 


Delos  Buzzell 

MR.  BUZZELL  has  been  in  the  public  school  serv- 
ice of  the  city  of  Chicago  since  1890,  and  else- 
where also  he  has  enjoyed  a  high  reputation  in 
educational  circles,  both  as  a  writer  and  as  an  instructor, 
for  years. 

Mr.  Buzzell  was  born  in  Davisonville,  Genesee 
County,  Michigan,  his  parents  being  John  and  Katherine 
A.  (Lewis)  Buzzell,  natives  of  Canada  and  New  York, 
respectively,  and  both  deceased,  at  Flint,  Michigan,  the 
former  in  1900,  the  latter  in  1892.  He  was  graduated 
from  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1874  with  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Science.  Through  post-graduate  work 
he  received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Science  in  1877. 

Mr.  Buzzell's  early  work  as  an  instructor  was  in 
Austin  (111.)  High  School,  where  he  was  principal  dur- 
ing 1876-9,  and  in  the  high  school  at  Lafayette,  Indiana. 
He  came  to  Chicago  in  1890  as  principal  of  the  Irving 
Park  School,  which  he  conducted  for  ten  years,  trans- 
ferring to  the  new  Belding  School,  North  Forty-second 
court  and  West  Cullom  avenue,  in  1900,  where  he  re- 
mains to  the  present  time. 

Mr._  Buzzell  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  Chi- 
cago Principals'  Club,  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  the 
Masonic  Order,  Royal  Arcanum,  and  the  Press  Club  of 
Chicago.  He  has  performed  much  lecture  work  and  is 
a  liberal  contributor  to  newspapers  and  magazines.  In 
1876  he  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  Z.  Blackburn,  of 
Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  and  they  make  their  residence  at 
3930  Lowell  avenue,  Chicago. 


Delos  Buzzell. 


Harry  J.  Blue 

As  incumbent  of  the  superintendentship  of  schools 
^  at  Carmi,  Illinois,  Mr.  Blue  has  amply  demon- 
strated his  ability  and  fitness  for  that  responsible 
position,  and  under  his  regime  the  school  system  there 
has  been  developed  to  a  high  degree  of  excellence. 

Harry  J.  Blue  is  a  native  of  this  State,  having  been 
born  in  Carmi,  June  9,  1882,  son  of  Lawrence  S.  and 
Emma  Blue,  both  natives  of  White  County,  Illinois, 
and  now  living.  He  attended  a  country  school  up  to 
his  eleventh  year,  succeeding  which  he  studied  in  the 
Carmi  public  schools,  the  Illinois  State  Normal  Uni- 
versity and  the  Indiana  State  University.  He  grad- 
uated from  the  Carmi  High  School  in  1899.  From 
1902  to  1905  Mr.  Blue  taught  in  country  schools  in 
White  County,  Illinois ;  from  1905  to  1906,  in  Norris 
City,  Illinois,  and  since  1909  he  has  been  superintendent 
at  Carmi,  Illinois,  where  he  has  under  his  charge  four 
schools,  eighteen  teachers  and  750  pupils. 

Mr.  Blue  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, Illinois  State  Historical  Society,  Masonic  Order 
and  Knights  of  Pythias.  On  August  30,  191 1,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Eleanor  Mary  Baker,  of  Champaign, 
Illinois,  a  graduate  of  Illinois  University,  and  the  couple 
have  a  host  of  friends  in  social  and  scholastic  circles. 


Harry  J.  Blue. 


567 


William  Henry  Browne 

FOR  more  than  twenty  years  the  cause  of  education 
has  claimed  the  services  of  the  above  named  gentle- 
man   and    the    work    performed    by    him    has    com- 
manded   earnest    and    well-merited    commendation. 

William  Henry  Browne  was  born  in  Castle  Main, 
Australia,  June  lo,  1867,  his  parents,  native  of  Ireland, 
being  Christopher  and  Alicia  A.  (McDonnell)  Browne, 
the  former  of  whom  died  in  1895,  the  latter  in  1904.  He 
came  with  his  parents  to  this  country  in  early  childhood 
and  was  educated  in  the  elementary  schools,  the  high 
school  at  Wilmot,  Wisconsin,  and  the  Universitj^  of 
Valparaiso, \lndiana,  and  he  also  performed  non-resident 
work  in  the  University  of  Chicago. 

From  1890  to  1894  Mr.  Browne  was  principal  of  the 
public  schools  at  Crete,  Illinois ;  from  1894  to  i8g8  was 
superintendent  of  public  schools  at  Chicago  Heights, 
Illinois,  and  from  1900  to  the  present  time  he  has  been 
superintendent  of  the  College  of  Medicine  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois,  and  also  officiates  as  superintendent 
of  the  College  of  Dentistry  of  the  same  institution. 
There  are  about  six  hundred  and  fifty  students  in  at- 
tendance in  the  two  colleges  and  about  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  instructors  in  the  two  faculties.  The 
instructors  are  men  of  training  and  learning  and  the 
curriculum  is  excellently  complete  in  every  feature. 
Under  the  regime  of  the  present  superintendent  a  high 
standard  has  been  attained  in  every  department. 

Doctor  Browne  was  president  of  the  Englewood 
(Chicago)  Men's  Club  for  two  years  and  was  president 
of  the  Chicago  Anti-Crime  League  for  a  similar  length 
of  time.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Pi  fraternity, 
also  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Modern  Woodmen.  On 
December  2T,  1893,  he  was  married  to  Mary  Beers 
Perry  Grover,  of  Chicago,  and  they  have  two  children, 
Kathryn  Eleanor  and  William  Harcourt  Browne. 


William  Henry  Browne. 


George  Albert  Brennan. 


George  Albert  Brennan 

FOR  more  than  a  third  of  a  century  the  public-school 
service  of  this  city  and  its  former  suburb,  Rose- 
land,  has  had  an  ardent  worker  and  a  strong 
upholder  in  George  Albert  Brennan,  an  educator  whose 
merit,  worth  and  executive  ability  have  been  amply 
demonstrated.  His  literary  works  have  met  with  favor 
and  commendatory  criticism.  Among  the  prominent 
productions  from  his  pen  are :  "  The  Dutch  in  Amer- 
ica " ;  "  The  Origin  of  Yuletide,  with  Reference  to 
Norse,  Anglo-Saxon  and  German  Traditions  "  ;  "  Stud- 
ies in  Plant  Life "  and  "  Economic  Forestry."  He 
assisted  Dr.  William  Higley  in  preparing  "  The  Flora 
of  Cook  County  and  Vicinity,"  and  has  also  written 
on  "  English  Philology,  and  the  Relation  to  It  of  the 
Various  Teutonic  Tongues,  Especially  the  Frisian,"  the 
latter  being  a  cognate  dialect  of  the  Anglo-Saxon,  and 
still  spoken  in  a  section  of  the  Netherlands,  where  an 
effort  is  being  made  to  revive  Frisian  as  a  literary 
language. 

George  Albert  Brennan  was  born  April  i,  1855,  in 
Mount  Vernon,  New  York,  and  comes  of  Colonial  and 
Revolutionary  stock.  Many  of  Mr.  Brennan's  relatives 
have  been  preachers  and  teachers  from  the  time  of  the 
Reformation,  and  two  sisters  are  prominent  Chicago 
teachers  at  the  present  time.  His  father,  John  Bauman 
Brennan,  was  the  son  of  Prof.  John  Brennan,  a  grad- 
uate of  Oxford  University  and  professor  of  languages  at 
Kingston  Academy,  Kingston,  New  York,  and  grandson 
of  Col.  Sebastian  Bauman,  a  veteran  of  the  French-Indian 
and  Revolutionary  Wars,  and  postmaster  of  New  York 
city  for  many  years.  He  was  born  in  Westchester 
County,  New  York,  in  1816,  and  died  in  Chicago  in 
1893.  His  mother,  Sophia  G.  Freeman,  born  at  Perth 
Amboy,  New  Jersey,  in  1820,  was  a  daughter  of  Prof. 
Philip  Freeman  and  a  descendant  of  Peter  Browne,  who 
arrived  at  Plymouth  in  1620;  of  Stephen  Freeman, 
who  landed  at  Salem  in  1630;    of  John  Goble,  who  came 


568 


to  Concord  in  1634,  and  of  Capt.  John  Astvvood,  who 
landed  in  Boston  in  1635.     She  died  in  Chicago  in  1885. 

As  a  scholar  Mr.  Brennan  is  profound ;  as  an  edu- 
cator he  is  energetic,  sound  and  progressive,  and  dur- 
ing his  thirty-five  years  of  work  in  the  educational 
field  he  has  won  well-deserved  promotion.  Since  Oc- 
tober I,  1876,  Mr.  Brennan  has  taught  in  the  same 
school  district  in  different  school  buildings,  viz. :  the 
West  Roseland  School,  1876-77;  Roseland  School,  1878- 
1892 ;  Van  Vlissingen  School,  from  1893  to  the  present 
time.  All  of  these  schools  were  in  the  original  town  of 
Roseland,  which  has  been  a  part  of  Chicago  since  i88g. 
He  has  a  staff  of  thirty-two  teachers  and  an  enrol- 
ment of  fourteen  hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Brennan  holds  membership  in  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Chicago  Principals'  Club, 
Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  Royal  Arcanum,  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution,  the  George  Hovvland  Club 
and  the  Bethany  Reformed  Church.  He  is  president  of 
the  Patriotic  League  and  is  chairman  of  the  School- 
house  and  Grounds  Committee  of  the  Chicago  Princi- 
pals' Club..  In  1876  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sophia  M. 
Kroon,  of  Chicago,  and  they  have  had  eleven  children, 
those  living  being  Sebastian  Bauman,  Rye  Sophia, 
Grace  Agnes,  Alice  C.  and  Charlotte  H. 

The  Rev.  Gideon  Blackburn,  D.D. 

GIDEON  BLACKBURN  was  born  in  Augusta 
County,  Virginia,  August  27,  1772,  his  father  being 
Robert  Blackburn  and  his  mother  a  member  of 
the  Richie  family.  His  parents  were  of  Scotch-Irish 
ancestry  and  devout  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Because  of  the  humble  circumstances  of  the 
family,  Gideon  made  his  home  much  of  the  time  until 
his  twelfth  year  with  his  grandfather.  General  Black- 
burn, and  owed  his  educational  opportunities  for  the 
most  part  to  his  maternal  uncle,  Gideon  Richie,  for 
whom  he  had  been  named.  In  the  current  of  westward 
migration  the  family  settled  for  a  time  in  Washington 
County,  Tennessee  (then  within  the  bounds  of  North 
Carolina),  where  the  boy  was  placed  under  the  care 
and  instruction  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Doak,  D.D.,  a  dis- 
tinguished minister  and  teacher,  the  founder  and  prin- 
cipal of  Martin  Academy.  At  this  school  the  greater  part 
of  his  literary  course  was  taken.  Seventy  miles  farther 
west,  at  Dandridge,  Tennessee,  under  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Robert  Henderson,  his  advanced  literary  and  theological 
studies  were  pursued.  By  the  Presbytery  of  Abingdon 
(Tenn.),  he  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1792  and 
ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry  in  1794.  In 
April,  1794,  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  New  Providence 
(Maryville,  Tenn.,)  and  Eusebia  churches  and  began 
his  pastoral  duties.  Those  were  the  days  when  congre- 
gations went  armed  to  church  and  ministers  preached 
with  rifles  by  their  sides  because  of  danger  from  the 
Indians.  The  Cherokees  were  on  the  warpath.  Work 
was  done  and  trips  were  made  in  companies.  The 
people  lived  in  settlements  or  behind  the  walls  of  forts. 
The  young  minister  did  his  share  of  the  common  labor 
and  took  his  part  of  the  dangers.  When  the  Cherokees 
became  more  tractable  he  established  missions  and 
schools  for  them,  collecting  considerable  amounts  of 
money  in  the  North  for  this  purpose  and  discontinuing 
the  work  only  when  health  and  financial  embarrass- 
ment, growing  out  of  his  personal  sacrifices  for  the 
mission,  made  it  necessary. 

In  181 1  he  removed  to  Franklin,  Williamson  County, 
Tennessee,  eighteen  miles  south  of  Nashville,  to  take 
charge  of  Harpeth  Academy  and  afterwards  Independ- 
ent Academy  in  the  same  county  and  to  evangelize  the 
surrounding  region.  A  considerable  change  was  made 
in  the  religious  sentiment  of  the  country  within  a 
radius  of  fifty  miles.  While  here,  in  1818,  Greenville 
College,  Tennessee,  gave  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity. 

Remaining  in  Williamson  County  for  twelve  years, 
he,  in  1823,  became  the  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 


The  Rev.  Gideon  Blackburn,  D.D. 


Church  of  Louisville,  Kentucky.  After  a  successful 
pastorate  of  four  years  he  accepted  the  presidency  of 
Centre  College,  Danville,  Kentucky,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years.  Returning  to  the  pastorate,  he  remained 
at  Versailles,  Kentucky,  for  three  years  and  thence 
went  to  central  Illinois  in  1833.  For  a  time  he  was 
financial  agent  for  Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville,  but 
the  last  years  of  his  life  were  given  to  the  project  of 
founding  a  theological  seminary  for  the  Central  West. 
His  efforts  resulted  in  the  establishment  in  after  years 
of  Blackburn  University  at  Carlinville,   Illinois. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  winter  of  1837-8  Doctor  Black- 
burn slipped  and  fell  on  the  ice,  so  seriously  injuring 
the  hip-joint  that  he  never  walked  again.  August  23, 
1838,  he  fell  asleep,  in  the  sixty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

October  3,  1793,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Grizzel 
Blackburn,  a  distant  relative.  Of  eleven  children,  seven 
sons  and  four  daughters,  two  sons  became  ministers  and 
one  son  died  while  fitting  himself  for  the  ministry. 

Doctor  Blackburn  was  a  new-school  Presbyterian, 
throwing  himself  heart  and  soul  into  the  struggle  for 
what  he  believed  to  be  the  truth.  Yet  in  his  manners 
he  was  of  the  old  school  of  gentlemen,  easy,  gentle, 
courteous,  mild,  affable,  always  dignified,  even  somewhat 
reserved.  His  bearing  was  naturally  military  and  on 
occasion  he  could  be  severe  and  haughty.  He  ruled 
well  his  own  household  and  the  youth  entrusted'  to  his 
care  in  the  academies  and  the  college  of  which  he  was 
the  head.  He  was  not  a  finished  nor  a  profound  scholar, 
but  his  knowledge  of  and  instruction  in  logic,  rhetoric, 
mental  and  moral  philosophy,  was  broad  and  illuminat- 
ing. In  his  preaching  he  was  ex  tempore,  didactic, 
vividly  descriptive,  witching.  His  voice  was  silvery, 
his  person  and  manner  elegant,  his  zeal  contagious,  his 
logic  convincing  and  his  eloquence  inspiring.  Men  heard 
him,  went  away  and  came  to  hear  him  again.  He  be- 
lieved in  Providence  and  accepted  trial  and  sorrow  as 
well  as  prosperity  and  happiness  as  coming  from  God. 
He  was  a  man  of  men  and  a  man  of  God. 


569 


Howard  Benjamin  Beecher 

WHO  bears  an  enviable  reputation  as  an  efficient 
and  successful  teacher  in  Peoria  County,  Illi- 
nois, as  well  as  the  various  other  localities  where 
he  has  had  charge  of  schools,  is  at  present  principal 
of  the  Douglas  School,  in  Peoria,  Illinois.  Mr.  Beecher 
was  born  in  Monmouth,  Illinois,  his  parents,  Benjamin 
J.  and  Merry  A.  (Boland)  Beecher,  being  natives  of 
New  York  State.  At  an  early  date  they  moved  to 
Illinois,  and  thence,  late  in  life,  to  Nebraska,  where 
both  died,  the  former  in  1888,  and  the  latter  in  1900. 
Their  son,  Howard,  evincing  lively  inclination  to  ac- 
quire knowledge,  attended  the  schools  of  Monmouth 
in  his  boyhood  days,  and  afterward  became  a  pupil  in 
those  of  Warren  County  and  at  Galva,  successively, 
subsequently  studying  for  a  time  in  the  Iowa  State 
University,  Michigan  University  and  Illinois  Univer- 
sity. From  the  last-named  institution  he  received  the 
degree  of  A.B.  His  graduation  took  place  from  the 
Galva  High  School. 

For  a  number  of  terms  Mr.  Beecher  taught  in  the 
country  schools  of  Henry  County,  Illinois,  and  Phil- 
lips County,  Nebraska,  and  for  three  years  he  was  so 
engaged  at  the  Ward  School,  in  Galva.  His  period  of 
service  in  the  Douglas  School,  in  Peoria,  has  covered 
sixteen  years.  Under  his  direction,  as  principal  of  this 
school,  are  fourteen  teachers,  with  an  average  attend- 
ance of  five  hundred  pupils,  and  in  addition  to  this  he 
supervises  the  work  of  the  public  night  school,  which 
requires  the  services  of  four  teachers  and  is  attended 
by  one  hundred  pupils.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the 
time  of  this  busy  instructor  is  fully  occupied  to  good 
purpose,  and  the  results  of  his  diligent  and  conscien- 
tious efforts  are  manifestly  satisfactory  to  all  imme- 
diately concerned  and  to  the  community  at  large. 

Mr.  Beecher  is  a  prominent  and  active  member  of  the 
Illinois  Schoolmasters'  Club,  and  holds  the  office  of 
treasurer  of  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association. 
The  college  fraternity  with  which  he  is  identified  is  the 


William  Hempstead  Beebe. 


Howard  Benjamin  Beecher. 

Phi  Delta  Theta,  and  he  is  affiliated  with  the  lodges 
of  the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America.  In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Baptist,  as  are 
also  the  members  of  his  family. 

In  1887  Mr.  Beecher  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  Day, 
and  their  surviving  children  are  three  in  number,  viz. : 
Benjamin  Sanford,  Dorothy  and  Frances.  Benjamin 
S.  is  at  the  present  time  an  instructor  in  political 
economy  in  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  where  he  is 
studying  for  a  master's  degree. 

Mr.  Beecher's  residence  is  at  No.  408  Frye  avenue, 
Peoria,  Illinois,  and  he  and  his  family  are  held  in  high 
esteem  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home,  as  well  as  by 
numerous  friends  throughout  the  city. 

William  Hempstead  Beebe 

MR.  BEEBE  was  born  at  Galena,  Illinois,  Septem- 
ber 18,  1846,  his  father  being  Thomas  H.  Beebe, 
born  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in  1819,  and  his 
mother,  Catherine  Eddowes,  of  Dover,  Delaware.  The 
family  came  to  Chicago  in  the  spring  of  1853,  where 
Thomas  H.  Beebe  engaged  in  the  commission  business 
as  president  of  the  Peshtigo  Company,  being  associated 
with  William  B.  Ogden. 

William  Hempstead  Beebe  was  educated  in  the  pri- 
vate schools  of  Chicago  and  the  University  of  Chicago, 
class  of  1866.  On  leaving  college,  he  entered  the  office 
of  the  Peshtigo  Company,  lumber  manufacturers,  and 
afterward  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  with  Edward 
Hempstead,  under  the  firm  name  of  Hempstead  & 
Beebe.  Subsequently  he  joined  the  Chicago  Board  of 
Trade,  and  for  twenty-seven  years  was  engaged  in  the 
grain  commission  business  with  R.  Hall  McCormick, 
as  McCormick  &  Beebe,  and  afterward  under  the  style 
of  William  H.  Beebe  &  Co.  While  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trade,  Mr.  Beebe  served  successively  as  a 
member  of  the  Arbitration  and  Appeals  Committees  and 
as  a  director  of  the  Board.  In  1887  he  was  appointed 
by  Mayor  Roche  a  member  of  the  Library  Board,  serv- 
ing on  the  Administration  Committee,  and  was  elected 


570 


president  of  the  Board  for  1888  and  1889.  In  1893  he 
was  appointed  by  Mayor  Washburne  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  serving  as  chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Buildings  and  Grounds  during  1895. 

Mr.  Beebe  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
was  married  in  October,  1871,  to  Miss  Kate  Krebs, 
of  Baltimore,  Maryland.  He  is  agent  for  the  Estate 
of  L.  J.  McCormick,  with  offices  in  the  McCormick 
building.  He  resides  at  154  East  Superior  street,  Chi- 
cago. 

Louis  Baer 

THIS  gentleman  has  been  an  active  member  of  the 
public-school  system  of  Ilinois  for  over  twenty- 
four  years,  and  has  aided  most  materially  in  main- 
taining the  high  standard  of  excellence  to  which  our 
schools  have  attained.  He  was  born  at  St.  Jacob,  Illi- 
nois, July  12,  1868,  son  of  Rudolph  Baer,  native  of 
Switzerland,  and  Louise  Baer,  native  of  Germany,  both 
of  whom  are  still  living.  He  was  educated  in  country 
schools,  which  he  attended  from  his  sixth  to  his  six- 
teenth year,  and  he  studied  for  three  terms  at  the 
Teachers'  Training  School,  Oregon,  Illinois,  and  one 
term  at  the  Denver  University.  He  first  taught  in 
Union,  Illinois,  for  a  year ;  in  Wider  Ranger,  Illinois, 
one  year;  Lee,  Illinois,  one  year;  St.  Jacob,  Illinois, 
three  years,  and  for  the  past  nineteen  years  has  been 
Superintendent  at  Madison,  Illinois,  where  he  has  under 
charge  three  schools,  twenty-two  teachers  and  over 
one  thousand  pupils. 

Mr.  Baer  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  Madison 
County  Teachers'  Association,  Ancient  Order  United 
Workmen,  Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica and  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Among  valuable 
works  written  by  him  were :  "  Eighth  Year  Question 
Book,"  "  Seventh  Year  Question  Book,"  "  Seventh 
Year  Test  Problems  "  and  the  "  Illinois  State  Question 
Book."     On    June   25,    1896,   he   was    married   to    Miss 


Myron  G.  Burton. 


Louis  Baer. 

Anna  L.  Ulffers,  and  they  have  five  children  —  Lucille, 
Elwynn,  Leroy,  Dorothy  and  Marjorie  Baer. 

Myron  G.  Burton 

AMONG  the  prominent  educators  of  Kendall  County 
_  is  Mr.  M.  G.  Burton,  whose  excellent  work  along 
the  lines  of  industrial  education  has  attracted  spe- 
cial attention.  Mr.  Burton  ranks  as  a  leader  in  all 
up-to-date  methods  of  instructing  the  youth  and  prepar- 
ing them  to  take  up  positions  of  usefulness. 

Myron  G.  Burton  was  born  in  Hamilton  County,  Indi- 
ana, September  13,  1880.  His  parents  were  both  natives 
of  the  Hoosier  State,  which  of  late  years  has  made  its 
influence  felt  in  producing  men  foremost  in  literary  and 
educational  advancement. 

Mr.  Burton's  preliminary  education  was  secured  in  the 
public  common  schools  of  Indiana ;  the  Washington 
Township  High  School,  Indiana ;  Westfield  Academy, 
Indiana ;  the  Indiana  University  and  also  the  University 
of  Chicago.  While  his  classic  training  was  secured  in 
the  above  schools,  yet  the  foundation  of  his  practical 
ability  was  acquired  in  boyhood  days  in  an  apprentice- 
ship in  his  father's  cabinet  shop. 

His  professional  career  began  in  Hamilton  County, 
Indiana,  as  a  teacher  in  the  Westfield  School,  and  con- 
tinued as  superintendent  in  the  Walnut  Grove  Township 
High  School.  Under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Burton  the 
Walnut  Grove  High  School  attained  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion in  manual  arts.  From  Walnut  Grove  he  came  to 
Piano,  Illinois,  where  he  was  superintendent  of  the 
schools,  with  eleven  teachers  and  four  hundred  pupils 
under  his  charge.  Resigning  his  position  in  the  Piano 
schools,  Mr.  Burton  became  educational  director  in  the 
National  Manual  Training  Corporation,  Piano,  Illinois. 
Here  Mr.  Burton  has  found  a  splendid  field  for  that 
wealth  of  knowledge  in  industrial  education  which  he 
secured  by  years  of  study  and  extended  experience. 
Mr.  Burton  brings  to  the  National  Manual  Training 
Corporation  a  thorough,  yet  broad  and  comprehensive, 
grasp  of  the  place  of  the  practical  in  modern  education. 


571 


Viola  Emeline  Bender 

IN  the  excellence,  utility  and  general  efficiency  of  its 
schools  the  city  of  Monmouth  ranks  among  the  best 
in  the  State  and  they  are  conducted  along  the  most 
progressive  lines,  those  in  charge  of  affairs  being  well 
known  for  their  ability  and  good  judgment  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  duties  imposed  upon  them.  Among  the 
talented  and  thoroughly  trained  instructors  stationed 
there  is  Miss  Viola  Emeline  Bender,  the  popular  prin- 
cipal of  the  Willits  School,  who  has  had  a  valuable, 
practical  experience  extending  over  twenty-seven  years 
in  the  public-school  service. 

Miss  Bender  is  a  native  of  the  Buckeye  State,  having 
been  born  October  8,  1862,  in  Mohican,  Ohio,  her  par- 
ents being  George  and  Lydia  Dillier  Bender,  both 
natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  both  deceased,  the  former 
having  died  July  8,  1900,  the  latter  on  August  22,  1906, 
in  Kirkwood,  Illinois.  Miss  Bender  received  her  early 
education  in  a  country  school  near  Reed,  Illinois,  the 
graded  school  at  Kirkwood  and  the  Western  Normal 
School  at  Shenandoah,  Iowa,  and  subsequent  private 
studies  have  greatly  enlarged  her  stock  of  knowledge. 
She  first  taught  in  the  country  schools  of  Warren  county. 
Illinois,  for  nine  years ;  was  instructor  in  the  Lowell 
School,  at  Monmouth,  Illinois,  for  thirteen  years,  and 
f6r  the  past  five  years  has  been  principal  of  the  Willits 
School,  Monmouth,  where  she  has  charge  of  eight  teach- 
ers and  about  three  hundred  pupils. 

Miss  Bender  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, the  Monmouth  Schoolmasters'  Club,  and  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  she  is  held  in  high  esteem 
in  both  scholastic  and  social  circles. 

Marion  Nelson  Beeman 

SUPERINTENDENT  of  city  schools  at  Lewistown, 
Illinois,  is  an  educator  of  thirty  years'  experience 
and  well  known  for  the  thoroughness  of  his  meth- 
ods.   He  holds  a  life  state  certificate,  issued  by. Samuel 


Marion  Nelson  Beeman. 


Viola  Emeline  Bender. 


]M.  Inglis  in  1897,  and  conducted  teachers'  institutes 
in  Crawford,  Clark,  Clay  and  Fayette  Counties,  Illi- 
nois, for  many  years.  He  was  born  December  22,  1861, 
on  a  farm  near  Oblong,  Illinois,  and,  his  parents, 
Charles  S.  and  Margarette  E.  Beeman,  both  natives 
of  this  State,  are  still  living  at  the  old  homestead.  He 
first  was  a  pupil  in  the  country  school  of  his  birthplace ; 
then  attended  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University, 
at  Normal ;  the  University  of  Illinois,  at  Urbana ;  per- 
formed two  years'  non-resident  work  at  the  Illinois 
Wesleyan  College,  Bloomington,  and  finally  took  a 
course  at  the  Eastern  Illinois  Normal  School,  Charles- 
ton, Illinois,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1900.  Mr. 
Beeman  first  taught  for  five  years  in  country  schools 
in  Crawford  County,  Illinois ;  next  in  the  grammar 
school  at  Palestine,  Illinois ;  was  high-school  principal 
at  Robinson,  Illinois,  from  1887  to  1889;  principal  of 
the  East  Pana,  Illinois,  school  from  1890  to  1891 ; 
superintendent  'of  the  Altamont,  Illinois,  schools,  1891-2 ; 
four  years  county  superintendent  of  Crawford  County ; 
superintendent  city  schools,  Robinson,  Illinois,  1900  to 
1902;  four  years  assistant  principal  of  Marshall  Town- 
ship High  School,  ^larshall,  Illinois,  and  in  1906  was 
appointed  to  his  present  position  of  superintendent  at 
Lewistown,  where  he  has  charge  of  three  schools,  thir- 
teen assistants  and  about  five  hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Beeman  is  author  of  "  The  Analysis  of  the  Eng- 
lish Sentence,"  a  work  of  much  merit,  published  by  A. 
Flanagan  Company,  Chicago.  He  is  an  ex-member 
of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  was  an 
officer  of  the  Eastern  Illinois  Association  in  1906,  and 
became  a  member  of  the  Military  Tract  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation in  March,  1907.  He  is  also  affiliated  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the 
Church  of  the  Disciples.  On  August  23,  1890,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Catherine  V.  Hill,  and  their  family 
consists  of  four  children,  Charles  Lester,  Iva  Reese, 
Marion  Roy  and  Catherine  Marie. 


572 


George  C.  Baker 


FOR  almost  a  quarter-century  the  above  named  has 
been  actively  identified  with  public  school  work  and 
he  has  achieved  distinction  as  a  pedagogue  of  excep- 
tional ability  and  the  most  advanced  methods. 

Mr.  Baker  was  born  in  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  son  of 
J.  W.  Baker,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  deceased  May  20. 
1905,  at  Toulon,  Illinois,  and  Caroline  (Leavitt)  Baker, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  who  died  September  17,  1889,  at 
Athens,  Missouri.  He  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Missouri  and  through  close,  constant  private 
study  has  accumulated  a  most  valuable  store  of  knowl- 
edge. He  first  taught  in  the  rural  schools  of  Missouri, 
next  in  the  graded  schools  of  Alexandria,  Missouri,  for 
a  year,  and  then  for  three  years  at  Bentonsport,  Iowa, 
nine  years  at  Hamilton,  Illinois,  five  years  at  Toulon, 
Illinois,  was  county  superintendent  of  Stark  County  at 
Toulon  four  years,  and  is  now  most  efficiently  serving 
his  second  term  as  county  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Stark  County,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Baker  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  the 
Independent  Order  of  Red  Men  and  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  In  1882  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emma 
Fentem  and  they  have  four  children  —  Edgar  F.,  Mar- 
garet E..  Clarence  and  Ralph  Baker. 

William  T.  Bawden 

AMONG  the  prominent  educators  of  the  Prairie 
j^\_  State,  a  foremost  position  is  held  by  William 
Thomas  Bawden,  assistant  dean  of  the  College 
of  Engineering,  University  of  Illinois,  at  Urbana.  He 
has  also  achieved  distinction  as  an  author,  having  writ- 
ten a  monograph  on  "  Manual  Training  in  the  Public 
Schools,"  published  in  the  Normal  School  Quarterly, 
issued  by  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University;  an 
illustrated  monograph  on  the  "Manual  Arts  Bulletin,'" 


William  T.  Bawden. 


George  C.  Baker. 

printed  in  the  same  publication ;  ''  Supplemental  Bible 
Exercises  for  the  Sunday-school,"  published  in  the 
Philadelphia  Sunday  School  Times;  since  1909  he  has 
been  managing  editor  of  the  Manual  Training  Maga- 
sine,  issued  by  the  Manual  Arts  Press,  Peoria,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Bawden  was  born  in  Oberlin,  Ohio,  son  of  the 
Rev.  Henry  H.  Bawden,  native  of  England,  a  promi- 
nent divine,  and  now  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church,  North  Fairfield,  Ohio,  and  Harriet  Newell 
(Day)  Bawden,  a  native  of  New  York,  who  is  also 
living.  He  attended  the  public  schools  at  Dayton,  Ohio, 
seven  years ;  the  schools  at  Champaign,  Illinois,  four 
years ;  Doane  Academy,  Granville,  Ohio,  two  years ; 
Denison  University,  Granville,  Ohio,  four  years,  re- 
ceiving therefrom  the  degree  of  A.B.  in  June,  1896; 
the  Mechanics'  Institute,  Rochester,  New  York,  in 
which  he  took  a  special  course  in  manual  training,  and 
the  Teachers'  College,  Columbia  University,  New  York 
City,  receiving  from  the  latter  the  degree  of  B.S.  in 
1903.  In  1896-97  he  was  instructor  in  common  branches 
in  the  Cedar  Valley  Seminary,  Osage,  Iowa;  instructor 
in  wood-turning  and  patternmaking,  New  York  Re- 
formatory, Elmira,  New  York,  1898;  assistant  super- 
visor of  manual  training,  public  schools,  Buffalo,  New 
York,  from  1898  to  1902 ;  director  of  the  manual-train- 
ing department.  State  Normal  University,  Normal, 
Illinois,  1903-10,  and  from  the  latter  year  has  been 
assistant  dean  of  the  College  of  Engineering,  Univer- 
sity of  Illinois. 

Mr.  Bawden  is  a  member  of  the  National  Edu- 
cation Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  National  Society  for  the  Promotion  of 
Industrial  Education,  Western  Drawing  and  Manual 
Training  Association,  in  which  he  was  chairman  of  the 
editorial  board  from  1907  to  1909,  and  vice-president 
in  1910,  and  the  Illinois  Manual  Arts  Association,  of 
which  he  was  secretary-treasurer  from  1904  to  1908, 
and  president  in  191 1.  In  1898  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Ora  Richardson,  of  Parkersburg,  West  Virginia,  and 
they  have  one  child,  William  H.  Bawden. 


573 


Zonia  Baber 

WHEN  John  D.  Rockefeller  promulgated  the  idea 
of  creating  a  university  in  the  Middle  West,  he 
builded — as  the  saying  is — "better  than  he  knew." 
The  many  millions  which  this  philanthropist  has  exploited 
in  the  cause  of  education  could  not  have  been  put  to 
better  use  for  general  good  and  the  betterment  of  man- 
kind. Some  of  the  finest  educators  in  the  United  States 
are  to  be  found  connected  with  this  institution ;  among 
them  worthy  of  honorable  mention  is  Miss  Zonia  Baber, 
art  associate  professor  in  the  teaching  of  geography. 

Miss  Baber  was  born  in  Kansas,  Illinois,  in  1862,  her 
parents  being  Amos  Baber,  a  native  of  Illinois  (who 
deceased  in  1864),  and  Nancy  Rebecca  (Lycan)  Baber, 
also  a  native  of  Illinois  (who  deceased  in  1892,  in 
Paris,  Illinois).  She  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  this  State,  graduating  from  the  Paris  (111.)  high 
school  and  the  Cook  County  Normal  School.  Later, 
after  taking  up  a  course  of  study  in  the  University  of 
Chicago,  she  graduated  therefrom  in  1904  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science.  In  1899- 1900  Miss  Baber 
made  a  trip  around  the  world,  spending  much  time  in 
study  in  the  Orient.  She  was  a  graduate  student  in 
geography  in  Cook  County  Normal  School  in  1886.  In 
her  professional  career  she  has  been  principal  of  the 
Hillman  Street  School,  Youngstown,  Ohio  (1886-8)  ; 
was  critic  teacher  in  the  Cook  County  Normal  School 
(1888-9)  ;  was  head  of  the  Department  of  Geography 
in  the  same  institution  in  1899,  and  in  the  Chicago  Insti- 
tute, 1900-1.  She  has  been  an  instructor  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  Geography  in  the  College  of  Education,  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago,  since  1901.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
National  Education  Association,  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association,  the  American  Association  for  the  Advance- 
ment of  Science,  and  the  Chicago  Geographical  Society, 
of  which  she  was  one  of  the  founders.  Miss  Baber  has 
contributed  many  articles  to  educational  magazines,  and 
her  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  corners  of  the  globe 


Walter  F.  Boyes. 


Zonia  Baber. 

make  her  lectures  vividly  interesting.     Miss  Baber  re- 
sides at  5623  Madison  avenue,  Chicago. 

Walter  F.  Boyes 

MR.  BOYES  has  been  actively  identified  with  the 
public  school  interests  of  Illinois  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century,  and  is  widely  known  as  an 
advanced  educator  and  a  thoroughly  accomplished 
scholar.  He  is  a  native  of  this  State,  having  been  born 
in  Knox  county,  October  8,  1865,  son  of  Robert  D.  and 
Emily  (Bird)  Boyes,  natives,  respectively,  of  New  York 
State  and  Ontario,  Canada,  and  both  deceased,  the 
former  having  died  in  Yates  City,  Illinois,  in  1893,  the 
latter  in  Elmwood,  Illinois,  in  1886.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Elmwood,  Illinois,  and  also  per- 
formed summer  work  in  the  University  of  Illinois.  On 
beginning  his  professional  work  he  taught  in  ungraded 
schools  in  Peoria  County,  Illinois,  for  four  years ;  then, 
successively,  was  principal  at  Monica,  Illinois,  two 
years ;  principal  at  Princeville,  Illinois,  three  years ; 
principal  of  the  Yates  City  High  School,  eight  years, 
and  since  1902  has  been  county  superintendent  of  schools 
of  Knox  county,  having  been  elected  to  this  honor 
three  times  in  succession.  He  has  supervision  of  185 
schools,  336  teachers  and  9,000  pupils.  Of  the  schools, 
165  are  of  one  and  two  rooms  and  these  are  under  his 
direct  care. 

Mr  Boyes  is  an  active  member  of  the  National  Edu- 
cation Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation (since  1892),  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  As- 
sociation, and  he  has  been  for  eight  years  a  member  of 
the  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle  Board.  He  is 
treasurer  of  the  Military  Tract  Educational  Association, 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of 
the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  and  holds 
membership  in  the  Illinois  Schoolmasters'  Club,  the 
Masonic  Order,  the  Galesburg  Business  Men's  Club  and 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  1896  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Minnie  M.  Klinck,  of  Princeville,  Illinois,  and 
they  have  two  children,  Norma  K.  and  Herbert  K. 
Boyes.     The  family  reside  in  Galesburg,  Illinois. 


574 


Mary  M.  Bartelme 

IF  practical  demonstration  is  the  most  convincing 
manner  of  proving  one's  merits,  then  the  lady  w^hose 
name  and  portrait  appear  here  has  decidedly  proven 
herself  w^orthy  of  recognition  among  the  foremost  of  her 
sex  in  the  educational  world.  Her  life  has  been  a  busy 
one,  filled  with  uplifting  work,  and  with  efforts  that  have 
been  deservedly  rewarded  with  success. 

Miss  Bartelme  was  born  in  Chicago,  her  parents  being 
Jeannette  T.  and  Balthasar  Bartelme,  her  father's  busi- 
ness being  that  of  real  estate  and  insurance.  Her  early 
education  was  received  in  the  public  schools  of  her  na- 
tive city,  and  in  1882  she  made  a  most  creditable  grad- 
uation from  the  West  Division  High  School.  Later  in 
the  same  year  she  began  her  pedagogical  career,  during 
which  faithful  and  most  valuable  services  were  ren- 
dered the  public  for  ten  years,  up  to  1892,  in  which  time 
she  held  terms  in  the  Armour  and  Central  Park  Schools, 
respectively.  Her  methods  were  of  a  progressive  order, 
yet  ever  retained  all  the  good  of  her  predecessors,  and 
her  work  was  marked  with  merit  and  most  creditable 
results  throughout.  On  retiring  from  active  school 
duty  in  1892,  Miss  Bartelme  entered  the  Law  School  ot 
the  Northwestern  University,  and  having  a  natural  apti- 
tude for  legal  study,  her  successful  graduation  in  1894 
followed  as  a  natural  matter  of  course.  Soon  afterward 
she  began  the  practice  of  her  profession  in  Chicago,  and 
has  since  developed  a  large  and  ever  growing  clientele. 
Her  ability  becoming  recognized,  it  was  duly  rewarded 
by  her  being  appointed  Public  Guardian  by  the  Gover- 
nor of  Illinois,  which  office  she  is  now  holding  for  the 
third  term.  In  this  capacity  she  is  empowered  to  act  as 
the  administrator  of  minors'  estates,  and  her  presence 
is  daily  required  in  the  probate  court.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  State  Bar  Association,  Chicago  Bar  Association 
and  the  Chicago  Woman's  Club,  and  is  a  Bachelor  of 
Law,  having  received  the  degree  from  the  Northwestern 
University  Law  School,  and  she  is  warmly  esteemed  in 
educational,  legal  and  social  circles. 


Arthur  Clark  Butler. 


Mary  M.  Bartleme. 


Arthur  Clark  Butler 

MR.  BUTLER  is  the  son  of  James  L.  Butler,  for- 
merly of  Virginia,  and  Oletha  (Sargent)  Butler, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  the  father  having  died  in  Par- 
sons, Kansas,  July  17,  1891,  and  the  mother  at  the  same 
place,  May  26,  1900. 

Mr.  Butler  was  born  in  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  April 
ri,  1848,  where  he  began  his  education  in  the  common 
schools,  following  in  the  Illinois  State  Normal  Uni- 
versity, from  which  he  was  graduated  June  21,  1878. 

He  received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  Black- 
burn College  of  Carlinville,  Illinois,  and  did  post-grad- 
uate work  by  correspondence  in  the  University  of  Chi- 
cago. 

He  was  principal  of  the  Moweaqua  School,  Illinois,  a 
year;  principal  of  a  school  in  Bement,  Illinois,  two 
years ;  Normal,  two  years ;  Virginia,  three  years ;  su- 
perintendent at  Beardstown  nine  years ;  principal  of 
Taylorville  Township  High  School  three  years ;  super- 
intendent Kewanee  ten  years,  and  since  1900  has  been 
superintendent  at  Abingdon  —  all  in  Illinois.  He  has 
three  schools,  twenty  teachers,  and  five  hundred  and 
fifty  pupils  under  his  jurisdiction. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, of  which  he  is  vice-president,  and  once  was 
president  of  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association; 
is  a  member  of  the  Military  Tract  Association  and  the 
Knox  County  Association.  He  has  served  on  the 
Executive  Committee  of  both  the  first-mentioned  asso- 
ciations, and  has  appeared  frequently  on  their  programs. 
He  is  the  author  of  "  Persimmons,"  "  Gala-Day  Stories," 
and  is  a  regular  contributor  to  the  School  News,  and  an 
occasional  contributor  to  other  educational  journals.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  belongs  to 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

He  married  Miss  Eliza  Eaton,  of  Stonington,  Illinois, 
June  15,  1870;  and  they  have  one  daughter  —  Mrs.  F. 
B.  Newell,  of  Washington,  D.  C. 


575 


Rosanna  A.  Burke 

FOR  nearly  a  quarter  century  Miss  Burke  has  been 
a  member  of  the  pubHc  school  educational  corps 
of  Illinois,  and  her  name  is  honored  in  scholastic 
circles.  She  was  born  July  6,  1867,  in  Weaverville, 
California,  her  parents  being  Thomas  Burke,  a  native 
of  Waterford,  Ireland,  who  was  killed  by  Indians  in 
California,  October  13,  1867,  and  Elizabeth  Burke, 
native  of  Wexford,  Ireland,  who  deceased  February 
14,  191 1,  in  Gillespie,  Illinois.  She  was  educated  in 
country  schools  near  Edwardsville,  Illinois ;  a  public 
school  in  St.  Louis  and  Almira  College,  Greenville, 
Illinois.  She  also  took  a  course  in  the  Inter-State 
School  of  Correspondence  and  received  a  diploma 
therefrom.  On  beginning  professional  work,  Miss  Burke 
taught  for  two  terms  in  a  country  school  near  Gilles- 
pie, Illinois ;  then  for  twenty  years  in  the  schools  of 
Gillespie,  two  years  as  principal,  and  for  the  past  six 
years  has  been  principal  of  the  Gillespie  High  School. 
in  which  incumbency  she  has  met  with  commendable 
success.  Her  special  study  has  been  ancient  and  modern 
history,  in  which  she  excels. 

Mr.  A.  C.  Stice,  superintendent  of  schools,  paid  the 
following  tribute  of  praise  to  Miss  Burke :  "  As  a 
teacher  she  is  exceptionally  thorough,  exact  and  con- 
scientious, and  an  excellent  disciplinarian,  ever  ready 
for  an  emergency,  and  she  has  proved  to  be  one  who 
can  be  relied  upon.  She  has  always  taken  a  very 
decided  stand  for  the  best  interests  of  the  school,  even 
when  it  resulted  in  the  sacrifice  of  her  own  interests.'' 
Miss  Burke  is  a  member  of  the  county  educational 
organizations,  has  been  president  and  secretary  of  local 
organizations  and  is  most  estimably  known  in  educa- 
tional circles. 


M 


Theodore  C.  Burgess 

R.  BURGESS,  head  of  Bradley  Polytechnic  Insti- 
tute at  Peoria,  Illinois,  has  been  identified  with 
the  educational  world  for  over  a  quarter  century. 


Theodore  C.  Burgess. 


Rosanna  A.  Burke. 

and,  during  that  time,  has  held  some  most  important 
scholastic  positions.  He  is  a  specialist  in  the  Greek  lan- 
guage and  literature,  is  also  skilled  in  administration 
work,  and  it  is  in  the  latter  branch  that  his  time  is 
mainly  occupied  at  Bradley  Institute.  As  a  writer  he 
is  an  author  of  "  Epideictic  Literature,"  a  valuable  vol- 
ume, and  "  Elementary  Greek,"  a  first-year  book  in 
Greek,  and  he  has  also  written  numerous  magazine  arti- 
cles. 

Mr.  Burgess  was  born  April  27,  1859,  in  Little  Valley, 
New  York,  son  of  Chalon  Burgess,  native  of  Silver 
Creek,  New  York,  who  died  there  in  1901,  and  Emma 
(Johnston)  Burgess,  native  of  Ovid,  New  York,  who 
died  in  Eugene,  Oregon,  in  1908.  He  was  educated  in 
elementary  schools,  the  high  school  at  Panama,  New 
York ;  State  Normal  School  at  Fredonia,  New  York, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1879 ;  Hamilton  College, 
Clinton,  New  York ;  graduating  therefrom  in  1883  as  a 
Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  in  1886  received  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts,  and  from  1896  to  1898  was  a  graduate 
student  in  the  University  of  Chicago,  from  which  he 
received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy.  His  first 
official  position  was  that  of  head  of  the  Department  of 
Ancient  Languages  in  the  State  Normal  School  at  Fre- 
donia, in  which  capacity  he  continued  for  thirteen  years, 
and  since  1897  he  has  been  head  of  a  similar  department 
in  Bradley  Polytechnic  Institute.  Since  1904  Mr.  Burgess 
has  also  held  the  office  of  Director,  a  position  in  which 
he  has  supervision  of  forty-one  instructors  and  ten  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  pupils. 

Mr.  Burgess  holds  membership  in  the  National  Edu- 
cation Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
cation.  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  is  secre- 
tary-treasurer of  the  Classical  Association  of  the  Middle 
West  and  South,  a  member  of  the  National  Association 
for  Industrial  Education,  the  Illinois  Manual  Training 
Association,  American  Philological  Association,  the 
Creve  Coeur  Club  of  Peoria,  the  Quadrangle  Club  of 
Chicago  and  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  1887  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Laura  May  Briggs  and  they  have  one 
child  —  Helena  Burgess. 


576 


Edwin  Irving  Belote 

THE  public  schools  of  Illinois  have  been  advanced 
to  a  high  state  of  excellence  and  are  a  source  of 
pride  to  its  citizens.  The  schools  of  Alton  are  no 
exception  to  the  rule.  Those  of  Upper  Alton,  which 
was  annexed  to  Alton  in  191 1,  were,  under  the  superin- 
tendency  of  Edwin  Irving  Belote,  managed  with  such 
good  judgment  that  the  best  of  results  were  attained. 
Annexation  to  Alton  removed  the  superintendency,  but 
on  concluding  his  term  of  that  office  Mr.  Belote  was 
engaged  by  the  Board  of  Education  of  Edwardsville, 
Illinois,  to  act  as  principal  of  the  high  school  in  that 
city,  and  entered  upon  his  duties  in  the  fall  of  191 1. 

Mr.  Belote  was  born  in  Greenfield  Mills,  Indiana, 
September  20,  1883,  son  of  J.  J.  and  E.  C.  Belote, 
natives  of  Indiana,  and  both  living.  He  was  educated 
in  the  rural  schools  of  Michigan,  grades  one  to  four ; 
the  rural  and  city  graded  schools  of  Indiana,  grades 
four  to  eight ;  the  Fremont,  Indiana,  high  school,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1901 ;  the  Elkhart,  Indiana,  high 
school,  with-graduation  in  1905;  and  he  took  the  course 
in  the  civil  engineering  schools  of  the  University  of 
Michigan.  Since  then  he  has  been  pursuing  a  collegiate 
course  of  study  in  the  Lincoln-Jefiferson  University. 
Mr.  Belote  is  an  accomplished  coach  in  high-school  ath- 
letic work  and  has  had  excellent  success  in  this  capac- 
ity. In  1909  he  became  principal  of  the  high  school  at 
Upper  Alton ;  in  1910  was  made  superintendent  of  the 
schools  there  and  had  under  his  supervision  four  schools, 
twenty-two  teachers  and  725  pupils. 

Mr.  Belote  is  an  accomplished  musician,  being  a  fine 
tenor  soloist  and  a  skilled  performer  on  the  slide  trom- 
bone. He  is  leader  of  a  male  quartette.  On  July  21, 
1909,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Leo  B.  Orr,  of  Laporte, 
Indiana,  a  lady  who  has  won  distinction  in  elocution 
work,  both  as  reader  and  teacher.  Their  residence  is 
at  Edwardsville,  Illinois. 


Edwin  Irving  Belote. 


George  C.  Butler 


SUPERINTENDENT  OF  SCHOOLS  at  Downer's 
Grove,  Illinois,  has  been  engaged  in  schoolwork  for 
twenty  years,  and  has  built  up  a  most  creditable 
reputation  for  his  mastery  of  all  the  details  of  his  pro- 
fession and  the  skilled  application  thereof.  He  was  born 
in  Grayville,  this  State,  in  1869,  his  father,  D.  O.  Butler, 
being  a  native  of  Edwards  County,  Illinois,  while  his 
mother,  Anna  Butler,  who  deceased  at  Grayville,  Illinois, 
in  1888,  was  born  in  England.  The  excellent  education 
he  possesses  was  secured  in  rural  schools,  the  Grayville 
High  School,  Albion  Normal  School,  Dixon  Normal  and 
the  Indiana  University.  He  has  made  special  studies  of 
domestic  science  and  manual  training,  and  has  done 
much  to  improve  and  advance  these  branches  of  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  Dupage  County. 

Mr.  Butler  first  taught  in  country  schools  for  three 
years  in  Edwards  County,  Illinois ;  then  for  eight  years 
in  the  city  schools  of  Grayville,  was  for  three  years 
superintendent  at  Neponset,  Illinois,  and  for  four  years 
was  superintendent  of  the  schools  at  Naperville,  Illinois. 
He  is  now  filling  his  second  year  as  superintendent  of 
schools  at  Downer's  Grove,  Illinois,  and  under  his.  man- 
agement are  two  schools,  a  staff  of  twenty  assistant 
teachers  and  a  heavy  enrolment  of  pupils. 

Mr.  Butler  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association, 
the  Masonic  Order,  Knights  of  Pythias,  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  Eastern  Star,  and  the  M.  E.  Church, 
and  is  now  serving  his  fourth  year  as  president  of  the 
Dupage  County  Teachers'  Association. 

In  1894  he  was  married  to  Miss  Isabelle  Coles  and 
they  have  a  family  of  three  children,  Miriam,  Malvin 
and  Max. 


George  C.  Butler. 


37 


577 


O.  C.  Bailey 

IN  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  educational 
resources  and  excellence  of  the  schools  of  Illinois, 
most  valuable  services  have  been  rendered  by  Mr. 
O.  C.  Bailey,  who  has  been  a  member  of  the  pedagogi- 
cal profession  for  the  past  quarter  century. 

Mr.  Bailey  was  born  in  Belleville,  Indiana,  son  of 
M.  R.  Bailey,  native  of  Kentucky,  who  is  still  living, 
and  Rachel  E.  (Lineberry)  Bailey,  native  of  North 
Carolina,  who  deceased  in  February,  1905.  He  attended, 
in  turn,  the  West  Union,  Monrovia  high  school  and  the 
Normal  College,  all  in  Indiana ;  also  taking  a  course 
in  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University ;  attended 
Westfield  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  As  teacher  he  was 
principal  of  the  schools  at  Jewett,  Illinois,  one  year; 
principal  at  Trilla,  Illinois,  three  years ;  principal  at 
Ashmore,  Illinois,  eight  years ;  principal  at  Windsor, 
Illinois,  one  year;  superintendent  at  Milford,  Illinois, 
three  years ;  superintendent  at  Newman,  Illinois,  two 
years,  principal  of  Township  High  School,  Newman, 
Illinois,  two  years ;  is  now  principal  at  Lovington 
Township  High  School,  which  is  a  departmental  high 
school,  with  a  faculty  of  eight  teachers. 

Mr.  Bailey  is  a  writer  of  ability,  and  has  contributed 
to  literature,  "  Outlines  for  Study  of  '  The  Princess,'  " 
"  Miles  Standish "  and  "  Webster's  Reply  to  Hayne," 
"  Arithmetic  for  Institutes,"  and  is  a  regular  contributor 
to  a  number  of  educational  magazines.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  National  Education  Association,  Illinois 
State  Teachers'  Association,  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Reading  Circle,  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association, 
Eastern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the  Masonic 
Order,  Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  1890  Miss  Anna  W.  Estes 
became  his  wife,  and  they  have  three  children  —  Roscoe 
E.,  Edna  V.  and  Robert  Bailey. 


O.  C.  Bailey. 


John  Morton  Brewer. 


John  Morton  Brewer 

MR.  BREWER  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  having  been 
born  on  a  farm  near  Charleston,  Coles  County, 
July  20,  1872.  His  father  and  mother,  Andrew 
T.  and  Rhoda  Jane  Brewer,  both  natives  of  Indiana, 
are  still  living. 

He  was  educated  in  the  elementary  schools  of  this 
State.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Toledo  (111.)  high 
school,  the  Dixon  (111.)  Normal  School  and  Austin 
College.  He  has  spent  some  time  in  study  in  other 
institutions  of  learning  and  has  held  a  state  certificate. 

He  first  taught  in  the  country  schools  of  Cumberland 
County,  beginning  in  1891.  He  also  taught  in  Moultrie 
County.  Later  he  taught  in  the  grammar  grades  of 
Greenup  and  Lovington  city  schools.  The  six  years 
following  he  was  city  superintendent  of  schools,  at 
Lebanon,  Illinois.  Here  he  gained  for  himself  a  fine 
reputation  as  an  organizer  and  first-rate  educator.  The 
city  of  Chester,  in  making  a  change  of  superintendents, 
invited  Mr.  Brewer  to  become  its  superintendent  of 
schools.  This  is  his  second  year  in  charge  of  the  Ches- 
ter schools. 

Mr.  Brewer  has  been  very  successful  in  Chester  in 
organizing  the  community  and  securing  its  cooperation 
in  building  up  the  school. 

The  last  two  summers  he  has  spent  in  summer  nor- 
mals and  county  institutes,  teaching. 

Mr.  Brewer  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, and  is  president  of  the  Randolph  County 
Teachers'  Association  and  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

On  August  23,  1896,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mae  P. 
Head,  a  teacher.  They  have  three  children,  Lester 
Paul,  Lyman  Andrew  and  Leland  Britton. 


578 


Ella  Beseman 


IN  the  public-school  service  woman  has  long  held  a 
prominent  place  —  in  fact,  over  two-thirds  of  our 
public-school  instructors  are  women,  and  right 
nobly  have  they  met  all  demands  made  upon  them. 
More  to  their  unselfish  efforts  and  devotion  to  duty 
than  to  any  other  agency  is  due  the  present  excellence 
of  our  school  system. 

Among  the  women  who  have  won  distinction  along 
pedagogical  lines  in  Illinois  is  Ella  Beseman,  now  prin- 
cipal of  the  Lee  School,  Peoria,  Illinois.  Miss  Beseman 
comes  of  good  old  German  stock.  She  was  born  in 
Dresden.  Her  father.  George  August  Beseman,  was  a 
native  of  Gottingen,  Germany,  and  died  in  Peoria,  Illi- 
nois. Her  grandfather  was  a  graduate  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Gottingen,  and  for  years  was  a  valued  mem- 
ber of  the  faculty  of  that  institution.  Her  mother, 
Augusta  (Metzger)  Beseman,  a  native  of  Saxony, 
Germany,  is  still  living.  The  excellent  education  she 
possesses  was  obtained  through  studies  in  the  common 
and  high  schools  of  Peoria  and  the  University  of  Chi- 
cago. Since  beginning  professional  work  she  has 
taught  in  the  Douglas  School,  the  Webster  School  and 
the  Lee  School.  As  principal  of  the  latter  she  has 
supervision  over  fourteen  teachers  and  about  four  hun- 
dred pupils,  and  under  her  discreet  management  of 
affairs  most  substantial  results  have  been  effected. 

Miss  Beseman  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, Peoria  Women's  Club,  Women  Teachers'  Club 
of  Peoria,  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  the  Schoolmistresses'  Club 
of  Illinois  and  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church.  In 
1906  she  was  president  of  the  Women  Teachers'  Club 
of  Peoria,  and  in  1907  of  the  Schoolmistresses'  Club. 
Her  excellent  standing  in  educational  circles  is  thor- 
oughly established. 


Charles  Henry  Brittin. 


Ella  Beseman. 

Charles  Henry  Brittin 

THE  splendid  status  upon  which  the  public-school 
system,  as  carried  out  in  Illinois,  rests,  is  a  mag- 
nificent tribute  to  the  conscientious  and  efficient 
efforts  of  the  educators  in  control  of  that  system.  To 
become  a  successful  teacher,  one  must  embody  the 
highest  intellectual  and  moral  traits  and  qualities,  to- 
gether with  a  magnetism  and  honest  aggressiveness 
that  will  make  one's  influence  felt  and  appreciated. 

Charles  Henry  Brittin,  principal  of  schools  at  Kirk- 
wood,  Illinois,  is  adapted  by  nature  for  the  teachers' 
calling,  and  this  natural  aptitude  has  been  further  en- 
lianced  in  strength  and  practical  value  by  the  thorough 
course  of  training  that  has  been  undergone  by  him  and 
the  vast  store  of  knowledge  he  has  accumulated. 

Mr.  Brittin  was  born  in  Cantrall,  Illinois,  October  28, 
i88r,  son  of  John  and  Mellissa  (Canterbury)  Brittin, 
both  natives  of  this  State,  and  both  now  living.  He  was 
educated  in  the  rural  schools  near  Rochester,  Illinois ; 
Athens,  Illinois,  and  Cantrall,  Illinois ;  the  Cantrall 
high  school,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1898,  and  the 
State  Normal  School,  at  Normal,  Illinois,  graduating 
from  the  latter  in  1907.  In  November  and  December 
of  the  latter  year  he  was  absent  from  school  on  account 
of  filling  a  vacancy  in  the  science  department  of  the 
high  school  at  Terre  Haute,  Indiana.  After  graduating, 
he  was  principal  at  Maquon  for  two  years,  and  in  1909 
went  thence  to  become  principal  at  Kirkwood,  where  he 
has  charge  of  six  rooms,  seven  teachers  and  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  pupils. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation (of  which  he  was  vice-president  of  the  village 
principals'  section  from  1908  to  191 1).  the  Masonic  Order 
and  the  Christian  Church.  In  October,  1910,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Gertrude  Hill,  of  Champaign,  Illinois. 
~Slr.  Brittin  has  read  many  instructive  papers  before  the 
village  principals'  section  of  the  State  Teachers*  Asso- 
ciation and  county  institutes,  and  his  success  thus  far 
presages  for  him  a  most  promising  future  in  the  edu- 
cational world. 


579 


Christopher  J.  Byrne 

SUPERrNTEXDEXT  OF  SCHOOLS  at  Otta\ya, 
Illinois,  has  been  engaged  in  the  pedagogical  service 
for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  and  has  eminently 
demonstrated  his  fitness  for  the  profession  which  he 
adorns.  He  was  born  January  22,  1861,  at  Ottawa,  Illi- 
nois, son  of  Christopher  and  Eliza  Byrne,  both  natives 
of  Ireland,  the  latter  still  living,  while  the  former  de- 
ceased at  Marseilles,  Illinois,  in  iqoo.  Mr.  Byrne  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Ottawa  Township  High  School,  and 
has  also  performed  special  work  with  Bryant  &  Strat- 
ton's  Business  College,  [Morgan  Park  Academ\%  the 
De  Kalb  Normal  School,  and  the  University  of  Chi- 
cago. He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Ottawa  Township  High 
School.  His  professional  record  follows :  In  Illinois 
country  schools,  1882-1885;  principal  at  Oglesby,  Illi- 
nois, 1885-1889;  principal  at  Seneca,  Illinois,  1889-1897; 
principal  of  Shabbona  school,  Ottawa,  Illinois,  1897- 
1903 ;  supervising  principal  of  Lincoln  school,  Ottawa, 
Illinois,  1903-1905 ;  superintendent  of  schools  at 
Ottawa  from  1905  to  date.  In  the  latter  position  he  has 
supervision  of  five  schools,  forty-two  teachers,  and  over 
eighteen   hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Byrne  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  the 
Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  La  Salle 
County  Teachers'  Association,  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  Occidental  Lodge,  No.  50,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.. 
Shabbona  Chapter,  No.  2i7j  R-  A.  ]\I.,  and  Ottawa  Com- 
mandery,  No.  10. 

On  April  16,  1890,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Grace 
Hunt,  and  they  have  a  family' of  four  children  —  Grace 
E.,  Harold  H.,  Theron  J.,  and  Palmer  C.  Byrne. 


Christopher  J.  Byrne. 


Thomas  Milton  Birney. 


Thomas  Milton  Birney 

SUPERINTENDENT  OF  SCHOOLS  at  Macomb, 
Illinois,  has  been  engaged  in  the  public  school  serv- 
ice for  over  sixteen  years  and  is  well  known  in 
the  educational  world  and  to  the  public  as  an  educator 
of  advanced  ideas  and  marked  executive  ability.  He 
was  born  in  Leroy,  Illinois,  son  of  John  and  Mary  Jane 
Birney;  the  former  deceased  in  Leroy,  June,  1876,  the 
latter  survives  and  resides  at  Normal,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Birney's  education  is  a  most  thorough  one,  and 
was  secured  through  studies  in  the  Empire  district 
school ;  the  elementary  and  high  schools  of  Normal, 
Illinois ;  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  Academj-,  Bloomington, 
Illinois;  L^niversity  of  Chicago;  Bloomington  Commer- 
cial College ;  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  Normal, 
Illinois,  and  the  University  of  Illinois.  He  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  last  three  named  institutions,  holding  the 
A.B.  degree  and  post-graduate  credits  at  Illinois.  He 
first  taught  for  two  years  in  a  district  school,  near 
Lexington,  Illinois ;  was  principal  of  the  high  school  at 
Normal  five  years ;  three  years  principal  of  the  high 
school  at  Kewanee,  Illinois,  and  has  been  a  superin- 
tendent of  schools  for  eight  years.  Under  his  leader- 
ship at  Macomb  are  four  schools  and  thirt\"  teachers, 
and  the  most  approved  methods  are  in  vogue. 

Mr.  Birnej'  is  an  ex-member  of  the  Central  Illinois 
and  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Associations,  and  an 
active  member  in  the  National  Education  Association, 
the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Reading  Circle,  the  ^Military  Tract  Teachers' 
Association  and  the  City  Superintendents'  Association 
of  Illinois.  He  was  president  of  the  high  school  section 
of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  was  on  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  same  organization,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order.  On  June  17,  1905,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Olive  Gertrude  Thomas,  and  they 
are  attendants  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  To 
them  was  born  a  son,  named  Robert  Milton  Birney. 


580 


Hugh  Alvin  Bone 

THIS  gentleman  is  an  educator  of  excellent  repute, 
a  scholar  of  admirable  accomplishment,  and  thor- 
oughly advanced  in  his  ideas  and  methods.  He 
was  born  on  a  farm  near  Bethany,  Illinois,  June  4, 
1873,  and  his  parents,  John  E.  and  Mary  Bone,  both 
living,  are  also  natives  of  this  State.  He,  early,  vi^as  a 
pupil  in  the  district  school  of  his  birthplace,  prepared 
for  college  at  Bethany  high  school  and  University  of 
Illinois  Preparatory  School,  and  later  pursued  his  stud- 
ies in  Obcrlin  College  and  the  University  of  Chicago. 
As  instructor,  he  has  taught  in  rural  schools  of  Moultrie 
County,  Illinois ;  principal  of  the  North  Side  School, 
Sullivan,  Illinois ;  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Sul- 
livan ;  superintendent  of  schools,  Sullivan ;  superin- 
tendent of  schools  at  Sycamore,  Illinois,  for  five  years. 
In  the  summer  of  1909  he  was  asked  by  the  school  boards 
of  East  Batavia  schools  and  West  Batavia  schools  to 
take  charge  of  both  districts,  where  he  had  under 
his  supervision  two  high  schools,  four  graded  schools 
with  thirty -teachers  and  one  thousand  pupils.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  work  in  the  public  schools,  Mr.  Bone  has 
taught  history  and  civics  during  the  summer  term  at 
the  Illinois  State  Normal  University  and  delivered 
courses  of  lectures  before  county  institutes  upon  "  The 
European  Background  of  American  History,"  "  Slavery 
in  the  United  States "  and  "  Geographical  Influences  in 
American  History,"  and  before  Parents'  Associations 
and  Literary  Clubs  upon  various  educational  and  social 
topics. 

Mr.  Bone  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  North- 
ern Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  Northern  Illinois 
Superintendents'  and  Principals'  Association,  serving  on 
the  "  Committee  of  Seven  "  of  the  last-named  body.  He 
is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America,  and  worships  in  the  Con- 
gregational Church.  In  1893  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Florence  Crowder,  and  they  now  have  a  family  of  four 
children :  Horace  Orlando,  Maurice  Oberlin,  Maurine 
and  Hugh  Alvin  Bone,  Jr. 


Ch.arles  Alonzo  Cook. 


Hugh  Alvin  Bone. 


Charles  Alonzo  Cook 

MR.  COOK  is  a  type  of  the  best  citizenship  of  the 
Wolverine  State,  and  was  born  in  Tecumseh, 
July  20,  1846.  His  father,  John  B.  Cook,  was  a 
native  of  the  State  of  New  York,  as  was  his  mother, 
Mary  M.  Robe,  the  latter  having  been  born  in  Lenox, 
in  Madison  County. 

The  young  man  received  his  primary  education  in  the 
district  schools  of  Lenawee  County,  in  both  Medina 
and  Raisin,  and  afterward  attended  the  high  school  at 
Tecumseh,  and  later  the  University  of  Michigan,  from 
which  latter  institution  he  was  graduated  with  the  class 
of  1871,  as  Master  of  Arts  in  1890  —  Nunc  pro  tunc. 
He  afterward  entered  and  was  graduated  from  the 
Harvey  Medical  College,  of  Chicago,  with  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine,  in  1890. 

He  first  taught  iri  District  School  No.  3,  in  Tecumseh, 
Lenawee  County,  Michigan,  five  months ;  next  was 
superintendent  of  Schools  at  Quincy,  Branch  County, 
Michigan,  for  two  years ;  then  was  superintendent  of 
schools  at  Leslie,  Ingham  County,  Michigan,  eight 
years ;  thence  went  to  Dexter,  Michigan,  for  four  years, 
as  superintendent,  and  was  for  eight  years  principal  of 
Jefferson  Township  High  School  of  Illinois.  Following 
this  position,  he  was  for  nineteen  years  principal  of  the 
Jefferson  High  School,  of  Chicago,  and  since  then  he 
has  officiated  as  principal  of  the  Linne  Elementary 
School,  of  Chicago. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education  Asso- 
ciation and  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
and  is  a  Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow.  He  is  a  communi- 
cant of  the  Congregational  Church. 

August  2,  1870,  he  married  Frances  Irene  Magoon, 
who  has  borne  him  six  children  —  Mary  Jane,  William 
Wallace,  Lillian  Hortense,  Eva  Irene  and  Olive  Rose, 
now  living;  and  Kate  Isabel,  deceased.  His  father  died 
in  Medina,  Lenawee  County,  January  i,  1857;  and  his 
mother  in  Unionville,  Tuscola  County,  in  the  same 
State,  February  14,  1892. 


581 


Heywood  Coffield 

THE  efficient  Superintendent  of  Schools  at  Edwards- 
ville,  Illinois,  is  a  public  educator  of  extensive 
experience,  having  been  actively  engaged  in  this 
profession  for  upward  of  twenty-five  years,  and  he  is 
widely  and  most  favorably  known  to  his  colleagues  and 
the  public.  He  was  born  January  lo,  1863,  at  Arenz- 
ville,  Illinois,  son  of  Alfred  H.  Coffield,  native  of 
North  Carolina,  and  Esther  B.  (Wagle)  Coffield,  native 
of  Illinois,  recently  deceased.  His  education  —  a  most 
thorough  one  —  was  secured  in  the  district  schools 
near  his  birthplace ;  the  high  school  at  Humboldt, 
Nebraska;  Normal  School,  Nebraska;  Chaddock  Col- 
lege, Quincy,  from  which  he  received  the  degree  of 
Ph.B.,  and  from  various  correspondence  schools  of 
recognized  standing;  he  also  has  an  Illinois  State  Life 
Certificate  —  mathematics  as  major  work  — issued  in 
1897.  He  first  taught  in  a  Nebraska  district  school 
four  years ;  then  was  principal  of  the  Virden  School, 
Virden,  Nebraska,  two  years ;  five  years  Principal  of 
the  Arenzville,  Illinois,  schools ;  six  years  Superin- 
tendent at  Girard,  Illinois ;  one  year  Superintendent  at 
Upper  Alton,  Illinois,  and  for  the  past  four  years  he 
has  been  Superintendent  of  the  Edwardsville,  Illinois, 
schools,  where  he  is  assisted  by  thirty  teachers  and 
has  over  twelve  hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Coffield  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading 
Circle  Odd  Fellows,  the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Metho- 
dist Church.  He  has  given  many  valuable  educational 
contributions  to  newspapers  and  magazines,  and  espe- 
cially to  school  journals.  He  has  also  done  much  work 
as  instructor  and  manager  of  summer  schools  and  as 
instructor  in  county  Normals,  both  in  Nebraska  and 
Illinois. 

In  1884  Mr.  Coffield  was  married  to  Miss  Phoebe  E. 
Brandow,  and  they  have  one  son,  Alvin  Ray  B.  Cof- 
field, now  a  young  man  in  the  junior  class  high  school. 


Henry  Clay  Cox. 


Hevwooi)  Coffield. 

Henry  Clay  Cox 

ACKNOWLEDGEDLY  the  greatest  factor  in  has- 
tening the  world's  progress  on  to  the  dreamed-of 
millennium  is  education.  The  American  public 
school  system,  recognized  as  the  best  and  most  effective 
among  all  the  countries  of  the  world,  has  been  the  main 
bulwark  upon  which  our  national  greatness  has  been 
achieved.  Enlisted  in  the  ranks  of  school  teachers  and 
public  instructors  are  many  of  our  brightest,  most  intel- 
lectual men  and  women  citizens.  The  exactions  of  the 
teachers'  vocation  are  such  that  only  those  thoroughly 
equipped  and  qualified  can  meet  them. 

A  gentleman  in  this  field  of  labor  whose  career  has 
been  an  uninterrupted  success  is  Henry  Clay  Cox, 
Superintendent  of  District  No.  6,  of  the  Chicago  schools. 
Mr.  Cox  was  born  February  28,  1845,  in  Richmond 
County,  Virginia,  of  good  old  stock,  his  father  being- 
Carlos  Cox,  who  deceased  in  Kansas  in  May,  1872,  and 
his  mother,  Maria  Louisa  (McCarty)  Cox,  who  deceased 
in  Kansas  in  1909,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-four 
years.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Fayette, 
Illinois,  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  Knox  Col- 
lege and  Abingdon  College,  receiving  from  the  latter,  in 
1873,  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  Mr.  Cox  began  his 
pedagogical  career  as  county  superintendent  of  schools 
in  Wapello  County,  Iowa,  and  was  then,  successively, 
superintendent  of  schools  at  Winterset,  Iowa,  Farming- 
ton,  Illinois,  Pontiac,  Illinois ;  principal  of  the  Pickard, 
Frobel,  Garfield  and  Farragut  schools,  Chicago,  and  is 
now  Superintendent  of  District  No.  6. 

Mr.  Cox  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association  and 
Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Reading  Circle,  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
is  ex-president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  village 
of  Brookfield,  Illinois.  Among  the  many  noteworthy  of 
his  contributions  to  educational  literature  are  "  Lessons 
in  Algebra "  and  "  Brevities."  He  married,  March  16, 
1867,  Miss  Lora  A.  Worcester,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren, Mary  L.  and  Ruth  D. 


582 


Taylor  G.  Clendenen 

IN  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  vast  edu- 
cational system  of  the  United  States,  Illinois  has 
long  taken  an  important  part,  and  her  schools  are 
not  surpassed  anywhere.  Among  our  experienced, 
prominent  educators  is  the  gentleman  above  named, 
the  well-known  superintendent  of  the  Cairo  city 
schools,  in  Alexander  County,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Clendenen  was  born  February  13,  1855,  near  the 
old  capitol  city  of  Ohio,  Chillicothe.  His  parents,  Syl- 
vester and  Bathsheba  (Jones)  Clendenen,  natives  of 
Ohio,  are  still  living  at  good  old  ages  on  the  farm, 
near  Mount  Pulaski,  Logan  County,  Illinois.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Sangamon  County, 
Illinois,  and  the  University  of  Illinois.  Since  actively 
beginning  his  professional  career,  he  has  taught  in  the 
following  schools :  two  rural  schools  in  Champaign 
County,  Illinois ;  Newman,  Douglas  County ;  Bement, 
Piatt  County,  Illinois ;  Areola,  Douglas  County,  and 
Cairo,  Alexander  County,  Illinois,  having  been  in  the 
latter  city  -twent}'  years.  He  officiates  as  city  superin- 
tendent of  the  Cairo  city  schools,  where  he  has  under 
his  supervision  eleven  schools,  fifty  teachers  and  2,600 
pupils.  Mr.  Clendenen  was  elected  superintendent  of 
the  Cairo  schools,  July,  1886.  He  has  served  in  that 
capacity  continuously  since,  completing  his  twenty-fifth 
year  July  i,  igii. 

Mr.  Clendenen  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association ;  he  has  served  as  president  and 
executive  member  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association ;  he  was  president  of  the  State  Teachers' 
Association  in  1902-3,  having  previously  served  as  an 
executive  member  for  several  years.  He  is  affiliated 
with  the  Masonic  bodies,  Knights  of  Pythias,  Elks,  and 
the  Alexander  Club,  of  Cairo,  Illinois.  He  has  written 
many  valuable  editorials  for  the  School  News  and  other 
educational  papers.  In  September,  1879,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  R.  McKinney,  of  Camargo,  Illinois, 
and  they  have  four  children,  Lois  Grace,  Paul  McKin- 
ney, Mary  Laura  and  Mirian  Kathrine. 


Samuel  J.  Curlee' 


Taylor  C.  Clendenen. 

Samuel  J.  Curlee 

SUPERINTENDENT  OF  SCHOOLS  at  Collinsville, 
Illinois,  has  been  actively  engaged  in  public-school 
work  for  some  twenty  years.  He  was  born  in 
Tamaroa,  Illinois,  in  1866,  son  of  Zebedee  P.,  and 
Mary  A.  Curlee,  both  natives  of  Illinois,  the  former  of 
whom  deceased  at  St.  Francis,  Arkansas,  February  26, 
1896,  the  latter  at  Tamaroa,  February  16,  1888.  He 
attended  country  schools  up  to  his  sixteenth  year,  and 
then  followed  a  one-year  course  in  the  McKendree  Col- 
lege, two  years  in  the  Southern  Illinois  Normal,  and 
two  years'  correspondence  work  in  the  Chicago  Seminary 
of  Sciences,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1902  as  B.S.  In 
1903  he  was  granted  an  Illinois  State  license.  Mr.  Cur- 
lee's  professional  experience  covers  three  years  in  two 
rural  districts ;  two  years  as  principal  at  Du  Bois, 
Washington  county,  Illinois;  four  years  principal  at 
Tamaroa,  Perry  County,  Illinois ;  three  years  superin- 
tendent at  Odin,  Marion  County,  Illinois ;  five  years  su- 
perintendent at  Salem,  Marion  County,  Illinois,  and  for 
the  past  three  years  he  has  been  superintendent  at  Col- 
linsville. 

Mr.  Curlee  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle, 
Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Woodmen,  Court  of 
Honor  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

He  was  married  May  i,  1888,  to  Miss  Louis  B.  Carson, 
of  Ashley,  Illinois,  and  their  family  comprises  a  son 
and  daughter,  Lillian  and  Raymond. 

Mr.  Curlee  has  performed  excellent  institute  work, 
and  has  won  honors  in  connection  with  the  County 
Teachers'  Association  and  the  Southern  Illinois  Teach- 
ers' Association.  He  served  four  years  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Vandalia  District  Epworth  League,  six 
years  as  president  of  the  State  Epworth  League  Cabinet, 
two  years  as  corresponding  secretary,  four  years  as 
treasurer,  and  he  now  is  president  of  the  Lebanon  Dis- 
trict, Southern  Illinois  Conference  of  the  Epworth 
League.  , 


583 


Elbert  Adrian  Collins 

AMONG  the  well-known  and   prominent   educators 
of  Illinois  is  the  above  named,  who  is  most  favor- 
ably known  to  his  colleagues  and  the  public.     He 
possesses  an  excellent  education,  is  largely  self-educated, 
and  has  had  a  most  valuable  experience  in  the  educa- 
tional world. 

Mr.  Collins  was  born  August  15,  1879,  in  New  Rumley, 
Ohio,  son  of  Elbert  James  Collins,  a  native  of  Ohio  and 
now  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  at  La  Moille, 
Illinois,  and  Ella  (Bowman)  Collins,  a  native  of  Iowa, 
and  now  residing  with  her  husband  in  La  Moille.  He 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Ohio,  Kansas 
and  Illinois,  the  high  school  at  Chillicothe,  Illinois,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1897,  the  Illinois  College,  from 
which  he  received  the  degree  of  A.B.  in  1901,  and  he 
has  also  performed  advanced  work  in  the  University  of 
Illinois.  He  began  public  work  as  teacher  in  the  high 
school  at  Chillicothe,  Illinois  (1901-2)  ;  was  principal 
of  the  schools  at  Wyanet,  Illinois,  from  1902  to  1905 ; 
principal  at  Seneca,  Illinois,  1905-6,  and  since  then  has 
been  superintendent  at  Marseilles,  Illinois,  where  he  has 
a  staff  of  eighteen  teachers  and  about  seven  hundred 
pupils.  This  position  he  is  filling  to  the  eminent  satis- 
faction of  all  interested. 

Mr.  Collins  is  president  of  the  high  school  section  of 
the  La  Salle  County  Teachers'  Association,  has  been 
superintendent  of  a  Congregational  Sunday-school  five 
years  (one  hundred  and  seventy-five  members),  is 
president  of  the  Marseilles  Choral  Society  (seventy 
members),  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Superintendents' 
and  Principals'  Association  and  the  Congregational 
Church.  He  is  a  fluent  speaker,  and  has  made  many 
addresses  at  banquets  and  religious  and  educational 
gatherings.  On  January  12,  1905,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Hilma  A.  Anderburg,  who  was  also  an  accom- 
plished teacher,  and  they  have  two  children,  Maud 
Mariella  and  Elbert  Bowman  Collins. 


Elbert  Adrian  Collins. 


Francis  Everett  Crawford. 


Francis  Everett  Crawford 

MR.  CRAWFORD,  one  of  the  most  successful  pub- 
lic educators  of  this  State,  is  a  typical  repre- 
sentative of  the  "  self-made  man,"  and  has  well 
earned  the  promotions  that  have  been  accorded  him. 
He  was  born  March  2;},  1869,  near  Brownstown,  Fay- 
ette County,  Illinois,  son  of  Martin  V.  and  Elizabeth  J. 
(Bolt)  Crawford,  natives,  respectively,  of  Ohio  and  Illi- 
nois.    The  former  died  in  1905,  the  latter  in  1893. 

Mr.  Crawford  attended  country  schools  up  to  the  time 
he  became  a  teacher,  working  on  a  farm  in  summer 
time.  Through  correspondence  work  and  intense  private 
study  and  private  instruction  he  mastered  the  majority 
of  high-school  subjects,  and  he  also  took  a  course  in  the 
Normal  School,  at  Charleston,  Illinois.  Beginning 
April  I,  1886,  he  taught  for  six  years  in  rural  schools; 
from  1892  to  1894  was  principal  of  schools  at  Ramsey, 
Illinois ;  from  1895  to  1901  was  a  teacher  in  the  gram- 
mar department  of  the  schools  at  Vandalia,  Illinois, 
serving  there  for  two  years  as  assistant  principal ;  from 
1901  to  1909  was  superintendent  of  schools  at  St.  Elmo, 
Illinois,  and  in  1909  became  superintendent  of  schools 
at  Casey,  Illinois.  In  1910  he  was  reelected  to  this  posi- 
tion with  an  increase  in  salary  of  $17.50  per  month, 
but  resigned  to  run  as  candidate  for  the  position  of 
county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Fayette  County,  and 
was  elected  thereto  with  a  handsome  majority.  He  has 
under  his  supervision  144  schools,  200  teachers  and  9,584 
pupils. 

Mr.  Crawford  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association,  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America  and  the  Christian  Church.  On  October  i,- 
1890,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Pilcher,  and  they 
have  had  two  children,  of  whom  one,  Cecil  C.  Craw- 
ford, is  now  living. 


584 


Florence  Jane  Clark 


MISS  CLARK  was  born  in  DeKalb,  DeKalb 
County,  Illinois,  September  7,  1862,  her  father, 
George  Clark,  having  been  a  native  of  Vermont, 
and  her  mother,  Sarah  Jane  Clark,  a  native  of  Illinois. 
Her  father  died  at  the  old  home  in  DeKalb,  February 
5,  1908,  and  her  mother  is  still  living. 

Miss  Clark's  primary  education  was  obtained  at  the 
Coltonville  country  school,  and  afterward  she  attended 
the  DeKalb  and  Sycamore  high  schools,  when  she 
entered  the  Illinois  State  Normal  School  at  Normal, 
from  which  she  was  graduated  in  1892. 

She  began  her  teaching  in  country  schools,  serving 
four  terms,  after  which  she  began  work  in  the  DeKalb 
schools,  where  she  continued  for  about  twenty  years. 
Previous  to  1892  she  was  grade  teacher,  and  since  1899 
she  has  done  supervisory  work,  four  years  as  critic 
in  DeKalb  and  one  year  and  a  half  as  primary  critic 
in  Rochester,  New  York.  She  was  principal  of  the 
North  school  in  DeKalb,  and  at  present  is  principal 
of  the  Ellwood  school  of  that  city,  with  twelve  teachers 
and  about  four  hundred  and  eighty  children  under  her 
supervision. 

Miss  Clark  has  been  a  member  of  the  National  Edu- 
cation Association  and  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church 
and  belongs  to  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution and  the  Eastern  Star. 


Amos  D.  Gurran 

SUPERINTENDENT    OF    SCHOOLS    of    Kendall 
County  for  twenty-two  years,  is  one  of  the  veteran 
pedagogues  of  this  State.     In  1914,  which  ends  his 
present  term  of  office,   that  year  will   make  a  quarter 
century  of  services  as  County  Superintendent. 

Mr.   Curran   was   born   in   Williamstown,   New   York, 


Amos  D.  Curran. 


Florence  Jane  Clark. 


August  25,  1836.  His  father,  Henry  Curran,  was  the 
son  of  Scotch-Irish  parents,  while  his  mother,  Sarah 
(Davis)  Curran,  came  from  a  Vermont  family  of  revo- 
lutionary stock.  Both  are  deceased ;  the  former  died 
in  1859  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  years,  the  latter  in 
1867,  aged  seventy-three. 

Mr.  Curran's  fine  education  was  secured  in  country 
schools,  Falley  Seminary,  New  York ;  Oneida  Confer- 
ence Seminary,  New  York ;  Wheaton  College,  Illinois, 
and  through  intense  private  study.  He  first  taught  in 
a  log  schoolhouse  in  Kane  County,  Illinois,  in  1856.  The 
next  year  in  a  new  frame  schoolhouse,  following  which 
he  taught  in  the  village  school  of  Blackberry  (now  El- 
burn).  In  1859  he  taught  in  the  "  Antioch  School,"  near 
Palmyra,  Missouri.  From  i860  to  1862  he  had  charge  of 
a  school  at  Bristol,  Illinois.  He  enlisted  August  12,  1862, 
in  the  Eighty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry;  served 
until  the  end  of  the  war ;  was  promoted  sergeant  after 
the  battle  of  Stone  River,  December  31,  1862,  and  was 
severely  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Pickett's  Mills, 
Georgia,  May  27,  1864.  Returning  to  educational  work, 
he  was  elected  principal  of  the  school  at  Bristol  for  three 
years  and  then  entered  mercantile  business,  in  which, 
later  on,  having  moved  to  Chicago,  he  lost  all  he  pos- 
sessed in  the  fire  of  1871.  Returning  to  Bristol,  he  was 
principal  there  for  ten  years,  and  in  1889  was  elected 
County  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

Mr.  Curran  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  Illinois 
State  Historical  Society,  Illinois  State  Audubon  Society, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  ihe  National  Civic  Fed- 
eration, Standing  Committee  on  State  Course  of  Study, 
and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

In  1866  Mr.  Curran  was  married  to  Miss  Henrietta 
W.  Edwards,  daughter  of  Judge  A.  H.  Edwards,  of 
Sheboygan,  Wisconsin,  and  they  have  a  very  fine  family 
of  five  sons  and  two  daughters,  viz. :  Charles  At  Lee, 
Lola  Edna  (Mrs.  D.  R.  Sterling),  Harry  Edwards,  Paul 
Clayton,  Mabel  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Oliver  McDowell), 
John  Franklin  and  Amos  Clarence. 


585 


M.  G.  Clark 

SUPERINTENDENT  OF  SCHOOLS,  at  Streator, 
Illinois,  is  well  known  as  a  scholar  of  high  attain- 
ments and  an  educator  of  extended  experience  and 
thorough  ability. 

M.  G.  Clark  was  born  in  Belleville,  New  York,  in 
1869,  son  of  Milo  R.  Clark,  native  of  Belleville,  New 
York,  who  deceased  at  that  place  in  1903,  and  Lamina 
A.  (Truesdell)  Clark,  native  of  Woodville,  New  York, 
who  is  still  living.  He  was  educated  in  the  Union 
Academy  (academic  and  seminary)  ;  at  the  Oswego 
(N.  Y.)  State  Normal  School;  Greenville  College  and 
Greer  College,  graduating  from  the  latter  with  the 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  Before  going  to  his  present 
field  of  labor  he  was  an  instructor  in  Greenville  Col- 
lege and  Greer  College,  Superintendent  of  Schools  at 
Greenville,  Illinois,  and  Princeton,  Illinois,  and  in  his 
present  position  has  supervision  of  ten  schools,  sixty- 
five  teachers  and  2,400  pupils. 

Mr.  Clark  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  of 
which  he  is  one  of  the  Executive  Committee  for  three 
years;  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  of 
which  he  was  president  in  1909,  and  the  Committee  of 
Seven  upon  "  Scientific  Basis  for  Course  of  Study," 
and  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  an 
adherent  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  1891  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Miller,  and  they  have  three 
children  — Harry  M..  Wilson  T.  and  Melvin  R.  Clark. 


A.  O.  Coddington 

MR.    CODDINGTON,    who    is    one    of    Chicago's 
most   prominent   educators,   has   been   connected 
with    schoolwork    for    about    thirty    years.      He 
was  born  April  8,  1857,  in  Linton,  Indiana,  his  father 
being  Isaiah  Coddington,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  who 


A.  O.  Coddington. 


M.  G.  Clark. 


died  in  July,  1901,  while  his  mother,  Elizabeth  (Osborn) 
Coddington,  a  native  of  Indiana,  died  in  December, 
1905,  both  deaths  occurring  in  Chicago.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Indiana  and  Wisconsin 
and  the  high  school  at  Menominee,  Wisconsin,  and 
then,  deciding  to  secure  a  college  education,  started  oflf 
with  $100  to  take  a  four  years'  course.  He  was 
attracted  to  the  University  of  Illinois,  then  known  as 
the  Illinois  Industrial  University,  by  opportunity  for 
work  offered  there.  He  worked  in  the  shops  at  type- 
setting to  pay  his  way  through  college,  and  completed 
the  course  in  regulation  time,  graduating  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Literature  in  i88r.  Two  years 
later  he  took  the  Master's  degree. 

Mr.  Coddington  taught  for  two  winter  terms  in  coun- 
try schools  in  Wisconsin ;  next  for  a  year  in  a  semi- 
nary at  Kansas  City,  Kansas ;  one  year  in  a  school  at 
Elmhurst,  Illinois ;  one  year  at  Barrington,  Illinois ; 
three  years  at  Cummings  (Irondale),  Cook  County, 
Illinois ;  two  years  as  principal  of  the  Sheldon  school, 
Chicago ;  nine  years  principal  of  the  Knickerbocker 
school,  Chicago ;  four  years  principal  of  the  Goudy 
school ;  one  and  a  half  years  as  principal  of  the  Tal- 
cott  school,  and  when  the  Graeme  Stewart  school, 
acknowledged  one  of  the  finest  schools  in  Chicago,  was 
completed,  he  was  placed  at  its  head. 

In  1905  Mr.  Coddington  took  leave  of  absence  and 
went  to  Europe  for  study  and  travel.  While  there  he 
attended  the  Leipsic  University  for  one  term,  taking 
lectures  in  pedagogy  under  Volkelt,  sociology  under 
Bucher  and  psychology  under  Wundt. 

Mr.  Coddington  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, Chicago  Principals'  Club,  Philosophical  Round 
Table,  Marquette  Club,  the  Masonic  Order  and  the 
Methodist  Church.  In  1895  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Helen  Erskine,  of  Racine,  Wisconsin,  and  they  have 
two  children  —  Donald  C.  and  Mildred. 


586 


Michael  J.  Cunningham 

FOR  more  than  twenty  years  the  above  named  gen- 
tleman has  been  actively  identified  with  public- 
school  work  in  this  State,  and  his  ability  and  valu- 
able services  have  gained   well-merited,  recognition. 

Mr.  Cunningham  was  born  in  Manhattan,  Illinois, 
April  II,  1864,  son  of  James  and  Bridget  Cunningham, 
both  natives  of  Ireland,  and  both  deceased,  the  former 
having  died  March  27,  1874,  in  New  Lenox,  Illinois,  the 
latter  in  Manhattan,  Illinois,  April  22,  1893.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  in  the  Valparaiso  Uni- 
versity and  took  a  teachers'  course,  graduating  with 
honors  in  1883.  He  first  taught  at  Essex,  Illinois,  for 
one  winter ;  then  at  Spencer,  Illinois,  for  three  years ; 
was  at  New  Lenox,  Illinois,  five  years ;  at  Manhattan, 
Illinois,  three  years  ;  at  Mokina,  Illinois,  ten  years,  and 
for  the  past  two  years  has  been  stationed  at  Joliet,  Illi- 
nois, as  principal,  and  he  has  under  his  supervision 
eight  teachers  and  about  three  hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Cunningham  is  a  member  of  the  Northern  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association  and  the  Catholic  Church.  On 
April  5,  1893,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  Boylan, 
and  they  have  four  children,  Mary,  Leo,  Loretti  and 
Catherine. 

Daniel  Ross  Cameron 

IN  the  reorganization  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Edu- 
cation following  the  election  of  Mayor  Busse  in 
1907,  no  appointment  gave  more  general  satisfaction 
than  that  of  Daniel  Ross  Cameron,  who  for  twenty- 
two  years  had  been  closely  and  influentially  identified 
with  the  public  system  of  education,  both  of  the  city 
and  the  country. 

Mr.  Cameron  is  of  ancient  Scotch  ancestry,  but  was 
born  in  Summerstown,  Ontario,  Canada,  on  August  19. 
.1836,   his   parents,   who   were   also   natives   of   the   Do- 


Daniel  Ross  Cameron. 


Michael  J.  Cunningham. 


minion,  being  Daniel  and  Isabella  (Ross)  Cameron. 
Among  both  the  Ross  and  the  Cameron  families  are 
numbered  some  of  the  greatest  divines,  scientists,  edu- 
cators and  statesmen  of  America  and  Great  Britain. 
In  1848  the  parents  removed  with  their  family  to  Fort 
Covington,  Franklin  county,  New  York,  where  they 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  long  and  honorable  lives. 

Daniel  R.  Cameron  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
Williamstown,  Ontario,  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  returned  to  Fort  Covington  and  there 
taught  school  for  a  year ;  then  entered  a  mercantile 
life,  leaving  Fort  Covington  for  Chicago  in  1863.  Here 
his  first  business  connection  was  with  the  Chicago  & 
North  Western  Railway,  and  then  with  Culver,  Page  & 
Hoyne,  stationers,  where  he  remained  as  a  salesman 
until  1870.  The  firm  of  Cameron,  Amberg  &  Co.,  sta- 
tioners, was  then  formed,  which  has  since  continued  to 
grow  and  prosper,  although  early  in  its  history  it  was 
devasted  by  fire  and  again  in  1878.  Cameron,  Amberg 
&  Co.,  Chicago,  then  reestablished  themselves  at  Nos. 
71-3  Lake  street,  where  they  have  since  remained. 

Mr.  Cameron  has  long  been  interested  in  the  cause 
of  public  education,  and  proved  its  useful  friend  in 
many  ways  before  receiving  official  recognition  from 
the  county  and  city  authorities.  He  was  for  six  years 
a  member  of  the  Cook  County  Board  of  Education,  and 
his  longer  service  on  the  city  board  commenced  in 
1890,  under  appointment  by  Mayor  Cregier.  Since 
then  he  has  served  almost  continuously  on  the  Chicago 
Board  of  Education,  having  been  twice  its  president, 
chairman  of  the  high  school  for  many  years,  vice-presi- 
dent, chairman  of  school  management,  and  a  member  of 
every  committee  of  importance  within  the  organization. 
At  present  he  has  membership  in  the  Chicago  Athletic 
Association  and  the  St.  Andrew's  Society,  of  the  latter 
having  twice  served  as  president.  He  stands  very  high 
in  the  social  circles  and  associations  of  the  Scottish  ele- 
ments of  the  city  and  is  one  of  Chicago's  most  prom- 
inent business  men  and  useful  public  characters. 


587 


Daniel  Bernard  Carroll 

AS  one  of  the  most  successful  and  popular  of  the 
/j^  younger  public  educators  in  this  State,  Mr.  Car- 
roll has  earned  distinction  for  his  acumen,  energy 
and  the  thoroughness  of  his  methods.  He  utilizes  the 
best  of  the  old  with  the  most  approved  modern  peda- 
gogical systems  and  he  is  most  enthusiastic  in  all  he 
undertakes.  He  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  having  been  born 
May  23,  1886,  at  Hadley.  son  of  Michael  L.  and  Mary 
A.  (McGary)  Carroll,  natives  of  Pittsfield,  and  both 
still  living.  He  was  educated  in  country  schools  in  Pike 
County,  Illinois ;  a  school  at  Pittsfield,  Illinois,  and  has 
also  performed  Normal  University  work.  He  taught 
for  four  years  in  country  schools  in  Pike  County ;  two 
years  in  the  public  schools  at  Perry,  Illinois,  one  year 
as  teacher  in  the  grammar  grade,  one  year  in  high  school, 
and  is  now  principal  at  Perry,  where  he  has  a  staff  of 
experienced  teachers  and  an  enrollment  of  121  pupils. 

Mr.  Carroll  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of 
Hibernians,  the  Western  Catholic  Union  and  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  and  is  held  in  high  regard  in  educa- 
tional circles. 


William  Harvey  Chamberlin 

THE  efficient   and   highly  popular   principal   of  the 
McCormick  School,   Chicago,   has  long  been  iden- 
tified with  public  school  work  and  is  recognized  as 
an  accomplished,  advanced  educator.    His  special  studies 
have  been  physical  geography  and  nature  study. 

Born  in  a  log  house  on  a  farm  south  of  Londonville, 
Knox  County,  Ohio,  the  eldest  son  of  Orson  N.  and 
Julia  Ann  (Woodruff)  Chamberlin,  natives  respectively 
of  Vermont  and  Ohio,  Mr.  Chamberlin  spent  his 
boyhood  at  Liberty  Center,  Ohio,  to  which  place  the 
family  moved  in  the  spring  of  1854.  Up  to  his  eight- 
eenth year  he  attended  the  district  school,  when  in 
March,  1868,  he  went  to  Vermilion  County,  Illinois.     He 


William  Harvey  Chamberlin. 


Daniel  Bernard  Carroll. 


worked  on  a  farm  during  the  summer  and  taught  his 
first  school  the  following  winter.  In  the  spring  of  1871 
he  entered  the  State  Normal  University  at  Normal,  Illi- 
nois, by  appointment  from  Vermilion  County,  from 
which  institution  he  graduated  in  June,  1876.  While 
working  his  way  through  the  Normal  school,  he  taught 
district  schools  in  Illinois  and  Indiana,  and  served  as 
principal  at  Catlin,  Illinois,  1872-3  and  at  Millinme, 
1874-5- 

After  graduation  Mr.  Chamberlin  returned  to  Ver- 
milion County,  taking  charge  of  the  Ridge  Farm  public 
schools  from  1876  to  1881  and  the  school  at  Rossville, 
Illinois,  from  1881  to  1884.  From  1884  to  1887  he  was 
principal  at  Le  Roy,  Illinois,  and  was  superintendent  of 
schools  at  Pontiac  from  1887  to  1890. 

In  the  fall  of  1890  Mr.  Chamberlin  went  to  Chicago 
as  instructor  in  science  at  the  South  Division  —  later 
the  Wendell  Phillips  High  School,  where  he  remained 
vmtil  the  spring  of  1906.  During  his  fifteen  years  in  the 
high  school  he  did  special  work  at  the  University  of 
Chicago  in  biology,  zoology,  botany  and  physical  geog- 
raphy. He  also  gave  several  lecture  courses  in  nature 
study  to  many  Chicago  teachers. 

From  1876  to  1896  he  was  conductor  and  instructor 
in  many  county  institutes  in  Illinois  and  Iowa,  most  of 
his  work  being  done  in  Vermilion,  Piatt,  Macoupin, 
McLean  and  Livingston  counties,  this  State,  with  four 
successive  summers  in  Adams  County,  Iowa. 

In  May,  1906,  Mr.  Chamberlin  was  elected  principal 
of  the  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  School,  where  he  has  su- 
pervision of  thirty  teachers  and  twelve  hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Chamberlin  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, Chicago  Principals'  Club,  Masonic  Order,  Odd  Fel- 
lows, National  Union,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  In  1874  he  was  married  to  Lizzie  Hodges,  of 
Catlin,  Illinois,  who  died  in  1876,  and  in  1882  he  was 
united  to  Miss  Viola  Thompson,  of  Rossville,  Illinois. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Minnie  N.  Chamberlin. 


588 


Floyd  Alvin  Chandler 

MR.  CHANDLER,  at  present  school  superintendent 
at  Manteno,  Illinois,  has  won  distinction  as  a 
skilled  educator,  and  has  accomplished  much 
in  a  comparatively  brief  period.  Though  he  has  occu- 
pied his  present  position  but  a  short  time  —  since  Sep- 
tember, 1910  —  he  has  wrought  marvelous  changes, 
securing  two  more  teachers  for  the  teaching  body, 
placing  $200  worth  of  physics  apparatus  in  a  new  lab- 
oratory, and  placing  the  school  on  a  sure  footing  for  a 
four-year  accredited  course  by  strengthening  the  work, 
libraries,  etc. 

Mr.  Chandler  was  born  in  1885,  in  Tippecanoe,  Har- 
rison County,  Ohio,  son  of  J.  A.  and  Martha  E.  (Pettay) 
Chandler,  both  natives  of  Ohio,  the  latter  still  living, 
while  the  former  died  June  6,  1909,  near  Tippecanoe. 
He  first  attended  the  district  school  at  Friendly  Ridge, 
Ohio;  next,  the  normal  school,  and  then  took  a  course 
in  Valparaiso  University,  graduating  in  1909  from  the 
Scientific  Department  and  in  1910  from  the  Classic  and 
Pedagogical  Departments.  He  received  the  degrees  of 
B.S.,  Pg.B.  and  A.B. 

Mr.  Chandler  first  taught  for  a  year  in  the  district 
school  at  Lower  Crab  Orchard,  Freeport  township, 
Ohio,  next  taught  for  two  years  in  the  school  at  Science 
Hill,  Ohio,  and  then  went  to  his  present  position,  where 
he  has  five  assistant  teachers  and  an  enrolment  of  165 
pupils.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Reading  Circle,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and 
the  Methodist  Church.  On  December  29,  1910,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Lucile  Dunlap. 


Flora  J.  Cooke 

''   \   SPLENDID  institution,  worthy  of  all  praise,"  is 
j~^  the  meed  that  must  be  accorded  the  Francis  W. 
Parker   School,  of  Chicago.     It  includes  kinder- 
garten, elementary  and   high-school  ages.     This  school 


Flora  J.  Cooke. 


Floyd  Alvin  Chandler. 


has  proved  quite  successful,  and  it  has  accomplished  a 
vast  deal  of  good  for  the  "  little  people  "  of  the  rising 
generation,  and  its  graduates  have  made  excellent  rec- 
ords in  both  the  eastern  and  western  colleges.  Much 
of  its  success  is  due  to  the  efficiency  displayed  in  the 
government  of '  its  affairs  by  its  principal.  Flora  J. 
Cooke,  an  educator  of  thorough  experience  and  pro- 
gressive ideas.  Miss  Cooke  was  born  in  Geauga 
County,  Ohio,  her  father  being  Charles  E.  Cooke,  an 
Erie  railroad  man,  now  deceased.  Her  early  education 
was  secured  in  Youngstown,  Ohio,  where  she  grad- 
uated from  the  Rayen  high  school  in  1884.  Then  fol- 
lowed a  course  in  the  Cook  County  Normal  (Illinois), 
under  Col.  Francis  W.  Parker,  where,  in  1891,  she 
became  a  teacher,  continuing  there  for  nine  years. 
During  1899- 1900  she  held  the  position  of  primary 
principal  under  Colonel  Parker  in  the  Chicago  Insti- 
tute and  Normal  School.  In  1901  Miss  Cooke  was 
appointed  principal  of  the  Francis  W.  Parker  School, 
and  under  her  regime  its  affairs  have  been  most  wisely 
and  judiciously  governed.  The  chief  purpose  of  this 
school  is  the  formation  of  character  and  not  the  acqui- 
sition of  knowledge  as  an  end  in  itself ;  but  both  are 
emphasized  conjointly —  the  social  virtues  of  truthful- 
ness, fidelity,  courage,  forbearance,  helpfulness  and 
consideration  for  others  being  inculcated,  while  .the 
individuality  of  the  child  is  also  preserved.  For  manual 
training  the  school  is  equipped  for  woodwork,  metal- 
work,  machine-work,  clay  modeling,  textile-work, 
printing  and  bookbinding. 

Miss  Cooke  is  assisted  in  her  work  by  a  talented  staff 
of  about  seventy  teachers,  each  a  specialist  in  his  depart- 
ment. A  former  member  of  the  Illinois  School  Teach- 
ers' Association,  Miss  Cooke  now  holds  membership 
in  the  National  Education  Association,  the  National 
Society  for  the  Scientific  Study  of  Education,  the  Geo- 
graphical Society  of  Chicago  and  the  Northern  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association.  She  is  a  lady  of  finished  educa- 
tion and  manners,  and  is  universally  esteemed. 


589 


William  Wallace  Coultas 

FOR   more  than   twenty  years  the  public   schools   of 
this  State  have  had  the  benefit  of  the  above-named 
gentleman's  services,  and  he  is  accounted  as  one  of 
the  foremost  educators  of  Illinois. 

Mr.  Coultas  was  born  in  Buckley,  Illinois,  April  8, 
1861,  son  of  William  and  Mercy  (Robinson)  Coultas. 
both  natives  of  Yorkshire,  England,  the  former  of 
whom  deceased  in  1900,  the  latter  in  1864,  at  Buckley, 
Illinois.  He  was  educated  in  the  graded  schools  of 
Buckley  and  Loda,  Illinois,  and  the  Tolono,  Illinois, 
township  high  school,  and  in  special  courses  in  Dixon 
College  and  the  Northern  Illinois  State  Normal  School, 
at  DeKalb,  Illinois.  He  made  a  specialty  of  agricul- 
ture, having  taken  three  short  courses  at  the  Cham- 
paign Agricultural  College,  and  is  well  versed  on  the 
subject. 

Mr.  Coultas  first  taught  for  three  years  in  the  coun- 
try schools  of  Iroquois  County,  Illinois,  and  then  for 
six  years  was  principal  of  the  schools  at  Thawville, 
Iroquois  County,  Illinois.  Following  this  he  was  prin- 
cipal at  Cortland.  Illinois,  for  six  years,  and  was  princi- 
pal at  Malta,  Illinois,  five  years,  after  which  he  was 
elected  to  his  present  position  of  county  superintendent 
of  schools  of  DeKalb  County,  Illinois,  in  which  capacity 
his  ability  has  been  amply  demonstrated.  He  is  treas- 
urer of  the  superintendents'  and  principals'  section  of 
the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  a  member 
of  the  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle  Board,  a  director 
of  Farmers'  Institutes  of  DeKalb  County,  and  holds 
membership  in  the  National  Education  Association, 
the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  the  Northern 
Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  Odd  Fellows,  Knights 
of  Pythias,  Elks.  Kishwaukee  Countrv  Club,  Sycamore 
Commercial  Club  and  the  Universalist  Church.  No- 
vember 25,  1882,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Florence  E. 
Purinton.  and  they  have  three  children  —  Ethel  M., 
Bertha  M.  and  F.  Avis  Coultas. 


William  Wallace  Coultas. 


Lewis  W.  Colwell 

THE  chief  pride  of  Illinois  rightly  lies  in  her  mag- 
nificent school  system,  no  State  excelling  her  in 
this  respect,  and  the  grand  results  are  shown  in  a 
high  degree  of  intelligence  exhibited  by  the  citizens  of 
this  commonwealth.  The  schools  of  Chicago  are  par- 
ticularly excellent  and  the  esprit  de  corps  admirable. 
Among  the  able  principals  there  is  Mr.  Lewis  W.  Col- 
well, who  is  in  control  of  the  Grover  Cleveland  School, 
Albany  avenue  and  Byron  street,  where  he  has  twenty- 
five  teachers  and  several  thousand  pupils.  Mr.  Colwell 
was  born  in  Morgan  County,  Illinois,  son  of  John  B. 
and  Charlotte  Colwell,  the  former  a  native  of  England 
and  the  latter  of  Ohio,  and  both  still  living.  He  was 
educated  in  various  village  elementary  schools ;  the 
high  school  at  Bloomington,  Illinois  (graduation  1882)  ; 
the  Ohio  Normal  University,  at  Ada,  Ohio,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1887  with  the  C.E.  and  B.S.  degrees, 
and  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  Normal,  Illi- 
nois, graduating  from  the  latter  in  1892.  The  schools 
taught  by  him,  in  sequence,  were :  country  school.  Pike 
County,  Illinois ;  country  school,  McLean  County,  Illi- 
nois ;  elementary  school,  Mechanicsburg,  Illinois,  as 
assistant  and  later  as  principal ;  country  schools  in 
Sangamon  County,  Illinois ;  graded  school,  Williams- 
ville,  Illinois ;  assistant  in  high  school,  Virden,  Illinois ;. 
assistant,  head  assistant  and  then  principal  of  the 
Avondale  School ;  then  principal  of  the  Linne  School 
for  fifteen  years,  being  recently  transferred  to  the  new 
Grover  Cleveland  School  at  the  location  above  given. 

On  April  19,  1894,  Mr.  Colwell  was  married  to  Miss 
Grace  A.  Stryker.  They  have  four  children,  Donald  L., 
Arthur  R.,  Charlotte  Anne  and  Robert  Forrest,  and  are 
attendants  of  the  Methodist  Church. 


Lewis  W.  Colwell. 


590 


Colonel  Grouse 

IN   selecting  the  public-school   service  as   a   field   for 
his  life-work,  Mr.  Crouse  made  a  happy  choice,  as 
he   has   met   pronounced,   well-earned    success.     He 
is    an   ardent    educator,    enthusiastic    in    his    work,    and 
his    energy    impels    his    fellow    workers    to    their    best 
efforts. 

Mr.  Crouse  was  born  October  14,  1874,  on  a  farm  in 
Clay  County,  Illinois,  son  of  Benjamin  and  Mary  (Cox) 
Crouse,  the  former  a  native  of  Indiana,  the  latter  of 
Illinois,  and  both  now  living.  He  first  attended  a 
coimtry  school,  next  the  public  school  at  Ingraham, 
Illinois,  and  then  followed  a  course  in  the  Orchard 
City  College,  at  Flora,  Illinois,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1897.  He  performed  post-graduate  work  in 
Austin  College,  Effingham,  Illinois,  specializing  in  his- 
tory and  English  literature.  His  first  professional 
work  was  as  teacher  of  a  country  school  for  four  years, 
following  w^hich  he  taught  in  the  Ingraham  public 
school.  Succeeding  this  he  was  principal  of  the  high 
school  and  city  superintendent  at  Hood  River,  Oregon, 
for  five  years ;  next  was  instructor  in  the  Oregon  State 
Normal  School,  and  for  the  past  three  years  has  been 
principal  at  Louisville,  Illinois,  where  he  has  a  staff  of 
five  teachers  and  an  enrolment  of  250  pupils. 

At  the  annual  Teachers'  Institute  of  Clay  County,  in 
1910,  conspicuous  services  were  rendered  b^'  Mr.  Crouse. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle, 
Illinois  Principals'  Reading  Circle,  Southern  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association,  Masonic  Order,  Odd  Fellows, 
Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  In  August,  1898,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Florence  Kepley,  who  deceased  December  22,  1909, 
and  he  has  two  children  —  Luke  and  Dolores. 


Colonel  Crou.se. 


George  W.  Conn,  Jr. 


George  W.  Conn,  Jr. 

SUPERINTENDENT  OF  SCHOOLS  in  McHenry 
County,  Illinois,  is  a  type  of  the  advanced  school  of 
teaching  methods. 

George  W.  Conn,  Jr.,  was  born  May  31,  1870,  in  Rich- 
mond, Illinois,  son  of  George  W.  and  Lena  (Wolfrum) 
Conn,  the  former  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  the 
latter  of  Massachusetts,  and  both  now  living  in  Hebron, 
Illinois.  He  was  educated  in  the  country  schools  of  his 
birthplace;  the  high  school  at  Hebron,  Illinois,  of 
which  he  is  a  graduate ;  the  Western  Normal  Uni- 
versity, at  Bushnell,  Illinois ;  the  Illinois  Wesleyan 
University  and  the  University  of  Chicago.  He  has  been 
in  active  service  in  the  public  schools  as  a  teacher  for 
the  past  eighteen  years.  He  began  in  the  country 
schools ;  was  later  elected  principal  of  the  schools  in 
Cary,  Illinois ;  was  principal  at  Hebron,  three  years ; 
taught  in  the  Morgan  Park  Academy.  He  next  was 
principal  of  the  Richmond  (111.)  school  for  two  and  a 
half  years,  and  in  1901  was  elevated  to  the  position  of 
county  superintendent  of  schools  of  McHenry  County, 
in  which  office  he  had  charge  of  139  scliools,  224  teachers 
and  6,300  pupils. 

Mr.  Conn  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle  and  one  of 
its  directors,  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, of  which  he  was  president,  and  was  a  member 
of  its  Executive  Committee ;  he  was  also  president 
of  the  Northern  Illinois  Superintendents'  Association 
during  1910,  and  is  at  present  a  member  of  the  State 
Legislative  Committee,  representing  the  State  Educa- 
tional Association,  and  is  now  superintendent  of 
Farmers'  Institutes  of  the  State  of  Kansas.  These 
institutes  are  controlled  by  the  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege, at  Manhattan,  Kansas. 

Mr.  Conn  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  Order  and  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  In  1891  he  married 
Miss  Minnie  Stone,  and  they  have  one  child,  a  daughter. 


591 


Exum  W.  Davis 

Now  in  the  prime  age  of  life  and  with  over  fifteen 
years  devoted  to  the  cause  of  education  in  this 
State  and  its  neighboring  commonwealth,  Indi- 
ana, the  above-named  gentleman  has  long  been  well 
known  for  his  scholarism  and  managerial  efficiency. 
Indiana,  that  State  that  has  been  so  prolific  in  its  pro- 
duction of  literary  lights,  was  his  birthplace.  He  was 
born  near  Elizabethtown,  son  of  William  and  Miriam 
Davis,  both  natives  of  North  Carolina,  and  both  now 
deceased,  the  former  having  died  in  1868,  the  latter 
in  1898.  Our  subject  first  studied  in  a  country  school 
near  Elizabethtown ;  then  attended  the  Indiana  State 
Normal  University,  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1895,  and  later  took  a  course  in  the 
Indiana  State  University,  Bloomington,  Indiana,  grad- 
uating therefrom,  in  1898,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts.  In  post-graduate  work  he  graduated  from  the 
Illinois  State  University,  Urbana,  Illinois,  in  1903,  re- 
ceiving the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts. 

Mr.  Davis  first  taught  for  a  year  in  a  country  school 
near  Elizabethtown,  Indiana ;  next  in  Vermilion,  Illi- 
nois, for  one  year ;  next  in  New  Boston,  Illinois,  for 
two  years ;  then  officiated  as  superintendent  at  Browns- 
town,  Indiana,  for  four  years ;  was  superintendent  at 
Chenoa,  Illinois,  five  years,  and  for  the  past  three  years 
has  been  school  superintendent  at  Normal,  Illinois. 
Under  his  charge  are  three  schools,  seventeen  teachers 
and  350  pupils.  His  excellent  judgment  and  business 
capability  have  resulted  in  producing  a  high  standard 
of  efficiency  in  the  interests  under  his  control. 

Mr.  Davis  holds  membership  in  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association  and  the  Masonic  fraternity.  On  earning 
his  A.M.  degree  his  thesis  was  on  the  subject  of  "The 
Indian  Question  in  Illinois,"  a  paper  which  gained  him 
deserved  commendation.  In  1895  ^Ir.  Davis  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mellissa  Waldron,  of  Brimfield,  Indiana, 
and  they  have  two  children,  Mary  Lucile  and  Donald. 


Exum  W.  Davis. 


Gideon  P.  Chapman 

THAT  great  and  noble  army  of  teachers  in  Illinois 
which  has  thousands  of  enthusiastic  exponents,  has 
doubly  earned  and  is  manifestly  deserving  of  all 
the  encomiums  that  may  be  showered  upon  it.  It  is  the 
bulwark  of  the  State,  the  rock  basis  of  its  greatness 
and  the  constant  pride  of  all  the  public-spirited  citizens 
of  the  commonwealth. 

A  widely  known  member  of  this  great  educational  fra- 
ternity is  Gideon  P.  Chapman,  superintendent  of  the 
Auburn  schools,  at  Auburn,  Illinois.  Mr.  Chapman  was 
born  October  3,  1870,  in  Raymond,  Illinois,  son  of  J.  R. 
and  Catherine  Chapman,  both  natives  of  Illinois,  the 
former  living,  while  the  latter  deceased  in  July,  1876, 
in  Raymond,  Illinois.  He  was  educated  in  rural  schools 
in  Montgomery  County,  Illinois ;  the  high  school  at 
Raymond ;  the  State  Normal,  at  Normal ;  the  Southern 
Illinois  State  Normal,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
191 1 ;  the  James  Milliken  University,  and  the  Univer- 
sity of  Illinois.  Mr.  Chapman  first  taught  in  the  rural 
schools  of  Sangamon  County,  and  after  eight  years' 
service  there  was  principal  for  four  years  of  the  high 
school  at  Divernon,  Illinois.  He  then  became  principal 
of  the  high  school  at  Chatham,  Illinois,  where  he  re- 
mained six  years.  He  is  at  present  superintendent  of 
the  Auburn  schools,  at  Auburn,  a  state  accredited  school, 
having  twelve  teachers  and  five  hundred  pupils.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association  and  the  Bap- 
tist Church.  On  December  2,  1893,  Mr.  Chapman  was 
married  to  Miss  Ada  Moomaw,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Elsie  Kathryn  Chapman. 


Gideon  P.  Chapman. 


592 


John  William  Davis 

AN  exceptionally  successful  career  in  his  chosen 
profession  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  Mr.  Davis,  one 
of  the  talented  educationalists  of  this  State,  and 
the  excellent  reputation  he  enjoys  is  fully  merited.  He 
is  a  product  of  the  Prairie  State,  having  been  born 
April  21,  1877,  in  Eflfingham,  Illinois,  son  of  Lewis  T. 
and  Lucinda  (Ryan)  Davis,  the  former  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  who  is  now  living;  the  latter  a  native  of 
Indiana,  who  died  in  Effingham  County  in  the  fall  of 
1886.  His  preparatory  education  was  secured  in  the 
rural  schools  of  his  native  county,  after  which  he  took 
a  course  in  Austin  College,  and  since  then  has  added 
vastly  to  his  store  of  knowledge  through  private  study. 
As  a  public-school  instructor  he  taught  at  Salt  Creek 
Ridge,  Effingham  County;  Johnson,  Jasper  County,  Illi- 
nois ;  Winterrowd ;  Maple  Grove,  Effingham  County, 
Illinois.  He  is  now  county  superintendent  of  Effing- 
ham County,  Illinois,  and  has  under  his  supervision 
108  schools,  whose  combined  assemblage  of  pupils 
amounts  to  about  seven  thousand.  Mr.  Davis  is  untir- 
ing in  attention  to  the  duties  of  his  important  office, 
and  under  his  management  the  schools  of  Effingham 
County  have  been  advanced  to  an  eminently  high  degree 
of  excellence  and  usefulness. 

Mr.  Davis  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Ben 
Hur  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  On  Septem- 
ber 21,  1902,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  Ollie 
Lewis,  and  they  have  a  son  —  Kenneth  Edmund  Davis. 


M 


Charles  Henry  Dorris 

R.  DORRIS  was  born  at  Okawville,  Washington 
County,  Illinois,  October  10,  1867.  His  father, 
August  Dorris,  was  a   native  of  Germany,   and 


John  William  Davis. 


Charles  Henry  Dorris. 


his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Can- 
trell,  was  a  native  of  Tennessee.  His  father  died  in 
1874,  in  Pennville,  Missouri,  and  his  mother  still  lives 
at  Lebanon,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Dorris  received  his  education  in  the  village 
schools  of  Okawville ;  McKendree  College,  Lebanon, 
Illinois,  from  which  institution  ha  received  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Laws  in  1891,  Bachelor  of  Science  in 
1892  and  Master  of  Science,  1895 ;  University  of  Val- 
paraiso, Valparaiso,  Indiana ;  University  of  Illinois. 
Champaign,  Illinois. 

He  taught  in  the  country  and  village  schools  of 
Washington  and  Clinton  counties  for  four  years ;  was 
Superintendent  of  City  Schools,  Lebanon,  Illinois,  eight 
years,  1892-1900;  filled  the  same  office  in  Collinsville 
eight  years,  and  for  the  past  three  years  has  had  charge 
of  both  city  schools  of  Collinsville  and  the  Collinsville 
Township  High  School,  with  five  schools,  thirty-six 
teachers  and  thirteen  hundred  pupils  under  his  jurisdic- 
tion. 

Among  the  branches  of  study  in  which  he  has  spe- 
cialized may  be  mentioned  history,  civics  and  pedagogy, 
and  he  has  contributed  articles  for  school  journals  and 
papers  and  addresses  before  educational  and  other 
meetings. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  and  a  member  of 
the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Southern  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association,  and  is  connected  with  several 
other  educational  organizations.  He  is  a  Mason  and 
an  Odd  Fellow,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Dorris  was  married  August  21,  1895,  to  Miss 
Susie  Mae  Peach,  of  Lebanon,  Illinois.  They  have  three 
children  —  Charles  Lester,  Milburn  Leo  and  Dorothy 
Alice. 


38 


593 


Eleanor  Reese  Dunn 

ELEANOR  REESE  DUNN  was  born  in  Chicago, 
December  23,  1876.  Her  father,  O.  J.  Reese,  is  a 
native  of  Denmark,  and  her  mother,  Louise 
(Fredrickson)  Reese,  was  born  in  Norway. 

Miss  Reese  received  most  of  her  grammar  school 
education  in  a  country  school  near  Knox,  Indiana.  She 
was  graduated  from  the  Englewood  High  School  (Chi- 
cago) at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  later,  at  irregular 
intervals,  attended  the  University  of  Chicago. 

Her  early  teaching  was  greatly  influenced  by  the  work 
of  Colonel  Parker  and  his  corps  of  teachers  at  the 
Cook  County  Normal  School.  After  four  years  of  teach- 
ing, two  of  which  were  spent  in  a  country  school  in 
the  township  of  Palos,  Cook  County,  and  two  in  the 
grades  at  Morgan  Park,  Illinois,  she  was  chosen  by 
Dr.  Arnold  Tompkins  as  a  training  teacher  for  the  Chi- 
cago Teachers'  College.  In  this  capacity  she  served 
five  years,  and  an  additional  year  as  a  teacher  of  peda- 
gogy. On  leaving  the  college,  Miss  Reese  was  appointed 
principal  of  the  Key  School,  Chicago,  and  after  four 
years  was  transferred  to  the  Hancock  School,  and  a 
year  later  to  her  present  position  at  the  Haven  School, 
where  she  has  fifteen  assistant  teachers  and  an  enroll- 
ment of  seven  hundred  children.  At  various  times  she 
did  institute  work  in  Washington,  Idaho,  Indiana  and 
Ohio. 

On  July  2^,  1907,  Miss  Reese  married  Ballard  Dunn, 
city  editor  of  the  Chicago  Journal.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  Chicago  Principals'  Club,  the  Ella  F.  Young  Club 
and  the  National  Education  Association. 


Chase  O.  DuBois 

CHASE  O.  Dubois  was  born  March  29,  1856, 
fourteen  miles  east  of  Bloomington,  Indiana.  His 
father,  Levi  Bishop  DuBois,  was  a  native  of 
Ulster  County,  New  York,  and  was  married  to  Martha 
M.  Green,  of  Shelby,  Ohio,  and  moved  to  Indiana  when 


Chase  O.  DuBois. 


Eleanor  Reese  Dunn. 


it  was  a  wilderness.  Chase's  mother  was  descended 
from  New  England  stock ;  his  father  was  descended 
from  the  DuBois  Huguenot  family  driven  out  of  France 
during  the  persecutions  (Louis  DuBois  came  over  in 
1660),  and  of  the  early  Dutch  settler  represented  by 
Anek  Janz.  Chase  was  graduated  from  the  Indiana  Uni- 
versity with  the  degree  of  A.B.  in  1882  and  from  the 
professional  course  of  the  Indiana  State  Normal  in  1885. 
He  taught  in  the  country  schools  of  Indiana  before  grad- 
uation and  for  four  years  after  graduation  in  the  village 
schools  and  then  went  to  Champaign  county,  Illinois.  He 
was  granted  a  State  certificate  by  the  Indiana  State  Board 
of  Education  because  of  university  education  and  suc- 
cessful experience.  His  Normal  diploma  also  was  equiv- 
alent to  a  State  certificate.  He  was  principal  of 
village  schools  in  Champaign  County,  Illinois,  for  four 
years  and  here  met  and  married  Mary  Reese,  of  Sidney, 
Illinois,  in  1891.  His  wife  is  of  revolutionary  stock  of 
Welsh,  Irish  and  English  descent,  and  is  a  graduate  of 
the  National  Normal.  To  her  he  owes  much  because  of 
her  support  of  his  ideals  and  zeal  in  schoolwork.  Five 
children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  have  shared  the 
pleasures  and  trials  of  an  itinerant  school  life.  His 
teaching  has  been  confined  to  a  combination  of  teaching 
and  supervision,  principally  in  Champaign  County,  Illi- 
opolis,  Mason  City,  Racine,  Wisconsin,  Mascoutah  and 
Newton,  and  he  is  at  present  engaged  in  purely  work  of 
supervision  as  superintendent  of  Eldorado,  Illinois.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Indiana  Association,  the  Illi- 
nois and  Wisconsin  State  Associations,  and  of  various 
division  associations  in  Illinois.  He  is  a  member  of 
several  social  organizations  and  lodges  and  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  While  in  "Vyisconsin  he 
was  granted  a  State  certificate  because  of  his  experience 
and  university  education.  He  has  been  able  to  develop 
as  a  side  issue,  by  directing  others,  a  farm  from  original 
wilderness  and  swamp  some  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  fine  land.  It  is  the  only  return  for  a  life's 
labors  for  others  and  this  occupied  only  a  small  fraction 
of  his  time. 


594 


Zella  Allen  Dixson,  A.  M .,  L.  H.  D. 

ZELLA  ALLEN  DIXON  was  born  in  Zanesville, 
Ohio,  and  after  her  preliminary  education,  was 
graduated  from  Mount  Holyoke  College,  after 
which  she  pursued  special  studies  in  literary  science  in 
Columbia  University  and  the  British  Museum.  She 
received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  Shepardson 
College  in  1892,  and  from  Denison  University,  Gran- 
ville, Ohio,  in  1902 ;  and  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Let- 
ters from  Shurtleff  College  in  1906. 

She  was  Library  Assistant  at  Columbia  College,  in 
1885-6;  Library  Expert,  1886-8;  Librarian  Denison 
University,  1888-90 ;  Librarian  of  the  Baptist  Union 
Theological  Seminary,  1890-1.  She  was  the  organizer 
and  was  the  administrative  head  of  the  University 
of  Chicago  Library  from  May,  1891,  to  July,  1910.  She 
was  literary  editor  of  the  Bulletins  of  the  North 
Western  Library  Association  in  1889-90;  is  a  member 
of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science,  of  the  American  Library  Association,  of  the 
Ex-Libris  Sxjcieties  of  London,  Vienna,  Paris,  Basle  and 
Berlin,  and  of  various  clubs  and  associations  in  her 
native  land. 

Doctor  Dixson  is  the  author  of  "  Subject  Index  to 
Prose  Fiction,"  (1867);  "Children's  Book-plates" 
(1902);  "Concerning  Book  Plates"  (1903);  "Charles 
Kingsley  as  a  Social  Reformer"  (1911).  She  is  a  writer 
for  various  magazines.  Doctor  Dixson  is  well  known 
as  a  lecturer  on  art,  history  and  literature,  and  as  the 
founder  and  proprietor  of  "  The  Wisteria  Cottage 
Press." 


Benjamin  Franklin  Daugherty 

IT   is    a    matter   of   professional    pride   to   the    educa- 
tionalists of  this  State  that  Illinois  is  so  high  in  its 
universities  and  colleges,   some  of  them  of   world- 
wide renown.     A  modest,  yet  influential,  factor  among 


Benjamin  Franklin  Daugherty. 


Zella  Allen  Dixson,  A.M.,  L.H.D. 


these  is  the  Westfield  College,  of  Westfield,  of  which 
institution  Prof.  Benjamin  Franklin  Daugherty  is 
now  the  efficient  head.  He  was  born  in  Dallastown, 
York  County,  Pennsylvania,  son  of  I.  H.  and  Lucinda 
D.  Daugherty,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  The 
former  deceased  in  1887  and  is  survived  by  his  widow, 
who  lives  at  Dallastown.  President  Daugherty  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  and  normal  schools  of  York  County, 
Pennsylvania ;  the  Lebanon  Valley  College,  from  which 
he  graduated  with  the  degree  of  A.M.  in  1892 ;  the  Union 
Biblical  Seminary,  Dayton,  Ohio,  graduating  therefrom, 
and  in  1891  attended  Cornell  University  and  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago.  He  received  the  honorary  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from  Leander  Clark  College, 
Iowa,  in  June,  1908. 

He  taught  from  1880  to  1884  in  the  public  schools  of 
York  County,  Pennsylvania ;  was  from  1897  to  1906 
professor  of  the  Latin  language  and  literature  for  the 
Lebanon  Valley  College,  at  Annville,  Pennsylvania,  and 
since  then  has  held  his  present  position. 

President  Daugherty  is  a  member  of  the  National 
Education  Association,  the  American  Academy  of 
Political  and  Social  Science  and  the  Religious  Educa- 
tional Association,  is  president  of  the  Reunion  Associa- 
tion of  Professional  Men,  of  York  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  a  member  of  the  Church  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Education  of  the  United  Brethren  Church.  From 
1891  to  1893  he  was  editor  of  the  Y.  P.  C.  U.  Herald, 
besides  which  he  has  contributed  valuable  articles  to 
various  educational  publications.  He  is  now  serving  his 
fifth  year  as  president  of  Westfield  College  (1910-11), 
and  during  his  incumbency  the  institution  has  made 
some  marked  advances  in  educational  standards,  student 
attendance  and  material  equipment.  The  college  belongs 
to  the  College  Federation  of  the  State,  and  its  work  is 
accepted  in  all  the  leading  universities. 

Doctor  Daugherty  was  married  June  5,  1895,  to  Miss 
Delia  Frances  Roop,  and  they  have  one  child  —  Carroll 
R.  Daugherty. 


595 


Ivan  J.  Deach 

WELL  known  in  Peoria,  Illinois,  and  its  vicinity 
as  a  successful  teacher,  has  been  principal  of  the 
Sumner  School  of  that  city  since  1909.  Mr. 
Deach  was. born  at  Union  Hill,  Illinois,  February  23, 
1873,  and  is  a  son  of  J.  N.  and  Ella  (Wood)  Deach, 
his  father  being  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  birth- 
place of  his  mother  being  Michigan.  His  primary  mental 
training  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  Illinois 
and  Nebraska,  and  he  subsequently  attended  Redfield 
College,  S.  D.,  from  1893  to  1896.  From  1896  to  1898, 
he  was  in  California  as  a  student  in  Leland  Stanford, 
Jr.,  University,  and  in  the  summers  of  1907-8-9,  he  pur- 
sued a  course  of  study  in  the  University  of  Wisconsin. 
He  received  the  degree  of  A.R.  from  Stanford  Uni- 
versity in  1898,  and  that  of  A.M.  from  the  University 
of  Wisconsin  in  1909,  on  the  completion  of  his  graduate 
studies. 

Mr.  Deach  taught  in  the  Western  Illinois  Normal 
School  from  1900  to  1903.  and  was  principal  of  the 
Central  Preparatory  School  (private)  from  1903  to 
1906.  Hfs  next  three  years  were  spent  as  a  teacher  in 
the  Peoria  High  School  and  on  relinquishing  his  duties 
there,  he  assumed  his  present  post.  In  the  Sumner 
school  he  is  assisted  by  a  staff  of  eleven  teachers. 

Mr.  Deach  is  a  member  of  the  Central  Illinois  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Military  Tract  Association,  the 
Schoolmasters'  Club,  the  Illinois  Association  of  English 
Teachers  and  the  Classical  Association  of  the  Middle 
West  and  South.  In  1901  he  published  an  "  Outline  for 
Advanced  Classes  in  Geography,"  and  in  1906  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Carnegie  Pub- 
lic Library  in  Macomb. 

On  July  12,  1900,  Mr.  Deach  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Rachael  Batten,  and  they  have  a  son,  Ivan  J.,  Jr. 
In  religious  belief,  Mr.  Deach  is  a  Universalist.  So- 
cially, he  is  connected  with  Templar  Lodge,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  Peoria;  Peoria  Chapter  No.  7,  R.  A.  M.,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Peoria  Greek  Club. 


Daniel  H.  Darling. 


Ivan  J.  Deach. 

Daniel  H.  Darling 

MR.  DARLING,  who  retired  to  the  well-earned 
repose  of  private  life  in  1894,  was  for  almost 
forty  years  identified  with  the  public  school 
service. 

Daniel  H.  Darling  was  born  in  1834  at  Painesville, 
Ohio,  son  of  Seth  and  Marline  (Anderson)  Darling, 
the  former  a  native  of  New  York,  the  latter  of  Ohio. 
His  father  died  at  Painesville,  Ohio,  in  1840,  his  mother 
ill  Illinois,  in  1854.  He  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  of  Ohio,  the  academy  at  Painesville,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1853,  and  later  he  performed 
post-graduate  work  in  Illinois.  Mr.  Darling  first  taught 
in  district  schools  near  Painesville  for  two  terms,  in  a 
ward  school  at  Toledo,  Ohio,  for  a  year,  at  Lockport, 
Illinois,  for  three  years,  and  at  Joliet,  Illinois,  for  a 
year.  The  Civil  War  breaking  out  about  this  time,  he 
enlisted  in  the  Seventh  Michigan  Cavalry,  and  served 
with  distinction  for  four  years,  in  that  time  taking  an 
active  part  in  sixty-three  engagements,  and  being  twice 
wounded.  He  received  promotion,  rose  to  be  captain- 
major,  and  finally,  at  the  close  of  hostilities,  was  in 
command  of  his  regiment.  After  the  war  he  was  an 
instructor  at  the  Lancaster  (Ohio)  Reform  School  for 
two  years ;  next  taught  at  Lockport,  Illinois,  for  ten 
years,  and  for  the  succeeding  fifteen  years  was  at  the 
head  of  the  public  schools  at  Joliet,  Illinois,  where  he 
continued  up  to  his  retirement  in  1894. 

Mr.  Darling  was  a  faithful  and  devoted  Christian, 
and  the  First  Christian  Church,  of  Joliet,  which  was 
organized  and  built  by  him,  is  a  splendid  monument  to 
his  memory.  In  1901  a  Darling  reunion  was  attended 
by  about  three  hundred  of  those  who  had  been  former 
students  under  Mr.  Darling.  His  death  occurred  June 
25,  1909,  and  his  demise  was  deeply  mourned  by  a  host 
of  friends  and  admirers. 

Mr.  Darling  was  married  in  1868  to  Miss  Abbie 
Wyman,  and  they  had  one  child,  a  son,  now  deceased. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  also  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 


596 


Herbert  Lee  Dyar 

ALTHOUGH  a  young  man,  Mr.  Dyar  has  been 
engaged  in  the  public  school  service  for  more  than 
a  third  of  his  life,  and  the  work  performed  by  him 
has  been  continuously  progressive  and  successful.  He 
was  born  at  Low  Point,  Illinois,  January  3,  1876,  his 
parents  being  Eben  Edson  Dyar,  a  native  of  Indiana, 
and  Laney  Katherine  (Gardner)  Dyar,  native  of  Iowa, 
both  now  living.  He  was  educated  in  the  country  schools 
of  Woodford  County,  Illinois,  the  high  school  at  Wash- 
burn, Illinois,  the  high  school  at  Stuart,  Iowa,  Dixon 
Normal  School,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1898  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science,  and  Eureka  College, 
graduating  from  the  latter  as  a  Bachelor  of  Arts.  He 
made  special  studies  of  mathematics  and  the  German 
language.  He  is  an  accomplished  musician  and  officiates 
as  band  or  orchestra  conductor  as  a  "  side  line  "  to  his 
public  school  work. 

Mr.  Dyar  first  taught  for  three  years  in  the  country 
schools  of  Woodford  County ;  then  for  four  years  as 
principal  at  Durand,  Illinois,  and  one  year  at  DeLand, 
Illinois ;  superintendent  at  Prairie  City,  Illinois,  one 
year,  and  for  years  was  superintendent  at  Table  Grove, 
Illinois,  where  he  had  charge  of  five  teachers  and  over 
two  hundred  pupils.  He  is  now  at  Farmington,  Illinois, 
as  superintendent  of  seventeen  teachers  and  six  hundred 
pupils. 

Mr.  Dyar  is  a  member  of  the  Military  Tract  Teachers' 
Association,  is  president  of  the  Fulton  County  Teachers' 
Association,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order, 
Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  the  Christian  Church, 
and  resides  at  Farmington. 


Herbert  Lee  Dyar. 


Solon  Sylve.ster  Dodge. 


Solon  Sylvester  Dodge 

THE  experience  as  a  public  instructor  that  must  be 
accredited  to  Mr.  Dodge  extends  over  a  period  of 
thirty  years,  and  it  has  been  of  that  valuable  char- 
acter that  serves  to  bring  out  all  the  best  talents  in  a 
man,  and  to  make  him  a  teacher  whose  influence  and 
ability  are  easily  distinguished  and  felt.  He  has  been 
successful  from  the  outset,  and  his  reputation  rests  upon 
a  basis  at  once  sound  and  secure. 

Mr.  Dodge  was  born  in  East  Rodman,  Jefferson 
County,  New  York,  July  16,  1857,  son  of  James  S. 
Dodge,  native  of  New  York,  who  died  at  Clinton,  New 
York,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four,  and  Electa  (Seaman) 
Dodge,  also  of  New  York,  who  deceased  in  Adams,  New 
York,  in  1865.  He  was  educated  in  private  and  ele- 
mentary schools  at  Adams,  New  York ;  grammar  school 
at  Monroe,  Wisconsin,  and  the  Cook  County  Normal 
School,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1875.  He  was 
granted  an  Illinois  State  Life  Certificate  in  1886,  and 
first  taught  school  in  the  Brown  District  School,  Law- 
rence and  Elston  avenues,  from  1876  to  1877.  His  sub- 
sequent schools  were  :  Glenwood,  Illinois,  1879 ;  Bloom 
Grammar  School,  Norwood  Park ;  Forest  Glen ;  Thorn- 
ton, Illinois  ;  Gfayland  School ;  Jefferson  High  School ; 
Rosehill  School,  as  principal,  1887-1896;  Norwood 
School,  1896-1907,  and  Mayfair,  1907-1911,  where  he  had 
charge  of  six  branches,  fourteen  teachers  and  520  pupils, 
and  is  at  present  principal  of  the  Chase  Grammar 
School,  at  Cornelia  and  Point  place,  with  eighteen  teach- 
ers and  800  pupils  —  one  of  the  best-equipped  schools  in 
the  city. 

In  May,  1880,  Mr.  Dodge  was  married  to  Miss  Kate 
Holbrook,  now  deceased,  by  whom  he  had  three  chil- 
dren, Arthur,  Alice  and  Harley.  In  June,  1896,  he 
married  Miss  Edith  Pearson,  and  they  have  had  four 
children,  Stanley,  Wilbur,  Melvin  and  Gladys.  Mr. 
Dodge  is  the  author  of  "  Outlines  of  English  History," 
and  has  contributed  much  other  material  to  educational 
literature. 


597 


George  Newton  Cade 

AMONG  the  earnest  devotees  to  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation in  Illinois  is  Mr.  George  N.  Cade,  who  has 
met  with  commendable  success  and  gained  for 
himself  a  most  excellent  reputation  among  his  col- 
leagues. In  his  ten  years'  practical  work  he  has  amply 
demonstrated  his  fitness  for  the  profession  he  has 
chosen  for  his  life-work. 

George  Newton  Cade  was  born  August  3,  1876,  in 
Greene  County,  Illinois,  son  of  James  D.  and  Catherine 
Cade,  both  natives  of  Illinois,  and  both  now  living. 
After  attending  country  schools  he  entered  the  Illinois 
State  Normal  University,  at  Normal,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1910.  In  August  of  that  year  he 
succeeded  in  passing  the  Illinois  state  examinations 
for  teachers'  certificate,  and  as  a  result  is  holding  a 
Supervisory  Life  State  Certificate.  He  began  his  career 
as  a  teacher  at  Lovelace,  Greene  County,  Illinois,  where 
he  continued  four  years ;  next  he  taught  at  Pleasant 
Hill,  Scott  County,  Illinois,  one  year ;  then  at  Martin's 
Prairie,  Greene  County,  Illinois,  four  years,  and  is 
now  superintendent  at  Cerro  Gordo,  Illinois,  where  he 
has  six  assistant  teachers  aijd  an  enrolment  of  230 
pupils.  Here  his  work  has  proved  so  acceptable  to  the 
Board  of  Education  that  they  have  asked  him  to  con- 
tinue another  year,  at  an  advance  in  salary. 

Mr.  Cade  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle 
and  the  Baptist  Church,  and  his  reputation  in  scholastic 
circles  is  most  commendable. 

Harry  Adelbert  Dean 

Among  the  great  army  of  public-school  instructors 
2^\^  of  Illinois,  none  has  had  a  more  successful  career 
than  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  now  superintend- 
ent of  the  Union  public  schools,  at  Crystal  Lake,  Illinois. 
Before  entering  upon  his  present  position  he  was  for  two 
terms  county  superintendent  of  the  Kane  County  schools. 
As  superintendent  there,  he  established  a  uniform  course 


Harry  Adelbert  Dean. 


George  Newton  Cade. 


of  study,  uniform  text-books,  built  up  the  largest  annual 
institute  in  the  State,  outside  of  Cook  County,  and  was 
the  organizer  of  the  third  consolidated  school  in  the 
State.  He  also  introduced  the  study  of  agriculture  in 
the  rural  schools  and  did  much  to  improve  the  sanitary 
conditions  regarding  equipment,  heating  and  ventilation, 
thereby  causing  fourteen  schools  to  be  accepted  by  the 
state  superintendent  as  "  standard." 

Mr.  Dean  was  born  in  Foxborough,  Massachusetts, 
July  29,  1866,  son  of  Otis  Dean,  native  of  the  Old  Bay 
State  and  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  died  in  Ontario, 
California,  March  21,  1907,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six,  and 
Augusta  (Dunbar)  Dean,  also  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
who  deceased  in  Ontario,  California,  January  21,  191 1, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  He  was  educated  in  the  Pratt 
School,  Foxborough,  Massachusetts  ;  the  public  schools 
of  Arcadia,  Iowa ;  Cornell  College  and  the  Iowa  State 
College,  at  Ames,  Iowa,  where  he  took  a  four  years' 
course  in  civil  engineering.  He  first  taught  for  three 
years  in  rural  schools  in  Carroll  County,  Iowa ;  the 
Geneva  High  School,  Geneva,  Illinois,  for  two  years ; 
was  superintendent  of  schools  at  Elburn,  Illinois,  for  ten 
years ;  next  county  superintendent  of  schools  in  Kane 
County,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Dean  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  the 
Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle  (director),  the 
Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  Masonic  Order 
(Past  Master),  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  the  Yeo- 
men of  America  and  the  Congregational  Church.  He 
was  treasurer  of  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, secretary  of  the  state  and  county  superintend- 
ents' section  of  the  National  Educational  Association, 
vice-president  of  the  Boys'  Brigade  of  America,  captain 
in  the  Iowa  National  Guards  and  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  One  Hundred,  Illinois  State  Educational  Com- 
mission. On  August  2,  1893,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Eva  Elizabeth  Riplets,  and  they  have  six  children  — 
Revere  E.,  Harry  A.,  Jr.,  Beatrice  E.,  Dorothy  I.,  Gene- 
vieve and  Ruth  A. 


598 


Charles  Davison 

DR.  CHARLES  DAVISON,  professor  of  surgery 
and  clinical  surgery  in  the  College  of  Medicine 
of  the  University  of  Illinois,  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  Lake  County,  Illinois,  January  13,  1858.  He  was 
educated  in  Wauconda  Academy  and  the  Chicago  Medi- 
cal College  (medical  department  of  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity), graduating  in  1883.  In  1883-84  he  became 
an  interne  in  the  Cook  County  Hospital,  being  house 
surgeon  in  the  service  of  the  celebrated  Christian 
Fenger,  and  also  assistant  surgeon  at  the  Illinois  Eye 
and  Ear  Hospital  from  1887  to  1892. 

Doctor  Davison  since  1894  has  been  attending  surgeon 
to  Cook  County  Hospital,  conducting  one  of  its  largest 
surgical  clinics.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
West  Side  Hospital  and  later  of  the  University  Hos- 
pital, of  Chicago. 

Doctor  Davison  became  connected  with  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  of  Chicago,  at  the  time 
of  its  affiliation  with  the  University  of  Illinois,  as  pro- 
fessor of  surgical  anatomy,  being  later  transferred  to  the 
surgical  department  and  made  adjunct  professor  of  clini- 
cal surgery  at  Cook  County  Hospital.  He  has  held  the 
chair  of  professor  of  surgery  and  clinical  surgery 
since  1904,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  the  University  of  Illinois  for  one  term. 

Doctor  Davison  is  a  member  of  the  following  organi- 
zations :  Chicago  Surgical  Society,  Illinois  State  Medical 
Society,  American  Medical  Association,  Chicago  Medi- 
cal Society,  Physicians'  Club,  Alpha  Kappa  Kappa, 
Alpha  Omega  Alpha,  Knights  Templar,  Mystic  Shrine. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  October 
20,  1887,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Lavinia  Kidd, 
and  they  have  one  son,  Charles  Marshall  Davison. 

Doctor  Davison  is  a  regular  contributor  to  current 
surgical  publications,  and  is  recognized  among  his  col- 
leagues as  an  energetic  and  successful  surgeon,  and  by 
the  students  as  an  incisive  and  instructive  teacher.    The 


Ch.^rles  Davison. 


John  Frederic  Eberhart. 


rapid  and  persistent  quizzing  at  the  Monday  morning 
clinic  at  the  Cook  County  Hospital  will  long  be  remem- 
bered by  the  graduates  of  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons. 


John  Frederic  Eberhart 

JOHN  FREDERIC  EBERHART,  A.M.,  LL.D.,  has 
been  for  nearly  fifty  years  a  prominent  figure  in 
Illinois  and  Cook  County's  local  history ;  first  as  a 
practical  educator  and  later  as  a  successful  real  estate 
operator.  He  was  born  in  Mercer  County,  Pennsylvania, 
January  21,  1829,  where  his  early  boyhood  was  spent. 
At  the  age  of  eight  his  parents  removed  to  Big  Bend, 
Venango  County.  Here  his  time  was  divided  between 
working  on  tlie  farm  in  summer  and  attending  school  in 
winter,  until  he  was  sixteen,  when  he  taught  his  first 
school  at  the  mouth  of  Oil  Creek,  Pennsylvania,  where 
Oil  City  now  stands. 

The  following  summer  he  took  special  lessons  in  writ- 
ing and  drawing,  qualifying  himself  for  teaching  these 
branches,  an  acquirement  which  proved  valuable  in 
working  his  way  through  college.  After  spending  sev- 
eral terms  at  Cottage  Hill  Academy,  at  Ellsworth,  Ohio, 
he  entered  Allegheny  College,  at  Meadville,  Pennsyl- 
vania, graduating  July  2,  1853. 

Two  days  after  his  graduation  he  delivered  the  Fourth 
of  July  oration  at  Reckland,  Pennsylvania,  winning  en- 
thusiastic applause  from  a  very  large  audience,  many 
of  them  his  boyhood  friends.  The  following  September 
he  accepted  the  position  of  principal  of  the  Evangelical 
Seminary,  at  Berlin,  Pennsylvania,  and  among  his  pupils, 
who  afterwards  attained  wide  distinction,  was  the  Rev. 
Dr.  H.  W.  Thomas,  the  founder  and  for  many  years 
pastor  of  the  People's  Church,  in  McVicker's  Theater, 
Chicago.  Other  students  of  that  seminary  also  rose  to 
distinction  as  preachers  and  teachers. 

In  1855  he  came  to  Illinois  to  regain  his  broken  health, 
and  after  several  weeks  in  the  "  Muddy  City,"  he  moved 


599 


on  and  located  at  Dixon,  Illinois,  where  he  published 
the  Dixon  Transcript,  whose  circulation  he  raised  that 
summer  from  200  to  950  subscribers.  He  personally 
canvassed  the  city  and  placed  his  paper  in  every  family. 
He  also  encouraged  the  young  writers,  and  among  those 
who  contributed  to  his  paper  was  Noah  Brooks,  who 
wrote  the  "  Boy  Emigrant,"  and  other  literature  that 
made  him  known  throughout  the  world.  But  the  field 
was  too  limited  for  him.  Professor  Eberhart  was  a 
reader,  student,  educator,  a  young  man  of  action,  full  of 
original  ideas  and  burning  with  enthusiasm  for  human- 
ity. He  said  "  All  the  money  in  the  world  could  not 
have  diverted  me  from  my  purpose  and  the  strongest 
desire  of  my  heart  —  to  be  a  teacher." 

He  then  entered  the  lecture  field,  his  subjects  being 
scientific  —  chemistry,  philosophy,  astronomy,  etc. — 
and  so  full  were  they  of  original  investigation  and  given 
such  earnestness  and  eloquence,  that  they  drew  crowded 
houses  and  were  in  as  great  demand  in  the  popular  field 
as  among  the  institutions  of  learning. 

He  gave  courses  of  ten  lectures,  and  if  the  attendance 
Avas  not  large  the  fir.st  night,  at  the  last  night  the  audi- 
ences were  always  greater  than  the  halls  could  accom- 
modate. At  Lee  Center  Academy,  Dr.  Luke  Hitchcock, 
then  the  leading  presiding  elder  in  the  Rock  River  Con- 
ference of  the  M.  E.  Church,  said :  "  They  were  the 
most  interesting  and  instructive  lectures  I  ever  heard," 
and  Dr.  Ephraim  Ingalls,  afterward  president  of  Rush 
Medical  College,  was  always  present  on  time  with  paper 
and  pencil  to  get  the  chemical  combinations  that  pro- 
duced the  effects  that  so  delighted  the  audience.  The 
administration  of  "  laughing  gas  "  was  always  the  most 
exciting  factor  of  the  evening.  It  was  not  then  known 
as  an  anesthetic,  although  it  had  been  a  common  gas  in 
all  the  chemical  laboratories  of  the  world  for  the  last 
two  hundred  years. 

Later,  a  year  was  devoted  to  travel,  holding  teachers' 
institutes  and  miscellaneous  educational  work ;  after 
which  he  purchased,  and  for  three  years  edited  and  pub- 
lished, the  Northwestern  Home  and  School  Journal,  of 
Chicago,  varying  his  editorial  work  with  lectures  before 
teachers'  institutes,  lecture  associations  and  other  insti- 
tutions. In  this  work  of  journal  and  field  many  valuable 
acquaintances  and  life  friendships  were  formed  with  the 
foremost  men  and  women  of  the  time  and  he  became  a 
vital  factor  in  the  educational  movements  of  the  day. 
Horace  Mann  saw  in  Mr.  Eberhart  elements  of  a  born 
educator  and  became  his  life-long  friend  and  counselor. 
Later,  Dr.  Henry  Barnard,  as  chancellor  of  the  Wiscon- 
sin State  University,  and  afterward  the  first  United 
States  Commissioner  of  Education,  watched  with  in- 
terest his  work  in  Illinois,  and  decided  that  he  was  just 
the  man  needed  to  arouse  and  inspire  the  young  men 
of  Wisconsin,  and  he  employed  him  to  address  and  con- 
duct teachers'  institutes  in  that  State. 

Doctor  Eberhart  possessed  in  a  remarkable  degree  the 
qualities  of  leadership.  He  could  reason,  persuade  and 
inspire  to  action.  Had  he  been  a  soldier,  his  place  would 
have  been  continually  at  the  front,  but  as  a  successful 
educator,  his  work  must  be  radical,  patient,  molding 
carefully  the  mental  powers  of  the  young ;  planning  for 
them  better  systems  of  instruction  and  securing  for 
them  permanent  progress  through  the  wisest  and  best 
legislation. 

For  seventeen  years  he  attended  the  Illinois  State 
Legislature,  at  his  own  expense,  and  remained  there 
until  the  desired  educational  measures  were  enacted  into 
law.  Hence  it  became  evident  to  the  foremost  county 
of  the  State  that  he  should  become  the  superintendent 
of  its  schools  and,  consequently,  for  ten  years,  from 
1859  to  1869,  he  was  repeatedly  reelected  to  that  office. 
He  was  the  only  candidate  elected  on  a  ticket  de- 
feated by  over  3,800;  he  receiving  a  majority  of  1,999 
votes,  and  for  the  great  progress  which  marked  the 
educational  interests  of  this  period  Cook  county  must 
ever  hold  Dr.  John  F.  Eberhart  in  grateful  memory. 
The  salary  was  only  $2  a  day  at  first,  but  honor  and 
opportunity    for    magnifying    that    sacred    office    were 


before  him,  and  before  the  close  of  his  term,  the  posi- 
tion commanded  $5,000  a  year. 

Some  of  Doctor  Eberhart's  most  important  work 
while  identified  with  the  cause  of  education  in  Cook 
County  was  the  organization  of  the  Cook  County  Nor- 
mal School,  the  first  county  normal  school  in  this  or 
any  other  State,  and  his  participation  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  whose 
annual  sessions  he  attended  for  seventeen  consecutive 
years ;  the  drafting  of  the  State  law  authorizing  the 
establishment  of  county  normal  schools ;  organization 
of  the  State  Association  of  School  Superintendents,  of 
which  he  was  the  first  president ;  the  part  he  acted  in 
securing  the  State  Normal  University  and  its  location 
at  Normal ;  as  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Instruction  and  of  the  National  Teachers'  Association, 
of  which  he  was  one  of  the  first  life  members  and  is 
now  the  oldest  living  life  member. 

At  the  annual  National  Teachers'  Association,  at 
Ogdensburg,  in  1864,  Doctor  Eberhart  took  quite  an 
active  part.  He  led  in  establishing  a  life  membership, 
was  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Nominations,  and 
was  also  selected  to  respond  to  the  address  of  welcome 
by  United  States  Senator  King  at  a  reception  given  to 
the  Association  by  the  people  of  Ogdensburg. 

Doctor  Eberhart  was  also  appointed  delegate  to  the 
National  Teachers'  Association  of  Canada  to  meet  in 
Toronto  in  1865.  Doctor  Eberhart  said  at  that  meeting 
that  he  had  the  pleasure  of  speaking  to  the  most  enthu- 
siastic body  of  teachers  he  had  ever  addressed,  and  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Robert  Collier,  who  was  with  him  on  the  stage, 
said  "  His  address  was  a  credit  to  the  nation." 

He  was  also  actively  identified  with  various  other 
educational  and  charitable  associations,  and  while  presi- 
dent of  the  Cook  County  Board  of  Education  was  the 
influential  factor  in  securing  the  introduction  of  a  kin- 
dergarten department  into  the  Cook  County  Normal 
School,  and  in  promoting  the  establishment  of  "  free 
kintergartens  "  in  the  city,  and  the  first  free  kintergarten, 
as  a  part  of  any  public  school  in  the  State,  was  in  Chi- 
cago Lawn,  where  he  then  was  president  of  the  Board 
of  Directors. 

Among  those  who  received  their  first  certificates  as 
teachers  from  Professor  Eberhart  during  this  period 
appear  the  names  of  Bishop  Charles  H.  Fowler,  of  the 
M.  E.  Church ;  Bishop  J.  H.  Vincent,  still  living,  and 
whose  son,  George  E.  Vincent,  is  now  president  of  the 
Minnesota  State  University ;  Miss  Frances  E.  Willard, 
who,  in  early  days,  used  to  call  him  her  "  literary  god- 
father," and  his  old  friend  Charles  A.  Blanchard,  of 
Wheaton  College ;  also,  James  P.  Slade  and  Henry  T. 
Raub,  who  were  each  afterward  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  in  Illinois. 

It  was  through  Doctor  Eberhart  that  a  law  was 
enacted  permitting  directors  to  buy  libraries  for  the 
country  school  districts,  and  it  was  through  his  special 
efforts  mainly  that  thousands  of  communities,  few  of 
whom  had  any  books  worth  mentioning,  were  thus 
given  access  to  suitable  libraries  for  the  people,  condi- 
tioned as  they  were  then  throughout  the  rural  districts 
of  Illinois. 

The  furnishing  by  the  State  of  blanks  for  the  reports 
of  school  officers,  and  blank-books  for  their  bookkeeping, 
was  also  the  result  of  Doctor  Eberhart's  efforts,  as  he 
discovered  that  reports  of  school  officers,  without  some 
form  to  guide  them,  were  almost  worthless. 

Doctor  Eberhart  delivered  the  first  address  on  normal 
schools  ever  delivered  in  the  State.  It  was  before  the 
State  Association  of  the  County  Superintendents  of  the 
State  at  their  annual  meeting  at  Springfield  in  1861. 
Doctor  Bateman  was  then  State  Superintendent  of  Pub- 
lic Instruction,  and  complimented  the  address  very  highly, 
and  said  that  he  had  intended  to  write  on  the  same  sub- 
ject himself  for  his  biennial  report,  but,  instead,  would 
publish  Doctor  Eberhart's  address  in  full,  as  it  covered 
every  phase  of  the  question  better  than  he  could  have 
done  himself.  Such  a  matter  would  not  need  special 
notice  at  the  present  time,  except  that  this  occurred  fifty 


600 


years  ago  and  some  one  might  be  interested  to  look  it 
up  in  the  archives  of  the  State,  where  it  is  on  record, 
and  see  what  was  said. 

In  1856  Doctor  Eberhart  was  offered  by  Bishop  W.  W. 
Orwig,  of  the  Evangelical  Association,  the  presidency 
of  what  is  now  Naperville  College.  It  was  started  at 
Plainfield  and  afterward  moved  to  Naperville.  But  he 
felt  that  his  health  and  other  engagements  did  not  per- 
mit any  change. 

About  the  same  time  he  was  invited  to  St.  Louis  to 
assist  in  organizing  a  public  high  school  in  that  city, 
and  was  offered  the  position  of  first  principal. 

Doctor  Eberhart,  in  speaking  to  a  friend  on  the 
pioneer  educational  efforts  of  those  days,  said,  "  I  was 
forced  to  forego  many  tempting  opportunities  then  of- 
fered me.  In  the  first  place  I  could  not  neglect  my 
present  duties,  and  again,  I  could  not  trust  my  condition 
of  health,  in  the  earnest  endeavor  and  confinements  of 
indoor  work." 

In  1866  Doctor  Eberhart  met  Sefior  Sarmiento  at  the 
National  Teachers'  Association  in  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  a  great  man.  He  was  generalissmo  of  the  army 
that  conquered  the  old  dynasties  and  established  the 
Argentine  republic  of  South  America.  He  came  to  our 
country  to  study  our  government,  and  our  system  of 
public  education.  He  offered  him  the  position  of  chief 
superintendent  of  public  education,  with  an  official  resi- 
dence, all  expenses  paid,  with  the  privilege  of  selecting 
his  assistants  and  absolute  control  of  that  department 
of  the  government. 

Later,  he  visited  Doctor  Eberhart  in  his  home  in  Chi- 
cago, urging  the  acceptance  of  the  position.  Hoping 
to  strengthen  his  persuasions,  he  brought  with  him  the 
Hon.  J.  P.  Wickersham,  for  many  years  the  State  Su- 
perintendent of  Education  in  Pennsylvania,  and  an  old 
and  warm  friend  of  Doctor  Eberhart,  and  who  was  then 
president  of  the  National  Teachers'  Association.  But 
Doctor  Eberhart  felt  he  was  then  providentially  in  the 
right  position  and  he  remained  true  to  his  duties. 

Among  the  relics  of  those  days  he  still  has  the  old 
atlas  on  which  with  the  stub  of  a  pencil  Sarmiento 
traced  his  marches  and  marked  his  battlefields.  Doctor 
Eberhart  remarked  "  Sarmiento  was  a  noble  man.  He 
had  lofty  ideas  of  government  and  education  of  the 
people." 

It  was  through  Doctor  Eberhart  that  the  school  sec- 
tion 16,  containing  640  acres  in  township  38,  R.  13,  in 
Cook  County,  fronting  one  mile  on  Sixty-third  street 
and  one  mile  on  Forty-eighth  avenue,  the  present  city 
limit,  has  been  preserved  intact  and  not  sold  and  squan- 
dered for  a  mere  nothing  as  other  school  lands  in  and 
near  the  city  had  been  in  earlier  days. 

The  law  at  that  time  provided  that  the  county  super- 
intendent, on  the  reception  of  a  petition  containing  not 
less  than  forty  names  of  residents  in  the  township,  should 
sell  the  land  to  the  highest  bidder,  the  money  to  be 
added  to  the  school  fund  of  the  township.  The  petition 
was  duly  signed  and  presented  to  him  by  John  A.  Colvin, 
now  living  on  Eighty-fifth  street,  and  for  many  years 
treasurer  of  that  township.  But  Doctor  Eberhart,  the 
county  superintendent  of  schools  at  that  time,  could  not 
bear  the  idea  of  thus  sacrificing  the  interests  of  future 
generations.  He  refused  to  sell  the  land,  although  his 
fees  from  its  sale  would  have  amounted  to  a  consid- 
erable sum.  Instead,  he  attended  the  constitutional  con- 
vention of  1870,  and  by  the  aid  of  John  Wentworth, 
had  the  organic  laws  of  the  State  so  changed  that  the 
land  should  be  rented  and  not  sold  under  the  conditions 
then  existing. 

In  the  next  extension  of  the  city  westward  that  land 
will  become  a  part  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  as  the 
city  grows  westward,  as  it  must  eventually,  it  will  come 
nearer  and  nearer  the  center  of  the  city,  and  probably 
within  less  than  fifty  years  may  yield  a  revenue  sufficient 
to  pay  the  salaries  of  all  the  teachers  in  the  city.  It  is 
his  hope  that  this  property  may  be  held  in  perpetuity  for 
the  benefit  of  the  city  schools. 

Doctor  Eberhart  felt  keenly  the  need  of  trained  teach- 


ers, and  organized  the  Cook  County  Teachers'  Institute 
in  i860  at  Harlem,  now  Oak  Park,  with  seventy-five 
teachers  in  attendance.  This  institute  still  holds  its 
annual  sessions.  He  realized  that  a  training  school  for 
teachers  was  imperative,  and  drafted  a  county  normal 
act  to  be  introduced  into  the  legislature,  standing  by  it 
until  its  passage  was  assured.  Two  years  before  this 
act  became  a  law  the  Board  of  Supervisors  appropri- 
ated, at  his  earnest  request,  the  necessary  funds  for  an 
experimental  normal  school  for  two  years.  It  was 
placed  at  Blue  Island  in  1867.  Two  years  later  it  was 
transferred  to  its  present  site  in  Englewood,  and  made 
permanent  and  is  now  in  the  city,  and  known  as  the 
Chicago  Normal  School,  and  is  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant normal  centers  in  the  country.  Its  campus  of 
twenty  acres,  then  valued  at  $800,  is  now  estimated  at 
$1,000,000,  while  the  beautiful  buildings  that  adorn  the 
grounds  are  even  more  valuable,  yet  its  chief  asset  is 
in  the  lives  of  the  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  young 
men  and  women  who  have  gone  forth  stronger  and 
better  equipped  to  do  the  great  work  of  the  world.  So 
long  as  this  institution  exists  it  will  stand  as  a  monu- 
ment to  Doctor  Eberhart's  sagacity  as  a  practical  edu- 
cator and  his  devotion  to  the  interests  it  represents. 

During  his  term  of  office,  and  largely  through  his 
determined  efforts,  another  measure  of  far-reaching  in- 
fluence became  a  law.  It  was  the  act  to  establish  town- 
ship high  schools  and,  under  this  law,  the  first  high 
school  in  any  county  was  placed  in  the  town  of  Jeffer- 
son, in  Cook  County,  and  since  that  town  became  an- 
nexed to  Chicago,  it  was  known  as  the  Jefferson  High 
School  of  Chicago. 

His  interest  in  education  did  not  wane  at  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  of  office.  As  president  of  the  County 
Board  of  Education  he  urged  and  finally  succeeded  in 
getting  a  kindergarten  department  established  in  the 
Cook  County  Normal  School.  One  class  was  gradu- 
ated. At  the  end  of  one  year  Doctor  Eberhart  being 
no  longer  on  the  board  it  was  permitted  to  lapse,  but 
was  again  resuscitated  by  Francis  A.  Parker,  when  he 
became  president  of  the  school. 

The  first  free  kindergarten  in  our  free-school  system 
was  introduced  into  the  Chicago  Lawn  free  public 
school,  while  Doctor  Eberhart  was  president  of  the 
board  of  directors.  It  was  in  1886,  before  Chicago  Lawn 
came  into  the  city,  thus  Cook  County  can  proudly  boast 
of  the  first  county  normal  school,  the  first  township 
high  school  and  the  first  free  kindergarten  in  the  State. 
Doctor  Eberhart  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  is  still  a 
member  of  the  National  Education  Association  and  alive 
to  all  its  interests.  He  is  the  oldest  life  member  and 
is  as  keenly  interested  in  all  that  promotes  the  welfare 
of  the  young  as  in  his  early  days. 

In  the  building  of  the  Memorial  Church  to  his  old 
pupil,  friend  and  pastor.  Dr.  H.  W.  Thomas,  now  to 
be  erected  near  his  "home,  in  Chicago  Lawn,  he  insists 
that  care  for  the  young  must  be  the  foremost  consid- 
eration, that  every  appointment  and  attraction  must  be 
subsidized  to  minister  to  their  needs. 

He  says,  "  The  first  land  I  ever  owned  was  one  and 
one-fourth  acres  I  bought  of  P.  F.  W.  Peck,  father 
of  Ferdinand  Peck.  It  was  on  Larrabee  street,  near  Ful- 
lerton  avenue.  The  price  was  $1,600,  and  within  two 
years  I  sold  it  to  the  city  for  a  school  site  for  $9,000, 
and  on  that  sacred  spot  of  land  the  Lincoln  school  now 
stands.  May  it  never  be  removed  or  changed  in  name." 
The  same  indomitable  energy  that  characterized  his 
youth  has  won  success  and  prosperity  in  mature  years. 
His  efforts  have  been  blessed  with  a  sufficiency  of 
worldly  goods  to  more  than  meet  his  ideal  of  simple 
living  and  high  thinking,  nor  does  he  withhold  from 
others  what  has  been  generously  lavished  upon  himself. 
To  his  alma  mater  —  Allegheny  College,  Meadville, 
Pennsylvania  —  he  has  made  several  handsome  gifts, 
aggregating  $100,000.  The  college  of  his  old  friend, 
President  Blanchard,  at  Wheaton,  has  not  been  forgot- 
ten, and  no  good  work  or  earnest  worker  was  ever 
turned  away  without  sympathy  and  aid. 


601 


December  25,  1864,  Doctor  Eberhart  was  married  to 
Matilda  Charity  Miller,  daughter  of  Joseph  C.  and 
Mercie  H.  Miller,  who  were  among  Chicago's  earliest 
settlers.  She  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Aurora 
and  Chicago,  and  is  a  lady  of  marked  talent  and  literary 
ability.  Six  children  blessed  this  union,  four  surviving — 
John  J.  and  Frank  N.  Eberhart,  active  partners  of  the 
firm  of  John  F.  Eberhart  &  Sons,  Mrs.  Mary  Evangeline 
Tobey,  wife  of  George  M.  Tobey,  and  Mrs.  Grace  Jose- 
phine Herschberger,  wife  of  Prof.  Clarence  B.  Hersch- 
berger,  of  Lake  Forest  Academy. 

Doctor  Eberhart's  life  has  been  a  life  of  service  —  a 
service  of  love.  His  creed,  as  defined  by  himself,  is 
brief  but  comprehensive :  "  I  trust  in  an  All-wise 
Creator  and  disposer  of  events,  and  I  believe  in  the 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  epitomized  in  His  sermon 
on  the  mount,  '  Whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should 
do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  imto  them,  for  this  is  the  law 
and  the  prophets.' " 


Frank  B.  Earle 

IN  the  particular  branches  to  which  he  has  devoted 
himself  a  distinguished  success  in  the  medical  world 
has  been  achieved  by  Frank  B.  Earle,  and  his  ability 
and  high  standing  are  everywhere  conceded  by  the  pro- 
fession. 

Frank  Breckenridge  Earle  is  a  native  of  this  State, 
having  been  born  at  Waukegan  October  22,  i860.  His 
parents,  Moses  L.  and  Marie  E.  (Breckenridge)  Earle, 
natives  of  Vermont,  are  both  deceased,  the  former  hav- 
ing died  in  1903,  the  latter  in  1904.  He  was  educated 
in  the  elementary  schools  and  the  high  school  of  his 
birthplace,  with  graduation  from  the  latter  in  1881,  after 
which  he  took  a  course  in  the  Chicago  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons.  Later  on  he  performed  valuable 
post-graduate  work  in  leading  universities  in  Berlin, 
Vienna  and  London.  From  1894  to  1904  he  was  pro- 
fessor of  obstetrics  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  Chicago,  his  alma  mater,  and  from  the  latter 
year  to  the  present  he  has  been  professor  of  pediatrics 
at  the  same  institution,  a  position  his  learning  and 
training  have  enabled  him  to  fill  with  signal  success. 

Professor  Earle  holds  membership  in  numerous  local 
and  national  scientific  organizations,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Illinois  Club  and  Westward  Ho  Golf  Club.  He 
is  editor  of  the  Filatov  (Russian),  which  treats  on  the 
diseases  of  children.  In  1885  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  H.  Biddlesom,  of  Waukegan,  Illinois,  and 
their  residence  is  at  4880  Sheridan  road. 


Jay  Calhoun  Edwards. 


Jay  Calhoun  Edwards 

AVAST  experience  of  inestimable  value  is  the  result 
of  the  above  named  gentleman's  labors  in  the  edu- 
cational field,  and  he  has  done  much  to  advance 
the  high  standard  of  the  public-school  system  in  every 
position  in  which  he  has  officiated. 

Mr.  Edwards  was  born  January  17,  1858,  in  Wyanet, 
Bureau  County,  Illinois,  his  parents  being  Francis  Mar- 
ion Edwards,  a  native  of  Overton,  Tennessee,  and 
Lucretia  Edwards,  a  native  of  Lockport,  New  York. 
Both  are  deceased,  the  former  having  died  September 
24,  1904,  the  latter  January  10,  1886,  in  Knoxville,  Iowa. 
He  possesses  a  superior  education,  having  studied  in  the 
public  schools  of  Wyanet,  Illinois,  and  Knoxville,  Iowa. 
He  then  took  a  course  in  Lombard  College,  Galesburg, 
Illinois,  graduating  therefrom  June  18,  1884,  with  the 
degree  of  B.S.,  and  on  June  17,  1887,  he  received  the 
degree  of  M.S.  from  the  same  institution.  Later  he 
studied  for  the  Bar,  and  in  1888  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois.  After  first 
teaching  in  the  high  school  at  Knoxville,  Iowa,  he 
became  principal  at  Wolsey,  South  Dakota,  and  later, 
sucessively,  principal  at  Sublette,  Illinois ;  principal  at 
Summit,  Illinois ;  teacher  in  the  South  Division  High 
School,  Chicago ;  assistant  in  the  Wendell  Phillips 
High  School,  Chicago,  and  is  now  principal  of  the 
Jacob  Beidler  School,  Chicago,  where  he  has  fifteen 
assistant  teachers  and  an  enrolment  of  658  pupils. 

Mr.  Edwards  officiated  very  ably  as  county  superin- 
tendent of  schools  in  Lee  County,  Illinois,  from  1891 
to  1895.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Phi  Delta  Theta  fra- 
ternity, also  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion. On  June  24,  1899,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Grace 
M.  Ingalls,  of  Cooperstown,  New  York,  and  they  have 
a  son,  Albert  Edwards.  They  reside  at  5719  Midway 
Park,  Chicago. 


602 


Mrs.  Blanche  B.  Elmer 

To   the  women  teachers  of  Illinois  is  due  a  great 
part  of  the  splendid  status  that  has  been  attained 
in  the  public  schools  of  this  State,  and  for  their 
unselfish   services   they  must  be   given  credit  commen- 
surate to  the  beneficent  labors  performed  by  them. 

In  the  advancement  of  this  school  system,  Mrs. 
Blanche  B.  Elmer  has  been  an  active  and  able  partici- 
pant for  more  than  fourteen  years.  Earnest  in  her 
methods  and  possessed  of  high  ability  and  much  per- 
sonal magnetism,  her  labors  in  the  cause  of  popular 
education  have  resulted  in  great  and  lasting  benefit. 

Mrs.  Elmer  was  born  May  26,  1875,  in  this  State, 
her  parents  being  Francis  A.  and  Jennie  C.  Bailer,  the 
former  a  native  of  England,  the  latter,  Pennsylvania, 
and  both  now  living.  She  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Bloomington,  the  Illinois  State  Normal  Uni- 
versity, Mrs.  John  R.  Gray's  College  of  Music,  and  has 
spent  five  years  in  the  pursuance  of  voice  culture  under 
some  of  the  best  teachers.  She  first  taught  one  year 
in  Farmer  City,  Illinois ;  then  for  three  years  in 
Rochelle,  Illinois,  and  for  the  past  ten  years  has  been 
teaching  in  Bloomington.  At  present  she  is  principal 
of  Raymond  school,  having  there  two  teachers  and  about 
ninety  pupils  under  her  charge. 

Mrs.  Elmer  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Eastern 
Star  and  the  Episcopal  Church.  On  December  25,  1906, 
she  was  married  to  Dr.  A.  J.  Elmer,  a  dentist  of  high 
standing  in  his  profession,  whose  lamentable  demise 
occurred  January  25,  1909. 


Mrs.  iJLANCHK  !).  Elmer. 


DeWitt  Elwood 

IN  that  important  domain  of  activity  —  the  public 
school  service  —  the  above-named  gentleman  has 
long  been  a  well-known  and  highly  valued  factor, 
and  he  is,  as  a  consequence,  entitled  to  special  notice 
in  any  work  giving  a  historical  account  of  the  educa- 
tional resources  of  Illinois. 

Mr.  Elwood  was  bom  June  i,  1868,  at  Princeton, 
Green  Lake  County,  Wisconsin,  son  of  G.  DeWitt  and 
S.  Jeanette  Elwood,  both  natives^of  New  York,  but  for 
many  years  residents  of  Wisconsin.  Both  are  now 
deceased,  the  former  having  died  April  i,  1868,  the 
latter  May  5,  1893.  Our  subject  was  educated  in  the 
graded  schools  and  high  school  of  Princeton  and  the 
Lawrence  University,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
189s  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science,  and  he 
also  took  post-graduate  courses  in  the  University  of 
Wisconsin.  Beginning  his  professional  career,  Mr. 
Elwood  first  taught  in  a  country  school,  then,  suc- 
cessively, at  Dartford,  Wisconsin ;  New  London,  Wis- 
consin, high  school ;  Madison,  Wisconsin  ;  Dodgeville, 
Wisconsin,  and  since  1903  has  been  in  his  present  posi- 
tion of  superintendent  at  Charleston,  Illinois,  where  he 
has  the  management  of  four  schools,  twenty-eight  teach- 
ers and  one  thousand  pupils. 

Mr.  Elwood  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Eastern  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association,  of  which  he  is  president,  the  Schoolmas- 
ters' Club,  Masonic  Order,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  was  married  August  11,  1896,  to  Miss 
Gertrude  I.  Jefferson,  and  they  have  had  three  children, 
two  of  whom  are  deceased. 


DeWitt  Elwood. 


603 


Edward  Arthur  Ellis 

A  SPLENDID  record  in  the  educational  field  in 
Illinois  is  that  attached  to  the  name  of  Edward 
Arthur  Ellis,  who  was  born  in  this  State  and  is 
the  first  and  only  native  of  Kane  County  to  hold  the 
position  of  county  superintendent  of  schools  in  that 
county. 

Mr.  Ellis  was  born  November  2,  1877,  in  Geneva, 
Kane  County,  Illinois,  son  of  Daniel  A.  and  Ella  T. 
Ellis,  both  natives  of  New  York  and  now  residents  of 
Geneva,  Illinois.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  birthplace,  in  Beloit  College  and  the  University 
of  Chicago,  and  holds  membership  in  the  National  Edu- 
cation Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the 
Masonic  Order,  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Phi  Kappa  Psi 
fraternity  and  the  Congregational  Church.  Being  an 
increasing,  constant  reader  and  student  of  literature, 
Mr.  Ellis  has  and  is  now  constantly  adding  to  his 
already  valuable  store  of  knowledge. 

Mr.  Ellis  began  his  professional  career  as  an 
instructor  in  the  high  school  at  Geneva,  Illinois ;  then 
became  science  teacher  in  the  high  school  at  St.  Charles, 
Illinois ;  later  was  superintendent  of  schools  at  Elburn, 
Illinois,  after  which  he  served  for  five  years  as  city 
superintendent  of  the  Geneva  schools,  from  which  posi- 
tion he  was  elected  to  his  present  incumbency  as  county 
superintendent  of  schools  of  Kane  County,  Illinois, 
where  he  has  met  with  such  meritable  success.  Thor- 
oughly progressive  in  his  methods  and  an  enthusiast  in 
his  work,  he  has  brought  new  life  and  purpose  into  the 
school  system  of  Kane  County,  where  he  commands  the 
respect,  confidence  and  support  of  his  colleagues,  pupils 
and  the  public. 

On  August  4,  1903,  Mr.  Ellis  was  married  to  Miss 
Charlotte  Hamilton,  a  lady  estimably  known  in  social 
circles,  and  they  have  a  large  circle  of  friends  in  their 
residential  city  —  Geneva,  Illinois. 


Edward  Arthur  Ellis. 


Thomas  Orvall  Elliott. 


Thomas  Orvall  Elliott 

THE  city  schools  of  Harrisburg,  Illinois,  are  fortu- 
pate  in  being  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Thomas 
O.  Elliott,  who  is  an  educator  of  ripe  experience 
and  scholarly  attainments,  and  who  is  prominently  and 
most  favorably  known  in  pedagogical  circles. 

Mr.  Elliott  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Broughton, 
Hamilton  County,  this  State,  his  father  being  the  Rev. 
J.  C.  Elliott,  a  native  of  Illinois,  his  mother,  Mary  Jane 
Elliott,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  both  are  still  living. 
His  early  education  was  obtained  by  attending  a  rural 
school  in  Hamilton  County,  Illinois,  after  which  he  per- 
formed two  years'  work  imder  Dr.  John  Washburn, 
ex-president  of  Ewing  College,  one  and  a  half  years  in 
the  Southern  Illinois  Normal  School  and  two  terms  in 
the  Valparaiso  University.  He  began  his  public  career 
as  teacher  of  a  rural  school  in  Hamilton  County,  Illinois, 
and  after  five  years  in  this  position  he  was  for  three 
terms  principal  of  the  schools  at  Broughton,  Illinois,  and 
for  the  last  seven  years  has  been  superintendent  of  the 
city  schools  of  Harrisburg.  Illinois.  He  has  under  his 
able  supervision  four  schools,  thirty  teachers  and  four- 
teen hundred  and  fifty  pupils,  and  he  commands  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  is  associated. 
Mr.  Elliott  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle,  the 
Illinois  Principals'  Reading  Circle,  the  Southern  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Saline  County  Teachers'  As- 
sociation and  the  Missionary  Baptist  Church.  In  1898 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Viola  Elder,  and  they  have  a 
son  —  Ralph  Elder  Elliott. 


604 


Henry  Hugh  Edmunds 

FOR  over  twenty  years  the  public  school  system  of 
Illinois  has  claimed  the  services  of  the  above-named 
gentleman,  and  he  is  well  known  in  educational 
circles  and  to  the  public  as  an  advanced  and  thoroughly 
proficient  exponent  of  his  exacting  profession.  He  was 
born  April  28,  1868,  in  Gardner,  Illinois,  son  of  Arnold 
and  Julia  (Clague)  Edmunds,  both  natives  of  New  York, 
and  his  preliminary  education  was  secured  in  the  graded 
and  high  schools  of  his  native  town.  Later  he  took 
courses  in  the  University  of  Chicago,  the  University  of 
Illinois  and  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  Nor- 
mal, Illinois,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1895.  He 
also  holds  an  Illinois  State  Life  Certificate.  Mr.  Ed- 
munds first  began  teaching  in  1887  in  rural  schools  in 
Grundy  and  McLean  counties,  Illinois,  and  continued 
there  up  to  1890.  From  1893  to  1896  he  was  superin- 
tendent at  Lovington,  Illinois ;  from  1896  to  1901  super- 
intendent at  Atlanta,  Illinois,  and  then  became  superin- 
tendent at  Rushville,  Illinois.  From  the  latter  place  he 
went  to  Clinton,  DeWitt  County,  Illinois,  in  1907  where, 
as  superintendent  of  schools,  he  is  pursuing  a  most  suc- 
cessful career. 

Mr.  Edmunds  holds  membership  in  the  National  Edu- 
cation Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  Illinois 
Schoolmasters'  Club,  Masonic  Order,  and  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  has  been  institute  instructor  for  the  past 
sixteen  years,  and  for  past  three  years  an  instructor  in 
the  summer  session  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  Uni- 
versity. On  June  14.  1900,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Emma  Washburn,  a  graduate  of  the  Illinois 
State  Normal  University,  class  of  1897,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Arthur  W.  Edmunds  and  Richard  Henry 
Edmunds. 


Henry  Hugh  Edmunds. 


William  Calvin  Fairweather. 


William  Calvin  Fairweather 

MR.   FAIRWEATHER  is  an  instructor  of  sound 
ability   and    thorough   experience   and   has   been 
engaged  in  educational  work  upward  of  fifteen 
years.     His   special   branch   is   the   teaching  of  physics 
and  mathematics,  in  which  he  excels. 

Our  subject  was  born  on  a  farm  four  miles  south  of 
McLeansboro,  Illinois,  his  father  being  William  Fair- 
weather,  a  native  of  Lincolnshire,  England,  who  is  still 
living  at  the  age  of  seventy-six,  while  his  mother, 
Rachel  Fairweather  (nee  Manning),  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee, deceased  November  14,  1878,  near  McLeansboro, 
Illinois.  He  received  his  first  instruction  in  Parker's 
Prairie  District  School,  and  later  attended,  for  one  term 
each,  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  at  Normal, 
Illinois,  and  the  Southern  Illinois  Normal  University, 
at  Carbondale,  Illinois ;  the  Valparaiso  University  for 
two  terms,  and  for  a  year  was  student  in  the  University 
of  Illineis.  He  first  taught  a  three  months'  term  in 
Parker's  Prairie  School,  then  for  a  five  months'  term 
in  the  Mary's  Chapel  District  School  and  for  five 
months  in  the  Mayberry  District  School,  and  next 
taught  seventh  and  eighth  grades  in  the  McLeansboro 
schools  for  three  years.  Subsequently  he  was  principal 
of  Ward  Schools,  Murphysboro,  Illinois,  for  four  years, 
and  for  the  past  eight  years  has  been  Superintendent 
of  Schools  at  McLeanboro,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Fairweather  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association  and  the  Southern  Illinois  Teach- 
ers' Association.  He  is  Past  Chancellor  of  the  McLeans- 
boro Lodge,  No.  Ill,  Knights  of  Pythias;  Past 
Grand  of  Hamilton  Lodge,  No.  191,  Odd  Fellows; 
Vice-President  of  the  McLeansboro  Building  and  Loan 
Association;  Vice-President  of  the  McLeansboro  Inde- 
pendent Telephone  Company ;  President  of  the  Climax 
Club  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  McLeansboro.  On 
September  8,  1900,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Excie 
O'Neal,  and  both  are  held  in  high  regard  in  the  social 
circles  of  McLeansboro,  where  they  reside. 


605 


Mary  Morrow  Findley 

JAMES  L.  FINDLEY  and  his  wife,  formerly  Sarah 
Walker,  were  Buckeye  born,  but  removed  to  Illinois 
from  Ohio,  where  they  became  the  parents  of  Mary 
Morrow  Findley,  a  school-teacher  of  note  in  Illinois 
annals,  that  event  occurring  in  Warren  County.  Miss 
Findley  began  her  education  in  the  rural  schools  of 
Warren  County,  continuing  it  in  the  Monmouth  Acad- 
emy and  Monmouth  College,  and  concluding  it  in  the 
University  of  Illinois.  She  was  graduated  from  Mon- 
mouth College  in  1882,  when  she  received  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Science.  On  graduation  from  Mon- 
mouth College  she  taught  in  the  primary  school  at 
Kirkwood,  Illinois,  for  a  year ;  was  principal  of  a  two- 
room  school  at  Spring  Hill,  Indiana,  for  three  years ; 
and  Salem  Academy  at  South  Salem,  Ohio,  two  years ; 
Northern  Iowa  Academy,  Garner,  Iowa,  two  years;  in 
De  Pere  (Wis.)  and  Greenlield  (Ohio)  high  schools, 
each  one  year;  was  principal  of  the  Shelby  (Ohio) 
high  school  three  years ;  and  then  became  instructor 
in  the  Monmouth  high  school,  where  she  has  been  for 
the  past  fifteen  years,  having  been  principal  for  the  last 
two,  there  being  eleven  teachers  and  three  hundred  and 
forty-four  pupils  under  her  direction. 

Miss  Findley  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Military  Tract  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, and  the  Monmouth  Schoolmasters'  Club,  and  has 
made  a  special  study  of  mathematics.  She  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 


W.  R.  Foster 

MR.   FOSTER   was   born  in   Troy  Grove,   Illinois, 
January  24,  1863,  son  of  Charles  F.  Foster  (de- 
ceased 1901),  a  native  of  Thornton,  New  Hamp- 
shire,  and   Harriet    (Masterman)    Foster,    a   native   of 
Weld,  Maine.     His  education  was  gained  in  the  village 
school  and  in  the  Northern  Illinois  Normal,  at  Dixon, 


W.  R.  Foster. 


Mary  Morrow  Findley. 


Illinois.  His  first  teaching  was  done  in  district  schools 
of  LaSalle  County,  and  as  assistant  in  the  home  school. 

From  1886  to  1891  he  was  principal  *of  the  same 
school,  and  in  1890  his  school  was  awarded  the  sweep- 
stakes diploma  of  the  Educational  Department  of  the 
Illinois  State  Fair.  In  1891-92  he  was  assistant  superin- 
tendent of  schools,  LaSalle  County,  which  position  he 
resigned  to  accept  the  superintendency  of  the  (East) 
Mendota  schools.  There  he  developed  an  executive 
ability  that  soon  modernized  the  schools  and  earned  for 
the  high  school  full  recognition  by  the  colleges  and  uni- 
versities of  the  Middle  West. 

In  1006  he  was  elected  superintendent  of  schools  of 
LaSalle  County,  and  in  1910  was  reelected.  During  his 
term  he  has  displayed  the  same  administrative  qualities 
that  marked  his  work  as  city  superintendent.  A  course 
of  study  that  adapts  the  Illinois  State  Course  to  the 
uniform  texts  used  throughout  the  county  has  been 
worked  out  and  is  in  use  in  the  village  and  rural 
schools.  Regular  and  definite  examinations  are  given 
and  250  to  275  pupils  are  graduated  each  year.  Library 
work  has  been  revived  and  encouraged  until  pupils 
are  reading  25,000  to  30,000  books  annually,  necessitat- 
ing the  use  of  some  1,200  Pupils'  Reading  Circle 
diplomas  yearly.  The  work  in  reading  is  further  en- 
hanced by  a  county  circulating  library  of  3,200  volumes, 
and  by  an  illustrated  county  school  paper. 

Mr.  Foster  has  taken  an  active  part  in  educative 
movements,  serving  as  president  of  the  Ottawa  Chau- 
tauqua Association,  as  chairman  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Illinois  County  Teachers'  Association,  and 
has  been  instrumental  in  organizing  a  number  of  teach- 
ers' and  parents'  associations  in  his  county.  He  holds 
membership  in  the  National,  State  and  District  Teach- 
ers' Associations,  and  is  affiliated  with  several  fraternal 
orders  and  with  the  Baptist  Church.  His  marriage  to 
Miss  Philena  M.  Mitten  occurred  November  25,  1886, 
and  they  have  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  Frank  L., 
Perry  J.,  Harriet  A,  and  Esther  M.  Foster. 


606 


Henry  Hoag  Frost 

PRESIDENT  of  the  Grand  Prairie  Seminary,  at 
Onarga,  Illinois,  has  been  engaged  in  educational 
work  for  the  past  fifteen  years,  and  has  ever  been 
active  in  promoting  the  interests, of  his  profession.  He 
has  also  gained  considerable  note  as  a  public  speaker, 
having  frequently  lectured  on  moral  and  educational 
topics  to  select  and  appreciative  audiences. 

Mr.  Frost  was  born  at  Summerset,  New  York  (Nia- 
gara County),  son  of  Albert  E.  and  Elizabeth  (Atwater) 
Frost,  also  natives  of  Somerset,  New  York,  and  both 
living.  He  possesses  an  excellent  education,  which  was 
secured  in  the  country  school  at  Lake  Road,  New  York ; 
the  village  school  at  Somerset,  New  York ;  the  high 
school  at  North  Tonawanda,  New  York ;  the  high 
school  at  Lockport,  New  York ;  the  academy  of  the 
Northwestern  University,  Evanston,  Illinois,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1896,  and  the  College  of  Liberal 
Arts,  Northwestern  University,  graduating  from  the 
latter  in  1901  with  the  degree  of  B.A.  He  first  taught 
at  Lake  Road,  New  York,  from  1892  to  1893;  was 
principal  of  the  high  school  at  Geneseo,  Illinois,  1901- 
1904;  superintendent  of  schools  at  Geneseo,  Illinois, 
1904-1905,  and  since  then  has  been  president  of  the 
Grand  Prairie  Seminary,  at  Onarga,  Illinois,  in  which 
position  he  has  supervision  of  seven  departments,  four- 
teen assistants  and  three  hundred  pupils.  Mr.  Frost 
is  a  member  of  the  Religious  Educational  Association, 
the  Masonic  Order,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Central 
Illinois  Methodist  Episcopal  Conference.  In  June,  1901, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Alice  Tuttle,  and  they 
now  have  three  sons,  Wilfrid  Tuttle,  Henry  Hoag  and 
Arthur  Atwater  Frost. 


Charles  Wallace  French 

MR.  FRENCH  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  ablest 
educators  in  the  State,  and  is  a  ripe  scholar  and 
skilled  disciplinarian,  and  a  writer  of  force  and 
distinction.      He    is    a    native    of    the    Green    Mountain 


Henry  Hoag  Frost. 


Charles  Wallace  French. 


State,  having  been  born  at  Woodstock,  Vermont,  April 
5,  1858,  son  of  Charles  Wallace  and  Ann  M.  French, 
both  natives  of  Vermont.  His  father  deceased  April 
22,  i860,  and  is  survived  by  his  widow. 

Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  elementary  and  high 
schools  of  his  home  town,  and  in  Dartmouth  College, 
from  which  he  graduated  with  the  degrees  of  A.B.  and 
A.M.  Subsequently,  he  performed  post-graduate  work 
in  the  University  of  Chicago.  Mr.  French  first  taught 
in  district  schools  in  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire, 
then  became  an  instructor  in  the  Marlowe  (N.  H.) 
Academy.  Following  this  he  taught  in  a  public  school 
at  Ferrysburg,  Michigan,  was  superintendent  of  schools 
at  St.  Joseph,  Michigan,  and  then,  going  to  Chicago, 
became  teacher  in  the  West  Division  High  School.  Suc- 
ceeding this  he  was  principal  of  the  Lake  View  High 
School  (1890-1891)  and  Hyde  Park  High  School  (1891- 
1895).  After  a  year's  rest  he  went  to  the  Normal 
School  as  vice-president  and  acting  principal  of  the 
Normal  Practice  School. 

Mr.  French  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association  and  the  University  Congregational  Church. 

Among  other  literary  work  done  by  him  was  the 
"Life  of  Lincoln"  (American  Reformers'  Series), 
"  Words  of  Lincoln  "  and  "  Introduction  to  the  Study  of 
Browning."  He  is  also  the  editor  of  a  number  of 
classics,  among  which  are  "  Flight  of  the  Tartar  Tribe," 
"  Burke's  Conciliation,"  "  Macaulay's  Milton  and  Addi- 
son," "  Rab  and  His  Friends,"  "  Black  Beauty "  and 
"  Shakespeare's  Macbeth." 

On  July  17,  1889,  Mr.  French  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  L.  Heartt,  of  St.  Joseph  Michigan,  now  deceased, 
and  on  June  28,  1900,  he  was  united  to  Miss  Fanny  K. 
Bartlett,  of  Rockford,  Illinois.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren—  Mary  McKenzie,  Eleanor  Bartlett  and  Carolyn 
Norton  French. 


607 


Samuel  J.  Ferguson 

IN  the  roster  of  the  public  school  instructors  of  Illi- 
nois, a  position  of  prominence  and  a  high  reputation 
has  long  been  enjoyed  by  the  above-named  gentle- 
man, who  for  thirteen  years  has  been  the  efficient  super- 
intendent of  schools  of  Rock  Island  County. 

Mr.  Ferguson  was  born  at  Hoyes,  Maryland,  March 
20,  1865,  son  of  Samuel  and  Hester  Ferguson,  natives, 
respectively,  of  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania,  the  latter 
of  whom  is  now  deceased,  her  death  occurring  at  Hoyes, 
Maryland,  in  1892. 

Mr.  Ferguson  was  educated  in  the  public  and  normal 
schools  of  Maryland,  and  then  took  a  course  in  the 
National  Normal  University,  at  Lebanon,  Ohio,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1892.  At  the  beginning  of  his 
professional  career  he  taught  school  at  Flintstone,  Mary- 
land, and  on  leaving  there  became  an  instructor  in  Fort 
White  Academy,  Florida.  Returning  north,  he  taught 
school  at  Reynolds,  Illinois.  In  1898  he  was  elected 
county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Rock  Island  County. 
His  services  proved  so  eminently  satisfactory  that  in 
the  fall  of  1910  he  was  reelected  to  the  position  without 
opposition.  He  has  supervision  of  103  schools,  150 
teachers  and  over  seven  thousand  pupils. 

Mr.  Ferguson  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle,  of  which 
he  is  manager,  and  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association,  of  which  organization  he  lately  served  as 
president.  He  also  is  a  member  and  president  of  the 
Military  Tract  Teachers'  Association.  On  July  17,  1895, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Annie  L.  Easter,  and  they  have 
two  sons,  Vance  and  Kenneth  Ferguson,  and  a  daughter, 
named  Sulah. 

Henry  L.  Fowkes. 

A  MAN  who  has  made  a  distinct  success  through 
his   own  unremitting   toil   and  efforts   is  certainly 
entitled  to  commendation  and  admiration,  as  well 
as  that  his  example  should  be  emulated.     Such  a  one  is 


Samuel  J.  Ferguson. 


Henry  L.  Fowkes. 


Henry  L.  Fowkes,  at  present  County  Superintendent  of 
Schools  of  Christian  County,  Illinois.  Although  a  young 
man,  Mr.  Fowkes  has  given  seventeen  years  of  valuable 
service  to  the  cause  of  popular  education  in  this  State, 
and  his  record  is  one  worthy  of  preservation  in  the  edu- 
cational annals  of  this  commonwealth. 

Henry  L.  Fowkes  was  born  September  9,  1877,  at  Mt. 
Auburn,  Illinois.  His  parents,  G.  F.  and  Lucy  Fowkes, 
both  natives  of  this  State,  are  now  living.  ■Mr.  Fowkes 
has  an  excellent  education,  obtained  in  rural  graded  and 
high  schools,  and  in  private  study.  His  varied  experi- 
ence as  a  teacher  and  superintendent,  together  with  the 
wide  scope  of  his  reading,  has  become  the  solid  founda- 
tion upon  which  has  been  builded  a  life  of  usefulness  to 
the  community  and  to  the  State  at  large.  In  his  peda- 
gogical career  he  taught  for  eight  years  in  the  rural  and 
village  schools  of  his  county,  was  for  ten  years  city 
superintendent  of  schools  of  Taylorville,  Illinois,  and  in 
November,  1910,  was  elected  superintendent  of  the 
schools  of  Christian  County,  Illinois,  in  which  capacity 
he  has  under  his  jurisdiction  266  teachers  and  several 
thousand  pupils.  He  is  an  enthusiastic  worker  and 
imparts  enthusiasm  to  his  colleagues  and  pupils  alike, 
thus  insuring  the  best  results.  Under  his  regime  the 
most  satisfactory  status  of  affairs  has  been  attained. 

Mr.  Fowkes  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  the 
Eastern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity. Knights  of  Pythias,  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  the 
Christian  Church.  He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the 
Taylorville  Carnegie  Library  Board  for  the  past  six 
years. 

On  August  22,  1900,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lillieth 
Foster,  of  Mt.  Auburn,  to  which  union  has  been  born 
four  children,  Pauline,  Lorine,  William  H.  and  Ralph  L. 


608 


Mary  Louise  Fellows 

AN  educational  institution,  well  known  for  the  excel- 
lence of  its  curriculum,  and  one  that  has  accom- 
plished much  good  since  its  inception,  is  the  Elm- 
wood  Home  School,  located  at  4706  Woodlawn  avenue, 
Kenwood,  and  presided  over  by  its  founder,  Miss  Mar)' 
Louise  Fellows,  who  established  this  excellent  institu- 
tion nineteen  years  ago. 

Miss  Fellows  was  born  in  Cobden,  Illinois,  her  father 
being  Philip  H.  Fellows,  a  native  of  New  York,  now 
deceased ;  her  mother,  Mary  A.  Fellows,  native  of  Staf- 
fordshire, England,  who  is  still  living.  Her  excellent 
education  was  secured  in  city  primary  and  secondary 
schools,  the  South  Division  High  School,  Chicago,  and 
the  University  of  Chicago,  in  which  she  took  a  post- 
graduate course  in  Latin.  She  made  special  studies  in 
Latin,  English  and  history,  and  excels  in  those  subjects. 

Miss  Fellows  was  the  first  to  recognize  and  insist 
upon  the  now  universally  favored  system  of  individual 
attention,  which  has  been  provocative  of  such  excellent 
and  substantial  results. 

The  theories  of  co-educational  work,  which  she  has 
carried  out,  consist  of  a  sort  of  sj^mpathetic  association 
of  young  people  in  natural  and  attractive  home  life,  a 
plan  that  has  materialized  most  substantially  and  satis- 
factorily. The  unexpected  success  of  her  pupils  and 
graduates  is  shown  in  their  later  experiences  in  schools 
and  colleges. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  here  that  Miss  Fellows' 
mother,  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Aherns,  one  of  the  first  woman 
practitioners  at  the  bar  of  Illinois,  is  interested  in  this 
school,  and  gives  it  the  support  of  her  great  influence. 
She  is  a  philanthropist,  a  prominent  public  speaker,  and 
well  known  in  club  and  social  circles.  She  has  a  sum- 
mer home  at  Lake  Geneva.  In  addition  to  her  school 
work.  Miss  Fellows  has  found  time  to  contribute  to 
educational  publications,  and  she  is  most  favorably 
known  in  pedagogical  circles. 


Mary  Louise  Fellows. 


James  Alexander  Freeman. 


James  Alexander  Freeman 

MR.  FREEMAN  belongs  to  a  Tennessee  family,  in 
which  State  he  was  born,  as  well  as  his  father 
and  mother  before  him.  His  father,  Lewis  A. 
Freeman,  died  in  East  Portland,  Oregon,  in  January, 
1900;  and  his  mother,  Mary  H.  Freeman,  died  in 
Opdyke,  Illinois,  February  17,  1876. 

James  Alexander  Freeman  was  born  in  Nashville, 
Tennessee,  February  19,  1865,  and,  coming  to  Illinois 
with  his  family  in  his  early  youth,  first  attended  the 
country  schools  at  Opdyke,  and  afterward  attended  the 
Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  School,  at  Carbondale; 
Austin  College,  at  Efiingham,  and  the  Illinois  Univer- 
sity, at  Champaign ;  and,  after  being  graduated  from 
the  Southern  Illinois  State  Normal,  he  did  post-grad- 
uate work  there. 

His  first  teaching  was  in  the  rural  schools  in  Jackson 
County,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  four  years,  after 
which  he  was  principal  one  year  at  Gillespie,  Illinois, 
when  he  removed  to  Oregon  City,  Oregon,  but  after  one 
year  as  principal  there,  returned  to  Illinois  and  became 
superintendent  of  city  schools  at  Carbondale,  Illinois, 
remaining  there  two  years,  then  was  ten  years  superin- 
tendent of  schools  at  Trenton,  Illinois,  when  he  became 
superintendent  at  Freeburg,  Illinois,  where  he  has  been 
for  the  past  four  years,  with  two  schools,  seven  teachers 
and  283  pupils  under  him. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the 
Masons,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Modern  Wood- 
men, and  belongs  to  the  Baptist  Church. 

December  24,  1902,  he  married  Cordelia  Poos,  who 
lived  only  three  years  and  one  month  after  their  mar- 
riage. She  was  survived  by  her  husband  and  their  son 
—  James  Wilber  Freeman. 


39 


609 


James  J.  Ferguson 

THIS  gentleman  is  a  veteran  in  the  pedagogical 
world,  having  been  engaged  in  culturing  the  youth- 
ful mind  for  over  twenty  years,  and  he  sustains  a 
high  reputation  among  his  co-workers  and  with  the 
public. 

Mr.  Ferguson  was  born  in  Indiana,  December  13, 
i860,  son  of  George  and  Margaret  (Dally)  Ferguson, 
both  natives  of  Scotland,  and  the  latter  of  whom  de- 
ceased in  Crawford  county,  Illinois,  in  1878.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm  and  attended  the  country  schools  until 
his  twentieth  year,  and  then  took  a  three  years'  course 
in  Westfield  College,  entering  there  in  1880.  In  1887 
he  became  a  student  in  the  Illinois  State  Normal  Uni- 
versity, Normal,  Illinois,  and  successfully  graduated  in 
1891.  H'e  has  also  done  post-graduate  work  at  the  latter 
university  and  the  University  of  Illinois.  He  taught  his 
first  school  in  Knox  County  in  1885  "•  obtained  his  first 
certificate  of  Wm.  L.  Steele.  He  later  taught  in  the 
public  school  of  Palestine,  Illinois  ;  then  in  the  DeKalb 
(Illinois)  High  School;  was  principal  of  the  normal 
department  of  the  Grand  Prairie  (Illinois)  Seminary 
six  years ;  principal  of  the  public  schools,  Chebanse, 
Illinois,  three  years,  and  for  the  following  six  years  was 
superintendent  of  schools  at  Sheldon,  Iroquois  County, 
Illinois,  and  is  now  superintendent  of  city  schools  at 
Robinson,  Illinois  (Crawford  County),  for  the  third 
year,  where  he  is  assisted  by  seventeen  teachers,  and  has 
under  his  charge  eight  hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Ferguson  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  is  a  life  mem- 
ber of  the  University  Research  Extension,  of  Chicago. 
He  was  for  several  years  president  of  the  County  Teach- 
ers' Association  of  Iroquois  County,  Illinois.  He  holds 
a  life  certificate  in  Illinois.  On  December  25,  1891,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Kate  C.  Freeman,  and  they  have 
two  children,  of  whom  one.  Freeman  Paul  Ferguson, 
survives. 


L.  P.  Frohardt. 


James  J.  Ferguson. 


L.  P.  Frohardt 

THIS  gentleman  has  been  identified  with  the  educa- 
tional world  for  over  a  quarter  century,  and  he  is 
recognized  as  being  a  past  master  of  all  the  details 
and  technique  that  mark  that  most  responsible  of  call- 
ings —  the  teacher. 

Mr.  Frohardt  is  a  native  of  Moniteau  County,  Mis- 
souri, and  his  parents,  John  D.  and  Wilhelmine'  (Run- 
ning) Frohardt,  were  both  of  German  birth.  His  father 
died  near  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  in  1900,  and  is  still  sur- 
vived by  his  widow. 

Our  subject  received  his  elementary  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Pottawattamie  County,  Iowa,  and  then 
entered  Central  Wesleyan  College,  at  Warrenton,  Mis- 
souri, from  which  he  graduated  in  1881  with  an  A.B. 
degree.  From  this  college  he  later  received  the  A.M. 
degree  for  post-graduate  work.  Mr.  Frohardt  first 
taught  public  school  at  Spanish  Lake,  St.  Louis  County, 
Missouri,  five  years ;  was  principal  of  the  preparatory 
department  of  the  Central  Wesleyan  College  eight 
years ;  and  entered  his  present  position  as  superintend- 
ent of  schools  in  Granite  City,  Illinois,  twelve  years  ago. 
As  a  commentary  on  his  energy  and  the  excellence  of 
his  work  here  it  may  be  mentioned  that  in  1894  he  en- 
tered upon  his  labors  with  but  one  assistant,  while  at 
the  present  time  his  staff  numbers  fifty  assistants 
and  in  the  four  schools  he  controls  there  is  an  enrol- 
ment of  eighteen  hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Frohardt  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation and  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  in  1893-4  he  was 
vice-president  of  the  Missouri  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion. He  has  contributed  many  timely  articles  to  news- 
papers and  magazines.  In  1883  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Caroline  Becker,  and  they  have  seven  children.  Homer 
O.,  Edith  B.,  Viola  E.,  Elmer  I.,  Anna,  Ralph  and 
Waldo  E. 


610 


D.  Frank  Fawcett 

IN  the  development  of  the  educational  interests  of 
Illinois,  valuable  and  highly  appreciable  services 
have  been  rendered  by  D.  Frank  Fawcett,  and  he  is 
held  in  high  regard  in  scholastic  circles. 

Mr.  Fawcett  was  born  in  Clinton,  Vermilion  County, 
Indiana,  and  the  comprehensive  education  he  possesses 
was  secured  in  country  schools ;  the  Normal  School  at 
Valparaiso,  Indiana;  Westfield  (111.)  College,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1883  as  B.S.,  and  in  1886 
received  the  ^I.S.  degree ;  Otterbein  University,  West- 
erville,  Ohio,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1889 
with  the  degree  of  A.B.,  and  in  1892  was  given  the 
degree  of  A.M.,  and  he  also  performed  post-graduate 
work  at  Harvard  University  and  the  University  of  Chi- 
cago. Since  beginning  his  pedagogical  career,  he  taught 
in  a  country  school  and  the  public  school  in  Taylor- 
ville,  Illinois,  in  1883-4;  was  principal  at  JNIorrisonville, 
Illinois,  from  1884  to  1887;  student  in  Otterbein  Uni- 
versity, 1887-1889;  principal  of  the  Buffalo  school  in 
1889-91  ;  taught  history  and  mathematics  in  the  Taylor- 
ville  township  high  school  from  1891  to  1895 ;  student 
in  the  University  of  Chicago,  1895-1896;  principal  of 
the  Maroa  (111.)  schools  from  1896  to  1898;  principal 
of  Rockton  (111.)  school,  1899-1906;  superintendent  of 
Maroa  (111.)  schools,  1906-1910,  and  then  became  prin- 
cipal of  the  Stuart  school,  Springfield,  Illinois,  where 
he  had  a  staff  of  twelve  teachers. 

Mr.  Fawcett  is  an  ex-member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle,  Central 
Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  Northern  Illinois  Teach- 
ers' Association,  and  now  holds  membership  in  the 
Masonic  Order,  the  Order  of  Eastern  Star  and  the 
United  Brethren  Church.  On  August  22,  1899,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Lillie  W.  Griffith,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Harriet  Pleasant  Fawcett. 


D.  Frank  Fawcett. 


William  Alexander  Furr. 


William  Alexander  Furr 

FOR  more  than  twenty-two  years  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  has  been  identified  with  public  school  work, 
and  as  an  educationalist  he  has  won  deserved 
commendation  for  his  conscientious  efforts  and  the 
thoroughness  of  his  methods. 

Mr.  Furr  was  born  October  2,  1863,  in  Fountain 
County,  Indiana,  his  parents  also  being  natives  of  that 
State.  His  father,  Marcus  Furr,  is  still  living,  while 
his  mother,  Sarah  Justus  Furr,  deceased  at  Hillsboro, 
Fountain  County,  Indiana,  in  1875.  He  was  educated 
in  the  country  schools  of  his  birthplace,  the  Indiana 
State  Normal  School,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1891,  and  the  Indiana  State  University,  graduating 
from  the  latter  in  1896  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts,  and  in  1897  he  received  the  degree'  of  Master  of 
Arts  from  the  same  institution.  His  special  branches 
of  study  were  history  and  pedagogy. 

Mr.  Furr  first  taught  in  country  schools  for  four 
years,  next  in  Veedersburg,  Indiana,  for  five  years, 
then  at  Ottawa,  Illinois,  from  1897  to  1905,  and  since 
then  has  been  superintendent  of  schools  at  Jackson- 
ville, Illinois.  Under  his  control  are  six  schools, 
seventy-seven  teachers  and  twenty-three  hundred  pupils, 
and  the  most  harmonious  relations  exist  between  him, 
his  colleagues  and  his  scholars.  He  has  also  acted  in 
the  capacity  of  institute  instructor  for  fifteen  years  in 
Illinois,  Indiana  and  Iowa,  and  has  just  accepted  the 
position  of  Lecturer  on   Education  in   Illinois   College. 

Mr.  Furr  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teacher*'  Association, 
the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle,  the  Cen- 
tral Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  and  the  Congrega- 
tional Church.  In  1889  he  was  married  to  Miss  Al- 
pharetta  Brown,  and  after  her  decease,  was,  in  1902, 
married  to  Miss  Lucie  J.  Rigden.  He  has  five  children. 
Coral,  Paul,  Homer,  Clarence  Lee  and  Dorothy  Alice. 


611 


James  B.  Farnsworth 

IT  is  indeed  rare  that  a  case  is  found  where  one  has 
served  in  the  public  school  service  for  a  half  century, 
but  such  an  instance  is  found  in  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

James  B.  Farnsworth  was  born  in  Westford,  Vermont, 
July  23,  1843,  son  of  Reuben  and  Eunice  (Earle)  Farns- 
worth, both  natives  of  Vermont.  The  former  died  in 
October,  1867,  in  Philo,  Illinois,  the  latter  in  Chicago  in 
October,  1888.  His  early  education  was  secured  in  the 
public  schools  of  this  State,  but  the  vast  store  of  knowl- 
edge possessed  by  him  was  obtained  through  constant 
private  study.  That  his  studies  have  resulted  in  benefit 
for  the  public  good  is  but  "  putting  it  mildly."  Thou- 
sands of  his  former  pupils,  now  prominent  in  many 
walks  of  life,  can  testify  to  the  fact  that  their  best  intui- 
tions of  moral  and  scholarly  ways  were  received  directly 
from  him. 

Mr.  Farnsworth  began  teaching  in  country  schools, 
and  after  eight  years'  service  there  became  an  instructor 
in  the  Lake  Zurich  Academy  for  two  years.  Following 
this,  he  was  principal  of  the  Jefferson  High  School 
(Chicago)  for  eight  years,  principal  of  the  Hoffman 
Avenue  School  for  the  same  length  of  time,  principal 
of  Irving  Park  one  year,  and  for  the  past  twenty-two 
jxars  has  been  principal  of  the  Logan  School,  Oakley 
avenue  and  Rhine  street,  where  he  has  supervision  of 
eighteen  teachers  and  nine  hundred  pupils.  His  experi- 
ence as  a  school-teacher  extends  over  half  a  century. 
To  him  belongs  the  credit  of  organizing  the  first  high 
school  under  the  law  enabling  townships  to  form  high 
schools.  He  started  the  old  Jefferson  High  School  in 
January,  1870.  This  was  the  forerunner  of  the  Jef- 
ferson High  School,  which  had  its  home  for  twenty- 
seven  years  in  Mayfair,  and  whose  successor,  the  Carl 
Schurz,  recently  opened  its  magnificent  home  on  Mil- 
waukee avenue,  in  Irving  Park. 

Mr.  Farnsworth  was  given  a  surprise  reception  at  the 
closing  of  his  fiftieth  year  as  a  teacher  by  his  neighbors, 
former  pupils  and  teachers  who  had  taught  under  him. 

Mr.  Farnsworth  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  (B.  F.  Butler 
Post),  and  the  Congregational  Church.  He  is  a  musi- 
cian of  recognized  ability,  has  sung  in  the  choir  for  fifty 
j^ears  and  for  twenty-five  years  has  been  choir  leader. 
He  was  a  member  of  a  band  in  the  Northern  Army 
during  the  Civil  War  and  won  deserved  credit.  He  was 
married  May  i,  1866,  to  Alma  Putnam,  and  they  have 
had  three  children,  Charles  E.,  of  Anaconda,  Montana, 
being  the  only  survivor. 


Margaret  S.  Gill,  A.B.,  Ph.B. 

MRS.    GILL    was    born    in    Cincinnati,    Ohio,    her 
parents  being  Henry  P.  and  Charlotte  F.  Spears, 
both    native    Ohioans,    and    now    deceased;     the 
former  having  died  in  1886,  the  latter  in  1894. 

She  attended  school  a  few  years  in  her  native  place, 
but  her  family  moved  to  Fond  du  Lac,  Wisconsin,  and 
most  of  her  education  was  gained  at  that  point.  Her 
ancestors  were  educated  people,  city  people  used  to 
modern  culture.  They  were  engaged  in  educational 
pursuits,  many  of  them.  Several  of  them  were  college 
professors  and  many  of  them  ministers  of  the  gospel. 
Her  mother  was  a  graduate  of  Oberlin  College,  as  also 
were  two  uncles.  It  was  natural,  then,  for  Mrs.  Gill's 
parents  to  prize  an  education  above  price  and  to  desire 
their  daughter  should  have  as  broad  a  one  as  possible. 
The  day  they  started  her  to  school,  or  when  she  was 
six  years  old,  she  commenced  the  study  of  the  piano 
also.  These  she  kept  up  continuously  until  she  gradu- 
ated from  the  Fond  du  Lac  High  School.  The  year 
after  her  graduation  she  began  her  course  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wisconsin.  At  that  time  the  "  co-eds  "  were 
despised  by  the  boys  and  sneered  at  by  the  faculty.     It 


James  B.  Farnsworth. 

required  much  determination  to  remain  and  get 
through ;  but  in  1866  Margaret  Spears  Gill  obtained  her 
diploma,  her  A.B.  and  also  her  musical  diploma. 

She  then  taught  at  home  for  three  years  in  the 
German-English  Academy,  and  instrumental  music  two 
years  in  the  State  Normal  School,  Stevens  Point,  Wis- 
consin. 

Feeling  that  Chicago  would  afford  a  broader  field, 
she  went  there  just  after  the  fire.  She  is  a  veteran 
teacher  now  and  has  never  stopped.  She  has  had  tens 
of  thousands  under  her  charge  who  "  rise  up  to  call 
her  blessed,"  for  she  is  intelligent,  progressive,  pains- 
taking and  enthusiastic. 

She  assumed  her  present  charge,  the  Henry  H.  Nash 
School,  twenty-five  years  ago,  and  has  many  of  the 
second  generation  under  her  charge  at  present.  She  has 
good  health  and  spirits  and  she  has  never  been  absent 
from  her  present  school  a  single  half-day.  Her  pupils 
number  fourteen  hundred,  her  teachers  thirty,  her  alum- 
nus twelve  hundred,  and  her  friends,  the  entire  school 
district,  for  she  has  devoted  her  life  to  their  interests. 

Being  such  a  gifted  musician,  it  is  natural  for  her  to 
express  herself  in  melody  or  song.  It  is  temperamental. 
She  has  written  thirty  "  class  songs."  It  is  her  way  of 
teaching  the  lessons  of  life.  Could  you  hear  them  ren- 
dered yearly  by  her  classes,  you  would  know  that  the 
lessons  had  fallen  on  fallow  ground. 

Mrs.  Gill  has  also  published  several  instrumental 
pieces  that  have  been  very  popular.  She  has  been 
qbroad  twice  and  her  observations  she  has  embodied 
in  lectures  which  have  been  well  received  by  the  dis- 
criminating audiences  that  have  heard  them. 

Mrs.  Gill  is  an  active  worker  in  the  Baptist  Church 
and  is  a  member  of  many  clubs.  The  ones  she  is  most 
interested  in  are  the  King's  Daughters,  Daughters  of 
Veterans,  College  Club,  and  University  Club. 

The  proudest  moment  in  her  life  was  when  in  June, 
1909,  forty  years  after  graduation,  her  dear  old  "  Var- 
sity," her  alma  mater,  bestowed  upon  her  the  Ph.B. 
for  continuous  and  successful  work  in  the  educational 
field. 


612 


Mamie  £.  Graff 


MISS  GRAFF  was  born  in  Greenville,  Illinois; 
her  father,  Peter  Graflf,  and  her  mother,  Eleanor, 
both  having  been  natives  of  Illinois.  Her  father 
died  June  i,  i88g,  but  her  mother  is  still  living. 

Miss  Graff  began  her  education  by  attending  the  coun- 
try schools  in  her  native  place,  after  which  she  was  a 
student  at  Austin  College,  which  graduated  her  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  She  also  attended  the 
Normal  School  and  the  State  University.  She  has  suc- 
cessfully passed  the  State  examination  and  holds  a  life 
State  certificate. 

She  taught  her  first  school  in  Pocahontas,  Illinois, 
where  she  remained  three  years,  and  then  taught  in 
Highland,  Illinois,  for  seventeen  years,  after  which  she 
taught  in  her  home  town,  where  she  has  been  for  the 
past  seven  years,  and  where  she  is  principal,  with  two 
teachers  and  104  pupils  under  her. 

She  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation and  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association, 
and  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 

That  her  good  work  in  the  schools  where  she  has 
taught  has  been  appreciated,  the  fact  that  she  has  taught 
so  long  in  each  school,  speaks  in  emphatic  language. 

Warren  G.  Greenup 

MR.  GREENUP  was  born  in  McDonough  County, 
Illinois,     April     25,     1877,     his     father,     Eugene 
Greenup,   and   his   mother,    Amanda    (Holliday) 
Greenup,  both   being  natives  of   Illinois,   and   are  both 
living  at  the  present  time. 

Warren  C.  Greenup  was  educated  at  Industry,  Illinois, 
did  correspondence  work  in  the  sciences  and  finished 'a 
four  years'  course.  He  began  teaching  in  a  country 
district,  where  he  remained  two  years,  taught  in  the 
Industry  High  School  five  years,  and  in  the  Adair  High 
School  six  years,  where  he  is  principal  at  present,  with 
one  school,  two  teachers  and  seventy-five  pupils.     He  is 


Cyrus  Stover  Grove. 


Mamie  E.  Graff. 

a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association  and 
the  McDonough  County  Teachers'  Association.  He  held 
the  position  of  postmaster  at  Adair,  Illinois,  from  May 
21,  1909,  to  November  15,  1910,  when  he  resigned  the 
position  to  resume  her  life-work  of  teaching.  In  August, 
1898,  Mr.  Greenup  married  Miss  Laura  D.  Kearby,  who 
has  borne  him  five  children,  Perry,  lone,  Clydell, 
Charles  and  Holly. 

Cyrus  Stover  Grove 

AMONG  the  tried  and  thoroughly  competent  instruc- 
J^Y_  tors  that  go  to  form  the  great  body  of  public 
school  teachers  in  Illinois,  the  above-named  gen- 
tleman has  long  borne  a  favorable  reputation.  He  is  a 
native  of  Spring  Mills,  Center  County,  Pennsylvania, 
born  September  27,  1867,  his  parents  being  John  and 
Margaret  (Stover)  Grove,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  both  deceased,  the  former  having  departed  this  life 
in  October,  1907,  the  latter  in  January  of  the  same  year. 

Cyrus  Stover  Grove  was  educated  in  the  district  school 
of  Egg  Hill,  Pennsylvania ;  at  Spring  Mills  Academy ; 
Northern  Indiana  Normal  University  and  Wisconsin 
University,  and  the  schools  that  he  had  charge  of  in- 
clude Logan,  Decker,  Beaver  Dam,  Farmers'  Mills,  Egg 
Hill  and  Madisonburg,  in  Pennsylvania ;  Mill  Grove, 
Mt.  Pleasant,  Eldorado  and  Orangeville,  in  Illinois.  He 
is  now  county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Stephenson 
County,  Illinois,  and  makes  his  headquarters  at  Free- 
port,  that  county.  The  various  interests  under  his  con- 
trol are  given  every  attention  that  care  and  forethought 
can  suggest,  and  all  the  schools  are  in  a  most  satisfac- 
tory condition. 

Mr.  Grove  holds  membership  in  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle  Board ;  was 
president  of  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association, 
1908.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Pupils'  Read- 
ing Circle  Board,  the  Masonic  Order,  Odd  Fellows, 
Eastern  Star,  Rebekahs  and  Shriners.  He  is  a  pro- 
pressive  educationalist  and  a  public-spirited  citizen. 


613 


Walter  Franklin  Grotts 

THIS  gentleman  is  numbered  among  the  public- 
spirited  teachers  engaged  in  the  school  service  of 
the  State,  and  he  enjoys  an  excellent  reputation  in 
scholastic  circles.  He  is  a  native  of  this  State,  having 
been  born  in  Raymond,  Illinois,  son  of  George  W.  and 
Almira  (Rusher)  Grotts,  both  natives  of  this  State,  and 
both  still  living.  He  received  his  elementary  education 
in  the  common  schools  and  high  school  of  Raymond, 
graduating  from  the  latter,  and  he  also  took  special 
studies  in  the  University  of  Illinois  and  the  Eastern 
Illinois  State  Normal  School.  On  beginning  his  life- 
work  he  first  taught  for  a  year  the  Fawn  Creek  School ; 
next,  for  two  years,  the  Burnet  School  (the  foregoing 
being  ungraded  country  schools  in  Montgomery  County, 
Illinois)  ;  then  for  three  years  taught  in  the  grades  in 
Raymond,  Illinois ;  was  superintendent  at  Fillmore,  Illi- 
nois, for  two  years;  superintendent  at  Irving,  Illinois, 
three  years,  and  is  now  filling  his  second  year  as  super- 
intendent of  schools  at  Girard,  Illinois,  where  he  has 
under  his  supervision  two  schools,  thirteen  teachers 
and  about  five  hundred  and  fifty  pupils. 

Mr.  Grotts  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Reading 
Circle,  the  Illinois  Association  for  Teachers  of  Agri- 
culture, the  IMasonic  Order  and  Knights  of  Pythias.  In 
August,  1904,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Claudia  Irene 
Hough,  and  they  have  three  children,  Orel  Constance, 
George  Wrice  and  Paul  Edward  Grotts. 


G.  Charles  Griffiths 

INCLINATION     and     natural     aptitude     caused     G. 
Charles  Griffiths  to  select  the  pedagogical  field  for 
his   life   endeavors,   and    the   substantial    success   he 
has  achieved  demonstrates  that  the  selection  was  a  wise 
one  and  one  that  was  most  fortunate  for  the  cause  of 


G.  Ch.^rles  Griffiths. 


Walter  Franklin  Grotts. 


education.  Valuable  is  the  work  that  has  been  done 
by  him  in  the  field  of  education  and,  being  compara- 
tively young,  he  still  has  a  wide  future  for  further 
usefulness  and  distinction. 

Mr.  Griffiths  was  born  near  Collinsville,  Madison 
County,  Illinois,  September  16,  1866,  on  a  farm.  His 
parents  were  Ellen  (Scanland)  and  George  Stewart 
Griffiths.  In  early  youth  he  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Normal,  Illinois,  and  in  later  years  studied  in  the 
Illinois  State  Normal  University,  with  graduation  there- 
from in  1892.  He  also  studied  law  in  the  Illinois  College 
of  Law,  and  is  recognized  as  a  close  student  of  questions 
of  public  policy. 

His  first  experience  as  a  pedagogue  was  obtained  in  a 
country  school  in  McLean  County,  this  State,  and  from 
thence  he  went,  respectively,  to  schools  of  Rock  City 
(Stephenson  County)  and  Metamora  (Woodford 
County).  In  1893  he  became  principal  of  the  Robert 
Emmet  School,  Austin,  Illinois  (annexed  to  Chicago  in 
1899),  and  was  most  usefully  and  profitably  employed 
there  up  to  1903,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  Motley 
School,  in  a  densely  populated  foreign  section  of  Chi- 
cago, where  he  is  still  employed  as  principal.  Mr.  Grif- 
fiths is  a  thorough,  sound  educator,  and  is  ever  in  full 
touch  and  sympathy  with  his  pupils  and  colleagues.  He 
is  active  in  teachers'  organizations  and  has  been  espe- 
cially useful  on  the  legislative  committee  of  the  Prin- 
cipals' Club  and  the  State  Teachers'  Association  in 
securing  the  enactment  of  laws  needed  by  educational 
interests.  Besides  the  above-mentioned  associations  he 
is  a  member  of  the  City  Club  and  the  Press  Club  of 
Chicago,  and  of  many  of  the  well-known  fraternal  asso- 
ciations in  which  he  contributes  largely  to  the  "  good  of 
the  order  "  by  forceful  and  pleasing  oratory  and  appre- 
ciative interpretation  of  "  the  literature  of  power."  In 
1893  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Canfield  Wood,  of 
Austin,  Illinois,  and  their  interesting  family  comprises 
three  sons  and  a  daughter,  David  Wood,  Henry  George, 
John  Russell  and  Elizabeth. 


614 


Newell  Darrow  Gilbert 

FOR  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  above- 
named  gentleman  has  been  a  valued  factor  in  the 
public-school  system  of  Illinois,  and  his  services 
have  been  most  effective  in  promoting  the  schools  to 
the  high  status  they  to-day  enjoy.  He  is  a  native  of 
Clyde,  New  York,  his  parents,  Silas  and  Julia  (Gage) 
Gilbert,  also  being  natives  of  that  State. 

Mr.  Gilbert  is  the  possessor  of  a  very  superior  edu- 
cation, which  was  acquired  by  studies  in  the  graded 
schools  of  Mendota,  Illinois  ;  high  schools  of  Marshall, 
Michigan,  and  Freeport,  Illinois,  and  the  Illinois  Wes- 
leyan  University,  at  Bloomington,  Illinois,  from  which 
he  graduated  as  a  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1879,  and  was 
given  the  Master  of  Arts  degree  in  1882.  In  his  peda- 
gogical capacity  he  has  had  charge  of  the  following 
schools :  Clinton,  Illinois,  1879-82 ;  Utica,  Illinois, 
1882-84;  Maywood,  Illinois,  1884-87;  Austin,  Illinois, 
1887-99;  superintendent  at  DeKalb,  Illinois,  1899  to 
1907. 

Mr.  Gilbert  is  still  a  close  student  and  keeps  fully 
familiar  with  all  advances  made  in  his  profession. 
From  the  beginning  of  his  work  in  DeKalb  he  has  been 
associated  with  the  faculty  of  the  Northern  Illinois 
State  Normal  School  —  from  1902  to  1907  carried  the 
double  responsibility  of  superintendent  of  city  schools 
and  director  of  the  training  school  of  the  Normal ; 
since  1907  he  has  given  his  entire  time  to  the  training 
work. 

Mr.  Gilbert  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association 
and  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association.  In 
1879  he  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Clark,  and  their 
family  comprises  a  son  and  a  daughter  —  Newell  Clark 
Gilbert  and  Julia  Elizabeth  Gilbert. 


Newell  Darrow  Gilbert. 


Harry  Edwin  Green. 


Harry  Edwin  Green 

THE  present  efficient  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Crawford  County,  Illinois,  has  devoted  his  energies 
and  abilities  for  some  twenty  years  to  the  public 
school  service. 

Mr.  Green  was  born  in  Hutsonville  Township,  Craw- 
ford County,  Illinois,  September  8,  1866,  son  of  Samuel 
S.  and  Ruth  A.  Green,  also  both  natives  of  Crawford 
County,  Illinois,  the  former  of  whom  died  on  the  home 
farm  in  Hutsonville  township,  January  6,  1905,  and  is 
survived  by  his  widow. 

Harry  Edwin  Green  was  educated  in  the  country 
schools  of  Star  and  Quaker  Lane,  Crawford  County, 
Illinois ;  Earlham  College,  Richmond,  Indiana,  and 
Union  Christian  College,  Merom,  Indiana,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1894.  He  taught  in  the 
country  schools  of  Star  and  Quaker  Lane  one  year 
each  ;  at  McDaniel,  one  year ;  Science  Hall,  two  years ; 
Trimble,  two  years ;  West  Union,  three  years ;  West 
York,  five  years,  and  for  the  past  eight  years  he  has 
occupied  his  present  important  incumbency  —  superin- 
tendent of  schools  of  Crawford  County.  Under  his 
jurisdiction  are  one  hundred  and  nine  schools,  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-one  teachers  and  seven  thousand  pupils. 

Mr.  Green  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle, 
the  Masonic  Order,  Elks,  Modern  Woodmen,  Ben  Hur 
and  the  Union  Christian  Church.  In  1891  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Olive  May  Hathaway,  whose  lamentable 
demise  occurred  August  24,  1905,  leaving  him  with  a 
family  of  three  young  daughters,  Goldie,  Mary  and 
Ruth. 

August  31,  1907,  Mr.  Green  was  married  to  Miss 
Nora  Folck,  a  successful  teacher  of  Crawford  County, 
Illinois.  This  union  resulted  in  the  birth  of  two  chil- 
dren, a  son  and  daughter,  Mildred  and  Millard,  of  whom 
but  one,  Mildred,  survives. 

Mr.  Green  is  serving  his  third  term  as  county  super- 
intendent. 


615 


Elbert  E.  Gowey 

MR.  GOWEY,  who  is  one  of  the  most  efficient 
school  principals  in  northern  Illinois,  has  been 
an  active  worker  in  the  educational  field  for  the 
past  thirteen  years  and  is  most  favorably  known  in 
scholastic  circles.  He  has  made  special  studie's  of 
mathematics,  mechanical  drawing  and  penmanship,  and 
is  an  expert  in  those  lines.  He  is  likewise  an  inventor 
of  note,  having  produced  numerous  devices,  and  he 
invented  and  built  one  of  the  first  automobiles  in  the 
country.  He  has  also  supervised  the  construction  of 
several  mechanical  and  electrical  devices  in  New  York 
and  other  eastern  cities. 

Mr.  Gowey  was  born  in  Gardner,  Illinois,  son  of  Gil- 
bert E.  Gowey,  a  native  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  and 
Florilla  Doud  Gowey,  a  native  of  this  State,  both  of 
whom  are  still  living.  He  was  educated  in  the  elemen- 
tary schools  and  the  high  school  of  Gardner,  Illinois, 
and  then  took  a  course  in  the  commercial  department 
of  the  Grand  Prairie  Seminary,  Onarga,  Illinois,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1896  with  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Accounts,  and  he  has  also  studied  in  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  University. 

Mr.  Gowey  first  taught  in  the  Crane  School,  Gardner, 
Illinois,  for  two  years ;  next  was  grammar  instructor 
for  a  year  and  assistant  principal  for  two  years  in  the 
public  schools  of  Gardner ;  was  superintendent  of  the 
schools  at  Braceville,  Illinois,  four  years,  and  for  the 
past  four  years  he  has  been  principal  of  the  Eastern 
Avenue  School,  Joliet,  Illinois,  where  he  has  a  staff  of 
eleven  assistant  teachers  and  an  enrolment  of  450  pupils. 

Mr.  Gowey  is  a-  member  of  the  Northern  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America.  On  August  28,  1901,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Carrie  A.  Peart,  and  they  have  one  child,  a  daughter, 
Lucille  Gowey. 


Elbert  E.  Gowey. 


Severt  Tobias  Gunderson. 


Severt  Tobias    Gunderson 

THE   above   named,    now    deceased,   was    for   many 
years  a  prominent  citizen  of  Chicago,  well  known 
for  his  active,  public-spirited  interest  in  municipal 
affairs,  particularly  in  advancing  the  cause  of  education, 
and  to  his  efforts  much  of  the  present  efficiency  of  the 
schools  is  due. 

Mr.  Gunderson  was  born  in  Norway,  son  of  Gunder 
T.  Gunderson  and  Marie  Severtson,  both  also  natives 
of  Norway,  and  now  deceased,  the  former  having  died 
in  1886,  the  latter  in  1870.  His  elementary  schooling 
was  obtained  in  Norway,  and  on  coming  to  Chicago 
he  attended  the  grammar  schools  of  that  city.  He 
ever  manifested  a  keen  interest  in  civic  affairs  and  was 
ever  prompt  in  giving  his  support  to  any  measure  pro- 
posed for  the  advancement  of  the  city's  welfare.  In 
1874  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Common  Council 
of  Chicago  and  in  this  capacity  gave  valuable  services. 
In  1891  he  became  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Board  of 
Education  and  in  1907  was  reappointed  to  the  position. 
In  1894  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Public  Library  Board.  While  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Education  he  introduced  before  that  body  a  resolu- 
tion asking  that  the  legislature  enact  a  law  that  would 
provide  a  parental  school  for  the  children  of  the  city, 
whereby  truants  would  be  taken  from  evil  associates 
on  the  streets  and  placed  under  proper  control.  Several 
years  later  this  action  of  his  resulted  in  the  framing  of 
the  law  which  founded  the  Parental  School  of  Chicago, 
which  has  done  an  inestimable  good. 

Mr.  Gunderson  was  prominent  in  fraternal  and  social 
organizations.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order, 
a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  Knight  Templar,  a  member  of  the 
Oriental  Consistory,  Medinah  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine; 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Menoken  Club,  the  West  Side 
Co-Educational  Club  and  the  Lutheran  Church.  He 
was  married  in  1863  to  Miss  Emily  C.  Olsen,  and  at  his 
demise  left  his  widow  and  three  children,  George  C, 
Seward  M.  and  Ida  M.   (Gunderson)  Danz. 


616 


Alfred  Harvey 


AMONG  the  public  educators  of  Chicago  who  have 
obtained  distinguished  success  is  Mr.  Alfred 
Harvey,  the  capable  principal  of  Scanlan  School, 
located  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Morgan  and  Monroe 
streets,  that  city.  He  is  a  veteran  in  the  profession, 
having  been  engaged  therein  for  about  a  half  century, 
but  he  is  as  progressive  and  up-to-date  as  the  youngest 
of  his  contemporaries. 

Mr.  Harvey  was  born  in  Sutton,  New  Hampshire, 
July  29,  1836,  son  of  Joseph  and  Mehitable  (Watson) 
Harvey,  both  natives  of  the  Granite  State,  and  both  now 
deceased.  His  youth  was  the  time  of  "  the  little  red 
schoolhouse,"  and  after  completing  the  studies  they  had 
to  offer  he  attended  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Institute, 
at  New  London,  New  Hampshire,  and  finally  Appleton's 
Academy,  at  Mount  Vernon,  New  Hampshire.  He  first 
began  teaching  in  district  schools  of  his  native  State, 
and  with  this  preliminary  experience  came  west  to  Illi- 
nois, where  he  became  principal  of  schools  at  Carrollton, 
this  State ;  next,  principal  at  Waverly,  Illinois,  for  six 
years;  superintendent  of  schools  at  Paris,  Illinois,  1871- 
1894,  inclusive,  and  in  the  latter  year  was  elected  prin- 
cipal of  Scanlan  School,  Chicago,  which  position  he  has 
held  ever  since.  In  1879  he  was  president  of  the  Illinois 
State  Teachers'  Association,  and  he  has  long  been  an 
honored  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  In  1862  he 
married  Miss  Lizzie  F.  George,  and  they  have  seven 
children,  of  whom  four,  Alfred  E.,  Walter  C,  Harry  H. 
and  Charles  I.  are  now  living.  A  daughter,  Lillie  M. 
Harvey,  former  head  assistant  of  Phil  Sheridan  School, 
died  July  12,  1892. 

James  Hamilton  Henry 

IN   the  pedagogical   world,   a   "  charmed   sphere "    of 
itself,    "  ability "    is   the    watchword    and    "  untiring 
efforts"    the    motto    to    be    followed    in    order    to 
achieve  success.     There  is  in  this  vocation  a  ceaseless 
demand    upon    the   knowledge,    judgment   and    patience 


James  Hamilton  Henry. 


Alfred  Harvey. 

of  the  teacher.  His  work  must  be  painstaking  and 
thorough  in  order  to  be  effective. 

All  the  prerequisite  qualifications  are  possessed  in 
a  full  degree  by  James  Hamilton  Henry,  the  talented 
principal  of  Gallistel  School,  One  Hundred  and  Fourth 
street  and  Ewing  avenue,  Chicago.  Mr.  Henry  was 
born  in  Harrison,  Ohio,  April  27,  1861,  son  of  Jonathan 
H.  Henry,  native  of  Ohio,  who  deceased  in  Martinsville, 
Indiana,  November  i,  1896,  and  Ann  (Simpson)  Henry, 
native  of  England,  who  died  in  the  same  town  Novem- 
ber 10,  1894. 

After  completing  the  studies  offered  by  the  public  and 
high  school  of  Martinsville,  Indiana,  Mr.  Henry  took 
a  course  in  the  Indiana  State  Normal  School  and  the 
University  of  Indiana,  at  Bloomington,  Indiana,  grad- 
uating from  the  latter  in  1892,  with  the  degree  of  B.A. 
He  is  a  post-graduate  student  of  Chicago  University. 
Since  beginning  teaching  he  has  filled  the  following 
positions :  Three  years  in  district  schools ;  principal, 
high  school,  Morgantown,  Indiana ;  county  superin- 
tendent, Morgan  County,  Indiana,  1885-1891 ;  city 
superintendent,  Warsaw,  Indiana,  1893-1900;  assistant 
in  physics,  Indiana  University,  1892;  principal.  River- 
dale  School,  Chicago,  1900-1902 ;  .  principal,  Gallistel 
School,  Chicago,  1902  to  the  present  time.  He  has  in 
charge  two  school  buildings,  thirty-one  teachers  and 
thirteen  hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Henry  has  contributed  much  valuable  matter  to 
educational  literature.  From  1886  to  1888  he  was  edi- 
tor and  publisher  of  Our  Indiana  Schools;  has  written 
many  articles  for  the  Chicago  Current,  and  is  author 
of  the  "  Teachers'  Guide."  He  was  formerly  a  member 
of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Indiana  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  and  was  president  of  the  Kosciusko 
County  Teachers'  Association,  1895,  and  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Philosophical  Round  Table,  Principals'  Club, 
the  Howland  Club,  the  City  Club,  of  Chicago,  is  vice- 
president  of  the  Chicago  Alumni  Chapter  of  the  Sigma 
Chi  fraternity  and  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles. 
In  1893  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Stoker,  and 
they  have  two  sons,  Harold  P.  and  Leon  Henry. 


617 


Mrs.  Kate  A.  Henderson 

FOREVER  sacred  in  the  educational  archives  of  Illi- 
nois will  be  the  name  of  Mrs.  Henderson,  who, 
although  deceased,  still  fondly  lives  in  the  memory 
of  all  who  knew  her.  She  was  Joliet's  ideal  woman,  and 
her  power  for  good  came  through  her  great  faith  in 
humanity.  Her  thoroughly  indexed  mind,  her  broad 
conceptions  of  life,  her  rare  humor  and  ability  to  give 
to  others  a  portion  of  the  knowledge  she  possessed,  tell 
the  secret  of  her  power.  In  her  death  Joliet  lost  one 
of  its  most  brilliant  women. 

Mrs.  Henderson  was  a  rigidly  just  woman,  and  lived 
up  to  the  highest  pinnacle  of  honor,  truth  and  probity. 
Undoubtedly  no  woman  who  ever  lived  in  Joliet  ever 
helped  more  people  than  this  noble  woman.  As  an  edu- 
cator she  had  few  equals.  The  Joliet  Public  Library 
is  her  best  monument.  Few  cities  in  the  country  have 
a  library  where  the  organization,  system  and  scope  of 
the  institution  surpasses  the  Joliet  Public  Library  as 
developed  by  Mrs.  Henderson.  When  this  library  was 
finally  completed  her  joy  was  great,  for  this  was  the 
fruition  of  many  years  of  hard  work  on  her  part.  As 
librarian  of  this  institution  she  was  ever  faithful  and 
painstaking,  and  under  her  management  it  became  one 
of  the  best  public  libraries  in  the  State. 

In  the  library  is  a  large,  airy  room,  known  as  the 
Children's  Room.  It  occupies  the  entire  south  end  of 
the  building.  The  pictures  to  be  found  there  include 
subjects  likely  to  suggest  to  young  minds  that  which 
is  best  in  art.  One  of  these  pictures  was  presented  by 
the  Fifteen  Club,  of  which  Mrs.  Henderson  was  leader 
up  to  the  time  of  her  death ;  another  was  presented  by 
the  citizens  of  Joliet.  Following  the  suggestion  of  Mrs. 
Henderson,  the  reading-rooms  of  the  library  are  opened 
Sunday  afternoons  for  the  benefit  of  workingmen,  and 
that  this  privilege  has  been  appreciated  is  shown  by  the 
large  numbers  that  have  taken  advantage  of  it. 

Mrs.  Henderson  was  born  August  9,  1848,  in  New 
Jersey,  daughter  of  Frances  G.  and  John  Alpine.  In 
1858  the  family  moved  to  Milwaukee,  and  thence  to 
Joliet.  Mrs.  Henderson  possessed  a  splendid  educa- 
tion, and  to  the  day  of  her  demise  was  a  constant  stu- 
dent and  reader.  Over  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  she 
was  married  to  James  E.  Henderson,  who,  with  her 
brother,  John  C.  Alpine,  survive  her.  For  over  forty 
years  Mrs.  Henderson  served  as  an  educator  and  as 
librarian.  She  began  her  career  in  1865  in  the  city 
schools  of  Joliet.  After  a  few  years  she  was  made 
principal  of  the  high  school  and  then  was  general  in- 
spector of  schools.  In  1898  she  became  superintendent 
of  schools,  retaining  this  position  up  to  1900,  when  she 
was  elected  public  librarian.  She  was  the  first  lady 
superintendent  of  schools  in  Joliet  and  the  first  woman 
ever  elected  a  member  of  the  Joliet  Board  of  Education. 
While  a  member  of  the  school  board  she  was  of  great 
assistance  to  the  teachers,  and  was  acknowledged  one 
of  the  most  prominent  members  of  that  board.  For  the 
superintendency  of  schools  there  were  over  five  hun- 
dred applicants,  and  Mrs.  Henderson,  who  had  not 
applied  for  the  position,  was  elected. 

We  quote  from  the  eulogy  given  this  admirable  woman 
by  Mrs.  Ella  Hubbard,  who  represented  the  Joliet  Pub- 
lic Schools  Art  Society  at  the  Kate  Alpine  Henderson 
Memorial,  held  in  honor  of  the  deceased  in  the  Hender- 
son School  building: 

"  Mrs.  Henderson's  love  of  the  beautiful  in  art  and  lit- 
erature and  her  realization  of  its  value  in  the  education 
of  children  was  intensive.  Her  great  desire  as  superin- 
tendent of  schools,  member  of  the  Public  School  Art 
Society,  and  librarian,  was  to  help  them  to  an  apprecia- 
tion and  understanding  of  th5ir  refining  influences.  She 
knew  the  value  of  human  achievement  during  the  forma- 
tive period  of  youth,  what  hero  worshipers  they  are,  and 
how  they  love  to  hear  of  men  and  women  who  have 
wrought  nobly,  suffered  gloriously  and  lived  greatly." 


Mrs.  Kate  A.  Henderson 


Frank  B.  Hines,  A.M. 

MR.  HINES  is  known  as  a  capable  and  most  effi- 
cient educator.  He  is  a  teacher  of  mature  and 
successful  experience.  Education  coupled  with 
the  Christian  ministry  has  been  his  life-work.  His 
remarkable  executive  ability,  together  with  his  patient 
yet  keen  and  earnest  devotion  to  his  work  has  brought 
him  success  even  in  instances  where  the  odds  were  all 
against  him ;    he  knows  no  defeat. 

Mr.  Hines  was  born  March  22,  1859,  on  a  farm  near 
Bowling  Green,  Kentucky,  son  of  Vincent  K.  and  Anna 
M.  (Stone)  Hines,  both  natives  of  Warren  County, 
Kentucky,  and  both  deceased,  the  former  having  died 
February  3,  1901,  the  latter,  June  16,  1901.  Com- 
pleting the  common  schools,  he  then  attended  the 
Academy  of  Drury  College,  Springfield,  Missouri,  later 
the  college,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1885  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  He 
took  a  three  years'  course  of  study  at  the  Theological 
Seminary,  Andover,  Massachusetts,  graduating  there- 
from June,  1888.  In  1890  through  post-graduate  work 
he  received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  Drury 
College.  In  December,  1888,  he  became  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  Church  of  Carthage,  Missouri,  remain- 
ing there  till  December,  1891.  From  January,  1892,  to 
July,  1894,  he  served  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
Church  of  Metropolis,  Illinois.  In  August,  1894,  he  be- 
came president  of  the  Southern  Collegiate  Institute  at 
Albion,  Illinois,  and  also  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
Church  there.  He  has  continuously  been  the  president 
of  the  Southern  Collegiate  Institute  at  Albion  for  eight- 
een years,  while  also  serving  as  pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  through  four  separate  and  successful 
pastorates,  being  elected  four  different  times  as  pastor 
of  this  same  church  —  a  distinction  and  honor  that 
comes  to  few  men  only. 

When  Mr.  Hines  came  to  Albion,  the  Southern  Col- 
legiate Institute  had  a  debt  of  $7,000,  a  mortgage  of 
$5,000  on  its  building,  and  only  a  few   students.     The 


618 


church  had  forty-three  members,  small  Sunday-school 
and  no  church  building.  He  taught  three  classes  each 
school-day ;  preached  twice  each  Sunday ;  taught  a 
Sunday-school  class ;  besides  managing  the  finances  of 
the  institute.  In  less  than  four  years  the  church  had 
one  hundred  and  twenty-six  members,  a  large  Sunday- 
school,  and  a  fine  church  building  valued  at  $12,000. 
The  Southern  Collegiate  Institute  had  paid  the  old 
debts ;  greatly  increased  its  attendance ;  become  a 
junior  college;  raised  $50,000  endowment  and  is  now 
erecting  a  $20,000  building.  The  work  done  takes  high 
rank,  many  of  her  students  and  graduates  have  jjecome 
leading  factors  in  the  best  life  in  the  communities  in 
which  they  live. 

In  addition  to  his  deep  and  vital  interest  in  Christian 
education,  Mr.  Hines  is  an  admirer  of  live  stock  and  a 
close  student  of  horticulture  and  agriculture. 

June  22,  1888,  Mr.  Hines  married  Miss  Laura  Saun- 
derson,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  who  deceased  Febru- 
ary 26,  1894.  To  this  marriage  were  born  two  daugh- 
ters, Marion  and  Laura,  and  one  son,  William.  The 
son  died  in>  October,  1896.  The  elder  daughter  is  now 
a  junior  in  Smith  College,  Northampton,  Massachusetts, 
and  the  younger  is  a  junior  in  the  Southern  Collegiate 
Institute. 

December  30,  1897,  he  married  Miss  Anginette  Hem- 
ingway, of  Oak  Park,  Illinois.  They  have  five  children, 
Margarette,  Frank  B.,  Jr.,  Anginette,  Adelaide  and 
Hemingway. 

Mr.  Hines  believes  in  college  education.  He  himself 
is  a  college  graduate.  He  married  college  graduates. 
His  two  daughters.  Miss  Marion  and  Miss  Laura,  are 
completing  college  courses.  The  other  five  younger 
children  are  being  carefully  guarded  and  directed  in 
their  preparation  for  college  life.  His  purpose  is  to 
give  every  one  of  his  children  a  college  education,  for 
he  believes  that  a  true  college  education  is  the  greatest 
inheritance  that  can  be  left  a  child.  In  his  public  ad- 
dresses and  personal  teaching  he  steadfastly  emphasizes 
the  value  of  a  college  education. 


Dudley  Grant  Hays. 


Frank  B.  Hines,  A.M. 


Dudley  Grant  Hays 

THIS  gentleman  is  an  educator  and  author  of 
extended  experience,  and  is  widely  known  in  scho- 
lastic circles.  Among  the  most  noteworthy  of  his 
literary  productions  are :  "  Experimental  Laboratory 
Methods  in  Physics  for  High  Schools,"  "  Nature  Study 
Suggestions,"  "  The  Atmosphere,"  and  the  "  Experimen- 
tal Study  of  Heat." 

Mr.  Hays  was  born  July  16,  1861,  in  Benton  Harbor, 
Michigan,  son  of  Asahel  and  Delilah  Hays,  the  former 
an  American  by  birth  and  still  living,  the  latter  a  Cana- 
dian, whose  demise  occurred  at  Benton  Harbor  in  1864. 
He  grew  up  on  a  farm,  first  attended  country  schools, 
subsequently  studying  in  the  public  schools  at  Creston, 
Illinois,  and  the  State  Normal  University,  from  both 
of  which  he  graduated.  He  also  took  law  courses  in  the 
Kent  College  of  Law  and  the  Illinois  College  of  Law, 
graduating  from  the  former  in  1901,  with  the  degree  of 
LL.B.,  from  the  latter  in  1902,  with  the  degree  of  LL.M. 
He  took  special  science  courses  at  the  University  of 
Chicago  for  several  years. 

A  farmer's  son  by  birth,  and  having  spent  his  early 
years  in  rural  occupations,  he  has  a  natural  bent  toward 
nature  study  in  all  of  its  phases,  and  has  done  much  in 
institute  lecturing  along  this  line  of  public  school  en- 
deavor. 

Mr.  Hays  began  his  career  as  a  teacher  in  the  country 
schools  of  northern  Illinois.  Following  two  years  of 
such  work  came  his  election  to  the  position  of  principal 
of  the  public  schools  of  Malta,  Illinois.  After  serving  in 
that  capacity  for  three  years,  he  entered  the  Illinois 
State  Normal  University,  from  which  he  graduated, 
and  in  which  he  was  assistant  instructor  of  science  for 
three  years.  The  above  service  was  followed  by  his 
accepting  the  position  of  physics  instructor  of  the  Engle- 
wood  High  School,  of  Chicago,  and  where  he  taught 
for  five  years.  Then  for  four  years  he  was  instructor 
of  nature  study  in  the  Chicago  Normal  School  with 
Colonel  Parker.    Leaving  the  latter  position,  he  became 


619 


the  principal,  successively,  of  the  Arnold,  Kershaw  and 
Eugene  Field  schools,  of  Chicago. 

Having  rounded  out  twenty  years  of  teaching  in  the 
Chicago  public  schools,  Mr.  Hays  took  a  leave  of  absence 
and  entered  the  services  of  the  National  Soil  Fertility 
League,  as  vice-president,,  and  where  an  educational 
field  of  unlimited  opportunity  confronted  him. 

The  early  training  on  the  farm,  the  country  school, 
village  school,  high  school  and  normal  university  teach- 
ing experience,  coupled  with  his  general,  scientific  and 
legal  education  and  his  experience  as  an  institute 
speaker,  all  find  a  fitting  outlet  for  public  service  in  a 
most  worthy  cause  —  the  awakening  of  the  public  to 
the  necessity  of  a  national  movement  to  bring  about  a 
higher  standard  of  agriculture,  in  order  that  the  nation's 
food  supply  may  be  adequate  in  all  coming  time. 

Mr.  Hays  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  American  Academy  of  Social  and  Political 
Science,  Masonic  Order,  Knights  Templar,  A.  A.  O. 
N.  M.  S.,  Royal  League  and  the  Congregational  Church, 
and  he  has  held  various  offices  in  all  of  the  many  organi- 
zations with  which  he  has  been  associated.  In  189 1  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Adams,  and  they  have  had 
three  children,  all  now  deceased. 

Homer  Marion  Hinkle 

MR.  HINKLE  is  a  native  Illinoisan,  as  was  his 
father,  Hiram  Hinkle,  and  also  his  mother, 
Mary  P.  Hinkle.  He  was  born  August  6,  1885, 
in  Union  County,  near  Dongola,  and  began  his  educa- 
tion in  the  rural  school.  The  Meisenheimer,  after  which 
he  attended  the  Dongola  High  School  one  year,  thence 
went  to  the  Normal  School,  at  Carbondale,  where  he 
studied  for  a  year  and  a  term  and  taught  three  years, 
and  then  entered  Ewing  College,  where  he  stayed  two 
years,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Normal  Department 
in  1909.  Fron)  there  he  went  to  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois, remaining  two  summer  terms. 

He  taught  in  the  Hoflfner  School,  Pulaski  County, 
six  months  in  1904-5 ;   at  the  Swan  Pond  School,  Union 


James  Franklin  Hickman. 


Homer  Marion  Hinkle. 

County,  six  months  in  1905-6;  at  the  Karraker  School, 
in  Union  County,  six  months  in  1906-7;  and  then  took 
his  present  place  as  principal  of  the  McLeansboro  High 
School,  in  Hamilton  County,  where  he  has  been  since 
1909,  with  forty-six  pupils  under  his  charge. 

Mr.  Hinkle  has  made  a  special  study  of  the  natural 
sciences,  and  is  a  thoroughly  self-made  man,  having 
secured  his  education  by  great  sacrifices  and  heroic 
struggles.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and 
belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

James  Franklin  Hickman 

JAMES  FRANKLIN  HICKMAN  was  born  in  Carri- 
gan  Township,  in  his  present  home  county,  January 
17,  1881,  of  good  old  Virginia  and  Ohio  stock;  his 
father,  Z.  W.  Hickman,  being  a  native  of  West  Vir- 
ginia, and  his  mother,  Mary  W.  Doty,  having  been 
born  in  Ohio.  His  father  is  still  living,  but  his  mother 
died  at  her  old  home  in  Marion  County,  September  i, 
1894. 

The  young  man's  education  began  in  rural  schools  of 
Marion  County,  whence  he  went  to  the  high  school  in 
the  same  county,  at  Salem,  which  he  attended  one  year, 
when  he  was  a  pupil  at  the  State  Normal  School,  fin- 
ishing his  studies  at  the  Southern  Illinois  Normal  Uni- 
versity, at  Carbondale,  from  which  he  was  graduated, 
June  9,  1910. 

He  taught  three  years  in  rural  schools  before  this 
graduation ;  was  principal  one  year  at  Alma,  Illinois ; 
was  three  years  superintendent  of  the  village  school  of 
Odin,  Illinois ;  was  then  elected  principal  of  the  Salem 
high  school,  but  while  acting  as  such  was  elected  to  the 
position  of  county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Marion 
County,  November  8,  1910,  which  office  he  is  now  holding. 

Mr.  Hickman  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading 
Circle  and  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association; 
is  an  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Mason  and  a  Modern 
Woodman  of  America,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church. 


620 


Thomas  C.  Hill 

THIS  gentleman  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the 
public-school  service  for  many  years,  and  is  well 
known  for  his  competent  methods  and  the  thor- 
oughness of  his  work.  He  is  a  native  of  the  Prairie 
State,  having  been  born  at  Tolono,  Illinois,  September 
30,  1859,  son  of  Walter  Forrest  Hill  and  Rebecca  Ann 
(Miller)  Hill.  His  father  was  born  in  Wells,  Maine, 
and  died  in  Tolono  in  November,  1887,  while  his  mother, 
a  native  of  Lebanon,  Ohio,  deceased  in  Chicago  in  1900. 
His  parents  were  both  teachers  in  Kentucky  previous  to 
removal  to  Illinois.  The  father  was  a  graduate  of 
Andover  Academy  and  Williams  College;  he  left 
Maine  for  Kentucky  about  1839. 

Mr.  Hill  was  educated  in  common  and  high  schools 
of  Tolono,  Illinois,  and  the  University  of  Illinois,  grad- 
uating from  the  latter  in  1881  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  first  began  teaching  in  a  country 
school  near  Champaign,  Illinois,  and  subsequently  taught 
in  the  Carroll  College  Academy,  Waukesha,  Wisconsin, 
and  Wyman  '  Institute.  He  is  now  principal  of  the 
Curtis  School,  One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth  place.  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-fifth  and  State  streets,  Chicago, 
where  he  has  supervision  of  two  schools,  forty-five 
teachers  and  _  about  sixteen  hundred  and  fifty  pupils. 
He  is  indefatigable  in  his  attention  to  details,  preserves 
admirable  discipline,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  all  his  colleagues. 

Mr._  Hill  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
the  Order  of  Maccabees  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  On  July  25,  1888,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ina 
Mabel  Miller,  and  they  have  five  children  —  Harold  C., 
Margaret  D.,  Marion,  Lawrence  E.  and  Donald  M. 
His  eldest  son,  Harold,  has  taken  a  medical  course  in 
the  University  of  Chicago,  and  his  daughter,  Margaret, 
is  a  student  in  the  Universitv  of  Illinois. 


Thomas  C.  Hill. 


George  Hermetet. 


George  Hermetet 

FOR  more  than  twelve  years  the  above-named  gen- 
tleman has  been  engaged  in  the  public  school  serv- 
ice of  this  State,  and  his  ability  and  natural 
adaptability  to  his  profession  have  earned  for  him 
steady  promotion. 

]\Ir.  Hermetet  was  born  near  Rushville,  Schuyler 
County,  Illinois,  September  6,  1876,  son  of  James  F. 
and  Mary  E.  Hermetet,  both  natives  of  this  State,  and 
now  living  here.  His  education  was  secured  in  coun- 
try schools  in  Schuyler  County  and  the  Rushville  Nor- 
mal and  Business  College,  and  he  graduated  from  the 
latter  in  1896.  As  a  teacher,  he  first  served  for  five 
years  in  the  country  schools  of  Schuyler  County,  then 
for  five  years  was  principal  of  the  public  school  at 
Pleasant  View.  Illinois,  succeeding  which  he  was  prin- 
cipal at  Camden,  Illinois,  for  a  year,  and  principal  of 
the  Normal  Department  of  the  Rushville  Normal  and 
Business  College  for  the  same  length  of  time.  He 
then  was  elected  to  his  present  position  of  county 
superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Schuyler  County, 
where  he  has  under  his  jurisdiction  127  teachers  and 
several  thousand  pupils,  with  all  of  whom  he  holds  the 
pleasantest  relation. 

Mr.  Hermetet  was  president  of  the  Schuyler  County 
Teachers'  Association  in  1906  and  vice-president  of  the 
village  principals'  section  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association  in  1908.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois 
State  Teachers'  Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Reading  Circle,  the  Military  Tract  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  which  order 
he  is  past  chancellor,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  On  October  20,  1900,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
May  Hawkins,  and  they  have  had  two  daughters,  Mar- 
garet Ellen  (deceased),  and  Grace,  now  living  in  her 
seventh  year. 


621 


Frank  L.  Hoehn 

MR.  HOEHN  is  a  thoroughly  self-made  and  largely 
a  self-educated  man,  with  the  practical  nature 
and  gifts  naturally  inherent  in  the  one  of  Ger- 
man descent;  his  father,  Frederick  Hoehn,  and  his 
mother,  Amelia  Gottschall,  both  being  natives  of  Sax- 
Gotha,  Germany,  the  former  still  living,  the  latter  having 
died  in  Carlinville,  Illinois,  September  21,  1893. 

Mr.  Hoehn  began  his  education  in  a  district  country 
school  of  Macoupin  County,  Illinois,  and  afterward 
attended  Blackburn  College  of  Carlinville,  Illinois. 

He  began  his  life-work  of  teaching  in  a  district  coun- 
try school,  where  he  taught  seven  years ;  then  was 
principal  of  Gillespie  (111.)  school  for  nine  years;  was 
superintendent  of  Mount  Olive  schools,  Illinois,  four 
years ;  filled  out  a  vacancy  at  Staunton  High  School 
part  of  a  year,  and  taught  one  term  in  a  district  school 
of  Madison  County,  Illinois.  He  is  at  present  superin- 
tendent of  schools  at  Mount  Olive,  with  fourteen  teach- 
ers and  six  hundred  and  twenty  pupils  under  his  charge. 

He  has  taught  twenty-three  years,  and  during  his 
summer  vacations  has  either  attended  summer  schools 
or  worked  on  a  farm.  He  has  made  no  special  branch 
of  study,  but  inclines  to  the  natural  sciences. 

He  belongs  to  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'*  Association 
and  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

He  married  Miss  Hettie  Clark,  April  12.  1888,  by 
whom  he  has  had  ten  children,  eight  living :  Roy, 
Ralph,  Roland,  Raymond,  Russell,  Randall,  Ora  and 
Mildred. 

Horace  N.  Herrick 

HORACE    N.    HERRICK    has    been    engaged    in 
school-work    for    the    past    thirty    years,    all    of 
the   time   in   Illinois,   and   is   favorably   known   in 
educational    circles.      He    was    born    in    Lewis    County, 
Kentucky,  in   1862,  and  is  the  son   of  George  W.  and 
Josephine  Herrick. 

George  W.  Herrick,  a  native  of  Woodbury,  Vermont, 


Horace  N.  Herrigk. 


Frank  L.  Hoehn. 

studied  in  an  academy  at  Brookline,  Massachusetts, 
and  at  Geauga  Seminary,  now  Hiram  College,  Hiram, 
Ohio,  where  he  was  a  schoolmate  of  James  A.  Gar- 
field. He  taught  school  in  Kentucky  and  was  principal 
of  the  village  school  at  Manchester,  Ohio.  On  account 
of  ill  health  he  took  his  family  to  DeWitt  County,  Illi- 
nois, in  1865,  where  he  farmed  in  the  summer  and 
taught  country  school  in  the  winter,  until  his  death  in 
1877.  Josephine  Herrick  is  still  living,  and  resides  with 
her  son  in  Chicago. 

In  his  boyhood  Horace  N.  Herrick  worked  on  a 
farm  during  the  summer  and  attended  country  school 
in  winter.  In  1881  he  entered  Eureka  College,  Eureka, 
Illinois,  from  which  school  he  graduated  in  1886  with 
the  degree  of  A.B.,  and  in  1890  received  the  degree  of 
A.M.  In  1888  he  entered  the  sophomore  class  at 
Harvard  University,  and  graduated  in  the  class  of 
1890  with  the  degree  of  A.B.  He  also  took  a  course 
in  Latin  in  the  University  of  Chicago,  and  possesses 
a  thorough  general  education. 

In  1880  he  taught  country  school  in  DeWitt  County, 
Illinois ;  was  principal  of  the  West  Side  School, 
Minonk,  Illinois,  1882-83;  was  instructor  in  mathe- 
matics in  Eureka  College  from  1886  to  1888,  and  was 
professor  of  Latin  and  Greek  in  the  same  college  from 
1890  to  1897.  From  1897  to  1909  he  was  instructor  in 
Greek,  Latin  and  mathematics  in  Waller  High  School, 
Chicago,  and  since  1909  he  has  been  principal  of  the 
Drummond  School,  Clybourn  place  and  North  Lin- 
coln street,  Chicago.  There  he  has  a  staff  of  twenty- 
two  teachers  and  an  enrolment  of  980  pupils.  He 
believes  in  hard  work,  maintains  strict  discipline,  is 
alert  for  the  improvement  of  his  school,  and  does  not 
lose  interest  in  his  pupils  after  they  have  left  school. 

Mr.  Herrick  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Woodmen  and  the 
Church  of  the  Disciples.  He  is  a  forceful  writer,  and 
has  contributed  articles  to  college  and  weekly  papers. 
In  1890,  at  Eureka,  Illinois,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  A.  Musick,  and  to  them  have  been  born  five 
children,  four  of  whom  are  still  living. 


622 


Henry  William  Huttman 

AMONG  the  leading  spirits  who  have  been  promi- 
nent in  promoting  the  cause  of  education  in  Chi- 
cago is  Henry  William  Huttman,  member  of  the 
Chicago  Board  of  Education,  and  well  known  in  legal 
and  literary  circles.  He  has  for  years  been  identified 
with  progressive  movements  in  civic  life. 

Mr.  Huttman  is  a  native  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin, 
where  he  was  born  May  22,,  1872.  His  parents,  Colonel 
William  E.  Huttman,  and  Cecelia  A.  Huttman,  natives 
of  Germany,  are  both  deceased,  the  former  having  died 
February  28,  1900,  the  latter  November  15,  191 1.  His 
admirable  education  was  obtained  through  studies  in  the 
district  school  in  Barton  County,  Kansas  ;  under  private 
tutors ;  the  elementary  and  high  schools  of  Wichita, 
Kansas ;  Fairmont  College,  and  in  special  work  at  the 
University  of  Chicago.  His  first  literary  work  was  done 
when  a  reporter  of  the  Wichita  (Kansas)  Eagle,  and 
subsequently  he  became  city  editor  of  that  publication. 
Later  he  served  as  secretary  of  the  Kansas  State  Senate 
and  also  in  the  United  States  Revenue  Service,  in  Kan- 
sas and  Oklahoma.  After  finishing  a  course  of  studies 
in  law  he,  in  1897,  was  admitted  to  the  Supreme  and 
Federal  courts.  He  has  made  a  speciad  study  of  cor- 
poration law,  and  is  considered  an  expert  on  this  sub- 
ject. He  is  now  a  member  of  the  well-known  firm  of 
Huttman,  Butters  &  Carr,  Chicago,  which  has  figured  in 
many  noteworthy  cases  of  litigation.  He  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education,  191 1,  and 
has  performed  excellent  service  as  a  member  of  Build- 
ings and  Ground  Committee,  Text-book  Committee  and 
Vocational  School  Subcommittee. 

Mr.  Huttman  is  prominent  in  fraternal  and  social 
organizations,  being  a  member  of  Lessing  Lodge,  No. 
557,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  the  32d  degree  of  Wichita  Con- 
sistory ;  Medina  Temple  Shrine ;  the  Germania  Club, 
of  Chicago ;  and  several  other  clubs  and  social  and 
charitable  organizations.  He  was  married,  October  20, 
1-898,  to  Miss  Clara  A.  Gehring,  of  Ottawa,  Illinois,  and 
they  have  three  children  —  Cecelia,  Dorothy  and  Gret- 
chen. 


William  Alexander  Hough. 


Henry  William  Huttman. 

William  Alexander  Hough 

THE  wide  experience  of  Mr.  Hough  previous  to  his 
election  to  the   superintendency   of  the   schools  of 
St.  Clair  county  enables  him  to  discharge  the  duties 
of  that  office  in  a  very  able  manner. 

Mr.  Hough  was  born  March  16,  1857,  in  Mascoutah, 
Illinois,  son  of  William  and  Sarah  Hough,  both  of 
whom  are  deceased,  the  former  having  died  in  1857, 
the  latter  in  1870.  The  son  received  his  elementary 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Mascoutah,  later 
matriculating  at  McKendree  College  and  at  Washington 
University.  From  McKendree  he  received  the  degree 
of  B.S.  His  work  as  an  instructor  began  in  the  New 
Memphis  village  schools,  where  he  remained  six  years 
as  principal ;  five  years  were  spent  in  the  rural  schools 
of  St.  Clair  County;  two  years  as  an  instructor  in  the 
Mascoutah  schools,  and  two  years  as  superintendent; 
and  for  nineteen  years  he  was  instructor  in  science  and 
mathematics  in  the  Belleville  high  school,  and  upon 
relinquishing  this  position  he  took  up  the  duties  of 
county  superintendent  of  schools  of  St.  Clair  County,  in 
which  incumbency  he  has  charge  of  167  schools  and  530 
teachers. 

Mr.  Hough  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle, 
the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  and  the 
National  Education  Association.  He  is  also  actively 
identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Order  of 
the  Eastern  Star,  the  Elks  and  the  Modern  Woodmen, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  In  1878  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Dixie  Fyke,  and  three  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  the  two  surviving  being 
Estella  D.  Hough  and  Charles  R.  Hough. 

Mr.  Hough  has  made  special  study  of  the  sciences 
and  literature,  and  has  devoted  years  of  study  in  meth- 
ods of  teaching  and  school  management,  and  for  the 
past  twenty  years  has  been  recognized  as  a  special  in- 
structor of  training  classes,  for  those  preparing  to  teach, 
and  those  desiring  greater  efficiency  in  schoolroom 
work. 


623 


John  Arleigh  Hayes 

MR.  HAYES  may  be  termed  a  "  born  pedagogue/' 
all  his  inclinations  and  abilities  having  been  exer- 
cised in  this  profession.  He  has  made  a  spe- 
cialty of  teaching  biological  science,  but  has  also  made 
a  deep  study  of  school  administration  and  the  best 
methods  ol  school  government.  In  1910  he  was  elected 
county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Peoria  County, 
Illinois,  and  was  the  onlj^  Democrat  elected. 

Mr.  Hayes  is  a  native  of  this  State,  having  been  born 
January  19,  1877,  i'l  Jubilee  Township,  Peoria  County, 
son  of  Charles  and  Elizabeth  (Hindle)  Hayes,  the 
former  a  native  of  England,  the  latter  of  Illinois,  and 
both  still  living.  He  was  educated  in  District  School 
No.  46,  Peoria  County ;  the  Brimfield  High  School, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1893 ;  the  Western  Normal 
College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  the  class  of  1896; 
the  Illinois  State  Normal  University;  Harvard  Univer- 
sity and  the  University  of  Chicago.  He  began  profes- 
sional work  as  a  teacher  in  the  school  at  Bramble,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  remained  one  and  a  half  years.  Thence 
he  went  to  District  School  No.  10,  Maple  Grove,  for 
three  years,  and  following  this  was  principal  of  the 
schools  at  Monica  five  years ;  principal  of  Loucks 
School,  Peoria,  three  years ;  superintendent  of  schools 
at  East  Peoria,  one  and  a  half  years,  and  since  1910  has 
been  county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Peoria  County. 
Under  his  jurisdiction  are  170  schools,  16,509  pupils  and 
540  teachers. 

Mr.  Hayes  is  a  m'ember  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  the 
Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle,  the  Central  Illi- 
nois Principals'  Reading  Circle,  the  Illinois  Schoolmas- 
ters' Club,  the  Illinois  County  Superintendents'  Associa- 
tion, the  Illinois  Historical  Association,  the  Masonic 
Order,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Odd  Fellows, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  was  married  in  1905  to  Miss 
Cora  Viola  Buck,  of  Princeville,  Illinois,  and  they  have 
one  child,   Gertrude  Elizabeth. 


John  Arleigh  Hayes. 


John  Benjamin  Huddle. 


John  Benjamin  Huddle 

THE  Huddle  family  came  from  Ohio  to  Illinois  — 
Benjamin  and  Rachel  Huddle  —  and  settled  on  a 
farm  near  Omega,  Marion  County,  where  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  born  September  8,  1868,  and 
where  they  both  are  still  living  —  the  former  at  the  age 
of  eighty-one,  and  the  latter  at  seventy-seven.  The 
j-oung  man  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  luka, 
Illinois. 

Judge  Huddle,  for  he  is  entitled  to  that  distinction, 
he  having  been  for  sixteen  years  Judge  of  the  Police 
Court  of  Caseyville,  Illinois,  began  teaching  in  the 
Bunkum  School,  a  country  institution,  where  he  re- 
mained four  years ;  his  next  position  was  in  the  Casey- 
ville public  schools,  where  he  was  principal  for  eight 
years ;  he  then  became  superintendent  of  the  Alta  Sita 
public  schools,  and,  after  four  years  of  service,  this 
district  was  consolidated  with  the  East  St.  Louis  dis- 
trict, and  he  served  one  year  as  principal ;  he  then 
went  to  the  Washington  and  Irving  schools,  in  East 
St.  Louis,  where  he  has  been  employed  for  two  years 
as  principal,  with  two  schools,  eighteen  teachers  and 
815  pupils  in  his  charge. 

Judge  Huddle  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association  and  the  local  teachers'  organizations,  and 
belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
the  Red  Men,  the  Modern'  Woodmen  of  America  and 
the  Elks. 

Miss  Annie  M.  Schmidt  became  his  wife  October  6, 
1891,  and  they  have  had  five  children,  four  of  whom 
survive,  Elmer,  Rachel,  Willie  and  Grace.  The  other 
child,  Tolliver,  died  June  15,  1910,  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen. 


624 


Katharine  Hamilton 

IN  the  uplift  and  promotion  of  tlie  public  school  serv- 
ice, valuable  work  has  been  performed  by  this 
woman.  She  is  an  enthusiast  in  the  exercise  of 
her  professional  duties,  and  possesses  adrtiinistrative 
ability  of  a  markedly  high  degree.  One  of  her  accom- 
plishments was  in  the  organization  of  the  first  Mothers' 
Club,  Decatur,  Illinois.  In  this  department  the  chil- 
dren have  profited  by  landscape  gardening,  medical 
examination,  play  apparatus,  pictures,  etc.  Much  good 
has  been  done  by  this  movement,  which  is  now  a  perma- 
nent, highly  valued  factor  of  the  public  school  system. 

Katharine  Hamilton  was  born  in  Harristown,  Illinois. 
Her  father,  Captain  Richard  M.  Hamilton,  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  died  in  Harristown,  July  27,  1902,  while  her 
mother,  Mary  Eleanor  Hamilton,  native  of  Illinois,  is 
still  living.  She  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Macon  County,  Illinois,  Eureka  College,  took  work  in 
a  Summer  Session  at  Harvard  College  and  Summer  Ses- 
sions at  Columbia  University.  At  the  latter  she  com- 
pleted her  residence  work  for  a  Master's  degree  in 
191 1.  She  g^aduated  from  Eureka  College  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science.  At  Columbia  her  major 
work  was  in  education,  with  minors  in  sociology  and 
psychology. 

Mjss  Hamilton  first  taught  for  a  year  in  Menominee, 
Michigan,  and  for  a  number  of  years  has  been  princi- 
pal at  Decatur,  where  she  has  supervision  of  twelve 
teachers  and  537  pupils.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois 
State  Teachers'  Association,  the  Central  Illinois  Teach- 
ers' Association  and  Eastern  Illinois  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion.   Her  residence  is  333  West  N  street,  Decatur. 


Nannie  M.  Hines 

FOR  thirty-six  years   the  above  named  lady  was  a 
valued  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Illinois,  and 
during  that  period  her   services  resulted  in  an  in- 
calculable amount  of  good  to  the  rising  generation.     She 


Nannie  M.  Hines. 


Katharine  Hamilton. 


is  an  instructor  of  the  progressive  school,  not  given  to 
fads  or  experiments,  but  ever  keeping  fully  informed 
and  abreast  of  all  advancements  made  in  educational 
affairs. 

Miss  Nannie  M.  Hines  was  born  in  central  Pennsyl- 
vania, daughter  of  M.  P.  and  Lucetta  (Shields)  Hines. 
Early  in  life  she  decided  on  a  pedagogical  life.  Moving 
westward,  her  education  was  secured  in  the  public 
schools  of  Iowa,  and  included  a  high  school  graduation. 
Her  first  experience  as  a  teacher  was  in  a  country 
school,  and  in  1873  her  services  were  secured  by  the 
school  authorities  of  Evanston,  a  most  fortunate  occa- 
sion for  that  community,  as  events  have  proved.  Hav- 
ing fully  demonstrated  her  worth  and  merits.  Miss 
Hines  was  appointed,  in  1880,  principal  of  the  Hinman 
Avenue  school  and  held  that  position  up  to  the  spring 
of  191 1,  when  she  retired  to  private  life.  On  this  occa- 
sion the  event  was  harmoniously  marked  by  a  reception 
given  in  her  honor  in  the  assembly  room  of  the  Hinman 
school,  by  its  graduates  and  alumni.  More  than  fifteen 
hundred  guests  were  present,  including  men  of  Harvard 
and  Yale  and  women  from  Wellesley  and  Vassar.  An 
engrossed  copy  of  resolutions  passed  by  the  Board  of 
Education  was  presented  Miss  Hines.  Among  other 
things  it  said :  "  In  every  position  she  has  occupied 
Miss  Hines  has  shown  herself  capable,  conscientious 
and  successful,  and  has  held,  to  an  unusual  degree,  the 
confidence  of  the  board  of  education,  and  of  the  patrons 
of  our  schools." 

More  than  one  thousand  pupils  have  received  per- 
sonal instructions  from  her,  and  many  more  have  been 
indirectly  helped  by  her  influence.  A  lady  of  refinement 
and  high  ideals,  of  cheerful  disposition  and  great  energy, 
a  superior  teacher,  and  always  deeply  interested  in 
everything  which  concerned  her  pupils,  she  has  im- 
pressed herself  upon  their  lives,  and  has  helped  to  de- 
velop ^nd  elevate  their  characters. 

Miss  Hines  was  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association.  It  is  her  intention  to  devote  several 
years  to  foreign  travel. 


40 


625 


Minna  S.  Heuermann 

MISS  HEUERMANN  has  been  engaged  in  the 
public  school  service  for  upward  of  twenty-five 
years  and  is  the  holder  of  Cook  County,  Ele- 
mentary, German  (in  Chicago),  Primary  Principal  and 
Grammar  School  Principal  certificates.  She  is  thor- 
oughly skilled  in  the  care  and  education  of  children  and 
to  her  devotion  to  their  interests  and  welfare  many  owe 
their  success  in  life. 

Miss  Heuermann  is  a  native  of  Galesburg,  Illinois, 
her  parents  being  Henry  W.  and  Dorothea  (Sabransky) 
Heuermann,  who  were  born  in  Germany  and  are  now 
deceased,  the  former  having  died  October  5,  1909,  the 
latter  on  February  22,  1872.  She  was  educated  in  Mrs. 
Rein's  Select  School  for  Girls ;  the  Newberry  School, 
graduating  therefrom  in  1877;  the  North  Division  High 
School,  Chicago,  with  graduation  in  1879;  the  Central 
High  School,  and  the  University  of  Chicago.  In  her 
professional  capacity  she  served  as  teacher  in  the  Frank- 
lin, Ogden  and  Headley  Schools,  seven  years,  and  as 
principal  in  the  Dearborn  School,  one  year ;  the  Kinzie 
School,  five  years ;  Humboldt  School,  two  years ; 
and  for  the  past  thirteen  years  has  been  principal  of  the 
Winfield  Scott  Schley  School,  Chicago.  In  this  position 
she  has  supervision  over  thirty  teachers  and  fourteen 
hundred  pupils,  and  holds  the  most  cordial  relations 
with  all  under  her  jurisdiction.  She  has  made  a  special 
study  of  literature. 

Miss  Heuermann  is  a  member  of  the  National  Edu- 
cation Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, the  Chicago  Principals'  Club,  Ella  F.  Young  Club, 
the  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  and  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  the  Covenant.  Her  residence  is  at  2031  Fre- 
mont street,  Chicago." 


T 


Mary  Susan  Leonard  Hartigan 

HIS  lady  is  one  of  Chicago's  best  equipped  and 
most  efficient  instructors,  her  active  experience  as 
a    practical    teacher    extending    over    many    years, 


Mary  Susan  Leonard  Hartigan. 


Minna  S.  Heuermann. 


and  she  is  well  known  in  educational  circles  as  a  stu- 
dent and  scholar. 

Miss  Hartigan  was  born  in  New  York  city,  her  father 
being  Thomas  O.  T.  Hartigan,  native  of  County  Lim- 
erick, Ireland,  and  a  well-known  member  of  the  New 
York  and  Chicago  bar;  her  mother,  Anne  (Leonard) 
Hartigan,  native  of  Fermanagh,  Ireland.  The  former 
deceased  in  Chicago,  April  23,  1903 ;  the  latter,  on 
March  20,  1884.  Miss  Hartigan  is  a  sister  of  Major 
Thomas  L.  Hartigan,  the  well-known  soldier  and 
lawyer. 

Miss  Hartigan's  education,  one  of  the  most  thorough, 
began  at  a  very  early  age.  Up  to  her  tenth  year  she 
was  given  instruction  at  home  under  the  guidance  of 
her  mother,  a  lady  of  excellent  gifts,  who  had  herself 
been  a  teacher.  She  then  attended  Avery  School,  in 
Dedham,  Massachusetts,  for  two  years  and  six  months, 
graduating  in  June,  1871.  Next  came  attendance  at 
the  Dedham  High  School,  and  graduation  therefrom 
in  June,  1874.  Coming  west.  Miss  Hartigan  entered 
the  Chicago  Normal  School,  and  graduated  in  Decem- 
ber, 1876.  A  few  years  ago  she  undertook  the  study 
of  mqdicine,  and  graduated  July  i,  1905,  from  Harvey 
Medical  College  with  the  degree  of  M.D.  As  a  teacher, 
all  of  her  services  have  been  givep  to  Chicago  schools, 
including  the  Washington,  in  which  she  taught  from 
September,  1878.  to  February,  1891 ;  the  Brenan,  Feb- 
ruary, 1893,  to  October,  1893 ;  principal  of  the  Hoerner 
School,  October,  1893,  to  June,  1902 ;  principal.  Har- 
vard School,  Harvard  Avenue,  between  Seventy-fifth 
and  Seventy-sixth  streets,  June,  1902,  to  the  present 
time.  She  has  eleven  teachers  as  assistants,  and  the 
pupils  in  attendance  number  over  five  hundred. 

Miss  Hartigan  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Chicago  Principals'  Association, 
Principals'  Club,  District  No.  5 ;  Ella  Flagg  Young 
Club  and  a  number  of  social  organizations.  She  is  an 
adherent  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  and  universally 
esteemed  both  in  professional  and  private  life.  She 
resides  at  6758  Wentworth  Avenue. 


626 


William  R.  Hornbaker 

EDUCATION  has  been  the  magic  word,  the  "  open 
sesame "  to  the  wonderful  progress  that  has  de- 
veloped in  the  Prairie  State,  and  our  public  school 
system,  as  so  lavishly  supported  and  intelligently  directed 
in  Illinois,  is  at  once  the  pride  and  bulwark  of  our  free 
and  patriotic  sons  and  daughters.  The  public  school 
has  been  advanced  to  the  highest  acme  of  effective 
excellence  in  this  commonwealth,  and  this  State  is  a 
recognized  leader  and  power  of  the  world. 

The  schools  of  Chicago  are  particularly  meritorious, 
and  one  of  the  best  is  the  Smyth  School,  West 
Thirteenth  street  and  Blue  Island  avenue,  William  R. 
Hornbaker,  principal.  This  gentleman  was  born  in 
Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  March  8,  1870,  son  of  Albert 
Thomas  and  Susan  (Price)  Hornbaker,  both  natives 
of  Indiatia.  He  was  educated  in  country  schools,  the 
preparatory  school  of  Wabash  College  and  Depauw 
University,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1890  with  the 
degree  of  A.B.  He  is  a  post-graduate  student  of  the 
University  ai  Chicago.  Mr.  Hornbaker  began  his  pro- 
fessional career  in  1892  as  an  instructor  of  science  in 
the  Lake  High  School,  continuing  in  that  capacity  up 
to  1900,  when  he  became  principal  of  the  Taylor  School, 
Chicago,  in  1901  of  the  Goldsmith  School,  and  in  1907 
of  the  Smyth  School,  where  he  has  a  staff  of  thirty- 
two  teachers  and  an  enrolment  of  about  fifteen  hundred 
pupils.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  D.  Rogers,  and 
they  have  one  son,  Albert  Rogers  Hornbaker. 


Mrs.  Fanny  Posey  Hacker 

THE    name    of    Fanny    P.    Hacker    is    well    known 
throughout  the  educational  world.     She  has  been 
identified  with  public   school   work   for  more  than 
a  third  of  a  century,  though  not  in  the  role  of  a  teacher. 
Since  1872  she  has  written  upon  and  generalized  nearly 


Mrs.  Fanny  Posey  Hacker. 


William  R.  Hornbaker. 


all  subjects  bearing  upon  club  and  newspaper  work. 
The  limit  of  this  work  prevents  giving  the  prominence 
due  this  lady.  She  was  born  February  25,  1855,  in  Hen- 
derson County,  Kentucky,  daughter  of  Fayette  W.  and 
Hannah  (Sublette)  Posey,  both  natives  of  that  county 
and  both  now  deceased.  She  was  educated  in  the  coun- 
try schools  of  Henderson  County,  the  high  school  at 
Henderson,  from  which  she  was  graduated  in  1872,  and 
the  preparatory  academy  at  Evansville,  Indiana.  Her 
present  position  is  that  of  county  superintendent  of 
schools  at  Cairo,  Alexander  County,  Illinois,  where  she 
has  supervision  over  119  teachers  and  many  pupils. 

Mrs  Hacker  comes  from  good  old  Revolutionary 
stock.  Her  paternal  great-grandfather  was  General 
Thomas  Posey,  the  first  territorial  governor  of  Loui- 
siana (1812),  and  later  governor  of  Indiana  and  lieu- 
tenant-governor of  Kentucky.  He  was  one  of  George 
Washington's  aides,  and  is  accredited  the  leading  hero 
in  the  engagement  at  Stony  Point.  On  her  mother's 
side  was  Judge  Towles,  a  learned  jurist  and  one  of  the 
most  prominent  men  of  Henderson  County,  Kentucky. 
In  the  same  county,  her  aunt,  Mary  Sublette,  was  noted 
as  being  the  best-educated  woman  in  that  county.  The 
families  of  Posey,  Towles  and  Sublette  were  all  orig- 
inally Virginians.  General  Thomas  Posey  was  a  promi- 
nent figure  in  early  American  history,  and  wonderful 
stories  are  recorded  of  him.  His  exploits  gained  wide- 
spread publicity,  and  from  time  to  time  have  been  told 
in  public  prints.  Undoubtedly  it  is  from  him  that  Mrs. 
Hacker  inherits  her  marvelously  fearless  disposition. 
General  Posey's  sons,  though  daring  adventurers,  were 
well-educated  men  and  successful  in  business  life. 

On  March  19,  1877,  Fanny  Posey  was  married  to  John 
S.  Hacker,  and  they  have  had  seven  children.  Of  these, 
six  are  living,  namely:  Loulou,  Daisy,  Hannah,  Nick, 
Alice  and  Dimple.  Mrs.  Hacker  is  a  member  of  the 
Cairo  Woman's  Club  and  Library  Association,  of  Cairo, 
and  Wickliffe,  Kentucky,  and  has  well  earned  the  great 
esteem  in  which  she  is  held. 


627 


Warren  L.  Hagan 

AMONG  the  earnest  workers  in  the  educational  field 
in  Illinois  is  Warren  L.  Hagan,  who  has  won  an 
"  excellent  reputation  in  pedagogical  circles  and  is 
popularly  known  to  the  public.  Mr.  Hagan  was  born 
February  15,  1883,  in  Shelby  County,  Illinois,  son  of 
J.  H.  and  Mary  C.  Hagan,  the  former  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, the  latter  of  Ohio.  He  was  educated  in  a  coun- 
try school  in  Windsor  Township,  Shelby  County,  Illinois, 
and  the  Eastern  Illinois  Normal  School,  at  Charleston, 
Illinois,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1907  and  later 
performed  post-graduate  work  there.  During  the  years 
that  he  attended  this  institution,  he  taught,  successively, 
in  the  country  schools  of  Walker,  Ash  Grove  and  Elm- 
flat.  After  graduation  he  taught  for  three  years  in  the 
city  schools  of  Grayville.  Illinois,  and  through  his 
efforts  the  North  and  South  Side  schools  were  united, 
and  on  concluding  his  services  there  he  went  to  Griggs- 
ville,  Illinois,  where,  for  over  a  year,  he  has  been  super- 
intendent of  schools.  Here  his  work  has  been  marked 
by  placing  the  grades  from  the  sixth  to. the  eighth  on 
the  departmental  plan.  He  has  supervision  of  two 
schools,  ten  teachers  and  285  pupils.  He  has  made  a 
special  study  of  the  science  of  physics,  and  has  made 
a  decided  success  in  elucidating  its  problems. 

Mr,  Hagan  is  a  member  of  the  Southern  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association  and  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  On  December  24,  1908,  has  was  married 
to  Miss  Mabel  B.runer,  and  both  are  estimably  known 
in  the  community  in  which  they  reside. 

Henry  D.  Hatch 

THIS  gentleman  has  been  in  public  educational  serv- 
ice as  teacher  and  school  principal  for  upward  of 
thirty  years,  and  has  won  distinguished  success  in 
that  capacity. 

Henry  Douglas  Hatch  was  born  in  Joliet,  Illinois, 
March  10,  1858,  son  of  N.  Warner  and  Cordenia 
(Wooley)  Hatch.     His  education,  a  very  comprehensive 


Henry  D.  Hatch. 


Warren  L.  Hagan. 


one,  has  included  studies  and  courses  in  the  public 
schools ;  the  Fox  River  Union  Academy,  Plainfield, 
Illinois  ;  the  University  of  Illinois  ;  Illinois  Normal  Uni- 
versity ;  Cook  County  Normal  School ;  the  University 
of  Michigan ;  University  of  Chicago  and  the  Chicago 
College  of  Law.  He  was  graduated  from  the  first  class 
of  the  latter  in  1889. 

Mr.  Hatch's  early  experience  as  a  teacher  and  princi- 
pal was  in  Oswego,  Illinois ;  Yorkville,  Illinois ;  Trem- 
pealeau, Wisconsin,  and  Moline,  Illinois.  In  1886  he 
became  a  Chicago  public  school  principal,  and  has  since 
been  an  active  factor  in  the  school  system  of  that  city, 
solving  many  diverse  problems  of  school  administra- 
tion until  he  attained  his  present  responsible  position 
of  principal  of  the  J.  N.  Thorp  School.  He  has  a  staff 
of  competent  assistants,  a  well-sustained  school  member- 
ship in  the  heart  of  the  steel-mill  district  of  South 
Chicago,  and  his  influence  for  good  in  his  chosen  voca- 
tion is  constantly  expanding.  Deeply  interested  as  he 
has  been  in  overcoming  the  traditional  isolation  of  the 
school  from  the  essential  life  of  pupils,  Mr.  Hatch  has 
recently  found  special  pleasure  in  opportunities  afforded 
him  at  the  J.  N.  Thorp  School  (among  relatively  few 
in  the  city)  for  conducting  successful  experiments  in 
public  library  cooperation  and  in  the  use  of  the  public 
schools  as  social  centers  for  the  people  of  their  vicinity 
who  have  left  school  either  as  graduates  or  otherwise. 

As  a  continuing  student  of  the  problems  of  sociology 
and  economics  involved  in  the  educative  process,  Mr. 
Hatch  firmly  believes  that  the  changing  order  demands 
a  definite  functioning  of  this  process  in  the  lives  of  our 
youth,  to  the  end  that  they  may  be  inspired  with  the 
spirit  of  social  service  and  be  equipped  to  intelligently 
choose  their  respective,  vocations  in  such  service,  instead 
of  merely  quitting  school  to  hunt  jobs. 

Mr.  Hatch  is  a  member  of  the  Superintendents'  and 
Principals'  Association  of  Northern  Illinois,  an  active 
member  of  the  National  Education  Association,  A._  F. 
and  A.  M.,  Royal  Arch  Masons  and  the  National  Union, 
and  is  a  worshiper  in  the  Unitarian  Church. 


628 


Elizabeth  B.  Harvey 

THE  position  of  county  superintendent  of  schools 
in  a  great  State  like  that  of  Illinois  is  one  that 
requires  on  the  part  of  the  incumbent  thereof 
much  experience,  great  natural  aptitude  and  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  pedagogy.  These  qualities  are  pos- 
sessed in  marked  degree  by  Miss  Elizabeth  Brown 
Harvey,  county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Boone 
County,  Illinois,  and  one  of  the  most  successful  of  the 
women  who  have  occupied  this  prominent  position  in 
the  Prairie  State. 

Miss  Harvey  was  born  in  Harlem,  Winnebago  County, 
Illinois,  March  3,  1874,  daughter  of  Robert  Harvey,  a 
native  of  Argyleshire.  Scotland,  and  Jeannette  Brown 
Harvey,  native  of  Ohio,  both  of  whom  are  now  living. 
She  was  educated  in  the  graded  schools  of  Belvidere,- 
Illinois,  the  South  Belvidere  high  school,  from  which 
she  graduated  in  1891,  and  in  a  course  at  Drake  Uni- 
versity. She  first  taught  in  the  rural  schools  of  Boone 
County,  Illinois ;  next  in  the  graded  schools  of  Belvi- 
dere, Illinois;  and  was  for  ten  years  at  the  head  of  the 
mathematics  department  in  the  high  school  of  Belvi- 
dere. She  is  now  county  superintendent  of  the  schools 
of  Boone  County,  and  in  this  capacity  has  under  her 
management  seventy  schools,  125  teachers  and  3,200 
pupils. 

Miss  Harvey  holds  membership  in  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association,,  and  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  the 
record  she  has  achieved  in  the  educational  world  is  one 
in  which  she  may  well  take  pride. 


Elizabeth  B.  Harvey. 


HuBER  William  Hurt. 


Huber  William  Hurt 

THIS  gentleman,  one  of  the  younger  educationalists 
of  the  Prairie  State,  has  achieved  marked  success 
in  the  various  incumbencies  he  has  held  and  the 
future  holds  bright  promise  for  him. 

Huber  William  Hurt  was  born  November  3,  1882, 
in  Princeton,  Missouri,  son  of  William  S.  and  Anna  E. 
(Haworth)  Hurt.  His  father,  a  native  of  Iowa,  died  in 
Bowen,  Illinois,  in  1883 ;  his  mother,  born  in  this  State, 
survives  her  husband. 

Our  subject  has  had  a  most  ample  education,  which 
was  secured  in  studies  in  the  graded  school  of  Pella, 
Iowa;  the  Pella  High  School;  Central  College,  Pella, 
Iowa ;  Iowa  Wesleyan  University ;  German  Wesleyan 
University;  the  University  o^  Chicago  and  Armour 
School  of  Technology.  From  the  Iowa  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity he  was  granted  the  degrees  of  B.S.  and  A.M. 
In  post-graduate  work  he  studied  in  the  University  of 
Chicago,  the  Armour  School  of  Technology,  Iowa  Wes- 
leyan University,  and  was  research  assistant  in  the 
Yerkes  Observatory.  He  is  a  writer  of  pronounced 
ability,  has  contributed  many  articles  to  magazines  and 
delivered  a  series  of  "  Popular  Science "  lectures,  and 
is  author  of  "  Essential  Elements  of  Plane  Geometry," 
"  Essential  Elements  of  Solid  Geometry  "  and  "  Conic 
Sections."  He  first  taught  as  assistant  in  the  Latin 
department  of  the  Iowa  Wesleyan  Academy,  next  was 
assistant  in  mathematics  in  the  same  institution,  then 
became  science  teacher  in  the  Mt.  Pleasant  (Iowa) 
High  School,  succeeding  which  he  was  principal  of  the 
Oskaloosa  (Iowa)  High  School.  He  is  at  present 
superintendent  of  the  Lockport  (Illinois)  High  School, 
where  he  has  a  staff  of  nine  assistant  teachers  and  an 
enrolment  of  160  pupils. 

Mr.  Hurt  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
Beta  Theta  Pi,  Chicago  chapter  of  same,  and  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  1908  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Harriet  M.  Hibbs,  and  they  reside  in  Lockport, 
Illinois. 


629 


Florence  Holbrook 

AS  a  public  educator,  the  career  of  Miss  Holbrook, 
J"^  now  of  the  Forestville  School,  corner  St.  Law- 
rence avenue  and  Forty-iifth  street,  Chicago  has 
been  a  pleasingly  successful  one,  her  promotion  con- 
tinuous and  fully  earned,  and  she  is  known  as  one  of 
the  most  progressive  teachers  in  the  Garden  City. 

Miss  Holbrook  was  born  in  Peru,  Illinois,  her  father 
being  Edmund  S.  Holbrook,  native  of  Massachusetts, 
her  mother,  Anna  (Case)  Holbrook,  of  New  York. 
Both  are  deceased,  the  latter  having  died  May  i8,  1882 ; 
the  former  November  7,  1897,  in  Chicago,  of  which 
city  they  were  long-time  residents.  Miss  Holbrook 
secured  her  splendid  education  in  Peru,  Illinois ;  Joliet, 
Illinois,  and  Chicago,  including  a  course  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago,  from  which  she  graduated  in  1879  'i"d 
received  the  degrees  of  B.A.  and  M.A.  She  first  taught 
in  the  Oakland  (District  No.  9,  Cook  County)  High 
School,  from  1879  to  1889;  next  in  the  Forestville 
Elementary  School,  Chicago,  from  1889  to  191 1  ;  was 
principal  of  the  high  school  three  years,  and  has  been 
principal  of  the  Forestville  School  twenty-one  years. 
Here  she  has  a  stafif  of  twenty-seven  teachers  and  there 
are  over  thirteen  hundred  pupils. 

Miss  Holbrook  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, the  Society  for  Scientific  Child  Study,  the  Ella 
Flagg  Young  Club,  School  Mistresses'  Club,  Chicago 
Women's  Club  and  the  All  Souls'  (Independent) 
Church.  She  is  a  noted  contributor  to  the  educational 
literature  of  the  day,  her  best-known  works  being  the 
"  Hiawatha  Primer,"  "  Book  of  Nature's  Myths," 
"  Round  the  Year  —  Myth  and  Song,"  "  Northland 
Heroes,"  "  Elementary  Geography,"  "  The  Hiawatha 
Alphabet ''  and  a  dramatization  of  "  Hiawatha." 


Florence  Holbrook. 


Claire  Harlan 

AMONG  the  principals  of  schools  in  his  part  of  the 
State  worthy  of  individual  mention  is  Claire  Har- 
lan, who  is  at  the  head  of  the  high  school  in 
Nilwood,  Illinois.  Although  a  young  man,  his  career 
to  date  has  been  eminently  successful  and  augurs  aus- 
piciously for  his  future.  Mr.  Harlan  is  a  native  of  this 
State,  having  been  born  in  Girard,  Illinois,  April  29, 
1885.  son  of  George  and  Emer  C.  (McGhee)  Harlan, 
the  former  of  whom  died  April  6,  1910,  and  is  survived 
by  his  widow. 

Mr.  Harlan  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  birthplace ;  Brown's  Business  College,  Jackson- 
ville, Illinois,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  May, 
1908;  the  public  schools  in  Carlinville.  Illinois,  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  and  the  University  at  Valparaiso,  Indi- 
ana. His  first  position  was  that  of  principal  of  the  high 
school  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Illinois,  which  he  held  for  six 
months,  and  went  thence  to  the  Nilwood  High  School  as 
principal,  which  position  he  now  occupies.  He  has  a 
stafif  of  trained  instructors  and  an  enrolment  of  one 
hundred  and  ninety  pupils,  and  through  the  advanced 
methods  employed  by  him,  his  work  has  been  productive 
of  the  most  substantial  results. 

Mr.  Harlan  makes  a  special  study  of  Latin  and  com- 
mercial work  and  excels  in  these  branches.  He  holds 
membership  in  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  married  May 
7,  1910,  to  Miss  Esther  Syson,  of  Niantic,  Illinois,  a 
lady  well  known  in  social  circles,  and  they  have  a  son, 
Bruce  Malcolm  Harlan. 


Claire  Harlan. 


630 


May  S.  Hawkins 

SOME  of  the  brightest  young  women  in  the  State 
of  Illinois  are  to  be  found  in  the  ranks  of  the 
school-teachers  of  the  various  localities,  many 
occupying  local  positions  in  country  schools,  but  others 
again  in  very  responsible  places,  where  the  best  of 
talent  is  requisite. 

Miss  Hawkins,  who  is  county  superintendent  of 
schools  of  Pulaski  County,  is  now  serving  her  second 
term  in  that  position,  her  record  having  been  so  satis- 
factory~^during  her  first  term  that  she  was  reelected  in 
November,  1910. 

She  was  born  November  4,  1876,  at  Mounds ;  her 
father,  Louis  A.  Hawkins,  having  been  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  her  mother,  Sallie  Wallbridge  Hawkins, 
was  born  in  Vergennes,  Illinois.  She  first  attended  the 
rural  and  village  public  schools  of  Pulaski  County, 
after  which  she  completed  a  four  years'  course  in  the 
Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  University  at  Carbon- 
dale,  and  also  attended  school  in  the  Northern  Indiana 
Normal  University,  with  graduation  from  the  univer- 
sity at  Carbondale  in  June,  1904. 

Miss  Hawkins  taught  in  the  rural  schools  of  Pulaski 
County  six  years,  in  the  village  schools  two  years,  and 
in  a  high  school  at  Golconda  two  years,  when  she  was 
elected  to  her  present  position,  where  she  has  ninety - 
two  teachers  and  thirty-five  hundred  pupils  under  her 
jurisdiction.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  is  secretary  of  the  Southern 
Illinois  Teachers'  Association  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


May  S.  Hawkins. 


Robert  Allen  Haight. 


Robert  Allen  Haight 

THE  public  schools  of  Illinois  have  had  the  benefit 
of  the  valuable  services  of  the  above  named  for 
almost  a  third  of  a  century,  during  which  period 
the  schools  have  attained  their  greatest  improvement 
and  advancement  since  they  were  first  instituted  in  this 
State. 

Robert  Allen  Haight  was  born  May  22,  1850,  at  War- 
ren, Macomb  County,  Michigan,  his  parents  being 
Alonzo  and  Larissa  C.  (Hopkins)  Haight,  both  natives 
of  New  York  State,  the  former  of  whom  died  at  Ovid, 
Michigan,  April  13,  1878;  the  latter  at  Ypsilanti,  Michi- 
gan, August  9,  1863.  The  fine  education  he  possesses 
was  gained  through  life-long  private  study,  and  by  two 
years  in  a  country  school  in  Oakland  County,  Michigan ; 
eight  years  in  the  public  schools  of  Ypsilanti,  Michigan; 
six  months  in  the  University  of  Missouri,  and  five  years 
at  Shurtleflf  College,  Upper  Alton,  Illinois,  from  which 
he  graduated  with  the  degrees  of  A.B.  and  A.M.  As  a 
teacher,  he  first  taught  three  months  in  the  State  Street 
School,  Alton,  Illinois,  next  in  the  colored  school  at 
Alton,  one  year,  and  for  five  and  a  half  years  was  prin- 
cipal of  the  Alton  High  School.  Thirty  years  ago  he 
was  elected  superintendent  of  schools  in  Alton,  Illinois, 
and  his  work  has  been  so  eminently  satisfactory  to  all 
interested  that  he  has  been  retained  in  the  incumbency 
ever  since.  Under  his  supervision  are  twelve  schools, 
eighty-one  teachers  and  twenty-five  hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Haight  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association  and 
the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association.  On  August 
25,  1875,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Gertrude  C.  Seward, 
and  they  have  had  a  family  of  four,  the  names  being 
Mrs.  J.  E.  Turner,  Edward  A.,  Lewis  S.  and  Robert  A. 
Haight. 


631 


Margaret  A.  Haley 

As  teaching  is  the  natural  forte  of  women  it  is  sel- 
dom that  a  failure  on  their  part  has  been  recorded, 
when  enlisted  in  this  field  of  endeavor.  Different 
degrees  of  success,  however,  prevail,  and  a  most  brilliant 
one  is  that  which  has  been  achieved  by  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  Margaret  A.  Haley. 

Miss  Haley's  career  has  been  a  most  triumphant  one 
from  its  inception,  her  progress  being  ever  "  upward  and 
onward  "  until  her  present  position  of  preeminence  has 
been  attained.  She  is  an  excellent  type  of  the  advaiTced 
"  twentieth-century  woman,"  and  her  ideas  and  methods 
are  progressive  in  every  respect. 

Miss  Haley  is  a  native  of  this  State,  having  been  born 
in  Joliet,  Illinois,  in  1861.  Her  parents  were  Michael 
Haley,  a  native  of  Canada,  and  Elizabeth  Haley,  native 
of  Dublin,  Ireland,  both  of  whom  died  in  Chicago,  the 
former,  in  May,  1905,  the  latter  in  1890.  She  was  edu- 
cated in  a  district  school,  the  village  school  at  Chan- 
nahon,  Illinois,  the  convent  at  Morris,  Illinois,  the  Illi- 
nois State  Normal  University,  at  Normal,  and  the  Chi- 
cago Normal  School,  and  she  has  added  immensely  to 
her  great  fund  of  knowledge  through  constant  private 
study.  She  first  taught  in  country  schools  in  this  State, 
next  in  public  schools  in  Joliet,  Illinois,  and  then,  going 
to  Chicago,  taught  in  every  grade  there  from  the  first 
to  the  eighth,  inclusive.  ,  She  is  now  business  representa- 
tive of  the  Chicago  Teachers"  Federation,  and  being 
possessed  of  vast  experience  and  keen  business  tact  she 
fills  this  position  with  marked  ability. 

Miss  Haley  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
Chicago  Teachers'  Association,  and  the  Catholic  Church. 
In  both  public  and  private  life  she  is  held  in  universal 
esteem. 


Margaret  A.  Haley. 


J.  Montgomery  Humer. 


J.  Montgomery  Humer 

MR.  HUMER  has  been  engaged  in  public  school 
work  upwards  of  thirty  years  and  has  achieved 
an  excellent  record  for  the  thoroughness  of  his 
methods.  He  has  made  a  special  study  of  English 
literature  and  is  thoroughly  posted  in  that  branch.  He 
is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  February  i,  1853,  in 
Cumberland  County,  that  State.  His  parents,  Samuel 
and  Elizabeth  Humer,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  are  both 
deceased,  the  former  having  died  in  1897,  the  latter  in 
1907.  He  studied  in  the  common  schools  of  Cumber- 
land County,  Pennsylvania,  until  his  twelfth  year,  later 
was  a  pupil  in  the  schools  of  Decatur,  Illinois,  including 
the  high  school,  and  he  was  a  student  in  the  Illinois 
State  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1883.  As  a  post-graduate  he  performed  work  in  the 
Illinois  College  and  some  correspondence  work  in  the 
University  of  Chicago.  He  holds  a  teacher's  life  State 
certificate. 

Mr.  Humer  taught  in  rural  schools  eight  years,  was 
principal  in  Danville,  Illinois,  two  years ;  principal  in 
Lovington,  Illinois,  two  years ;  in  Waverly,  Illinois,  six 
years;  Pawnee,  Illinois,  six  years,  and  for  the  past 
seven  years  has  been  principal  in  Springfield,  Illinois. 
He  has  supervision  over  two  buildings,  twelve  teachers 
and  four  hundred  and  twenty-five  pupils. 

Mr.  Humer  holds  membership  in  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Illinois  Manual  Training  Teachers'  As- 
sociation, the  Masonic  Order  (Blue  Lodge  and  Royal 
Arch),  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  1878  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Emma  J.  Bowdle,  of  Ross  County,  Ohio,  and 
they  have  a  daughter,  Bessie  Humer. 


632 


David  Oscar  Jones 

As  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Chester,  Illinois, 
the  above  named  gentleman  has  achieved  a  dis- 
tinct success.  He  is  an  educator  of  advanced 
ideas,  up-to-date  and  progressive,  and  his  methods  are 
commendable  in  every  respect. 

Mr.  Jones  was  born  in  Franklin  Count}-,  Illinois, 
June  i8,  1867,  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  B.  (Ray) 
Jones,  both  natives  of  Tennessee,  the  former  of  whom 
deceased  in  Marion,  this  State,  in  December,  1899.  His 
education  was  secured  in  the  common  schools  of  Will- 
iamson County,  Illinois,  a  select  school  in  the  same 
covmty,  a  course  at  Ewing  College,  and  one  at  Southern 
Illinois  Normal  University,  at  Carbondale,  and  after 
graduation  from  the  latter  in  June,  1895,  he  performed 
post-graduate  work.  As  a  teacher,  he  was  for  eight 
years  in  country  schools ;  was  principal  of  schools  in 
De  Soto,  Illinois,  three  years ;  superintendent  at  Creal 
Springs,  Illinois,  one  year;  principal  of  the  high  school 
at  Chester,  Illinois,  seven  years.  He  is  now  superin- 
tendent at '  Lawrenceville,  Illinois,  after  two  years  as 
superintendent  of  Johnson  City  schools,  and  his  work 
is  being  received  with  the  highest  commendation. 

Mr.  Jones  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  School 
Teachers'  Reading  Circle,  the  Southern  Illinois  Teach- 
ers' Association,  and  was  former  president  of  the 
Randolph  County  Teachers'  Association.  He  also 
holds  membership  in  the  Masonic  Order,  Odd  Fellows, 
Court   of  Honor,   and  the  Baptist   Church. 

On  March  8,  1896,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Cora  E. 
Nichols,  and  they  have  had  five  children,  those  living 
being  four  daughters,  Helen,  Grace,  Edith  and  Nannie. 


T 


Charles  Ellsworth  Joiner 

HE  subject  of  this  sketch,  Charles  Ellsworth 
Joiner,  was  born  at  Litchfield,  Montgomery 
county,   Illinois,   on   the  twenty-first   day  of  July, 


Charles  Ellsworth  Joiner. 


David  Oscar  Jones. 


1866.  His  father,  William  Joiner,  was  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee;  his  mother,  Elizabeth  (Huddleston)  was  a 
native  of  Illinois.  Both  parents  were  descendants  of 
English  ancestors.  Mr.  Joiner's  elementary  education 
was  secured  in  the  rural  schools  of  southern  Illinois ; 
his  secondary  education  in  the  academical  department 
of  Ewing  College,  Ewing,  Illinois,  from  which  institii- 
tion  he  took  his  Bachelor's  degree  in  1891.  The  same 
institution  conferred  upon  him  the  Master's  degree  in 
1895.  After  teaching  in  the  rural  schools  two  years, 
Mr.  Joiner  was  elected  principal  of  the  schools  at  El 
Dorado,  Saline  county,  Illinois.  After  serving  in  this 
capacity  one  year,  he  was  elected  superintendent  of 
schools  at  Pinckneyville,  Perry  County,  Illinois,  in  1892, 
where  he  served  as  superintendent  for  six  years.  The 
next  five  years  Mr.  Joiner  was  superintendent  of  schools 
at  White  Hall,  Illinois,  and  the  next  six  years  at  Ro- 
chelle,  Illinois.  The  present  year  .is  his  third  year  as 
superintendent  at  Monmouth,  Illinois.  Mr.  Joiner  has 
done  institute  work  in  many  of  the  counties  of  southern, 
central  and  northern  Illinois  for  the  past  fifteen  years, 
and  has  delivered  educational  addresses  and  other  ad- 
dresses in  diff^erent  parts  of  the  State.  Mr.  Joiner  has 
been  a  member  and  an  active  worker  in  the  Southern 
Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the  Central  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association  and  the  Western  Illinois  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, and  has  been  elected  to  different  offices  of  these 
associations.  He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  Illinois 
State  Teachers'  Association  for  nineteen  years  and  in 
that  time  has  missed  only  one  .of  the  annual  meetings. 
He  is  at  present  president  of  the  Principals'  Section  of 
the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association.  He  is  also  an 
active  member  of  the  National  Education  Association. 
He  is  an  active  church  worker  and  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  In  1892  Mr.  Joiner  was  married 
to  Miss  Frances  Carner,  youngest  daughter  of  a  promi- 
nent Baptist  clergyman,  of  Benton,  Illinois.  They  have 
three  daughters,  Jessie,  Irene  and  Elizabeth. 


633 


Emma  Fanny  Jones 


AN  excellent  and  ambitious  scholar,  one  who  has 
extended,  valuable,  practical  experience,  and  is 
"enthusiastically  imbued  with  the  importance  of 
her  life-work,  Miss  Jones  deservedly  enjoys  a  superior 
reputation  in  the  pedagogical  world.  Her  great  interest 
for  learning  and  art  was  inherited  from  her  mother,  a 
lady  of  strong  character.  She  is  particularly  fond  of 
the  study  of  mathematics,  and  also  has  a  decided  talent 
in  charcoal  drawing  and  oil  painting.  During  the  seasons 
of  1911-1913  she  intends  taking  up  special  work  in  lit- 
erature and  art. 

Miss  Jones  is  a  native  of  this  State,  having  been  born 
in  Brighton,  Macoupin  County,  March  4,  1873.  Her 
father  was  Thomas  J.  Jones,  a  native  of  Wales,  while 
her  mother,  born  in  Nassau,  Germany,  was  the  daughter 
of  a  French  gentleman  who  married  a  German.  Miss 
Jones  first  studied  in  a  country  school  in  Jonesboro, 
Illinois,  reached  the  eighth  grade,  and  then  took  a 
three  j'cars'  course  at  Brighton,  graduating  therefrom  in 
1892.  She  also  spent  eight  terms  at  the  normal  school 
at  Carlinville.  Illinois,  and  four  summer  terms  at  the 
State  Normal  University,  Normal,  Illinois. 

Miss  Jones,  on  entering  the  public  school  service, 
taught  for  sixteen  years  in  country  schools,  and  then, 
for  three  years,  was  assistant  principal  of  the  high 
school  at  Brighton,  Illinois.  This  position  she  now 
retains,  having  been  engaged  therefor  for  the  forthcom- 
ing term  at  an  advanced  salary,  a  surety  that  her  val- 
uable services  have  been  duly  appreciated. 

Miss  Jones  attends  the  studies  at  the  Illinois  Teachers' 
Reading  Circle  every  year  and  keeps  in  close  touch  with 
all  advances  made  in  schoolwork  and  methods.  Her 
standing  in  scholastic  circles  is  of  the  highest,  and  she 
commands  the  esteem  and  respect  of  all  her  colleagues, 
pupils  and  friends. 


Emma  Fanny  Jones. 


James  W.  Jackson. 


James  W.  Jackson 

IN  the  school  annals  of  the  Prairie  State  the  above 
named  gentleman   occupies   a   place  of  honor.     For 
twenty   years   he   has   given    heart-felt   work   to   the 
cause  of  popular  education,  and  the  reputation  he  has 
so  industriously   striven   for  is   fully   merited. 

Mr.  Jackson  was  born  June  27,  1861,  in  Erie  County, 
Pennsylvania,  son  of  Smith  I.  and  Mary  E.  Jackson, 
both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the  former  of  whom 
deceased  at  Girard,  Pennsylvania,  in  1898,  while  the 
latter  is  still  living  there.  He  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  the  Waterford  Academy,  Waterford, 
Pennsylvania,  L;ike  Shore  College,  North  East,  Penn- 
sylvania, the  State  Normal  School  at  Edinboro,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  the  Western  Normal  College  at  Bushnell, 
Illinois.  As  a  public  educator,  he  first  taught  in  coun- 
try schools  in  his  native  State  for  two  years,  next,  for 
the  same  length  of  time  in  country  schools  of  Illinois ; 
and  then,  successively,  was  principal  at  Fayette,  Illinois, 
two  years ;  Rockbridge,  Illinois,  three  years ;  prin- 
cipal at  Ava,  Illinois,  one  year ;  superintendent  at 
Waterloo,  Illinois,  eleven  years,  and  in  1910  he  was 
elected  to  his  present  position  of  superintendent  of 
schools  of  Monroe  county,  Illinois.  He  also  has  served 
as  deputy  county  clerk  of  Monroe  county,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Jackson  is  an  ex-member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  and  the  Southern  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association,  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Ma- 
sonic Order,  the  Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  is  now  City  Clerk  and  City  Librarian. 
On  December  25,   1889,   he   was   married   to  Miss   Celia 

E.  Bruner,  of  Rockbridge,  Illinois,  who  deceased  in 
1901,  and  on  June  17,   1908,  he  was  married  to  Martha 

F.  Holmes.  They  have  a  family  of  three  children, 
Harry  E.,  William  I.  and  Geneva  E.,  and  are  at  pres- 
ent domiciled  in  the  City  Building,  formerly  the  resi- 
dence of  Col.  W.  R.  Morrison,  it  having  been  donated 
to  the  City  of  Waterloo  for  a  City  Library. 


634 


Frances  Jenkins 

THIS  educator  has  been  active  in  the  educational 
field  for  about  fifteen  years  and  has  earned  an 
excellent  reputation  for  efficiency  and  the  sound- 
ness of  her  methods.  She  was  born  November  4,  1872, 
in  Oswego,  New  York,  her  parents  being  Isaac  Gray 
Jenkins,  a  native  of  Onondaga  County,  New  York,  and 
Rebecca  Congdon  Jenkins,  native  of  Oswego  County, 
New  York.  Miss  Jenkins  was  educated  in  private 
schools ;  the  Oswego  High  School,  from  which  she  was 
graduated  in  January,  1889;  the  Oswego  Normal  School 
(Advanced  English  Course),  with  graduation  in  1894; 
and  the  Teachers'  College,  of  Columbia  University  (one 
year).  In  1901  she  took  a  critic  course  in  the  Oswego 
Normal  School.  Beginning  professional  work  Miss  Jen- 
kins taught  for  six  months  in  a  private  school  of  her 
own ;  next  taught  first  grade  in  Gloversville,  New  York, 
one  year ;  next  was  teacher  in  the  third  and  fourth 
grades  in  Islip,  New  York,  six  months ;  in  sixth  grade 
in  Montclair,  New  Jersey,  for  four  and  one-half  years ; 
was  in  critic  and  supervisory  work  in  the  city  and  nor- 
mal schools  of  DeKalb,  Illinois,  four  years  and  three 
summer  terms ;  taught  in  the  Teachqrs'  Training  School, 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  two  years ;  in  Howard  University, 
Washington,  D.  C,  one  year;  in  the  Teachers'  College, 
Cokunbia  University,  three  summer  terms ;  one  summer 
term  at  Chautauqua,  New  York,  and  for  the  past  two 
years  she  has  been  supervisor  of  the  elementary  grades 
of  the  schools  of  Decatur,  Illinois.  Under  her  supervi- 
sion are  fifteen  schools,  122  teachers  and  5,095  pupils, 
and  her  duties  are  performed  in  the  most  commendatory 
manner. 

Miss  Jenkins  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  Religious 
Education  Association,  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  Musical  Culture 
Club  of  Decatur,  Municipal  Art  League  of  Decatur, 
Daughter  of  the  American  Revolution,  and  the  Congre- 
gational Church.  She  is  assistant  editor  of  the  "  River- 
side Readers,"  published  by  Houghton-Mifflin  Co. 


EuGAR  S.  Jones. 


Frances  Jenkins. 


Edgar  S.  Jones 

MR.  JONES  is  an  apt  teacher,  a  characteristic  dif- 
ficult to  describe.  The  apt  teacher  is  one  who 
is  naturally  adjusted  to  the  profession  and  whose 
life  seems  to  be  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  the 
school,  and  an  individual  having  an  aptitude  to  teach, 
to  govern,  to  inspire  and  to  elevate  is  certainly  a  most 
potent  factor  in  the  development  of  mankind. 

Edgar  S.  Jones  was  born  in  1873  at  Bement,  Illinois, 
his  parents  being  Nelson  and  Carrie  E.  Jones,  both 
natives  of  Ohio,  the  former  of  whom  deceased  at  Mon- 
ticello,  Illinois,  in  1896,  while  the  latter  is  yet  living. 
He  was  educated  in  country  schools  in  Piatt  County, 
Illinois,  in  normal  schools  and  in  the  University  of 
Chicago.  As  a  teacher  he  had  charge  of  country  schools 
from  1892  to  1899;  was  principal  at  Cisco,  Illinois,  from 
1899  to  1902 ;  superintendent  at  Lovington,  Illinois, 
from  1902  to  1910;  also  principal  of  the  township 
high  school  from  1906  to  1910,  and  he  is  now  school 
superintendent  at  Taylorville,  Illinois,  where  he  has  a 
staff  of  twenty  assistant  teachers  and  an  enrolment  of 
seven  hundred  pupils.  He  is  a  writer  of  force,  has  made 
a  special  study  of  arithmetic  and  is  author  of  "  Seventh 
Year  Arithmetic  "  and  "  Eighth  Year  Arithmetic,"  both 
adapted  to  the  Illinois  State  course.  He  is  a  regular 
contributor  to  School  Nezi's,  the  Practical  School  Jour- 
nal and  IlHnois  Instructor,  and  has  written  many  mis- 
cellaneous articles  for  nature  study  and  "  outdoor " 
magazines.  He  has  had  considerable  experience  during 
the  past  five  years  as  an  institute  instructor.  He 
obtained  an  Illinois  life  certificate  in  1905. 

Mr.  Jones  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association, 
Odd  Fellows,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In 
1898  he  was  married  to  Ola  B.  High,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Mildred. 


635 


Thomas  C.  Johnson 


AMONG  the  soundly  conducted  public  educational 
institutions  of  Chicago  is  the  Sheldon  School, 
■  located  at  North  State  and  Elm  streets.  It  is 
under  the  principalship  of  Thomas  C.  Johnson,  a  ripe 
scholar  and  educator  of  extensive  experience  and  prac- 
tical knowledge.  He  holds  membership  in  the  Geo- 
graphical Society,  the  Chicago  Principals'  Club,  the 
Masonic  Order,  the  Delta  Tau  Delta  fraternity  and  the 
Methodist  Church. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  born  in  South  Wayne,  Wisconsin, 
April  22,  1874,  son  of  Martin  Johnson,  a  native  of  Nor- 
way, and  Larsena  Johnson,  who  was  born  in  this  coun- 
try, and  both  of  whom  are  still  living.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city,  the  Northwestern 
Academy,  Evanston,  Illinois,  and  the  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity. He  first  taught  in  country  schools  in  Wisconsin 
and  Illinois  for  five  years ;  following  which  he  was  a 
teacher  in  the  Adams,  Manierre,  Talcott,  Avondale  and 
Chicago  Normal  schools  for  six  years ;  was  principal 
of  the  Mayfair  School  one  year,  and  for  the  past  two 
years  has  been  principal  of  the  Sheldon  School,  in  which 
capacity  he  has  supervision  of  fifteen  teachers  and  about 
six  hundred  pupils.  Mr.  Johnson  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  and  keeps  in 
full  touch  with  all  advances  made  along  educational 
lines.  In  1906  he  was  married  to  Miss  Hazel  Barker, 
of  Chicago,  and  they  have  one  child,  Wilma  Leslie 
Johnson. 


Lottie  E.  Jones 

MISS  JONES,  although  now  retired  from  active 
school  service,  has  for  years  been  a  valued  pro- 
moter of  educational  work  and  is  most  favorably 
known  to  her  colleagues  and  to  the  public.  As  a  jour- 
nalist and  author  she  has  also  gained  distinction,  being 
editor  of  the  Inter-State  School  Revieiv,  and  author  of 
several  books,  among  them  being  "  Decisive  Dates  in 
the  History  of  Illinois,"  which  is  recognized  as  a  con- 
cise, yet  comprehensive,  compilation  of  the  history  of 
this  State.  She  is  author  of  "  Library  Methods  Applied 
to  State  Histories "  and  "  Life  and  Legends  of  the 
Indians  of  the  Country  of  the  Illinois,"  as  well  as 
Normal  First  and  Second  Readers  and  the  "  Story  of 
Cuba."  She  also  compiled  volume  II  of  the  "History 
of  Vermilion  County,"  published  in  191 1.  She  is  now 
engaged  in  gathering  and  arranging  matter  for  her 
forthcoming  work  on  "  Along  the  Historic  Wabash." 

Miss  Jones  was  born  in  Covington,  Indiana,  her  par- 
ents being  John  Sponson  Jones  and  Charlotte  (Wheeler) 
Jones,  both  natives  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  now 
deceased,  the  former  having  died  December  21,  1871,  the 
latter  November  11,  1902,  at  Danville,  Illinois.  She 
came  with  her  parents  to  Danville,  Illinois,  in  1871.  The 
admirable  education  she  possesses  was  received  in  the 
graded  and  high  schools  of  Danville,  Illinois,  and  the 
Northwestern  University,  and  before  retiring  to  private 
life  and  literary  labors  she  was  for  eighteen  years  iden- 
tified with  the  public  schools  of  Danville.  She  spent 
a  number  of  years  lecturing  before  teachers'  institutes 
in  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Pennsylvania.  She  has  also 
been  State  Speaker  for  the  Farmers'  Institutes  in  Illi- 
nois and  Indiana. 

Miss  Jones  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
the  Illinois  State  Historical  Association,  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley  Historical  Association  and  the  American 
Historical  Association.  By  reason  of  ancestors  who 
were  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  she  is  affiliated  with 
both  organizations  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution  and  the  Daughters  of  the  Revolution,  hold- 
ing membership  in  local  chapter  of  the  first  at  Danville, 
Illinois,  and  in  Van  Cortland  Chapter  of  the  latter  at 
Peekskill,  New  York. 


Thomas  C.  Johnson. 


Charles  Rudolph  Edward  Koch 

DOCTOR  KOCH  was  born  April  24,  1844,  in 
Polish  Prussia.  In  his  early  childhood  his  parents 
settled  in  Manitowoc,  Wisconsin,  where  the  son 
received  a  good  common-school  education.  In  1859  he 
came  to  Chicago,  alone,  to  begin  his  life's  career.  The 
following  year  he  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  J.  A.  Kenni- 
cott,  as  a  student  of  dentistry,  continuing  his  general 
education  under  private  tutorage.  On  August  15,  1862, 
he  was  enrolled  for  military  service,  being  mustered  in 
as  corporal  of  Company  G,  72d  111.  Infantry  —  Chicago's 
first  Board  of  Trade  regiment  —  and  was  discharged 
on  September  15,  1863,  to  accept  promotion  in  the  58th 
U.  S.  colored  infantry.  Throughout  the  War  he  was 
repeatedly  promoted  —  when  mustered  out  being  captain 
of  the  49th  colored  infantry.  After  leaving  the  military 
service,  Captain  Koch  returned  to  Chicago,  resumed 
his  dental  studies  in  May,  1866,  and  began  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  1867. 

Doctor  Koch  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Union 
Veteran  Club  of  Chicago,  and  its  first  presiding  officer. 
Doctor  Koch  had  filled  various  prominent  offices  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  is  now  adjutant-gen- 
eral of  the  Department  of  Illinois,  national  organization 
of  this  order.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee,  and  also  of  the  Military  Order 
of  the  Loyal  Legion. 

In  civil  life,  Doctor  Koch  pursued  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  became  the  secretary  of  the  Chicago  Dental 
Society  in  1869,  and  in  1875  its  president.  From  1871 
to  1875,  inclusive,  he  was  secretary  of  the  Illinois  Den- 
tal Society,  and  as  such  edited  its  publications,  and  in 
1877  became  president  of  the  organization.  From  1880 
to  1882  he  was  military  editor  of  the  Chicago  Inter 
Ocean.  From  1886  to  1891  he  was  a  member  of  the  Illi- 
nois State  Board  of  Dental  Examiners  and  during  that 
time  served  as  secretary  and  also  as  president  of  that 
board.     In    1891   he  became   president  of   the   National 


636 


Association  of  Dental  Examiners,  and  he  is  now  presi- 
dent of  the  National  Association  of  Dental  Faculties. 

In  January,  1904,  Northwestern  University  tendered 
him  the  position  of  secretary  of  its  dental  department, 
and  in  1906  created  a  lecture  course  on  Dental  Econ- 
omies, to  which  Doctor  Koch  was  assigned,  both  of 
which  positions  he  now  occupies.  During  his  connec- 
tion with  Northwestern  University  he  has  pursued  spe- 
cial historic  research  work,  resulting  in  a  work  on 
Dental  History,  written  and  edited  by  him.  The  volume 
.contains  1,182  pages  and  is  a  chronological  record  of  the 
development  of  the  dental  profession  from  the  earliest 
ages  to  the  present  day  in  its  theories,  practical,  social, 
educational,  legislative  and  journalistic  progress. 


Marguerite  Ethel  Kramer 

MISS  KRAMER  was  born  in  Freeport,  Illinois, 
August  12,  1885 ;  her  father,  George  Henry,  and 
her  mother,  Katherine  Isabelle,  both  being  native 
Illinoisians.  She  attended  the  public  schools  of  Lena, 
where  she  continued  for  five  years,  and  then  entered 
the  sixth  grade  of  the  Freeport  schools,  afterward  tak- 
ing the  high  school  course,  and  graduating  from  the 
Freeport  High  School  in  1902.  Her  first  teaching  was 
in  the  May  School,  Florence  Township,  where  she  con- 
tinued two  terms,  then  taught  in  Pleasant  View,  Lan- 
caster, Stephenson  County,  eight  terms,  after  which  she 
returned  to  the  May  School  for  three  terms.  She 
remained  at  home  a  year  after  the  close  of  this  third 
term,  then  substituted  two  and  a  half  months  in  city 
schools,  and  following  this  was  appointed  principal  of 
the  Freeport  School,  where  she  has  been  for  four  years. 
Under  her  supervision  are  four  rooms,  three  teachers 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty  pupils,  and  under  her  direct 
teaching  are  thirty-five  pupils,  comprising  six  grades. 

Miss  Kramer  is  a  member  of  the  Northern  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Club  of  '02's,  district  third 
vice-president  of  Rock  River  District  Epworth  League, 
and  the  Emburv  Methodist  Church. 


Charles  Clovis  Krauskopf. 


Marguerite  Ethel  Kramer. 


Charles  Clovis  Krauskopf 

ONE  of  the  most  interesting  and  commendable 
features  of  the  grand  public  school  system  of 
Chicago  is  that  of  the  provision  of  schools  for 
crippled  children,  and  these,  under  able  management, 
have  been  productive  of  most  gratifying  and  substan- 
tial results.  A  gentleman  who  is  by  training  and 
natural  ability  well  qualified  for  this  field  of  work  is 
Mr.  Charles  Clovis  Krauskopf,  the  present  principal 
of  the  Spalding  School  for  Crippled  Children,  located 
on  Park  Avenue,  between  Ashland  Avenue  and  Paulina 
Street.  He  was  assistant  director  of  the  Child  Study 
Department  of  the  Chicago  schools  from  1899  to  1904, 
has  thoroughly  studied  the  habits  and  needs  of  chil- 
dren and  is  fvilly  equipped  for  the  position  he  now  so 
ably  discharges  the  duties  of.  He  is  assisted  by  a  staff 
of  competent  assistants  and  has  an  extensive  enrol- 
ment, of  pupils,  by  all  of  whom  he  is  regarded  with  con- 
fidence and  esteem. 

Mr.  Krauskopf  was  born  in  Richmond,  Indiana,  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1869,  his  parents  being  Justus  and  Rocilla 
(Bowen)  Krauskopf,  both  natives  of  Ohio,  the  latter 
still  living,  while  the  former  deceased  in  Richmond, 
Indiana,  in  1898.  He  was  educated  in  the  grade  schools 
of  Wayne  County,  Indiana ;  the  Richmond,  Indiana, 
high  school,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1888;  the 
Indiana  University,  from  which  he  received  the  A.B. 
degree  in  1893,  and,  through  post-graduate  work,  the 
A.M.  degree  in  1894,  and  he  also  performed  post-grad- 
uate work  in  the  University  of  Chicago  in  1897-98. 

Mr.  Krauskopf  first  taught  in  an  Indiana  country 
school  for  two  terms ;  was  principal  of  the  ward  school, 
at  Anderson,  Indiana,  from  1894  to  1897;  school  prin- 
cipal at  Maywood,  Illinois,  1898-99,  and  since  1904  has 
been  school  principal  in  Chicago,  where  he  has  met 
with  pronounced  success.  On  August  i,  1894,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Hort,  an  estimable  'lady, 
who  has  borne  him  two  children.  The  family  residence 
is  at  No.  900  North  Eighth  Avenue,  Maywood,  Illinois. 


637 


Theodore  Kemp,  A.B.,  D.D. 

DOCTOR  KEMP,  president  of  the  Illinois  Wes- 
leyan  University,  prominent  in  scholastic  circles, 
is  an  educator  whose  ability  has  been  recognized 
in  the  educational  world  and  duly  appreciated.  His 
experience  has  fully  equipped  him  for  the  responsible 
position  he  occupies.  He  has  a  splendid  knowledge  of 
men  and  affairs,  and  that  his  genial  personal  character- 
istics are  appreciated  is  shown  by  his  popularity  with 
leaders  in  the  educational  and  business   world. 

Theodore  Kemp  was  born  April  i6,  1868,  in  Rising 
Sun,  Indiana,  son  of  George  and  Minerva  D.  Kemp, 
both  natives  of  Indiana,  the  former  now  living  in  Los 
Angeles,  while  the  latter  deceased  in  1891,  in  Areola, 
Illinois.  He  received  his  education  in  country  schools, 
in  the  high  school  at  Areola,  Illinois,  the  Northwestern 
Academy,  in  Evanston,  Illinois ;  the  University  of 
Southern  California,  Los  Angeles ;  the  DePauw  Uni- 
versity, Greencastle,  Indiana ;  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1893  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts, 
and  the  Garrett  Biblical  Institute.  In  1907  he  received 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from  the  Illinois  Wes- 
leyan  University.  He  was  an  instructor  in  this  univer- 
sity in  1906-7  and  since  1908  has  been  president  of  this 
splendid  institution.  Under  his  supervision  are  forty- 
five  instructors  and  the  enrolment  of  students  is  seven 
hundred  and  thirty. 

Doctor  Kemp  united  with  the  Illinois  Conference  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1893  and  served 
several  important  pastorates  with  increasing  success  until 
elected  president  of  Illinois  Wesleyan  University  in 
1908.  Since  assuming  this  important  station,  President 
Kemp  has  secured  a  number  of  generous  gifts  for  the 
school,  has  revised  the  course  of  study  and  standards 
of  the  university,  and  has  led  in  the  erection  of  two 
new  buildings.  The  school  has  grown  in  attendance 
and  prestige  under  his  able  management. 

Doctor  Kemp  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  the 
National  Religious  Educational  Association,  the  School- 
masters' Club,  Alumni  Club,  of  Bloomington,  Illinois, 
and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  1893  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Flora  B.  Truitt  and  they  reside  at  1312 
North  Main  street,  Bloomington,  Illinois. 


Oscar  Harrison  Kimmel 

A  SPECIAL  study  of  practical  ideas,  as  adapted  to 
child  culture  and  the  training  of  pupils,  so  that 
the  best,  most  satisfactory  results  might  be  at- 
tained, has  ever  marked  the  career  of  Mr.  Kimmel  from 
the  time  he  entered  the  pedagogical  profession.  That 
the  methods  employed  by  him  in  the  carrying  out  of 
his  ideas  were  correct  is  shown  by  the  substantial  suc- 
cess he  has  accomplished  in  every  school  over  which  he 
has  presided.  He  has  ever  been  a  live  student  of  edu- 
cational problems,  an  advocate  of  the  educational  train- 
ing that  reaches  the  head,  the  heart  and  the  hand,  and 
a  firm  believer  that  the  elementary  school,  in  time,  must 
teach  not  only  how  to  live  best,  but  how  laest  to  make  a 
living.  In  the  Horace  Mann  School,  of  which  he  is  the 
supervising  principal,  he  and  his  associates  inculcate 
the  idea  that  the  hand  should  help  the  brain.  This  is 
done  through  the  agency  of  constructive  or  "  motor 
training,"  and  applied  motive  in  work,  that  is  charac- 
teristic of  this  school. 

Oscar  Harrison  Kimmel  was  born  May  17,  1877,  on  a 
farm  near  Auburn,  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  son  of 
John  M.  and  Hannah  Kimmel,  natives  of  Ohio,  and  now 
deceased,  the  former  having  died  at  Mount  Vernon, 
Illinois,  December  i,  1896,  while  the  latter  died  while 
on  a  visit  to  Anthony,  Kansas,  in  March,  191 1.  He 
posesses  a  thorough  education,  which  was  obtained  by 
studies  in  the  country  schools  of  Sangamon  County, 
Illinois ;  the  village  schools  at  Loami,  Illinois ;  the  pub- 
lic schools  at  Mount  Vernon,  Illinois ;  the  Mount  Ver- 
non Collegiate  Institute,  which  he  entered  after  winning 


Oscar  Harrison  Kimmel. 


a  year's  free  scholarship  offered  by  this  institution  in  a 
county  competitive  examination.  He  attended  this  col- 
lege three  years ;  McKendree  College,  one  year,  and 
also  took  work  at  the  Illinois  State  Normal  School,  at 
Normal,  and  at  Ewing  College.  He  is  now  ready  for 
the  B.S.  degree  and  has  made  application  for  same, 
which  will  be  conferred  upon  him  soon. 

Mr.  Kimmel's  first  work  as  teacher  took  place  at  the 
old  Cub  Prairie  schoolhouse,  in  Dodds  Township,  Jef- 
ferson County,  Illinois,  where  he  finished  an  unexpired 
term,  and  afterward  taught  there  two  terms ;  then  he 
went  to  the  Boyd  village  school,  one  year ;  the  Harlow 
and  Camp  Ground  country  schools  for  two  years  and 
one  year,  respectively ;  was  principal  of  the  Woodlawn, 
(111.)  schools  two  years;  principal,  Franklin  School,  in 
Mount  Vernon,  Illinois,  two  years  ;  supervising  principal, 
Irving  School,  East  St.  Louis,  two  years ;  supervising 
principal,  Alta  Sita  School,  East  St„  Louis,  Illinois,  one 
year,  and  for  the  past  three  years  has  been  supervising 
principal  of  the  Horace  Mann  School,  East  St.  Louis, 
where  he  has  under  his  direction  sixteen  teachers,  a 
cadet  teacher  and  about  seven  hundred  and  twenty 
pupils. 

Mr.  Kimmel  has  been  a  contributor  to  magazines  for 
several  years.  Among  his  articles  that  have  attracted 
favor  are  "  Eugene  Field,"  "  Paul  Lawrence  Dunbar," 
"  The  Nation's  Feast  Day "  and  "  The  Last  Great  In- 
dian." He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  the 
Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the  St.  Louis 
Society  of  Pedagogy,  the  St.  Clair  County  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Cahokia  Schoolmasters'  Club,  of  St. 
Clair  and  Madison  counties,  the  Odd  Fellows,  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  Modern  Woodmen  and  the  National 
Americans,  of  which,  on  May  17,  1911,  at  Kansas  City, 
he  was  elected  National  Grand  Marshal  for  a  term  of 
four  years.  In  1905  he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna 
Albaugh,  daughter  of  a  leading  merchant  of  Woodlawn, 
Illinois,  and  they  reside  at  735  North  Thirteenth  street, 
East  St.  Louis. 


638 


Philip  M.  Ksycki 

THE  Chicago  Public  Library  is  a  most  valuable 
auxiliary  to  the  schools  and  colleges  of  the  city,  as 
the  magnificent  collection  of  books  there,  treating 
upon  all  subjects,  is  of  great  assistance  in  furthering  the 
studies  of  scholars  and  students,  they  being  at  all  times 
available,  free  of  charge.  The  Library  Board  is  com- 
posed of  public-spirited  citizens,  selected  for  the  honor 
by  their  experience  and  business  ability.  One  of  these 
is  Philip  M.  Ksycki,  a  citizen  well  known  for  his 
progressive  views  and  devotion  to  public  weal. 

Mr.  Ksycki  is  a  native  of  Budzyn,  Poland,  where  he 
was  born  January  3,  1867.  son  of  John  and  Anna 
Ksycki,  both  native  Polanders  and  now  deceased,  the 
former  having  died  in  October,  1866,  the  latter  in  Octo- 
ber, 1873,  '"  Budzyn,  Poland.  Mr.  Ksycki  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Germany  and  the  United  States 
and  also  took  a  course  in  a  business  college.  He,  be- 
sides being  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Library  Board, 
is  also  vice-president  of  the  Polish  National  Alliance, 
the  largest  Polish  organization  in  the  world,  having  a 
membership  of  over  one  hundred  thousand,  and  is  a 
member  of  Holy  Trinity  Roman  Catholic  Church.  In 
1893  he  was  married  to  Miss  Clara  Waser,  and  they 
have  three  children,  Teresa,  Bernard  and  Philip.  The 
family  reside  at  3046  North  Hamlin  avenue,  Chicago. 

Dr.  Wladyslaw  Augustus  Kuflewski 

DR.  KUFLEWSKI  has  been  an  ardent  supporter  of 
education  in  Chicago,  and  has  done  much  through 
his  individual  efforts  to  advance  the  status  of  our 
public  schools. 

Doctor  Kuflewski  was  born  May  26,  1870,  in  Jaros- 
zewo,  Posen.  Poland,  son  of  Augustus  and  Solomea 
Kalacinska  Kuflewski,  both  natives  of  Poland  and  both 
now  deceased.  He  received  his  preparatory  education 
in  his  native  country.  Coming  to  Chicago,  he  entered 
upon  the  study  of  medicine,  was  an  undergraduate  of 
the  Chicago  College  of  Pharmacy,  1889,  and  later  grad- 


Dr.  Wladyslaw  Augustus  Kuflewskl 


Philip  M.  Ksycki. 

uated  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
Chicago,  and  in  1894  graduated  from  the  College  of 
Medicine,  University  of  Illinois.  In  1905  Doctor  Kuflew- 
ski was  Professor  of  Surgery  in  the  Chicago  Clinical 
School,  was  attending  surgeon  in  the  Cook  County 
Hospital  from  1901  to  1905,  and  clinician  there  during 
the  same  years.  He  has  also  served  as  surgeon  of  the 
Second  Regiment,  Illinois  National  Guard.  He  is  the 
"  father  "  of  the  "  Noiseless  Fourth,"  and  has  delivered 
many  public  addresses  and  written  numerous  essays  and 
papers  on  medical  science.  He  has  translated  many 
pamphlets  into  the  Polish  language,  and  many  from 
foreign  languages  into  English.  These  were  mostly  of 
a  political  and  literary  character.  Some  of  the  articles 
written  by  Doctor  Kuflewski  are :  ''  How  to  Sterilize 
Books,"  1901 ;  "  Alcohol  and  Its  Action  on  the  Human 
Body,"  December,  1897;  "  How  to  Vaccinate,  and  Why," 
1898;  "The  Technique  of  Minor  Surgery  and  Its 
Importance,"  February,  1904 ;  "  Anaesthesia  and  Anaes- 
thetics," 1905 ;  "  To  Do  Away  with  the  Germ-laden 
Cup,"  1903 ;  "  The  Importance  of  Cleanliness,"  1900, 
and  many  other  articles  on  different  subjects.  Doctor 
Kuflewski  has  been  president  of  the  Polish  National 
Alliance  Library  for  more  than  ten  years,  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Polish  National  Museum  for  six  years. 
He  officiated  as  Grand  Marshal  at  the  unveiling  of  the 
statues  of  Pulaski  and  Kosciuszko,  in  Washington, 
D.  C,  May  11,  1910.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago, 
the  Illinois  and  the  American  Medical  Societies,  .  the 
Polish  Medical  Society,  Krakow  (Poland)  Medical  So- 
ciety, American  Military  Surgeons'  Association  and  the 
Polish  National  Alliance,  and  a  member  of  the  Chi- 
cago Athletic  Association.  In  1898  he  was  appointed  a 
member  of  the  Library  Board  of  Chicago  by  Mayor 
Carter  H.  Harrison,  and  was  vice-president  of  that 
Board  when  he  was  promoted  to  be  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education.  In  this  latter  capacity  he  served 
on  a  number  of  important  committees,  and  in  recogni- 
tion of  his  valuable  services  was  given  the  office  of 
vice-president  of  the  Board  in  1906-07.  On  February 
21,  1906,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Angeline  R.  Cwiklin- 
ski,  and  they  reside  at  1366  North  Robey  street,  Chicago, 


639 


Harold  H.  Kirkpatrick 

THIS  gentleman  is  largely  a  self-taught  public  edu- 
cator, though  he  has  also  had  ample  common- 
school  and  college  training.  He  has  studiously 
followed  teachers'  work  as  exemplified  in  various  meth- 
ods, has  selected  the  best  of  each  for  his  own  guidance, 
also  introducing  new  ideas,  and  the  schools  under  his 
direction  are  developed  to  a  high  state  of  excellence 
and  efficiency. 

Mr.  Kirkpatrick  was  born  in  St.  Joseph,  Champaign 
County,  Illinois,  son  of  Austin  W.  and  Sarah  A.  Kirk- 
patrick, the  former  a  native  of  Ohio,  the  latter  of 
Illinois,  and  both  deceased.  He  was  educated  in  coun- 
try schools.  Champaign  County,  Illinois ;  the  high 
school  at  St.  Joseph,  Illinois,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1892,  and  the  University  of  Illinois,  graduating  from 
the  latter  in  1897  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts. 
Beginning  practical  work  he  was  for  four  years  princi- 
pal of  the  school  at  Penfield,  Illinois ;  next,  principal 
at  Deland,  Illinois,  for  two  years ;  superintendent  at 
Illiopolis,  Illinois,  three  years ;  superintendent  at 
Atlanta,  Illinois,  three  years,  and  for  the  past  year  he 
has  been  superintendent  at  LeRoy,  Illinois,  where  he 
has  supervision  of*  two  schools,  fourteen  teachers  and 
about  five  hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Kirkpatrick  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  On  August  15,  1900,  he  was  married  to 
Hannetta  Mae  Johnston,  and  they  have  one  child  — 
Vivian. 

O.  J.  Kern 

THE  above  named  gentleman,  whose  life  has  been 
wrapped  up  in  and  actively  connected  with  affairs 
educational,  as   a  public  educator  of   the  success- 
ful  type,    is   widely   known   to    his   colleagues    and   the 
public.     He  has  contributed  valuable  additions  to  edu- 
cational   literature,    his    latest    work    being,    "  Among 


O.  J.  Kern. 


Harold  H.  Kirkpatrick. 


Country  Schools."  The  author's  aim  in  this  work  is 
to  create  a  new  ideal  in  the  training  of  the  country 
child.  There  are  chapters  on  the  country  child's  rights, 
the  outdoor  art  movement,  school  gardens,  art  for  the 
country  child,  the  work  of  a  Farmer  Boys'  Experiment 
Club,  Educational  Excursions,  the  new  agriculture  and 
the  country  schools,  consolidation,  and  the  training  of 
teachers  for  country  schools.  The  work  is  the  outcome 
of  seven  years'  labor  in  studying  how  to  improve  the 
conditions  of  country  schools,  is  finely  illustrated,  and 
is  considered  by  competent  critics  to  be  an  epoch-mak- 
ing production. 

Mr.  Kern  is  a  native  of  this  State,  born  at  Gays,  Illi- 
nois, January  i,  1861,  his  parents  being  John  Kern, 
native  of  Illinois,  and  Elizabeth  Kern,  an  Illinoisan, 
who  deceased  at  Gays  in  March,  1885.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  country  schools  and  at  De  Pauw  University, 
Greencastle,  Indiana,  and  has  also  been  a  close  private 
student  all  his  life.  He  taught  in  Cherry  Valley,  Illi- 
nois, 1888-91,  next  becoming  assistant  teacher  of  the 
high  school  at  Rockford,  Ilinois,  1891-1898,  and  thence 
assuming  his  present  important  position  of  County 
Superintendent  of  Schools  in  Winnebago  County,  Illi- 
nois, in  December,  1898,  which  he  still  fills  with  great 
ability.  Mr.  Kern  issues  each  year  beautiful  illustrated 
annual  reports  of  the  work  in  his  county,  showing  the 
progress  of  improvements  in  schoolhouses  and  grounds, 
school-garden  work,  work  of  Boys'  and  Girls'  Clubs, 
development  of  school  traveling  libraries  and  con- 
solidation of  schools.  These  reports  are  valuable 
.contributions  to  the  current  educational  literature  in  the 
development  of  the  country  school  and  country  life  in 
general,  and  are  called  for  all  over  the  United  States 
and  Canada. 

Mr.  Kern  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Delta  Theta  col- 
lege fraternity,  the  Grange  and  the  Methodist  Church. 
In  1889  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jessie  C.  Allen,  and 
they  have  four  children,  who  bear  the  names  respect- 
ively of  Esther,  Evans,  Louise  and  Russell. 


640 


Charles  Edward  Kuechler 

FOR  more  than  sixteen  years  the  above  named  has 
been  a  devoted  exponent  of  the  art  of  teaching, 
and  the  public  schools  are  greatly  indebted  to  him 
for  his  conscientious  work  and  unselfish  efforts. 

Mr.  Kuechler  is  a  native  of  Arenzville,  Illinois,  born 
September  2i,  1872,  son  of  Edward  and  Emma  Kuech- 
ler, the  former  a  native  of  Germany,  the  latter  of  Illi- 
nois, and  both  still  living.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Arenzville,  Pana,  Virginia  and  Rush- 
ville,  Illinois,  was  graduated  from  the  Rushville  high 
school  in  1891,  and  took  a  course  in  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  School,  Normal,  Illinois,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1909.  He  first  taught  in  the  rural  schools  of 
Schuyler  County,  Illinois,  for  six  years,  was  principal  of 
the  village  school  at  Huntsville,  Illinois,  two  years ; 
teacher  in  the  sixth  grade,  Rushville,  Illinois,  three 
years ;  the  eighth  grade,  two  years,  and  was  principal 
of  the  Rushville  high  school  one  year.  He  next  served 
as  superintendent  of  schools  at  Cerro  Gordo,  Illinois, 
two  years,  and  is  now  superintendent  at  Barry,  Pike 
county,, Illinois,  serving  his  second  year.  There  he  has 
a  staff  of  ten  assistant  teachers  and  an  enrolment  of  375 
pupils  and  is  on  excellent  terms  with  his  colleagues  and 
pupils. 

Mr.  Kuechler  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading 
Circle,  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  Pike 
County  Teachers'  Association,  the  Illinois  State  His- 
torical Association,  the  Masonic  Order,  Royal  Arch 
Chapter,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Pike  County 
Mutual  Life  Association,  Odd  Fellows,  the  High  School 
Conference,  Urbana,  Illinois,  member  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Pike  County  Teachers'  Association 
and  the  M.  E.  Church.  He  is  superintendent  of  the  M. 
E.  Sunday-school  of  Barry,  Illinois.  His  most  enjoyable 
studies  are  mathematics  and  sciences,  particularly 
zoology  and  botany.  October  17,  1893,  at  Rushville, 
Illinois,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Marie  M.  Stremmel, 
and  they  have  five  children :  Edith,  Amy,  Ernest,  Helen 
and  Emma  Louise. 


JosiAH  F.  Kletzing. 


Charles  Edward  Kuechler. 


Josiah  F.  Kletzing 

EDUCATION  in  Illinois  has  been  developed  along 
lines  of  the  highest  efficiency,  of  lofty  ideals,  of 
ambitious  endeavors,  and  the  grand  result  is  that 
the  State  is  unsurpassed,  in  the  matter  of  educational 
facilities  and  resources,  by  any  of  her  sister  States 
in  the  Union.  In  Chicago  the  status  of  the  schools  is 
of  the  best,  reflecting  much  credit  upon  the  teachers 
engaged  in  duty  there. 

A  well-known  educator  and  veteran  teacher  in  the 
Garden  City  is  Josiah  F.  Kletzing,  who  for  nearly 
thirty  years  has  been  the  efficient  principal  of  Ravens- 
wood  School,  located  at  North  Paulina  street  and 
Montrose  avenue.  Earnest  and  tactful,  with  the  rare 
gift  of  adaptability  to  the  many  phases  of  his  work,  he 
may  be  said  to  be  a  born  imparter  of  knowledge. 

Mr.  Kletzing  was  born  September  21,  1853,  in  Norris- 
town,  Pennsylvania,  his  father  being  Henry  Kletzing, 
native  of  Germany,  who  deceased  at  Belle  Plaine,  Iowa, 
in  1887;  his  mother,  Anna  (Frick)  Kletzing,  native  of 
Norristown,  Pennsylvania,  who  deceased  at  the  ripe  old 
age  of  eighty-four,  at  Naperville,  Illinois,  in  1907.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Belle  Plaine  and 
in  the  Nofthwestern  College,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1879,  with  the  degree  of  Master  of  A.rts.  His  first 
position  as  teacher  was  at  Wanatah,  Indiana ;  his  sec- 
ond at  Plainfield,  Illinois.  From  the  latter,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1881,  he  went  to  Ravenswood  School,  Chicago,  as 
principal,  and  has  ever  since  continued  to  successfully 
discharge  the  duties  of  this  incumbency.  He  has  a 
staff  of  twenty  capable  teachers,  and  over  a  thousand 
pupils  are  in  attendance. 

Mr.  Kletzing,  July  22,  1880,  was  married  to  Miss 
Kate  Nusbickel,  and  they  have  an  interesting  family  of 
three  daughters  —  Florence  Amy,  Kathryn  Allegra  and 
Evelyn  Loubelle  Kletzing. 


41 


641 


Henry  F.  Kling 

PRINCIPAL  of  the  Spencer  School,  Chicago,  has 
had  an  extended  experience  in  his  profession.  He 
has  taught  in  coimtry,  village,  academy,  high  school 
and  college.  For  four  years  he  was  principal  of  the 
Normal  Department  of  the  Upper  Iowa  University, 
where  he  had  charge  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-five 
students,  for  twelve  years  principal  of  high  schools  and 
for  eight  years  principal  of  elementary  schools  in  Chi- 
cago. 

Mr.  Kling.  was  born  in  Wisconsin  in  1857,  and  his 
parents  were  natives  of  Germany.  He  was  educated  in 
the  country  schools  of  Iowa  and  Wisconsin,  in  acade- 
mies, in  the  upper  Iowa  University  at  Fayette  and  in 
the  University  of  Chicago.  His  degrees  are  Bachelor, 
Master  and  Doctor ;  the  first  from  Upper  Iowa,  the  sec- 
ond from  the  University  of  Chicago,  and  the  third  is 
honorary  from  his  alma  mater. 

He  has  been  a  farmer,  a  merchant  and  a  teacher.  He 
has  traveled  extensively  in  this  country  and  in  Europe. 
He  has  lectured  on  a  variety  of  subjects,  and  is  now  a 
regular  speaker  for  the  Daily  Neius.  He  is  president 
of  the  Chicago  English  Club  and  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  English  in  the  Principals'  Club.  For  two 
years  he  was  superintendent  of  the  St.  James'  M.  E. 
Sunday-school  with  its  seventy  teachers  and  officers, 
and  he  has  long  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  the  Upper  Iowa  University. 

English  in  the  elementary  schools  has  been  his  spe- 
cialty for  some  time.  He  is  also  an  ardent  advocate  of 
industrial  education  with  trade  and  occupational  schools. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  also  the  Wisconsin  Academy  of  Sciences, 
Arts  and  Letters,  and  the  Chicago  Principals'  Club. 
In  1889  he  was  married  to  Miss  Kate  Winston  and  they 
have  two  children,  Grace  and  Leroy. 


Henry  F.  Kling. 


Frank  Ellsworth  Kennedy. 


Frank  Ellsworth  Kennedy 

MR.  FRANK  ELLSWORTH  KENNEDY  was 
born  at  Waverly,  Illinois,  December  28,  1861. 
His  father,  Fletcher  Kennedy,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  his  mother,  Eva  Rutledge,  was  a 
native  of  Illinois.  Both  his  father  and  mother  are  dead, 
having  passed  away  near  Waverly  —  the  first  in  April, 
1868,  and  the  latter  in  June,  1865. 

Mr.  Kennedy  began  his  education  in  a  country  school 
in  Prospect,  Sangamon  County,  and  continued  in  the 
high  school  at  Waverly,  finishing  at  the  college  in 
Jacksonville,  where  he  attended  four  years. 

He  taught  his  first  school  in  Sciota,  six  months ; 
Prospect,  six  months ;  Lowder,  fourteen  months ; 
Waverly  High  School,  three  years ;  Virden  High 
School,  three  years ;  Girard  High  School,  forty  months ; 
and  then  began  his  work  at  the  Springfield  Grammar 
School  as  principal,  where  he  has  been  for  nearly  six 
years.  He  has  charge  of  the  Lincoln  School,  with  ten 
teachers  and  four  hundred  pupils. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Course 
and  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  and 
belongs  to  the  Baptist  Church. 

In  September,  1889,  he  married  Miss  Olive  Fisher, 
and  they  have  five  children  —  Luther,  Fletcher,  Pauline, 
Ivan  and  Wendell. 

He  is  vice-president  of  the  Lincoln  Manual  Train- 
ing Workshops  for  colored  boys  and  girls.  His  special 
study  has  been  the  training  of  the  boys,  so  that  the  men 
of  the  coming  generation  may  be  better  citizens  than 
those  now  in  both  political  and  private  life  —  "men 
whom  we  can  trust,"  to  quote  his  own  language. 


642 


Mrs.  W.  G.  H.  Keouj^h 


THIS  lady,  one  of  the  most  valued  and  efficient 
members  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education,  has 
for  years  devoted  her  time  and  excellent  talents 
to  the  advancement  of  the  public  weal,  and  her  splendid 
work  has  borne  most  substantial  results.  As  a  public 
lecturer  she  has  achieved  marked  success.  For  the  past 
two  years  and  up  to  the  present  she  has  lectured  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Anti-Saloon  League,  and  has  done 
much  to  advance  the  cause  of  temperance.  Her  hus- 
band, Mr.  W.  C.  H.  Keough,  is  also  a  lecturer  of  note, 
as  well  as  a  successful  lawyer  and  author.  He  is  also 
dean  of  a  law  school. 

Mrs.  Keough  was  born  December  22,  1867,  in  Chicago, 
Illinois,  her  parents  being  Simeon  Baldwin  and  Kath- 
erine  (Drury)  Baldwin,  natives,  respectively,  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  Maine.  Both  are  deceased,  the  former 
having  died  in  1889,  the  latter  in  1902.  The  splendid 
education  she  possesses  was  gained  from  the  Sisters  of 
Mercy ;  the  Sacred  Heart  Convent ;  the  Illinois  Col- 
lege of,  Law,  and  the  Lincoln-Jefferson  College  of  Law 
and  University,  Indiana.  From  the  latter  she  received 
the  degrees  of  LL.B.  and  H.L.D. 

Mrs.  Keough  is  a  member  of  the  Woman's  Catholic 
League,  the  Temperance  Union  of  Ravenswood,  the 
Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  the  Catholic 
Total  Abstinence  Society,  the  Daughters  of  Temperance, 
the  Woman's  City  Club,  the  Children's  Day  Association 
and  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  She  was  author  of 
"  Chicago  As  Seen  by  Herself,"  published  in  McClure's 
Magazine  —  a  clever  production  that  won  due  apprecia- 
tion. She,  her  husband,  and  son,  William  J.  Keough, 
reside  at  1233  Dearborn  avenue,  Chicago. 


Mrs.  W.  C.  H.  Keough. 


Elmer  L.  Kletzing 

PRINCIPAL  of  the  Hayt  School,  Chicago,  and  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century  a  prominent  Illinois  educator,  is 
well  known  as  an  advocate  of  the  principle  that  "  sug- 
gestion is  a  powerful  psychological  factor  in  education." 
His  efforts  to  elucidate  and  develop  this  principle  through 
a  series  of  experiments  made  in  his  school  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  have  been  notably  successful.  By  the  cre- 
ation of  a  "  suggestive  atmosphere  "  in  connection  with 
the  nature-study  work,  he  has  found  that  this  method 
of  education  is  not  only  far  superior  to  the  antiquated 
system  of  forcing  the  child  to  study,  but  also  to  the 
more  recent  plan  of  teaching  the  child  through  well- 
directed  play.  The  introduction  into  his  school  of 
scientific  experiments,  as  silk-worm  culture,  apiaries, 
gardening,  the  telegraph  and  telephone,  and  out-of-door 
bird  study,  has  shown  that  this  method  is  not  only  of 
incalculable  value  in  awakening  an  interest  in  the  dryer 
academic  subjects,  but  teaches  the  child  to  become  not 
merely  an  imitative,  but  a  thinking,  animal.  Our  mod- 
ern system  of  education,  Mr.  Kletzing  maintains,  fails, 
in  that  a  large  proportion  of  our  boys  and  girls  leave 
school  without  the  power  of  original  thought  or  initia- 
tive, and  become  inactive  and  inefficient  citizens.  He 
emphasizes  the  growing  necessity  for  a  better  class  of 
citizens  to  meet  the  problems  of  the  further  exhaustion 
of  our  resources  of  soil  and  fuel,  as  well  as  that  ever- 
present  problem  of  the  uplift  of  humanity.  His  per- 
sonal active  interest  in  the  latter  problem  shows  that 
his  educational  efforts  are  not  confined  to  the  school- 
room alone,  but  extends  to  the  community  and  State 
in  which  he  lives. 


Elmer  L.  Kletzing. 


643 


Charles  W.  F.  King 


IN  the  profession  of  public  school  educator,  which  he 
has  chosen  as  his  life  vocation,  Mr.  King  is  achiev- 
ing notable  success,  and  the  outlook  for  his  future 
is  of  the  most  propitious  character.  He  is  a  native  of 
this  State,  having  been  born  September  24,  1882,  at 
Girard,  Illinois,  son  of  C.  A.  King,  a  native  of  Palmyra, 
Illinois,  who  is  now  living  at  Divernon,  Illinois,  and 
A.  E.  M.  King,  native  of  Girard,  Illinois,  who  deceased 
May  17,  1901,  at  Ashmore,  Illinois.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Good  Hope,  Illinois, 
CofTeen,  Illinois,  and  Dewitt,  Illinois;  the  Lincoln  Uni- 
versity Academy,  the  Eastern  Illinois  State  Normal 
School,  James  Milliken  University  Academy,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1905,  and  the  James  Milliken 
University,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1909  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  His  first  school  was 
at  St.  Omar,  Coles  County,  Illinois,  where  he  taught 
two  months ;  his  next  at  Boneset,  Illinois,  where  he 
taught  five  months,  and  then  he  served  for  six  months 
at  South  Lexa,  Illinois ;  Greenwood,  Illinois,  two 
months ;  the  high  school  at  Greenfield,  Illinois,  one 
year,  and  for  a  year  has  been  principal  of  the  high 
school  at  Franklin,  Morgan  County,  Illinois. 

Mr.  King  is  a  member  of  A.  F.  &  A.  Masons,  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  enjoys  an  excellent 
name  and  reputation  in  educational  circles. 


Kate  Starr   Kellogg 

MISS  KELLOGG  has  long  been  familiarly  and 
prominently  known  in  educational  circles, 
both  local  and  national,  and  her  ability  has  met 
deserved  recognition.  In  the  training  of  the  young  her 
long  and  valuable  experience  has  given  her  knowledge 
of  the  best  and  most  effective  methods  for  securing  the 
most  desirable  results,  as  her  successful  career  has 
amply   demonstrated. 

Miss  KeUogg  was  born  in  Bridgewater,  New  York, 
her  parents  being  Harriet  B.  (Scott)  and  John  L.  Kel- 
logg, M.D.,  the  latter  a  prominently  known  physician. 
Leaving  the  Empire  State  at  an  early  age,  she  accom- 
panied her  parents  to  Chicago,  and  was  here  educated 
in  both  public  and  private  schools,  including  a  course 
in  Professor  Babcock's  school.  Later  a  term  at  the 
Cook  County  Normal,  from  which  she  graduated  in 
1873.  Her  first  experience  as  a  teacher  was  in  the 
preparatory  department  of  the  Cook  County  Normal 
school,  and,  at  the  close  of  her  service  there,  she  became 
principal  assistant  of  the  Springer  school,  Chicago. 
In  1884  Miss  Kellogg  was  appointed  principal  of  the 
Lewis  Champlain  school,  and  retained  that  position  up 
to  1906,  when  she  became  principal  of  the  Normal  Prac- 
tice School.  In  1909  she  became  district  superintendent, 
a  place  her  experience  and  natural  talents  admirably 
equip  her  for. 

Miss  Kellogg  is  an  active  member  of  the  N.  E.  A., 
the  Chicago  Principals'  Club,  the  Chicago  Woman's 
Club,  Englewood  Woman's  Club,  and  the  Ella  F.  Young 
Club.  Her  labors  for  the  advancement  of  educational 
matters  and  social  life  have  been  of  the  most  appreciable 
character. 


John  A.  Long 


THIS  gentleman  is  a  veteran  in  the  public  school 
service,  having  been   actively  engaged  therein   for 
upwards   of  a  quarter   of   a   century,   and   he   has 
long  been  a  recognized  authority  in  educational  affairs. 
He  is  a  native  of  the   Buckeye  State,  which  has   fur- 


Charles  W.  F.  King. 


nished  the  country  so  many  valuable  educators,  having 
been  born  in  Sharon,  Ohio,  February  24,  1863,  when 
the  Union  was  in  the  throes  of  its  terrible  internecine 
war.  His  parents,  William  and  Mary  Long,  were  both 
born  in  Pennsylvania  and  are  deceased,  the  latter  hav- 
ing died  in  1869.  the  former  in  1898,  in  Sharon,  Ohio. 
His  primary  education  was  secured  in  the  country 
schools  of  Zanesville,  Ohio,  following  which  he  attended 
the  high  school  of  that  city,  the  Ohio  State  University, 
the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  1888  with  the  degree  of  A.B.,  and  later  per- 
formed a  year's  post-graduate  work  in  the  University 
of  Chicago.  After  teaching  country  schools  for  three 
years  he  taught  in  Lucasville,  Ohio,  two  years ;  Ports- 
mouth (Ohio)  high  school  two  years;  was  principal  of 
the  high  school  at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  one  year ;  in  a 
similar  position  in  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  two  years ;  and 
superintendent  of  the  same  school  three  years ;  was 
superintendent  of  schools  of  Streator,  Illinois,  seven 
years ;  superintendent  at  Joliet,  three  years,  and  for  the 
past  two  years  has  been  superintendent  of  the  Moseley 
School,  Chicago.  This  fine  school  building  is  located 
at  Michigan  avenue  and  Twenty-fourth  street,  where 
Mr.  Long  has  a  staff  of  fifteen  competent  teachers 
and  an  enrolment  of  over  seven  hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Long  is  an  esteemed  member  of  the  National 
Education  Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  As- 
sociation, Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the 
Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  of  which  he 
had  the  honor  of  being  president  in  1905,  and  the 
Masonic  Order.  June  16,  1896,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Margaret  Warwick,  and  they  have  two  children,  John 
Warwick  and  Frank  A.  Long.  All  are  attendants 
of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  reside  at  6064  Woodlawn 
avenue,  Chicago. 


644 


James  Lyons 

IT  is  recognized  that  the  public  schools  of  Joliet  are 
among  the  best  regulated  in  the  State,  and  that  the 
standard  maintained  in  them  is  excelled  by  none. 
The  Board  of  Education,  comprised  of  men  of  expe- 
rience and  ability,  is  in  a  large  degree  responsible  for 
this  happy  state  of  affairs. 

One  of  the  hardest,  most  zealous  workers  for  the  pub- 
lic's good  in  matters  educational  is  James  Lyons,  who 
is  also  an  advocate  for  all  things  promulgated  for  the 
city's  welfare.  Mr.  Lyons  is  a  native  of  Joliet,  whose 
interest  he  has  done  so  much  to  promulgate,  and  was 
educated  in  the  schools  of  that  city.  His  parents  were 
John  and  Susan  Lyons,  natives,  respectively,  of  Ireland 
and  Will  County,  Illinois,  and  both  now  deceased,  the 
former  having  died  in  1904,  the  latter  in  1884.  Twelve 
years  ago  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  in  which  capacity  he  performed  splendid, 
most  substantial  and  generally  satisfactory  service,  and 
since  April,  1908,  he  has  officiated  as  president  of  the 
Board.  Under  his  regime  many  improvements  have 
been  ^dvised  and  introduced  to  the  betterment  of  the 
public  school  service. 

In  1886  Mr.  Lyons  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Rogan, 
a  talented  lady,  and  they  have  had  six  children,  of  whom 
three  are  living,  viz. :     Albert,  Harold  and  James. 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Laws 

THE  rural  schools  of  the  Prairie  State  have  been 
developed  to  a  remarkably  high  standard  of  excel- 
lence, and  their  standing  will  compare  most  favor- 
ably with  the  city  schools.  One  of  the  most  enthusiastic 
of  those  engaged  in  rural  school  work  is  Elmer  Ells- 
worth Laws,  who  has  labored  in  the  educational  field 
for  the  past  twenty-six  years.  He  takes  pride  and 
delight  in  the  development  of  rural  schools  and  his 
untiring  efforts  have  been  a  valued  factor  in  their 
progress  and  usefulness. 

Mr.   Laws   was   born    September    12,    1866,   in   Lewis- 


Elmer  Ellsworth  Laws. 


James  Lyons. 

town  Township,  Fulton  County,  Illinois,  son  of  William 
H.  Laws,  a  native  of  Brownsville,  Ohio,  who  died  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1909,  and  Sarah  (Chapin)  Laws,  native  of 
Illinois,  who  died  January,  1888,  in  Lewistown,  Illinois. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  noted  Chapin  family  of 
Massachusetts  Bay  Colony.  President  Taft's  grand- 
mother was  a  member  of  the  same  family. 

The  excellent  education  possessed  by  Mr.  Laws  was 
secured  in  common  schools,  by  private  instruction  and 
through  correspondence  schools ;  but  by  far  the  greater 
part  by  "burning  the  midnight  oil."  He  has  made  a 
special  study  of  American  and  foreign  history,  also  of 
civil  government.  He  taught  for  twenty-three  years  in 
rural  schools,  was  principal  of  the  Bernadotte  School 
for  three  years  and  for  a  similar  period  was  assistant 
in  the  county  superintendent's  office,  Fulton  County, 
Illinois.  He  achieved  phenomenal  success  as  principal 
of  the  New  Hope  School,  Lewistown,  Illinois,  making 
it  one  of  the  best-equipped  schools  in  the  State.  This 
school  was  the  first  Fulton  County  school  visited  by 
Assistant  State  Superintendent  Hoffman.  Mr.  Laws 
receives  the  highest  salary  of  any  teacher  of  rural 
schools  in  Fulton  County,  and  besides  being  well 
equipped  as  a  teacher  he  has  a  good  knowledge  of  law, 
having  studied  law  three  years  when  a  young  man. 

Mr.  Laws  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Illinois  Principals'  Reading  Circle, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  Modern  Protective  League,  Sons 
of  Veterans,  and  the  American  Federation  of  Labor. 
He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  politics,  has  been  a  dele- 
gate to  many  Republican  conventions  and  served  as  a 
United  States  census  enumerator  in  1900  and  1910,  and 
has  served  as  Republican  central  committeeman.  He 
has  served  as  reporter  for  various  city  papers  and  is  a 
writer  of  force  and  ability.  Since  June,  191 1,  Mr.  Laws 
has  had  charge  of  the  department  of  pioneer  history 
for  the  Canton  Daily  Register,  and  has  made  that  de- 
partment one  of  the  noted  features  of  that  great  daily. 
On  May  14,  1890,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Katie  E. 
Whitehead,  and  they  have  four  children,  John  L.,  Ora 
L.,  Mable  L.  and  Carrie  E. 


645 


Eli  Gilbert  Lentz 

MR.  LENTZ  has  beeen  a  member  of  the  noble 
army  of  public  educationalists  in  Illinois  for  the 
past  ten  years  and  has  earned  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion as  a  teacher  of  pronounced  ability  and  most  com- 
mendable methods.  He  is  a  native  of  the  State,  having 
been  born  at  Wolf  Creek,  Illinois,  May  27,  1881,  and 
his  parents,  Eli  and  Lydia  Hare  Lentz,  were  also  natives 
of  Illinois.  Both  are  deceased,  the  former  having  died 
at  Creal  Springs,  Illinois,  in  March,  1894,  the  latter  at 
Wolf  Creek,  Illinois,  in  May,  1907.  He  was  educated 
in  the  country  schools  at  Wolf  Creek,  Illinois,  the 
graded  and  high  schools  of  Creal  Springs  (111.).  Creal 
Springs  College,  the  Southern  Normal  School,  Val- 
paraiso University  and  the  University  of  Illinois.  His 
first  school  was  in  Porter  County,  Indiana,  where  he 
remained  one  year,  and  after  this  he  was  for  three 
years  at  Creal  Springs,  Illinois ;  two  years  at  Carter- 
ville,  Illinois,  and  for  the  past  four  years  has  been  in 
the  high  school  and  city  schools  at  Marion,  Illinois.  He 
is  superintendent  of  five  schools,  forty-two  teachers  and 
1,840  pupils,  and  he  makes  history  a  special  branch  of 
study. 

Mr.  Lentz  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, the  Masonic  Lodge  and  the  Baptist  Church.  On 
April  2,  1904,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lulu  Gillespie, 
and  they  have  four  children,  Agnes,  Ruth,  Lula  Blanche 
and  Gilbert. 

Frank  J.  Loesch 

AMONG  the  men  who  have  given  their  services  to 
the  upbuilding  of  the  public  school  system  of  the 
city  of  Chicago  is  Frank  J.  Loesch,  who  was  ap- 
pointed a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  that 
city  in  July,  1898. 

Frank  J.  Loesch  was  born  in  Buffalo,  New  York, 
April  9,  1852,  son  of  Frank  Loesch,  native  of  Baden, 
and  Maria  Fisher  Loesch,  born  in  France.  The  son  was 
given  his  elementary  training  in  the  schools  of  Buffalo, 
in  public,  private  and  church  schools.  He  was  granted 
a  diploma  of  graduation,  class  of  1868,  from  Public 
School  No.  16,  Buffalo,  for  excellence  of  school  work, 
though  leaving  school  two  months  before  graduation. 
He  received  the  LL.B.  degree  from  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity in  1874,  after  three  years'  study  in  Union  College 
of  Law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Illinois  on  Sep- 
tember 8,  1874,  since  which  date  he  has  practiced  law  in 
Chicago.  In  1898  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  Chicago,  and  reappointed  in  1901, 
but  resigned  in  November,  1902.  He  was  president  of 
the  Chicago  Bar  Association  during  1906- 1907. 

On  October  2,  1873,  Mr.  Loesch  was  married  to  Miss 
Lydia  T.  Richards,  of  Elgin,  Illinois,  and  they  have  four 
children,  Angeline  Loesch  Graves,  Winifred  Loesch 
Marx,  Richards  L.  Loesch  and  Joseph  B.  Loesch. 

John  L.  Lewis 

THE  above  named  gentleman  has  been  engaged  in 
educational  work  for  upward  of  a  quarter  century, 
and  has  done  valuable  service  in  both  hemispheres. 
John  L.  Lewis  was  born  in  Rhyl,  North  Wales,  son 
of  Ben.  Lewis,  also  a  native  of  Rhyl,  who  deceased  in 
June,  1906,  and  Helen  Lewis,  born  in  Rotherham,  York- 
shire, England,  who  is  still  living.  The  splendid  educa- 
tion he  possesses  was  secured  in  the  public  schools  of 
Manchester  and  other  English  cities,  the  Borough  Col- 
lege, of  London,  and  Oxford  and  Victoria  Universities. 
He  first  taught  from  1878  to  1882  in  a  Manchester 
(Eng.)  School;  again,  from  1885  to  1888,  in  the  same 
city,  and  then  came  to  the  United  States,  settling  in 
Chicago,  where  he  first  officiated  as  principal  of  the 
J.  L.  Marsh  school,  and  next  went  to  the  Fuller  school, 
and  in  1907  became  principal  of  the  Raymond  school,  in 
which  he  has  a  large  corps  of  teachers  and  a  heavy  enrol- 


WlLLIAM    Y.    LUDWIG. 

ment  of  pupils.  He  is  thoroughly  progressive  in  his 
methods  and  affairs  are  managed  with  the  most  satis- 
factory results. 

In  1893  Mr.  Lewis  was  married  to  Miss  Nellie  Kauf- 
man, a  lady  of  charming  personality,  and  they  have  two 
bright  little  daughters  —  Helen  and  Lillian. 

William  Y.  Ludwig 

THE  schools  of  Vermilion  County  are  among  the 
best  managed  of  any  in  Illinois,  and  while  under 
the  supervision  of  Mr.  Ludwig  a  most  effective 
system  of  discipline  was  developed.  He  was  untiring  in 
laboring  for  the  betterment  of  the  schools  in  his  charge, 
and  his  efforts  won  for  him  the  most  favorable  com- 
ment of  the  educational  fraternity. 

William  Y.  Ludwig  was  born  in  Amityville,  Pennsyl- 
vania, son  of  W.  V.  R.  and  Mary  (Jones)  Ludwig,  both 
natives  of  the  Keystone  State,  the  former  of  whom  is 
still  living,  while  the  latter  deceased  February  17,  1876, 
at  Catlin,  Illinois.  He  received  a  sound  public  school 
education,  and  also  took  a  two  years'  course  at  the 
Indiana  Normal  College,  at  Covington,  Indiana.  He 
first  taught  in  the  schools  of  VermiHon  County  for  four 
years,  then  for  two  years  in  Buffalo  County,  Nebraska, 
then  returned  to  Vermilion  County  where  he  taught  four 
years  more,  following  which  he  was  for  seven  years 
assistant  superintendent  of  schools  of  Vermilion  County, 
and  then  became  county  superintendent  of  schools  there. 
In  this  position  he  had  charge  of  236  schools,  437  teach- 
ers and  16,000  pupils.  He  now  occupies  the  position  of 
Statistician  in  the  office  of  the  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  at  Springfield,  a  department  created 
at  the  last  session  of  the  legislature. 

Mr.  Ludwig  holds  membership  in  the  National  Edu- 
cation Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, the  Masonic  Order,  being  a  32  degree  Mason  and  a 
Knight  Templar,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  the  Kimber  Methodist  Church,  and  in 
him  his  profession  has  a  most  earnest,  enthusiastic 
advocate. 


646 


Jackson  G.  Lucas 

FOR  a  period  extending  over  a  quarter  of  a  century 
the   above   named   gentleman    has   been   engaged    in 
educational    work    in    connection    with    the    public 
schools   of   Illinois,   and  his    experience,   education   and 
ability  have  developed  in  him  a  most  valuable  and  effi- 
cient school  official. 

Jackson  G.  Lucas  was  born  in  the  town  of  Flora,  Boone 
County,  Illinois,  July  9,  1847,  son  of  Moses  and  Merinda 
(Cochrane)  Lucas,  natives  of  Indiana  and  Maine, 
respectively,  and  both  now  deceased,  the  former  having 
died  in  Boone  County,  Illinois,  in  March,  1848,  the  lat- 
ter on  April  4,  1873.  He  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  the  Belvidere  (III.)  High  School  and  the  Illi- 
nois State  Normal  University,  at  Normal,  Illinois.  He 
was  first  a  teacher  in  the  common  schools  in  DeKalb 
and  Boone  counties.  Illinois ;  then  became  principal  at 
Kirkland,  Illinois,  for  five  years ;  principal  at  Kingston, 
Illinois,  five  years ;  superintendent  of  city  schools  at 
Belvidere  nine  years ;  county  superintendent  of  schools 
of  Boone  County,  Illinois,  four  years,  where  he  had 
under  his  jurisdiction  over  seventy  schools,  125  teachers 
and  3,200  pupils.  Owing  to  broken  health,  Mr.  Lucas 
has  given  up  active  school  work,  and  is  now  in  Cali- 
fornia. 

Mr.  Lucas  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
Illinois  State  Teachers'  Readirtg  Circle,  Northern  Illi- 
nois Teachers'  Association,  the  Masonic  fraternity,  Royal 
Arcanum  and  the  Methodist  Church.  On  August  29, 
1872,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  Simpson,  and 
their  family  comprises  six  members :  Bessie  M.,  Horace 
M.,  Paul  J.,  Max  M.,  Marjorie  and  Kent  Lucas. 

John  H.  Loomis 

MR.  LOOMIS,  deceased,  ever  manifested  an  active 
interest  in  the  cause  of  education,  and  his  high- 
est reward  was  to  see  its  advancement.     He  was 
born  August  9,  1841,  at  Sandy  Hill,  New  York,  son  of 


John  H.  Loomis. 


Jackson  G.  Lucas. 

Osmyn  Loomis,  native  of  North  Granville,  New  York, 
who  died  in  Lowell,  Michigan,  and  Jane  (Cadwell) 
Loomis,  native  of  Albany,  New  York,  who  died  in  1862. 

John  H.  Loomis  was  educated  in  district  schools  in 
New  York  State  and  in  Michigan,  the  Michigan  State 
Normal  School,  Shurtlefif  College  and  the  University  of 
Michigan,  where  he  took  a  law  course.  He  was  ad- 
mitted a  member  of  the  Ohio  bar.  As  a  teacher  his 
experience  included  four  terms  in  Michigan  and  two  in 
Illinois  in  district  schools.  In  the  latter  State  he  taught 
in  a  little,  old  brick  schoolhouse  south  of  Winchester, 
Scott  County,  the  place  where  Stephen  A.  Douglas  began 
his  public  life  in  Illinois.  There  he  spent  one  year 
tutoring  and  one  and  one-half  years  in  the  agricultural 
college  at  Irvington,  Illinois ;  was  superintendent  of 
schools  seven  years  at  Napoleon,  Ohio ;  was  for  thirty- 
one  years  principal  of  the  Wells  School,  Chicago,  and 
then  he  became  principal  of  the  McLaren  School,  Chi- 
cago, retaining  this  position  up  to  the  time  of  his  de- 
mise, which  occurred  February  7,  191 1,  at  the  age  of 
seventy  years.  His  life  was  one  of  continuous  effort 
in  the  cause  of  education,  and  he  died  honored  by  all 
who  knew  him. 

During  the  Civil  War  Mr.  Loomis  was  in  the  Second 
Michigan  Cavalry,  on  detachment  duty. 

The  Loomis  family  has  furnished  nearly  one  thousand 
soldiers  from  the  time  of  the  Pequot  War  to  the  present 
time,  and  the  old  homestead  at  Windsor,  Connecticut, 
contains  many  quaint  relics.  This  old  home  is  now  the 
site  of  the  Loomis  Institute,  with  an  endowment  fund 
of  $2,000,000. 

Mr.  Loomis  was  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Principals' 
Club,  the  George  Howland  Club,  National  Geographical 
Society,  the  Masonic  Order,  Society  of  Colonial  Wars, 
was  formerly  president  of  the  Illinois  branch  of  the 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution ;  he  also  was  military 
analyst  of  the  Loomis  Genealogical  Association,  and  was 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  December  24,  1869, 
he  was  married  to  Susan  A.  Foster,  of  Keene,  New 
Hampshire,  by  whom  he  had  three  children.  He  is 
survived  by  his  widow  and  a  son,  Fred  Foster  Loomis. 


647 


Antonio  Lagorio 


THIS  gentleman  has   long  been   interested  in   Chi- 
cago's  educational  affairs,  and  in  many  ways  has 
contributed  to  the  city's  welfare  and  advancement. 
He  has  given  unselfish  devotion  to  advancing  the  stand- 
ard of  city  government  and  his  services  have  met  with 
due  appreciation. 

Antonio  Lagorio  was  born  in  Chicago,  March  6,  1857, 
son  of  Francisco  and  Petrina  Lagorio,  both  natives  of 
Genoa,  Italy,  and  both  deceased,  the  former  having  died 
in  Chicago,  January  29,  191 1  ;  the  latter  in  Genoa,  Italy, 
on  December  17,  1909.  His  early  education  was  obtained 
through  attending  primary  schools  and  by  taking  an 
academic  course  in  Genoa,  Italy.  On  his  return  to  Chi- 
cago he  entered  Rush  Medical  College,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1879.  Later  on  he  performed  post- 
graduate work  in  Rome  and  Paris,  making  a  special 
study  of  the  discoveries  of  the  great  Pasteur.  In  1890 
he  founded  the  Chicago  Pasteur  Institute,  which  has 
gained  international  fame,  and  he  has  been  director  of 
this  splendid  institution  from  its  foundation  to  the  pres- 
ent time.  In  1897  he  was  honored  by  the  late  King 
Humbert  with  the  Cross  of  Chevalier  of  the  Crown  of 
Italy,  and  in  1909  was  again  honored  by  King  Victor 
Emanuel,  who  created  him  an  officer  of  the  same  order. 
In  1896  Doctor  Lagorio  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Inspectors  of  the  House  of  Correction  by 
Mayor  Swift,  also  of  the  Chicago  Public  Library  Board, 
in  1906  by  Mayor  Dunne,  and  in  1909  was  reappointed  to 
the  latter  board  by  Mayor  Busse.  He  is  a  member  ot 
the  American  Medical  Association,  Chicago  Medical 
Society,  Physicians'  Club  and  Fellow  of  the  Academy 
of  Medicine.  In  1880  he  was  married  to  Miss  Carlotta 
Puccio,  who  died  February  5,  191 1,  and  they  had 
three  children  —  Mrs.  Marie  Bruno,  Dr.  Francis  Am- 
brose and  Louis  Lagorio. 


Leslie  Lewis. 


Antonio  Lagorio. 

Leslie  Lewis 

MR.  LEWIS  has  been  engaged  in  educational  work 
for  over  half  a  century  and  has  distinguished 
himself  by  his  advanced  methods  and  his  execu- 
tive ability. 

Leslie  Lewis  was  born  December  10,  1838,  in  Decatur, 
Otsego  County,  New  York,  his  father  being  Corydon 
Spencer  Lewis,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  died  in 
1893;  his  mother,  Catherine  (Bogardus)  Lewis,  a 
native  of  New  York,  whose  death  occurred  in  1886. 
His  first  studies  were  performed  in  an  old  log  school- 
house  in  Stephenson  Count}',  Illinois,  and  after  this  he 
attended  several  elementary  schools  and  the  Freeport 
high  school,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1859.  This 
early  training  was  supplemented  with  courses  in 
Phillips  Academy,  Andover,  Massachusetts,  from  which 
he  graduated  m  1862,  and  Yale  University  with  gradu- 
ation in  1866.  Through  post-graduate  work  at  Yale  he 
obtained  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts. 

Mr.  Lewis  first  taught  in  a  village  school  in  Stephen- 
son county,  Illinois,  then  was  principal  of  the  Freeport 
grammar  school  in  1859-1860;  principal  of  the  Wauke- 
gan  Academy  in  1866-1867;  principal  of  the  Dearborn 
school,  Chicago,  from  1868  to  1876;  superintendent  of 
the  Hyde  Park  schools  from  1876  to  1899;  district 
superintendent  from  1869  to  1905 ;  and  from  the  latter 
year  to  date  he  has  been  principal  of  the  Charles  Kos- 
minski  school,  where  he  has  a  staff  of  twenty-one 
teachers  and  about  nine  hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Lewis  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the  Chi- 
cago Literary  Club,  Masonic  Order,  Knights  Templar 
and  the  Congregational  Church.  He  has  officiated  as 
president  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association 
and  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association.  In 
1868  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Waterman,  of 
Grafton,  Massachusetts,  and  they  have  had  three  chil- 
dren, of  whom  two  are  living,  namely :  Mary  Catherine 
and  Susan  Whipple  Lewis. 


648 


Daniel  R.  Martin 

FOR  more  than  the  average  hfetime  of  mortal  the 
above  named  gentleman  has  been  activelj'  engaged 
in  the  public  school  service,  and  for  the  last  quar- 
ter century  he  has  been  located  in  Chicago,  where  his 
merits  have  won  due  recognition. 

Daniel  R.  Martin  was  born  in  Williamston,  Vermont, 
of  old  New  England  stock,  his  parents  both  being  na- 
ttives  of  the  Green  Mountain  State.  His  mother  died 
at  Williamston,  in  October,  1846,  and  his  father  de- 
ceased in  the  same  town,  on  July  7,  1874.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of-  his  birthplace;  the 
State  Normal  School,  at  Randolph,  Vermont;  Phillips 
Exeter  Academy;  Williston  Seminary,  Easthampton, 
Massachusetts,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1874;  Am- 
herst College,  and  Cornell  University,  at  Ithaca,  New 
York.  He  first  began  teaching  in  country  schools  in 
Vermont  in  1870,  came  to  Illinois  in  1876,  and  taught 
for  a  year  at  Palatine,  this  State.  From  1877  to  1878 
he  taught  at  Bloom,  Illinois;  from  1878  to  1881,  at 
Kensington,  Illinois,  and  in  the  latter  year  he  organized 
the;  Pullman  schools,  with  which  he  has  ever  since  been 
identified,  and  under  his  leadership  they  have  developed 
to  a  high  degree  of  efficiency. 

Mr.  Martin  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  Royal 
Arcanum  and  the  Episcopal  Church.  On  May  17,  1888, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Clara  C.  Campbell,  and  they 
have  had  four  children,  of  whom  but  one,  their  daugh- 
ter, Katherine,  survives. 

Hugh  Stewart  Magill,  Jr. 

MR.  MAGILL,  principal  of  the  Princeton  (111.) 
Township  High  School,  has  had  extended  expe- 
rience in  pedagogical  work  and  is  an  educator 
of  recognized  ability.  Besides  being  a  teacher,  he  is 
'known  throughout  the  State  as  a  public  speaker  and 
lecturer  on  subjects  of  general  interest.  He  is  at 
present  state  senator  from  the  Thirty-seventh  Sena- 
torial   District.      Entering   the   campaign   in    1910    as   a 


Hugh  Stewart  Magill,  Jr. 


Daniel  R.  Martin. 

progressive  Republican,  he  appealed  to  the  voters  in 
behalf  of  cleaner  politics  and  better  government,  made 
over  twenty-five  speeches,  and  was  nominated  by  a 
large  majority.  At  the  election  he  received  more  than 
twice  as  many  votes  as  his  opponent,  in  spite  of  strong 
opposition  by  special  interests.  During  the  session  of 
the  Forty-seventh  General  Assembly  (as  chairman  of 
the  Civil  Service  Committee)  he  secured  the  passage  of 
the  four  laws  which  made  the  greatest  advancement  in 
merit  legislation,  and  assisted  materially  in  promoting 
numerous   progressive  measures  passed  by  the   Senate. 

Mr.  Magill  was  born  in  Sangamon  County,  Illinois, 
December  5,  1868.  His  father,  of  Scotch  descent,  and 
his  mother,  a  native  of  New  England,  came  to  Illinois 
in  1856,  settling  on  the  prairie,  where  they  established 
a  home  in  which  they  have  since  lived,  and  where  they 
reared  a  large  family.  His  father  was  a  personal  friend 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  also  of  the  war  governor,  Richard 
Yates,  and  was  a  staunch  supporter  of  the  Union  cause. 
Mr.  Magill  grew  up  on  the  old  homestead,  where  he 
received  that  training  in  rugged,  hard  work  that  is  so 
valuable  in  the  developing  of  sterling  character.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen,  after  completing  his  studies  in  the 
common  and  high  schools,  he  taught  a  country  school, 
and  by  hard  work  prepared  himself  for  college.  In 
1889  he  entered  Illinois  Wesleyan,  at  Bloomington, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1894  with  the  degree  of 
A.B.  During  his  college  course  he  won  numerous 
prizes  in  oratory,  including  the  first  prize  in  the  Illinois 
Intercollegiate  Oratorical  Contest,  which  made  him  the 
representative  of  Illinois  in  the  Interstate  Oratorical 
Contest. 

In  1894  Mr.  Magill  was  elected  superintendent  of 
schools  at  Auburn,  Illinois.  He  remained  there  for 
four  years,  and  then  was  elected  principal  of  a  graded 
school  in  Springfield,  Illinois.  Succeeding  this,  he  was 
promoted  to  the  assistant  principalship  of  the  Spring- 
field High  School,  which  he  held  for  foiir  years.  In 
1904  he  was  elected  principal  of  the  Princeton  High 
School  at  a  salary  of  $1,850,  and  this  position  he  still 
retains,  his  present  salary  being  $2,700. 


649 


Frank  Lester  Miller 

IN  this  gentleman,  who  is  superintendent  of  schools 
at  Harvey,  northern  Illinois  has  one  of  its  ablest 
and  most  experienced  public  school  representatives. 
He  has  under  his  management  five  schools,  twenty-seven 
teachers  and  some  twelve  hundred  pupils,  and  his  meth- 
ods are  such  as  to  procure  the  most  beneficial  results. 

Mr.  Miller  was  born  in  Fayetteville,  Tennessee,  his 
parents  being  the  Rev.  Abraham  Raper  Miller  and  Eliza- 
beth (Grant)  Miller,  both  natives  of  Ohio,  the  former 
of  whom  died  in  Carroll,  Ohio,  March,  1893,  and  is  sur- 
vived by  his  widow.  He  was  given  a  sound  education 
through  studies  in  the  public  schools  of  Franklin 
County,  Ohio,  Clintonville,  Midway,  Hilliards,  Lewis 
Center,  Ohio ;  the  Ohio  Central  Normal  School,  at 
Worthington,  and  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  gradu- 
ating from  the  latter  in  1882  as  an  A.B.,  and  in  1885  was 
granted  the  M.A.  degree.  He  also  is  a  post-graduate 
student  of  the  University  of  Chicago.  The  schools  he 
has  taught  in  include  those  of  Good  Hope,  Gahanna, 
and  Jeffersonville,  Ohio ;  and  LaGrange  Seminary, 
Georgia.  Since  1892  he  has  been  stationed  at  Harvey, 
Illinois,  where  his  labors  have  been  productive  of  the 
most  substantial  results. 

Mr.  Miller  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
and  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associations,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association, 
the  Odd  Fellows,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
On  June  29,  1882,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lucy  May 
Bragg,  of  Logan,  Ohio,  and  they  have  two  sons,  Paul 
Huston  and  Foss  Potter  Miller. 


Frank  Lester  Miller. 


Charles  Henry  Maxson. 


Charles  Henry  Maxson 

MR.  MAXSON  has  been  engaged  in  educational 
work  for  the  past  twenty-two  years  and  his 
worth  and  ability  have  been  widely  recognized 
and  appreciated.  He  is  a  native  of  New  York,  having 
been  born  in  Portville,  that  State,  November  9,  1867, 
son  of  Sanford  L.  and  Nancy  Jane  (Coon)  Maxson, 
both  natives  of  the  Empire  State,  and  both  still  living. 
He  received  his  elementary  education  in  the  schools  of 
Alfred,  New  York,  and  then  attended  the  Albion  Acad- 
emy and  Normal  Institute  and  the  University  of  Wis- 
consin. From  the  latter  he  graduated  in  1892  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  From  1885  to  1888  he  was 
an  instructor  in  the  business  department  of  Albion 
Academy;  from  1892  to  1893  was  assistant  in  the  high 
school  at  Waterloo,  Wisconsin;  from  1893  to  1899 
was  school  superintendent  at  Necedah,  Wisconsin ; 
from  1899  to  1907  superintendent  at  Tomah,  Wis- 
consin, and  is  now  city  superintendent  of  schools  at 
Moline,  Illinois,  where  he  has  charge  of  fourteen 
schools,  one  hundred  and  forty-three  teachers  and 
forty-two  hundred  pupils.  He  was  State  Institute 
Instructor  in  Wisconsin  in  1897-1907;  president  of  the 
Western  Wisconsin  Teachers'  Association  in  1906,  and 
student  instructor  in  chemistry  in  the  University  of 
Wisconsin  in  1891-2. 

Mr.  Maxon  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
and  was  secretary  of  the  Wisconsin  State  Teachers' 
Association  in  1900-02.  He  also  holds  membership  in 
the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  R.  A.  M.,  K.  T.,  Consistory  32° 
A.  O.  N.  M.  S.,  and  the  Congregational  Church.  In 
1896  he  was  married  to  Miss  Hilda  Marie  Hanson  and 
they  have  three  children,  Leslie,  Ralph  and  Alice. 


650 


Peter  Alvin  Mortenson 


FOR  upward  of  twenty  years  the  above  named  has 
been  identified  with  the  public  school  system  of  Illi- 
nois, and  he  has  ever  maintained  a  high  standard 
of   excellence   for   his   ability   and  the   thoroughness   of 
methods.      He   is   a   native   of   Wisconsin,    having  been 
born  December  lo,  1869. 

Mr.  Mortenson  was  educated  in  the  elementary  and 
secondary  public  schools,  and  also  took  courses  in  the 
Wisconsin  and  Chicago  universities.  He  first  taught 
school  at  Melvin,  Illinois,  for  two  years ;  next  at  Han- 
over, Illinois,  for  three  years ;  then  for  two  years  at 
Mascoutah,  Illinois,  and  for  the  past  fourteen  years 
has  been  connected  with  Chicago  schools,  having  been 
principal  of  the  Key-Washington  schools.  He  has  pre- 
pared annual  reports  of  the  Chicago  Parental  School, 
has  given  special  study  to  backward  and  delinquent 
children,  and  is  peculiarly  adapted  for  the  position  he 
now  occupies,  that  of  superintendent  of  the  Chicago 
Parental  School,  an  institution  for  truant  and  incor- 
rigible boys,  maintained  by  the  Board  of  Education. 
'  Mr.  Mortenson  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association  and  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation. In  1894  he  was  married  to  Miss  Josephine 
Johnson.  They  have  one  child,  Hazel  Jeannette,  and 
reside  at  5350  North  St.  Louis  avenue,  Chicago. 

James  Burton  Mc  Fatrich 

JAMES   BURTON    McFATRICH,   president   of   the 
Chicago    Board   of    Education,    was    born    April   4, 
1862,   at  Lena,    Illinois,   son   of  James  and   Martha 
McFatrich,  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  Illinois,  respect- 
ively, and  both  of  whom  are  deceased. 

Doctor  McFatrich  received  his  elementary  training  in 
the  common  and  high  school  of  Lena,  Illinois,  and  in 
the  Upper  Iowa  University,  Hahnemann  Medical  Col- 
lege, and  Bennett  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery. 
From  Upper  Iowa  he  received  the  degrees  of  M.S.,  A.B. 


James  Burton  McFatrich. 


Peter  Alvin  Mortenson. 

and  A.M. ;  from  Hahnemann  and  Bennett  the  M.D. 
degree. 

Doctor  McFatrich  as  the  head  of  the  Chicago  Board 
of  Education  has  proved  himself  a  man  of  wide  per- 
ception and  of  broad  views,  and  his  keen  business  sense 
is  responsible  for  many  innovations  in  the  school  system 
of  Chicago,  being  in  favor  of  the  use  of  school  buildings 
as  social  centers  by  the  pupils  after  school  hours. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  first  term  as  president  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  Doctor  McFatrich  was  unani- 
mously reelected.  In  his  address  on  that  occasion  he 
very  clearly  outlined  his  views  of  what  the  training  of 
the  youth  of  to-day  should  consist.  In  part,  he  said : 
"  Our  business  as  a  Board  of  Education  is  to  determine 
what  the  children  require  for  their  foundation.  If  I 
had  my  way,  they  would  learn  how  to  Read,  Write  and 

SPELL  and  intelligently  figure They  would 

be  taught  how  to  intelligently  play.  .  .  .  They  would 
have  lessons  on  American  patriotism,  home  and  business 
life  in  America,  short  biographical  sketches  of  men  who 
sacrificed  their  lives  that  the  Stars  and  Stripes  might 
float.  .  .  .  Their  spelling-books  would  be  filled  with 
American  names,  and  everything  that  was  used,  made, 
grown  and  mined  in  America. 

"...  To-day  the  boy  of  eighteen  is  looking  for 
anything.  '  Anything '  is  a  hard  position  to  find.  On 
the  other  hand,  at  eighteen  with  a  vocational  course 
finished,  if  the  boys  or  girls  wished  to  finish  at  high 
school,  they  would  have  mastered  a  vocation  that  would 
enable  them  to  work  their  way  through  school  and  then 
college.  .  .  .  The  forenoon  of  the  first  year  would 
be  in  the  regular  school ;  the  afternoon  would  be  in  the 
bank,  commercial  house,  store  or  office,  of  the  many 
philanthropic  citizens  of  Chicago.  The  next  year  they 
would  attend  the  school  in  the  afternoon  and  do  this 
vocational  work  in  the  morning.  With  the  employer, 
he  would  have  two  employees  for  one-half  day  each, 
instead  of  one  for  all  day,  and  the  struggling  widow 
and  mother  would  have  a  self-supporting  member  of 
the  family.  Theoretical?  Visionary?  Yes;  but  abso- 
lutely practical. 


651 


Sarah  A.  Milner 

PRINCIPAL  of  the  Madison  School,  located  on 
Madison  avenue,  between  Seventy-fourth  and  Sev- 
enty-fifth streets,  Chicago,  has  been  engaged  in 
public  school  work  for  about  forty  years,  and  her  effi- 
cient services  have  gained  universal  commendation  in 
educational  circles.  She  is  possessed  of  a  pleasing,  mag- 
netic personality,-  and  never  fails  to  secure  the  full  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  her  pupils,  thereby  being  enabled 
to  achieve  the  best  and  most  satisfactory  results. 

Sarah  A.  Milner  was  born  August  15,  1844,  at  Adams, 
Jefferson  County,  New  York,  her  parents  being  John 
and  Julia  (Benton)  Fay,  natives,  respectively,  of  Ver- 
mont and  New  York,  and  both  now  deceased,  the  former 
having  died  January  22,  1880,  the  latter,  January  13,  1865. 
both  at  Waukegan,  Illinois.  She  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Lake  County  and  at  Waukegan  Acad- 
emy, and  first  taught  in  the  country  schools  of  Lake 
County.  Before  going  to  Chicago  she  taught  in  schools 
at  Waukegan  and  Aurora,  Illinois.  In  her  present  posi- 
tion of  principal  of  the  Madison  School  she  has  a  staff 
of  twenty-one  assistants  and  an  enrolment  of  seven 
hundred  pupils." 

Mrs.  Milner  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association  and  the  Ilinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Ella  Flagg  Young  Club, 
the  Order  of  Eastern  Star  and  the  Universalist  Church 
at  Woodlawn.  On  January  i,  1871,  she  was  married  to 
James  W.  Milner,  and  they  have  had  two  children,  ot 
whom  but  one.  Fay  Milner,  survives. 


B.  C.  Moore 

THE  public   school   system   of  Illinois   has  an  able 
exponent    in    this   gentleman,    and   many    owe    the 
excellence  of  their  education  to  the  forceful  instruc- 
tion that  characterizes  his  methods.     B.  C.   Moore  was 
born  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Illinois,  in  1870,  son  of  James  W. 
and  Josephine   Moore,  both  natives  of  Missouri.     The 


B.  C.  Moore. 


Sarah  A.  Milner. 


father  died  in  September,  1910,  and  the  mother  is  still 
living.  Mr.  Moore  is  the  fifth  of  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren. 

Mr.  Moore's  preliminary  education  was  secured  in 
rural  schools  of  Pike  County,  Illinois,  and  the  graded 
and  high  schools  of  Pleasant  Hill,  Illinois.  He  entered 
school  at  the  age  of  nine,  secured  a  teacher's  certificate 
at  seventeen  and  taught  three  terms  in  rural  schools  in 
his  native  county.  Having  decided  on  teaching  as  his 
profession,  he  entered  the  Illinois  State  Normal  Uni- 
versity in  the  spring  of  1890,  where  he  continued,  with 
little  interruption,  more  than  three  years,  completing 
credits  for  four  years'  work.  He  graduated  in  June, 
1894.  During  his  senior  year  he  was  one  of  the  four 
chosen  as  room  principals  in  the  Model  training  school. 
While  in  school  he  was  president  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
for  one  year.  He  has  pursued  special  courses  in  the 
University  of  Illinois  and  in  Harvard  University.  He 
holds  an  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Life  Certificate.  As 
superintendent  he  has  presided  over  the  schools  of 
Mackinaw,  Lewiston  and  Lexington,  Illinois,  a  total  of 
nearly  thirteen  years.  In  the  fall  of  1906  he  was  elected 
county  superintendent  of  McLean  County,  and  was  re- 
elected in  1910  with  a  large  plurality. 

Mr.  Moore  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association, 
the  Illinois  County  Superintendents'  Association,  the 
Illinois  Rural  Teachers'  Association,  the  Masonic  Order, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Modern  Woodmen,  the  Mutual 
Protective  League  and  the  Baptist  denomination.  He  is 
superintendent  of  a  Sunday-school  and  township  Sun- 
day-school president.  He  is  a  frequent  contributor  to 
the  Social  Nczi's  and  other  educational  periodicals,  and 
for  thirteen  consecutive  summers,  from  the  time  of  his 
graduation  to  the  time  of  his  election,  was  employed  as 
instructor  in  one  or  more  institutes. 

On  June  25,  1896,  Mr.  Moore  was  married  to  Miss 
Nettie  Vera  Search,  of  Mackinaw,  Illinois,  who  has  also 
been  a  student  of  the  Normal  University,  and  they  have 
three  sons,  Wayne  S.,  Byron  R.  and  Donald  C. 


652 


Nellie  Anna  Moore 

THIS  lady,  principal  of  schools  at  Pittsfield,  Illinois, 
is  popularly  known  in  scholastic  circles  and  has  for 
twenty  years  been  an  indefatigable  worker  in  the 
educational  field.    Her  personal  magnetism  and  scholarly 
gifts  have  endeared  her  to  all  with  whom  she  has  been 
associated,  colleagues  and  pupils  alike. 

Miss  Moore  was  born  September  lo,  1870,  in  Pittsfield, 
this  State,  her  parents  being  William  H.  Moore,  a  native 
of  Rochester,  New  York,  who  died  October  13,  1908, 
and  Sarah  J.  Moore,  a  native  of  Pittsfield,  Illinois,  who 
is  still  living.  Miss  Moore  is  largely  self-educated,  but 
also  was  a  pupil  in  the  graded  schools  and  the  high 
school  at  Pittsfield,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1889. 
She  also  attended  six  summer  terms  at  the  University 
of  Illinois.  Since  beginning  professional  work,  she 
taught  for  a  term  in  a  country  school  in  Pike  County, 
a  term  in  Scott  County,  a  term  in  the  fourth  grade,  Pitts- 
field, a  term  in  the  seventh  grade,  Pittsfield,  and  for  the 
past  sixteen  years  she  has  been  identified  with  the  Pitts- 
field high  school,  acting  there  in  the  capacity  of  principal 
for  the  last  six  years.  Her  services  have  met  with  well- 
merited  appreciation. 

Miss  Moore  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association  and  the  Christian  Church,  and  she  is 
held  in  high  esteem  by  all  with  whom  she  is  associated. 

James  Gregory  Moore 

THIS  gentleman  has  long  been  actively  and  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  cause  of  education  in 
this  State,  and  he  is  widely  and  most  favorably 
known  in  scholastic  circles.  He  is  a  native  of  Illinois, 
having  been  born  May  8,  1870,  in  Augusta,  his  parents 
being  Samuel  R.  and  Jemima  (Alter)  Moore.  The 
former,  a  native  of  Ohio,  deceased  at  Quincy,  Illinois, 
in  1910;  the  latter,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  died  at 
Huntsville,  Illinois,  in  1883. 

He  first  studied  in  the  public  schools  of  Huntsville, 
and    then,    successively,    took    courses    in    the    Oberlin 


James  Gregory  Moore. 


Nellie  Anna  Moore. 


(Ohio)  Academy,  Oberlin  College,  the  University  of 
Illinois,  from  which  he  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
A.B.,  and  the  University  of  Chicago.  He  performed 
post-graduate  work  in  both  the  University  of  Illinois 
and  the  University  of  Chicago.  He  began  his  profes- 
sional career  as  teacher  of  rural  schools  (1892-1894), 
this  State ;  then,  from  1895  to  1896,  was  principal  of 
the  high  school  at  Augusta,  Illinois.  His  next  position 
was  that  of  principal  of  the  village  schools  at  Hunts- 
ville, Illinois,  where  he  served  from  1894  to  1901,  and 
from  1904  to  1906  he  was  school  superintendent  at 
Blandinsville,  Illinois.  Since  the  latter  year  he  has 
been  superintendent  at  Lexington,  Illinois,  where  he 
presides  over  two  schools,  twelve  teachers  and  four 
hundred  pupils.  He  was  elected  president  of  the 
McLean  County  Principals'  Association,  for  the  term 
1908- 1910;  was  vice-president  of  the  City  Superin- 
tendents' Association  of  Illinois,  1908- 1909,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  executive  committee.  Central  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association,  term  1910-1911.  Mr.  Moore  has 
taken  a  law  course  and  was  admitted  to  membership  in 
the  Illinois  State  Bar  Association  in  1902.  He  is  a 
member  of  many  educational  associations,  including  the 
Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  Central  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association,  National  Education  Associa- 
tion, Illinois  State  Academy  of  Science,  National 
Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Industrial  Education, 
American  School  Hygiene  Association,  Illinois  School- 
masters' Club  and  the  State  High  School  Conference 
Committee.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, Knights  of  Pythias,  Odd  Fellows  and  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  is  a  member  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
and  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Mr.  Moore  has  given  considerable  valuable  contribu- 
tions to  literature,  being  author  of  the  following  vol- 
umes :  "  The  Science  of  Study,"  "  Builders  of  the 
Prairie,"  "  Child  Verse,"  "  Students'  Outlines  for  Eng- 
lish Reading"  and  "German  Conversation."  In  1903, 
at  Monmouth,  Illinois,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Flora 
Powell,  and  they  have  four  children,  Gregory,  Albert, 
Sarah  and  Rollin  Moore      ' 


653 


Tecumseh  Henry  Meek 

THE   educational  field   in    Illinois   has  had   a  most 
successful  and  efficient  worker  and  adherent  in  the 
above    named,    now    principal    of    the    McKinley 
School,  at  Peoria,  this  State.     In  him  are  combined  all 
the   elements  that  go  to  make  a  teacher  of  mark  and 
thorough  capability. 

Mr.  Meek  was  born  March  22,  1866,  in  Lawrenceburg, 
Indiana,  son  of  Willis  and  Margaret  (Truitt)  Meek. 
The  former,  a  native  of  Indiana,  is  still  living,  while  the 
latter,  a  native  of  Maryland,  died  April  27,  1901,  in 
Peoria,  Illinois.  He  was  educated  in  the  graded  schools 
and  high  school  of  his  birthplace,  the  State  University 
of  Indiana,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1904  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  in  1905  as  Master  of 
Arts,  the  University  of  Chicago  and  the  University  of 
Wisconsin.  Since  assuming  pedagogical  "  robes,"  he  has 
taught  in  schools  in  Logan,  Manchester,  Lawrenceburg 
and  Aurora,  Indiana  ;  Eureka,  Illinois  ;  the  Peoria  High 
School  and  the  McKinley  School,  Peoria,  Illinois,  in 
which  latter  incumbency  he  has  supervision  of  eleven 
teachers  and  four  hundred  pupils.  His  special  studies 
have  been  history,  economics  and  political  science.  On 
taking  his  A.M.  degree,  the  subject  of  his  thesis  was 
"  The  Secret  Diplomacy  of  Louis  XV." 

Mr.  Meek  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association, 
the  Masonic  Order,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  On  December  26, 
1895,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Nannie  B.  Meek,  and  they 
have  a  son,  Harold  T.  Meek. 


Eliza  Trabue  Moses 

THIS  lady  is  a  veteran  in  the  public  school  service 
of   Illinois   and    has   been   greatly   instrumental   in 
promoting   its   development    and    usefulness.      Her 
labors   in   the   domain   of  child    culture   extend  over   a 
third  of  a  century. 


Eliza  Trabue  Moses. 


Tecumseh  Henry  Meek. 

Eliza  Trabue  Moses  was  born  January  20,  1859,  in 
Mt.  Sterling,  Illinois,  the  daughter  of  Joseph  H.  Moses, 
a  native  of  Grand  Crossings,  Kentucky,  and  Isabella 
(Lester)  Moses,  native  of  Brown  County,  Illinois.  Both 
parents  died  in  Monmouth  at  ripe  ages,  the  former  in 
March,  1901,  the  latter  in  November  of  the  same  year. 
Miss  Moses  received  her  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Illinois  and  in  attendance  for  many  summers  upon 
what  were  at  the  time  known  as  "  summer  normals." 
She  further  increased  her  knowledge  by  correspondence 
work  in  the  University  of  Chicago.  In  selecting  a  peda- 
gogical career,  she  but  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  her 
father,  who  for  more  than  twenty  years  was  a  school- 
master in  the  early  days  of  the  public  schools  of  this 
commonwealth,  before  the  present  system  was  inaugu- 
rated. He  was  examined  and  licensed  by  the  famous 
educator,  Newton  Bateman,  receiving  his  certificate  in 
April,  1858.  He  continued  in  the  public  school  service 
from  1858  to  the  latter  part  of  the  '70's.  On  the  mater- 
nal side  Miss  Moses  can  claim  direct  descent  from  the 
French  Huguenots. 

Miss  Moses  first  taught  in  country  schools  in  Morgan 
County,  Illinois,  for  four  years,  next  in  a  village  school 
for  five  years,  in  a  Sangamon  County  school  one  year,  a 
village  school  two  years,  in  Warren  County  country 
schools  two  years,  and  in  Monmouth,  Illinois,  where  she 
is  principal,  for  the  past  twenty-one  years.  Under  her 
management  are  eleven  schools,  ten  teachers  and  over 
four  hundred  and  fifty  pupils.  She  is  an  associate  mem- 
ber of  the  National  Educational  Association,  an  ex-mem- 
ber of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  member 
of  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association  and  the 
Western  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the  Schoolmas- 
ters' Club,  the  Mildred  Warner  Washington  Chapter  of 
the  Daughters  of  the  Revolution,  the  First  Baptist 
Church,  of  Monmouth,  and  that  excellent  organization 
—  The  Round  Table  —  which  was  organized  for  the 
study  of  literature.  Miss  Moses  was  president  of  the 
Monmouth  Schoolmasters'  Club  during  the  second  year 
of  its  existence,  was  president  of  the  Warren  County 
Teachers'  Association  for  a  year. 


654 


Royal  T.  Morgan 

MR.  ^MORGAN'S  entire  life  energies  have  been 
devoted  to  the  cause  of  education,  his  labors  cov- 
ering a  period  of  nearly  forty  years,  during 
which  time  he  has  done  much  to  advance  the  public 
school  system  in  this  State  to  the  excellence  it  has 
attained.  For  the  past  twenty-five  years  he  has  been 
superintendent  of  schools  of  Dupage  County,  Illinois, 
and  the  present  status  of  these  schools  reflects  much 
credit  upon  the  efficiency  of  his  management. 

Mr.  Morgan  was  born  at  Campton,  Illinois,  in  1845. 
After  completing  his  preliminary  studies  he  took 
preparatory  and  classical  courses  at  Wheaton  College, 
Wheaton,  Illinois,  graduating  in  1874  with  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Arts  and  receiving  his  Master's  degree 
in  1877.  He  also  spent  some  time  at  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  College.  He  began  active  work  as  a  teacher 
at  Fountaindale,  Illinois,  and  for  seven  years  taught  in 
rural  and  graded  schools  in  this  State.  For  the  nine 
subsequent  years  he  was  professor  of  natural  sciences 
at  Wheaton  College  and  since  then  (1886)  he  has  been 
county   superintendent   of   Dupage   County. 

Mr.  Morgan  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association  and  various  other  teachers'  and  educational 
societies,  as  well  as  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  having  served  from  1863  to  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War  in  the  17th  Illinois  cavalry. 

Since  its  organization  seventeen  years  ago,  Mr.  Mor- 
gan has  served  most  efficiently  as  secretary  of  the  Du- 
page County  Farmers'  Institute.  He  is  a  writer  of 
ability  and  has  contributed  liberally  to  various  publica- 
tions. He  was  married  December  7,  1881,  to  Miss  Hat- 
tie  J.  Gurnea,  of  Tonica,  Illinois. 


Thomas  Edward  Moore 


Royal  T.  Morgan. 


M 


R.    MOORE    is   a    veteran    in   the   public   school 
service  of  this  State,  having  been  identified  with      he    has    held    has    acquitted    himself    with    the    utmost 
it  for  almost  forty  years,  and  in  every  position      credit.     He  was   born   September   16,    1847,   on  a   farm 

near  Carlinville,  Illinois,  his  parents  being  Thomas  D. 
Moore,  a  native  of  Danville,  Kentucky,  who  died  in 
Carlinyille,  Illinois,  October  3,  1883,  and  Julia  Ann 
(Dickerson)  Moore,  a  native  of  Nicholasville,  Ken- 
tucky, who  died  at  Carlinville,  Illinois,  January  13, 
1883.  He  was  educated  in  the  country  schools,  the 
high  school  at  Litchfield,  Illinois,  and  Blackburn  Uni- 
versity, working  his  way  through  the  latter  by  teach- 
ing, and  from  this  institution  he  graduated  in  1877 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  later  receiving 
the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  He  taught  in  various 
country  schools  up  to  1877,  the  year  of  his  graduation 
from  Blackburn  University,  and  for  the  following  six 
years  taught  there  as  instructor  in  logic  and  constitu- 
tional law  and  international  law  and  mathematics.  In 
all  of  his  work  he  was  esteemed  by  the  students  be- 
cause of  his  scholarly  attainments  and  his  willingness 
to  help  them.  On  leaving  Blackburn  he  went  to  Bunker 
Hill,  Illinois;  thence  to  Taylorville,  Illinois ;  then  back 
to  Carlinville,  Illinois,  and  next  traveled  for  three 
years  in  the  interest  of  the  Western  Publishing  House, 
of  Chicago.  On  resigning  this  position,  in  1890,  he 
was  elected  county  superintendent  of  schools  in  Ma- 
coupin County,  the  county  in  which  he  was  born. 
While  holding  this  incumbency  he  displayed  remarkable 
power  in  organizing  the  teachers  under  his  supervision 
and  imbuing  them  with  enthusiasm  to  aim  for  higher 
ideals  in  their  work.  After  leaving  the  county  super- 
intendentship  he  taught  successively  in  Girard  and 
Virden,  and  later  was  principal  of  the  commercial 
departments  in  the  high  schools  in  Jacksonville  and 
Springfield,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Moore  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Masonic  Order,  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  1875  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Handlin,  and  they  have  had  eight 
children,  of  whom  four  are  living,  namely :  Ruth,  Olive, 
Thomas  Edward  Moore.  Mildred  and  Helen. 

655 


Fannie  Spaits  Merwin 

AMONG  the  comparatively  few  members  of  the 
"  gentler  sex "  who  have  the  honor  to  hold  the 
desirable  position  of  county  superintendent  of 
schools  in  this  State  is  the  above  named  lady,  who  has 
fully  earned  the  honor.  She  is  a  conscientious  and 
energetic  educationalist  and  has  been  most  successful  in 
her  chosen  field  of  labor. 

Mrs.  Merwin  was  born  in  Manito  Township,  Mason 
County,  Illinois,  her  parents  being  Jacob  G.  Spaits,  a 
native  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  Rebecca  (Marshall) 
Spaits,  native  of  Ohio,  both  of  whom  are  still  living,  in 
Manito,  Illinois.  She  first  attended  the  district  school 
known  as  Spaits  school  in  Manito  Township,  next  the 
Manito  grammar  school  and  then  the  high  school  at 
Havanna,  Illinois,  from  which  she  graduated  in  1890. 
Mrs.  Merwin  began  teaching  in  the  Singley  District 
School,  Manito  Township,  and  after  two  years  there 
taught  for  nine  years  in  the  Spaits  district  school ;  for 
three  years  in  the  Manito  primary  department  and  six 
years  in  the  Hickory  Grove  district  school,  and  was  then 
elected  county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Mason 
County.  In  this  position  her  work  has  been  pronoun- 
cedly successful. 

Mrs.  Merwin  has  done  a  considerable  amount  of 
meritable  journalistic  and  lecture  work.  She  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  Neighbors  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  On  October  7,  1903,  she  was  married  to  Frank 
Douglas  Merwin,  a  pharmacist  who  travels  for  his  line 
of  trade. 

Marcus  Neely  McCartney 

MR.  Mc  CARTNEY,  city  superintendent  of  schools 
at  Metropolis,  Illinois,  is  widely  known  through- 
out the  county  as  an  educationalist  of  exceptional 
ability  and  executive  talent.  He  is  also  valued  as  an 
institute  worker  and  specialist  in  school  administration. 
It  was  he  who  planned  and  installed  two  high  schools 
in  Mound  City  and  Vienna,  Illinois,  and  also  placed  the 


Marcus  Neely  McCartney. 


Fannie 


high  schools  at  Carmi,  Illinois,  and  Bloomfield,  Missouri, 
on  the  fully  accredited  list. 

Mr.  McCartney  was  born  December  2,  1863,  in  Me- 
tropolis, Illinois,  son  of  Captain  John  F.  McCartney,  a 
native  of  Scotland,  who  was  brought  to  Ohio  when  an 
infant,  and  who  served  in  the  Civil  War.  His  mother, 
Elizabeth  (McGee)  McCartney,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
died  at  the  home  of  her  brother  in  Pulaski  County,  in 
1864,  at  the  time  her  husband  was  in  service  under  com- 
mand of  General  Sherman.  Captain  McCartney  died  in 
Metropolis,  in  November,  1908. 

Mr.  McCartney  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Metropolis,  Illinois,  and  the  school  there  known  as 
the  "  Old  Seminary  "  ;  the  State  Normal  School,  Normal, 
Illinois ;  the  National  Normal  University,  Lebanon, 
Ohio,  from  which  he  received  the  degree  of  B.S.  in 
1885  and  B.A.  in  1891,  and  is  now  working  on  the  Mas- 
ter's degree  in  Columbia  University,  New  York.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  began  teaching  in  Unionville,  Mas- 
sac County,  Illinois ;  next  served  as  prncipal  at  Grand 
Chain,  Illinois ;  was  superintendent  at  Mound  City, 
Illinois,  six  years ;  city  superintendent  at  Vienna,  Illi- 
nois, for  ten  years ;  was  acting  superintendent  at  Carmi, 
Illinois,  and  city  superintendent  at  Bloomfield,  Missouri, 
for  four  years,  and  on  leaving  that  position  assumed  his 
present  one. 

Mr.  McCartney,  as  one  of  the  foremost  educators  in 
southern  Illinois,  has  been  a  most  potent  factor  in  aid- 
ing the  development  of  education.  He  has  held  various 
offices  in  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association, 
was  president  of  that  organization  at  its  convention  in 
East  St.  Louis  in  1892,  and  is  at  present  financial  secre- 
tary of  that  body. 

Mr.  McCartney  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  the  Christian  Church.  In 
1896  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ida  Huckleberry,  who  is 
also  a  school-teacher,  and  now  associated  with  him  in 
his  schoolwork.  They  have  had  three  children,  two  of 
whom  are  now  living,  these  being  Marcia  May,  twelve 
years  old,  and  Alice  Elizabeth,  aged  eight  years. 


656 


Esther  Morgan 

MISS  MORGAN  is  a  veteran  in  the  public  service, 
has  unselfishly  devoted  her  life  efforts  to  the 
advancement  of  education,  and  her  merits  have 
been  met  with  due  recognition  and  reward.  She  is  a 
native  of  the  Southland,  whose  warm  impulses  and  sym- 
pathies she  inherits,  and  she  has  ever  been  in  close 
psjxhological  touch  with  her  pupils  and  colleagues. 

Miss  Morgan  was  born  in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  of 
distinguished  parents,  her  father,  John  F.  Morgan,  being 
a  prominent  journalist  and  editor,  while  her  mother, 
Mary  Ann  (Eastman)  Morgan,  whose  decease  occurred 
in  1882,  was  daughter  to  a  lady  who  was  first  cousin  to 
Daniel  Webster  and  a  cousin  of  that  grand  Green 
Mountain  poet  —  Charles  Eastman. 

Miss  Morgan's  first  schooling  was  obtained  in  Mem- 
phis, Tennessee,  and  she  graduated  from  the  high  school 
of  that  city.  She  also  attended  Lee  Academy,  Memphis, 
which  was  conducted  by  her  mother,  who  was  also  a 
proficient  educator.  Her  later  studies  included  eight 
years  of  Chautauqua,  and  university  courses  in  Chicago. 
A'liss  Morgan  began  her  life-work  as  a  teacher  in  Mem- 
phis, where  she  continued  eight  year's,  and  then,  going 
to  Chicago,  became  a  teacher  in  the  Lewis  Nettelhorst 
School  for  fifteen  years,  the  last  thirteen  of  which  she 
officiated  as  first  assistant.  At  the  end  of  that  period 
she  was  appointed  principal  of  Brownsville  School,  and 
held  this  position  for  seven  years.  In  September,  1905, 
she  was  promoted  to  the  principalship  of  Ogden  School, 
and  in  that  capacity  continues  to  demonstrate  her  pecul- 
iar fitness  for  her  chosen  profession. 


Orris  J.  Milliken 

THIS   gentleman   has   been   actively   identified   with 
educational    interests    in    this    State    upward    of 
thirty   years,   the   past   twenty-five   years   as    prin- 
cipal  of  various  public   schools   in   Chicago,   where   his 


Esther  AIorgan. 


Orris  J.  Milliken. 


services  have  met  with  the  fullest  appreciation  and 
commendation.  He  was  the  first  superintendent  of 
Chicago  vacation  schools,  the  first  to  introduce  the 
"  penny-savings  system "  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
city,  and  is  a  trustee  of  the  Penny  Savings  Society  of 
Chicago.  He  owns  a  farm  at  Wheaton,  Illinois,  where, 
on  July  5,  1910,  he  opened  a  summer-vacation  school 
for  boys,  which  he  utilizes  as  a  laboratory  for  studying 
tlie  needs  of  a  normal,  growing  boy.  Only  boys  of 
good  moral  character,  between  the  ages  of  seven  and 
fourteen,  are  admitted.  He  has  associated  with  him 
the  best  physical-culture  director  and  the  best  manual- 
arts  director  he  can  procure.  The  vacation  term  lasts 
eight  weeks  and  the  charges  made  are  most  reasonable. 

Mr.  Milliken  was  born  in  Boone  County,  Illinois, 
July  13,  186 1,  his  parents  being  James  and  Rachel 
(Mitchell)  Milliken,  the  former  a  native  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, who  deceased  in  1879  in  Boone  County ;  the  lat- 
ter a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  died  in  1909,  same 
county.  He  was  educated  in  country  schools ;  the 
high  school  at  Capron,  Boone  County;  State  Normal 
University,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1884;  private 
classes  in  Chicago,  and  post-graduate  work  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago.  He  first  taught  in  country  schools 
two  years ;  was  superintendent  of  the  Jewish  Training 
School,  Chicago,  four  years ;  principal  of  schools, 
Chicago,  twenty-five  years,  and  is  now  principal  of  the 
Charles  Sumner  School,  where  he  has  twenty-five 
teachers  and  1,200  pupils.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
National  Education  Association,  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Christian  Church,  and  has 
contributed  many  valuable  articles  to  newspapers  and 
magazines. 

Mr.  Milliken  was  first  married  to  Miss  Carrie  Dillon, 
who  died  in  1892.  On  December  2,  1893,  he  was  united 
to  Miss  Hattie  Fagersten.  The  family  comprises  three 
children,  Mrs.  C.  T.  Bloom,  Irene  and  Victor  Milliken. 


42 


657 


Eugene  D.  Merriman 

THE  above-named  gentleman  has  been  in  school- 
work  for  upward  of  sixteen  years,  and  his  success- 
ful record  shows  him  to  be  a  most  worthy 
exemplar  and  exponent  of  the  noble  pedagogical  pro- 
fession. He  is  zealous  in  securing  the  most  efficient 
system  of  discipline,  and  his  methods  of  procedure  have 
borne  most  excellent  and  substantial  results. 

Mr.  Merriman  was  born  in  Huntington  County,  Indi- 
ana, August  8,  1871,  his  parents  being  H.  T.  Merriman, 
a  native  of  Indiana,  who  is  still  living,  and  Angeline 
(Broughman)  Merriman,  of  Ohio,  who  deceased  in 
Marion,  Indiana,  in  1903.  He  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  birthplace;  the  State  Normal 
University,  at  Terre  Haute,  Indiana;  high  school  at 
Ithaca,  New  York;  the  Indiana  State  University;  Cor- 
nell University,  Ithaca,  New  York,  and  University  of 
Chicago.  He  graduated  from  Cornell  in  1905  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  from  the  University  of 
Chicago  in  March,  191 1,  with  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Philosophy.  He  began  teaching  in  the  common  schools 
of  Huntington  County,  Indiana,  and  went  thence  to 
East  Chicago  (Indiana),  where  he  continued  from  1882 
to  1900,  first  as  principal,  latterly  as  superintendent. 
Since  June,  1905,  he  has  been  superintendent  of  Dis- 
trict 56,  Belvidere,  Illinois,  where  he  has  charge  of 
several  schools,  and  where  his  work  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful. 

Mr.  Merriman  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the 
Methodist  Church,  the  Masonic  Order  and  Order  of  the 
Eastern  Star,  is  also  a  Modern  Woodman,  Royal  Neigh- 
bor ajid  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum.  In  1908  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Stout,  who  has  pre- 
sented him  with  a  son,  Merrill  V.  Merriman. 


Eugene  D.  Merriman. 


Roy  L.  Moore. 


Roy  L.  Moore 

WELL  and  favorably  known  in  educational  circles 
throughout  his  section  of  Illinois  as  the  able 
county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Woodford 
County,  was  born  in  Eureka,  in  the  same  county,  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1872.  He  is  a  son  of  Ben  L.  and  Martha  S. 
(Osborn)  Moore,  natives  of  Kentucky  and  Missouri, 
respectively.  Both  parents  are  deceased,  the  demise 
of  the  father  occurring  April  20,  1910,  the  mother, 
December  10,  1909. 

Roy  L.  Moore  received  his  boyhood's  mental  training 
in  the  Eureka  public  schools,  and  at  a  later  period  ma- 
triculated successively  in  Eureka  College  and  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois.  He  was  graduated  from  the  former 
institution  in  1905,  his  Alma  Mater  conferring  upon  him 
the  degree  of  A.B. 

On  first  applying  himself  to  a  teacher's  work,  Mr. 
Moore  had  charge  of  a  rural  school  in  the  vicinity  of 
Eureka  for  two  years,  when  he  became  principal  of  the 
Benson  High  School,  continuing  thus  for  the  ensuing  six 
years,  and  finally  accepting  the  position  of  county  super- 
intendent of  the  public  schools  of  Woodford  County. 
The  incumbent  of  this  important  and  honorable  position 
has  a  comfortable  home  in  the  town  of  Eureka,  and, 
besides  the  work  of  an  educator,  has  been  entrusted  with 
civic  functions,  having  held  the  office  of  city  clerk.  He 
has  also  found  time  to  devote  to  literary  pursuits,  and  is 
the  author  of  an  interesting  history  of  Woodford  County, 
which  is  considered  a  standard  for  reference. 

Mr.  Moore  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  is  also  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Edu- 
cation Association,  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association  and  the  Rural 
Teachers'  Association  of  Illinois. 

On  December  25,  1907,  his  marriage  to  Miss  Esther  L. 
Bally  occurred.  She,  being  an  experienced  teacher,  has 
been  of  great  assistance  to  Mr.  Moore  in  his  work. 


658 


Edward  L.  C.  Morse 

MR.  MORSE  is  a  conspicuous  member  of  the  educa- 
tional force  of  Chicago,  and  has  served  the  adult 
as  well  as  the  young  people  in  various  capacities 
in  schooling  to  universal  satisfaction.  He  is  of  sturdy 
New  England  stock  and  education  also,  and  is  a  con- 
spicuous example  of  the  methods  prevalent  in  that  cul- 
tured section  of  our  country.  He  was  born  in  Dover, 
New  Hampshire,  where  his  father  had  removed  from 
his  native  State  of  Maine,  and  where  he  had  married 
Louisa  Clark,  also  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and  the 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

After  his  primary  education,  the  young  man  pursued 
his  studies  in  the  Quincy  Grammar  School,  after  which 
he  attended  the  Boston  Latin  School,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1873,  and  entered  Harvard  University, 
being  graduated  therefrom  four  years  later.  He  spent 
two  years  in  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  in  journalistic 
work.  He  afterward  attended  the  Lake  Forest  Law 
School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1893.  He  has 
the  degrees  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  and  Bachelor  of  Laws. 

'Mr.  Morse  did  post-graduate  work  in  the  University 
of  Chicago,  the  University  of  Wisconsin  and  Cornell 
University.  He  was  Spanish  instructor  in  the  Teachers' 
College  in  the  Summer  School  of  Harvard,  and  gave  a 
series  of  lectures  on  School  Administration  before 
Cuban  teachers  in  Spanish,  with  lantern-slides  illustrat- 
ing Chicago  schools.  He  is  an  occasional  contributor  to 
the  Nezv  York  Nation. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Historical  Associa- 
tion, the  American  Economic  Association,  the  American 
Geographical  Association  and  American  Association  for 
Labor  Legislation. 

He  is  principal  of  the  Phil.  Sheridan  School,  with 
twenty-two  teachers  and  a  thousand  pupils  under  him. 


Edward  L.  C.  Morse. 


Henry  Adam  Meyer. 


Henry  Adam  Meyer 

MR.  MEYER  has  held  the  responsible  position  of 
county  superintendent  of  schools,  Bond  County, 
Illinois,  and  his  services  in  that  capacity  proved 
so  acceptable  that  on  November  8,  1910,  he  was  elected 
for  four  years  more. 

Our  subject  is  a  native  of  this  State,  having  been 
born  near  Hookdale,  Bond  County,  Illinois,  his  parents 
being  William  and  Susan  (Harter)  Meyer,  natives, 
respectively,  of  Schaumberg,  Lippe,  Germany,  and  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  and  both  still  living.  He  first  attended 
country  schools  at  Cart  Hill  and  Pleasant  Grove,  Illi- 
nois ;  then  was  a  student  in  the  Greenville  College, 
Greenville,  Illinois,  for  about  two  years,  and  next  at- 
tended the  Southern  Collegiate  Institute,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  June,  1910.  He  is  also  a  graduate  of 
the  Chicago  Correspondence  School  of  Law,  and  had 
the  degree  of  LL.B.  conferred  upon  him  by  that  insti- 
tution. He  is  now  taking  a  post-graduate  course  in 
this  law  school.  As  a  public  instructor  Mr.  Meyer 
first  taught  at  Willow  Branch,  Illinois,  two  years ; 
next  at  Dudleyville,  Illinois,  two  years ;  at  Smith 
Grove,  Illinois,  one  year ;  at  Shawnee,  Illinois,  where 
he  was  principal  one  year,  and  then  served  for  four 
years  as  principal  at  Pocahontas,  Illinois.  He  is  now 
county  superintendent  of  Bond  County,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Meyer  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, Bond  County  Teachers'  Association,  Bond 
County  Farmers'  Institute,  Gordon  Lodge,  A.  F.  and 
A.  M.,  at  Pocahontas,  Illinois,  Pocahontas  Lodge  of 
Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and 
Knights  of  the  Modern  Maccabees,  at  Greenville,  Illi- 
nois, and  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Green- 
ville, Illinois. 

On  July  3,  1898.  Mr.  Meyer  was  married  to  Miss  Net- 
tie Snow,  and  they  have  five  children :  Hubert  Harter 
Meyer,  Sanford  Snow  Meyer,  George  Washington 
Irving  Meyer,  Augusta  Victoria  Meyer  and  Foss  Deneen 
Mever. 


659 


Thomas  J.  McDonough 

MR.  McDONOUGH  has  l)een  enlisted  in  the  cause 
of  popular  education  for  many  years,  and  his 
services  have  been  highly  efficient  and  greatly 
appreciated  in  scholastic  circles.  He  was  born  De- 
cember 14,  1852,  in  New  Baltimore,  Greene  County, 
New  York,  son  of  Thomas  McDonough,  a  native  of 
Galway,  Ireland,  who  served  in  the  Union  army  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War,  and  died  in  August,  1880,  in  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  and  Mary  Ann  (Taylor)  McDonough, 
native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  who  deceased  in  Elgin, 
Illinois,  January  i,  1903.  He  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Porter  County,  Indiana ;  St.  Paul's 
Academy,  Valparaiso,  Indiana  (under  private  instruc- 
tion), and  in  the  Christian  Brothers'  College,  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  from  which  he  received  the  degree  of  Bache- 
lor of  Arts.  Through  post-graduate  work  he  received 
an  Illinois  State  Certificate  and  a  Chicago  Principals' 
Certificate.  He  holds  membership  in  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Schoolmasters'  Club  of  Southern  Illi- 
nois, the  Knights  of  Columbus,  Court  of  Honor  and 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  He  has  written  a  number 
of  literary  works,  among  them  a  valuable  and  schol- 
arly "  History  of  Ireland."  Mr.  McDonough  has  had 
extensive  experience  in  journalism,  having  l)cen  reporter 
on  the  staffs  of  the  St.  Louis  Post-Dispatch,  the  Globc- 
Dcmocrat  and  Republic,  and  he  has  also  contributed 
interesting  articles  to  various  magazines.  As  school- 
teacher, principal  and  superintendent,  his  record  may 
be  summarized  thus :  Pleasant  Township,  Indiana, 
three  months  ;  Porter  Township,  Indiana,*three  months  ; 
Delphi,  Indiana,  nine  months ;  Monroe  County,  Illi- 
nois, five  months ;  Renault,  Illinois,  twenty-two 
months ;  Harrisonville,  Illinois,  fourteen  months ;  Red 
Bud,  Illinois,  thirty-six  months;  Randolph  County, 
Illinois,  eight  months ;  Nashville,  Illinois,  sixteen 
months ;  East  St.  Louis.  Illinois,  ten  months ;  Water- 
loo.. Illinois,  eighteen  months,  and  East  St.  Louis  (now) 
170  months. 


Samuel  Jay  McComis. 


Thomas  J.  McDonough. 

On  ^lay  23,  1883,  Mr.  McDonough  was  married  to 
Miss  Charlotte  Offerding,  and  they  have  one  child,  Dr. 
Robert  Gervase  McDonough. 


Samuel  Jay  McComis 

MR.  McCOMIS  was  born  in  1876  in  Busseyville, 
Kentucky,  the  son  of  J.  F.  McComis  and  Eliza- 
beth McComis.  both  of  whom  were  also  natives 
of  Kentucky,  and  both  of  whom  are  living. 

Mr.  Samuel  Jay  McComis  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Kentucky  and  Ohio,  first  attending  the 
rural  schools  of  Lawrence  County,  Kentucky,  after 
which  he  attended  the  high  school  at  fronton,  Ohio, 
whence  he  entered  the  Kentucky  University  at  Lexing- 
ton, and  finished  at  Berea  College,  Berea,  Kentucky, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1905  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Literature.  He  also  grad- 
uated from  Lincoln-Jefferson  University  with  the  degree 
of  LL.B.  in  1910. 

He  taught  in  Border's  Chapel,  Kentucky,  two  years; 
Mattie,  Kentucky,  four  years ;  public  schools  at  Lauder, 
Wyoming,  one  year ;  Berea  (College,  Normal  Depart- 
ment, one  year ;  after  which  he  removed  to  Illinois, 
and  was  principal  of  the  Milan  High  School  three 
years,  and  at  the  same  time  Division  Manager  of 
Teachers'  Reading  Circle  in  Rock  Island  County  for 
three  years;  principal  of  the  Capron  High  School,  one 
year,  and  then  became  principal  of  the  Winnebago 
High  School,  where  he  has  four  teachers  and  135 
pupils  under  him. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Club  and 
the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  and  be- 
longs to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  has  made 
special  studies  of  history  and  physics. 

In  1898  Mr.  McComis  was  married  to  Miss  Delilah 
Thompson,  and  they  have  four  children  —  Lucy,  John, 
Henry  and  Reatha. 


660 


James  W.  McGinnis 

FOR  more  than  a  third  of  a  century  the  above 
named  has  been  identified  with  the  pubHc  school 
interests  of  Illinois,  and  during  that  lengthy  period 
has  labored  incessantly  to  promote  and  secure  the  emi- 
nently efficient  stage  to  which  these  interests  have  been 
developed.  Ever  conscientious  in  his  efforts  in  the 
cause  of  uplifting  the  status  of  the  school  system,  he 
has  always  commanded  the  fullest  confidence  of  his 
colleagues,  pupils,  their  parents  and  the  public  in  gen- 
eral. 

James  W.  McGinnis  was  born  in  Orland,  Cook 
County,  Illinois,  of  old  Irish  .stock,  his  parents  being 
Michael  and  Ann  McGinnis,  natives  of  Ireland  and 
both  now  deceased,  the  former  having  died  in  1887,  the 
latter  in  1889,  in  Orland.  He  was  educated  in  the 
country  schools  at  Orland,  the  Englewood  High  School 
and  the  Cook  County  Normal  School,  and  also  took 
a  coarse  in  the  Rush  Medical  College,  from  which  in- 
stitution he  graduated  in  1883  with  the  degree  of  M.D. 
He  has  also  done  post-graduate  work  in  Wisconsin 
University  and  the  University  of  Chicago.  He  first 
taught  school  in  District  No.  i,  town  of  Palos,  where 
he  remained  six  years,  and  then  for  a  year  was  sta- 
tioned in  District  No.  4,  same  town.  On  removing  to 
Chicago  he  for  eleven  years  officiated  as  principal  of 
the  Doran  (now  Shields)  School,  and  for  the  past  six- 
teen years  has  been  principal  of  the  Holmes  School, 
Morgan  and  Fifty-sixth  streets.  He  has  a  staff  ot 
twenty-three  assistant  teachers,  over  eleven  hundred 
pupils. 

Doctor  McGinnis  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees  of  the  World,  Royal  League, 
North  American  League  and  the  Independent  Church, 
and  has  served  as  medical  examiner  in  various  lodges 
with  which  he  is  affiliated.     In  1877  he  was  married  to 


Robert  Christian  Moore. 


James  W.  McGinnis. 


Miss  Stasia  Bremner  and  they  have  three  children, 
Edwin,  Ray  and  Helen.  The  eldest  son,  Edwin,  is  now 
a  successful  practicing  physician  in  Chicago. 


Robert  Christian  Moore 

THIS  gentleman,  who  has  attained  to  prominence 
in  the  educational  world,  is  in  the  sense  the  term 
implies,  "  a  self-made  man,"  and  owes  his  success 
in  life  to  his  indomitable  energy  and  unremitting  per- 
severance. He  was  born  August  4,  1870,  on  a  farm 
near  Carlinville,  Illinois,  his  parents,  both  of  whom  are 
living,  being  Thomas  Guthrie  and  Ann  (Villman) 
Moore,  the  former  a  native  of  Macoupin  County,  Illi- 
nois, the  latter  of  Ohio.  He  attended  a  country  school, 
was  for  a  short  time  a  pupil  in  Blackburn  College,  and 
for  a  brief  period  at  the  Illinois  State  Normal  Uni- 
versity, but  his  education  was  mainly  acquired  by  home 
study,  "  burning  the  midnight  oil."  and,  as  he  facetiously 
states,  "in  the  College  of  Hard  Knocks  and  the  Uni- 
versity of  Experience."  He  holds  a  State  certificate 
and  has  taught  for  sixteen  years,  namely,  three  years  in 
a  country  district  school ;  one  year  at  Girard,  Illinois ; 
two  years  at  Plainview,  Illinois ;  six  years  at  Palmyra, 
Illinois ;  one  year  at  Manchester,  Illinois,  and  three 
years  as  principal  at  Staunton,  Macoupin  County,  Illi- 
nois. He  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  county 
superintendent  of  Macoupin  County,  where  his  services 
are  duly  appreciated. 

Mr.  Moore  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  Masonic  Order,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Modern  Woodmen,  Eastern  Star  and  minor  organiza- 
tions, and  has  contributed  numerous  able  papers  to 
educational  journals,  his  favorite  studies  being  history, 
literature,  sociology  and  economics.  On  July  12,  1894,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Pauline  C.  Werse,  of  Carlinville, 
Illinois,  and  they  have  three  children,  Dorothy  Ann, 
Paul  Robert  and  Harold  Guthrie. 


661 


Anthony  Middleton 

THE  commonwealth  of  Illinois  is  known  in  many 
respects  as  one  of  the  grandest  States  in  the 
American  federation,  but  there  is  no  one  special 
phase  in  which  it  excels  more  than  in  efficie^ncy  of  its 
public  school  system,  the  foundation  of  its  greatness 
and  a  source  of  perpetual  pride  to  its  citizens.  The 
men  and  women  composing  that  great  body  known  as 
school-teachers  are  representative  of  the  best  brains 
and  talent  of  the  State,  and  the  vast  amount  of  good 
they  are  daily  accomplishing  is  beyond  calculation. 

Anthony  Middleton,  superintendent  at  Lincoln,  Illi- 
nois, is  accounted  among  the  most  successful  educators 
in  the  State.  He  was  born  in  Shelby  County,  Illinois, 
May  31,  1864.  His  parents  were  Russell  Middleton, 
native  of  Kentucky,  and  Margaret  (Denton)  Middle- 
ton,  also  of  Kentucky,  and  the  latter's  decease  occurred 
in  Shelby  County,  Illinois,  May  24,  1897.  Mr.  Middle- 
ton  was  educated  in  a  district  school  of  Shelby  County ; 
the  village  school  of  Tower  Hill,  Illinois ;  Illinois  State 
Normal  University,  with  graduation  in  June,  1888,  and 
a  course  at  the  University  of  Illinois.  He  first  taught 
at  Robinson  and  Brown's  Valley,  Minnesota ;  then  be- 
came superintendent  at  El  Paso,  Illinois,  for  two  years ; 
at  Chenoa,  Illinois,  six  years ;  superintendent  at  At- 
lanta, Logan  County,  Illinois,  for  five  years ;  then 
became  superintendent  at  Dwight,  Livingstone  County, 
Illinois,  and  now  occupies  the  same  position  at  Lincoln, 
Lcgan  County,  this  State. 

Mr.  Middleton  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion, the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  and  the  Central  Illi- 
nois Teachers'  Associations,  the  Masonic  Order  and 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  Methodist  Church.  August 
20,  1901,  he  was  married  to  Nettie  Tuckey,  and  they 
had  one  child  as  fruit  of  their  happy  union,  Albert 
Russell,  who  deceased.  May  28,  1904. 


Anthony  Middleton. 


William  Fove  Mozier. 


William  Foye  Mozier 

FORTY-FOUR  years  of  age  at  the  present  writing, 
Mr.  Mozier  has  devoted  half  of  this  time  to  the  art 
of  teaching.  His  record  reveals  the  fact  that  his 
education  has  been  thorough,  and  also  another  fact  — 
that  he  is  adding  to  his  store  of  knowledge  by  con- 
stant study  and  reading.  English  and  history  have 
been  his  favorite  subjects  of  study.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  State  Association  of  English  Teachers,  the  Beta 
I'heta  Pi  and  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Greek-letter  frater- 
nities, and  the  Episcopal  Church.  He  likewise  holds 
membership  in  the  National  Educational  Association 
and  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association. 

William  Foye  Mozier  was  born  June  10,  1866,  in 
Iowa  City,  Iowa ;  son  of  Carson  L.  and  Narcissa  J. 
Mozier,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio,  who  died  in  1907 
in  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  while  the  latter,  a  native  of  Indiana, 
deceased  in  1909  in  the  same  city.  He  was  educated  in 
the  common  and  high  schools  of  Iowa  City  and  the 
State  University  of  Iowa.  From  the  latter  he  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1886,  and 
through  post-graduate  work  received  in  1889  from  the 
same  institution  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  His 
first  practical  experience  was  as  a  teacher  of  the  high 
school  in  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  and  for  the  past  twenty 
years  he  has  been  assistant  principal  and  principal  of 
the  township  high  school  at  Ottawa,  Illinois,  where  he 
has  a  staff  of  sixteen  teachers  and  an  enrolment  of 
jibcut  four  hundred  pupils.  As  a  writer,  Mr.  Mozier 
was  author  of  a  school  edition  of  Carlyle's  "  Diamond 
Necklace,"  and  an  "  English  Composition  Book,"  both 
of  which  were  received  with  favorable  notice.  Taken 
all  in  all,  his  work  and  career  have  been  entirely  com- 
mendable and  his  services  most  satisfactory  in  the  sev- 
eral positions  he  has  held. 


662 


George  B.  McClelland 

COUNTY  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools  for 
Green  County,  Illinois  (with  residence  address  at 
Carrollton,  Illinois),  and  one  of  the  best  instruc- 
tors and  most  efficient  school  managers  of  Central  Illi- 
nois, was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Palmyra,  Illinois, 
February  lo,  1872.  He  is  a  son  of  Hugh  and  Fanny 
(Clardy)  McClelland,  respectively  natives  of  Virginia 
and  Tennessee.  Both  are  deceased,  the  father  having 
died  at  Greenfield,  Illinois,  May  4,  1899,  and  the  mother 
having  passed   away   at    Palmyra,   Illinois,    in   Januarj', 

1873. 

In  early  youth,  George  B.  McClelland  attended  the 
country  schools  of  Greene  County,  Illinois,  and  later, 
the  Greenfield  High  School,  subsequently  pursuing 
courses  of  study  in  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal 
School,  at  Valparaiso,  Indiana,  and  the  Western  Illi- 
nois State  Normal  School.  He  was  graduated  from 
the  Greenfield  High  School  in  1892. 

On  applying  himself  to  teaching,  Mr.  McClelland  was 
first  engaged  at  White  Oak,  Illinois,  one  year ;  then  at 
Jericho,  Illinois,  two  years ;  Pleasant  Point,  Illinois, 
two  years ;  Ireland,  Illinois,  one  year ;  Dover  School, 
Daum,  Illinois,  two  years ;  Short  Liberty,  Illinois,  one 
year,  and  Douglas,  Illinois,  three  years.  He  was 
elected  to  his  present  office  in  1906. 

As  county  superintendent  for  Green  County,  Mr. 
McClelland  has  charge  of  102  schools,  164  teachers  and 
9,005  pupils.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers  Association,  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation ;  the  Morgan  County,  Scott  County,  Pike 
County  and  Greene  County  Teachers'  Associations,  and 
Current  Topics  Club.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with 
the  Masonic  Order,  R.  A.  M.,  and  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America. 

July  14,  1897,  Mr.  McClelland  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Carrie  E.  Bell,  and  their  union  has  been  blessed 
with  four  children,  namely :  Frances,  Royal,  Glenn  B. 
and  Marion. 


George  B.  McClelland. 


J.^MES  B.  McManus. 


James  B.  McManus 

MR.  McMANUS  has  an  ancestry  of  which  any  one 
with  a  reverence  for  the  "  ould  sod  "  can  gaze 
back  upon  with  pride.  His  father,  Terrence, 
and  his  mother,  Margaret,  both  were  born  in  Ireland, 
from  which  country  they  came  and  settled  in  Illinois, 
and  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Apple  River, 
Illinois,  on  September  26,  1868,  where  both  of  his  par- 
ents died  —  the  mother,  February  6,  1898,  and  the 
father  on  March  27,  1905. 

The  young  man  began  his  education  in  Apple  River, 
then  attended  the  Apple  River  High  School  and  the 
Northern  Illinois  Normal  School,  Dixon,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts, 
after  which  he  read  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
But  his  taste  was  more  in  the  direction  of  educational 
work,  and  he  entered  the  Normal  School,  at  Normal, 
Illinois,  taking  two  terms,  and  then  two  terms  at 
Urbana,  and  two  terms  also  at  the  University  of  Chi- 
cago. 

He  began  teaching  in  the  country  school  at  Apple 
River,  and.  after  one  year,  w^ent  to  Ransom,  Illinois, 
remaining  there  three  years,  then  to  Oglesby  the  same, 
length  of  time,  after  which  he  went  to  La  Salle,  where 
he  has  been  superintendent  of  city  schools  for  the  past 
eleven  years,  with  five  schools,  thirty  teachers  and  over 
thirteen  hundred  pupils  under  his  jurisdiction. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education  Asso- 
ciation, the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  the 
Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association  and  the  Na- 
tional Society  for  Scientific  Study  of  Education.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Woodmen, 
the  Elks  and  the  Catholic  Church.  He  is  also  presi- 
dent of  the  County  Teachers'  Association.  He  married 
Katherine  Collins  in  1903,  who  died  in  1908,  leaving 
him  two  children  —  William  and  James. 


663 


Genevieve  Melody 

WHILE  the  methods  employed  by  the  instructors 
in  the  grand  educational  system  of  Illinois  are 
of  the  most  advanced  character,  '"  faddism  "  has 
not  been  encouraged  or  allowed  to  take  root,  the  result 
being  that  we  have  a  clean  plan  of  working  that  is 
productive  of  the  greatest  benefit  to  all. 

A  successful  exponent  of  this  progressive  policy,  one 
enjoying  a  high  degree  of  popularity,  is  Miss  Genevieve 
Melody,  the  gifted  and  estimable  principal  of  the  Park 
Manor  Elementary  School,  at  Rhodes  avenue  and  Sev- 
enty-first street,  Chicago.  This  lady  has  had  long  and 
valuable  experience  in  her  profession,  and  before  assum- 
ing her  present  charge  was  an  instructor  in  the  Kershaw 
Elementary  Scliool,  Hyde  Park  High  School,  South 
Division  High  School,  and  the  Chicago  Teachers'  Col- 
lege. 

Miss  Melody  was  born  in  Chicago,  her  father,  Thomas 
Richard  Melody,  also  being  a  native  of  this  State.  Her 
mother,  Ellen  (Synon)  Melody,  was  born  in  Melville, 
Canada,  and  deceased  in  Gletsch,  Switzerland,  August 
2,  1909.  Miss  Melody  is  an  accomplished  scholar ;  she 
derived  her  education  from  the  Douglass  Grammar 
School  and  South  Division  High  School,  Chicago ;  Mil- 
waukee College,  Lake  Forest  University.  Kent  College 
of  Law,  from  which  she  was  graduated  in  1896  with 
the  degree  of  LL.B.,  and  the  University  of  Chicago, 
graduating  from  the  latter  in  1902  as  a  Ph.B.  Through 
post-graduate  work  she  received  the  Ph.M.  degree  from 
the  University  of  Chicago  in  1908. 

Miss  Melody  is  assisted  in  her  onerous  labors  by  a 
staff  of  fifteen  well-trained  teachers,  and  has  an  enrol- 
ment of  over  seven  hundred  and  fifty  pupils,  with  whom 
her  relations  are  of  the  most  pleasant  character.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  American  Historical  Association, 
also  the  Chicago  Single  Tax  Club,  and  is  an  esteemed 
attendant  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 


John  Elmer  Miller. 


Genevieve  Melody. 

John  Elmer  Miller 

FOR  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  John  E.  Miller 
has  been  connected  with  public  education  in  Illinois. 
He  has  occupied  every  position  in  the  public  schools, 
including  teacher  of  country  schools,  teacher  in  graded 
schools  in  the  primary,  intermediate  and  grammar 
grades,  high  school  teacher  of  history  and  mathematics, 
ward  school  principal  and  city  superintendent  of  the  city 
schools  of  East  St.  Louis. 

He  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Casey ville,  Illinois,  No- 
vember 21,  1864,  being  the  second  son  of  the  late  Hon. 
James  R.  and  Malinda  (Nicholas)  Miller,  the  former  a 
native  of  Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  Tennessee. 

After  completing  the  curriculum  of  the  school  of  his 
native  village,  Mr.  Miller  spent  four  years  at  the  Illinois 
State  Normal  School  at  Carbondale  and  was  graduated 
in  June,  1885.  He  continued  his  studies  in  the  Buffalo 
School  of  Pedagogy,  Buffalo,  New  York,  and  in  the 
"  University  of  Nature  and  Experience." 

After  teaching  six  years  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
village,  he  entered  the  service  of  the  East  St.  Louis 
schools  in  1891,  where  he  was  a  teacher  and  principal 
till  1902.  For  the  succeeding  two  years  he  was  librarian 
of  the  East  St.  Louis  Public  Library.  Here  he  improved 
the  service  and  originated  and  installed  the  popular  and 
serviceable-  juvenile  department  for  the  boys  and  girls 
of  his  adopted  city.  During  the  time  that  he  was 
librarian,  he  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Univer- 
sity Extension  Lecture  Course  for  East  St.  Louis  and 
has  been  actively  associated  with  this  movement  up  to 
the  present  time. 

In  1904  he  was  chosen  to  his  present  position,  city 
superintendent  of  the  East  St.  Louis  public  schools  and 
has  had  a  successful  career  as  such.  He  has  organized 
the  schools  and  the  teachers  and  has  put  in  force,  with 
the  assistance  of  the  Board  of  Education,  salary  sched- 
ules for  the  advancement  of  salary  for  grade  and  high 
school  teachers.  He  has  urged  the  laboratory  method 
of  teaching,  has  introduced  manual  training,  household 


664 


economy,  and  organized  play  for  school  children.  The 
East  St.  Louis  schools  have  an  enrolment  of  eight  thou- 
sand pupils  and  two  hundred  and  ten  teachers. 

Mr.  Miller  originated  and  successfully  operated  the 
first  public  vacation  playgrounds  in  East  St.  Louis  and 
has  supported  this  cause  for  the  past  four  years. 

He  is  an  active  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  also  a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee 
of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  has  been 
president  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association 
and  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Council.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  State  Historical  Society,  the  County  and  City 
Teachers'  Association  and  of  the  St.  Clair  Country  Club. 

In  February.  1905,  he  w^as  married  to  Miss  Francis 
Elizabeth  Coulter ;  in  July,  1908,  Catherine  Elizabeth 
Miller,  their  daughter,  was  born.  They  reside  at  1744 
College  avenue,  St.  Louis. 


David  L.  Murray 

PRINCIPAL  of  the  Hermann  Raster  School,  South 
Wood    and   West    Seventieth    streets,    Chicago,    and 
identified    with    schoolwork    for    over    thirty    years, 
is  a  native  of  Ingersoll,  Ontario,  Canada,  born  August 
ID,  1861. 

Mr.  Murray  was  educated  in  the  Ingersoll  (Ont.) 
High  School;  Brantford  College,  Brantford,  Ontario, 
and  the  Ingersoll  Normal  School,  and  graduated  from 
the  latter  in  June,  1880.  He  first  taught  school  at  Inger- 
soll for  three  years:  next,  in  Cook  County  (111.)  schools 
for  sixteen  years,  and  for  the  past  eleven  years  has  been 
principal  of  the  Hermann  Raster  School,  in  which  posi- 
tion he  has  twenty-three  assistants  and  an  enrolment 
of  over  a  thousand  pupils. 


David  L.  Murray. 


Daniel  Franklin  Nickols. 


Daniel  Franklin  Nickols 

AMONG  the  public  educators  of  Illinois  who  have 
obtained  distinguished  success  is  Mr.  D.  F. 
Nickols,  the  present  most  capable  county  superin- 
tendent of  schools  of  Logan  County,  whose  reputation  is 
as  widespread  as  it  is  excellent.  Although  one  of  the 
youngest  county  superintendents  of  the  State,  he  is  also 
one  of  the  ablest  and  most  progressive. 

Mr.  Nickols  was  born  January  2,  1880,  in  McPherson, 
Kansas,  son  of  George  C.  Nickols,  native  of  Ohio,  and 
Lydia  C.  (McCullough)  Nickols,  native  of  Kentucky. 
He  is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  his  ancestors  having  set- 
tled in  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  in  the  early  days. 
His  father  returned  to  Illinois  in  1882  and  the  boy  was 
brought  up  on  a  farm  near  Mt.  Pulaski. 

D.  F.  Nickols'  preliminary  education  was  secured  in 
rural  schools  of  Logan  and  Sangamon  counties,  fol- 
lowed by  courses  in  the  high  school  of  Illiopolis.  Lin- 
coln University  and  the  University  of  Valparaiso, 
Indiana.  In  the  latter  institution  he  completed  the 
teachers'  course  through  attendance  at  summer  sessions. 
At  the  beginning  of  his  professional  career,  he  taught 
in  country  schools,  next  becoming  principal  at  Lake 
Fork,  where  he  remained  two  years ;  then  became 
principal  of  the  New  Holland  school,  which  position  he 
held  for  three  years,  and  upon  leaving  there  received 
the  appointment  to  county  superintendency,  upon  the 
death  of  Supt.  E.  P.  Gram  (1905).  He  has  been  re- 
peatedly returned  to  this  position,  thus  attesting  his 
efficiency  for  the  position.  There  are  one  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  schools  under  his  supervision,  and  over  two 
hundred  teachers  are  employed. 

Mr.  Nickols  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Christian 
Church.  On  June  6  he  was  married  to  Miss  Edith  B. 
Holland,  and  they  make  their  residence  in  Lincoln, 
Illinois.     They  have  one  child,  Dorothy  May. 


665 


Julius  K.  Neumann 

SUPERINTENDENT  of  the  public  school  in 
Oqiiawka,  Henderson  County,  Illinois,  has  held 
that  position  since  1904,  maintaining  an  enjoyable 
reputation  for  the  possession  of  those  qualities  and  char- 
acteristics that  go  to  make  an  able  and  efficient  in- 
structor and  executive  official.  He  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, where  his  birth  took  place  February  i,  1871. 
His  father,  C.  Neumann,  married  Louise  Arndt  in  the 
Fatherland,  and,  after  some  years,  the  family  emigrated 
to  this  country,  locating  in  Illinois,  where  he  applied 
himself  successfully  to  bricklaying  in  Tazewell  County, 
dying  in  Delavan,  that  county,  February  12,  1909.  His 
wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave,  having  passed 
away  March  18,  1902,  in  the  same  town. 

The  early  mental  training  of  Julius  Neumann  was 
obtained  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  and  after 
coming  to  the  United  States  he  first  attended  a  private 
school  in  the  city  of  Peoria  for  one  year,  and  then 
spent  two  years  in  the  Delavan  public  school,  and  at 
Normal,  Illinois,  in  the  State  Normal  School.  He  grad- 
uated from  the  Delavan  high  school,  May  23,  1893.  His 
first  experience  as  a  teacher  was  in  a  country  school  in 
Tazewell  County,  Illinois,  continuing  one  year,  after 
which  he  went  to  Knox  County  and  taught  the  village 
school  at  Gilson  for  six  years,  and  the  township  high 
school  in  the  same  town  for  two  years.  He  has  had 
charge  of  the  Oquawka  public  school  for  more  than 
seven  years,  three  assistant  teachers  and  185  pupils  being 
under  his  direction. 

Mr.  Neumann  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Reading  Circle  and  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association.  He  is  fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America  and  F.  R.  L.  A.,  and  belongs 
to  the  Homesteaders.  In  religious  belief  he  conforms 
to  the  creed  of  the  Baptist  Church.  On  September  i, 
1896,  Mr.  Neumann  was  married  to  Miss  Gertrude 
Lawrence,  and  their  family  consists  of  five  children, 
Hortense,  Percy,  Goethe,  Metz  and  Maurine. 


Marie  Therese  Werneburg  Norton. 


Julius  K.  Neumann. 

Marie  Therese  Werneburg  Norton 

THE  study  of  languages  has  been  the  specialty  of 
this  skilled  educator,  particularly  English  and  Ger- 
man, while  at  the  same  time  she  has  taught  Latin 
for  a  number  of  years.     Her  education  is  pronouncedly 
excellent,  while  her  ability  in  administrating  school  gov- 
ernment has  been  notably  good. 

Mrs.  Norton  is  a  native  of  the  Monumental  City,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  October  i,  1859. 
Her  parents,  Frederick  William  Werneburg  and  Louise 
(Brack)  Werneburg,  were  natives  of  Germany,  her 
father  having  been  a  student  at  Heidelberg  University. 
Both  are  deceased,  the  former  having  died  in  February, 
1898,  the  latter  in  September,  1902.  Her  education 
began  in  a  private  school  in  Baltimore,  and,  on  her 
coming  to  Chicago,  was  continued  in  the  old  Elizabeth 
street  primary  school,  the  Skinner  school,  the  Chicago 
Central  high  school,  from  which  she  was  graduated  in 
1878,  and  the  Northwestern  University. 

Mrs.  Norton  first  taught  for  a  year  in  the  Dolton  Nor- 
mal School,  then  in  the  Northwestern  University  sum- 
mer school  for  one  season ;  next  in  the  Chicago  West 
Division  high  school  for  four  years ;  was  a  special  Ger- 
man instructor  in  the  Nash  school  three  years  and  the 
Horace  Greeley  school  four  years ;  assistant  principal 
of  the  Burley  school  four  years,  and  for  the  past  year 
has  been  principal  of  the  Thomas  school. 

Mrs.  Norton  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
Chicago  Principals'  Club,  Ella  Flagg  Young  Club,  the 
Evanston  German  Club,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  In  1881  she  was  married  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Will- 
iam Bernard  Norton,  who  graduated  from  the  North- 
western University  with  the  degrees  of  A.B.  and  A.M., 
the  Garrett  Biblical  Institute  as  B.D.,  and  the  Syracuse 
University  as  Ph.D.  They  have  had  four  children,  three 
now  living,  these  being  Louise,  Julia  and  Fred  W.  Nor- 
ton. Both  daughters  are  now  teaching  in  high  schools, 
while  the  son  is  a  student  in  the  engineering  school  of 
Northwestern  University. 


666 


Moses  Elmer  Newell 

THIS  gentleman  is  one  of  the  successful  and  pro- 
gressive pedagogues  of  the  Prairie  State,  and  is 
an  enthusiast  in  his  profession.  He  is  a  constant 
student  and  ever  ready  to  adapt  any  new  ideas  that  are 
applicable  to  the  cause  of  education  and  the  betterment 
of  the  public  school  service. 

Moses  Elmer  Newell  was  born  October  23,  1878,  near 
Girard,  Montgomery  County,  Illinois,  son  of  Moses  A. 
and  Samantha  E.  (Greene)  Newell,  the  former  a  native 
of  Greene  County,  Illinois,  and  now  living;  the  latter 
a  native  of  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  and  now  deceased, 
her  demise  having  occurred  February  8,  1897. 

Moses  Elmer  Newell  attended  the  Lake  district 
school,  Montgomery  County,  up  to  his  fourteenth  year, 
later  studied  in  the  Bloomington  (111.)  and  Virden 
(111.)  public  schools,  and  for  a  year  in  the  Illinois 
State  Normal  University,  and  then  took  a  course  in 
Greer  College,  Hoopeston,  Illinois,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1902  with  the  degree  of  B.Ped.  At  his  grad- 
uation he  was  president  of  his  class.  On  July  17,  1908, 
he  received  a  Life  State  Teachers'  Certificate. 

Mr.  Newell  first  taught  in  a  country  school  at  West 
Point,  Grant  County,  Oklahoma,  in  1902-1903 ;  from 
1903  to  1905  was  principal  at  More,  Madison  County, 
Illinois ;  from  1905  to  1907  was  principal  at  Bethalto, 
Madison  County,  Illinois,  and  for  the  past  four  years 
he  has  been  superintendent  and  principal  of  the  schools 
at  Brighton,  Macoupin  County,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Newell  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association  and  the  Methodist  Church.  On  August 
17,  1904,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Frances  S.  Carricker, 
and  they  reside  in  Brighton. 


M 


William  H.  Nevens 

R.  NEVENS  is  an  old,  time-tried  veteran  in  the 
educational  world,  and  has  long  enjoyed  a  repu- 
tation   for    ability    and    the    soundness    of    his 


William  H.  Nevens. 


Moses  Elmer  Newell. 


knowledge  and  methods.  He  first  assumed  the  "  brief 
authority "  of  the  pedagogue  at  the  age  of  seventeen, 
and  has,  with  the  exception  of  his  war  experience,  been 
"  in  harness "  for  a  term  exceeding  forty-four  years. 
He  was  born  on  the  farm  of  his  father,  Charles  H. 
Nevens  (deceased  1872),  March  9,  1845,  in  Lewiston, 
Maine,  and  in  early  youth  attended  the  public  schools 
of  tliat  city,  following  these  primary  studies  with  a 
course  in  Nichol's  Latin  School,  now  known  as  Bates 
College.  His  graduation  from  the  Latin  School  took 
place  in  1867 ;  his  career  as  a  teacher  began  in  1862 
in  a  Lewiston  school,  where  he  continued  for  a  year, 
and  went  thence,  in  1863,  to  the  town  of  Greene,  Maine. 
Becoming  imbued  with  patriotic  martial  ardor,  he  en- 
listed in  1864  in  the  Thirty-second  Maine  Volunteer 
Regiment,  and  participated  in  the  last  struggles  of  the 
Civil  War.  On  June  3,  1863,  he  was  wounded  in  the  Bat- 
tle of  Cold  Harbor,  Virginia,  and  was  discharged  on 
account  of  wounds  in  May,  1865.  On  recovering  from 
the  efifects  of  his  wounds  he  resumed  teaching,  serving 
as  an  instructor  in  a  school  at  Augusta,  Maine,  from 
1865  to  1866.  From  1866  to  1867  he  taught  at  Lewiston  ; 
from  1867  to  1868,  at  Lisbon,  Maine.  In  August,  1869, 
Mr.  Nevens  removed  to  Will  County,  Illinois,  and  was 
a  teacher  in  the  town  of  Will  up  to  the  spring  of  1871, 
when  he  removed  to  Crete,  Illinois,  and  accepted  a 
vacancy  there.  Going  to  Joliet  in  1886,  he  was  elected 
superintendent  of  the  Will  County  schools,  and  has 
ever  since  faithfully  and  most  efficiently  fulfilled  the 
duties  of  this  position.  During  his  residence  at  Crete 
he  taught  school  for  a  year  in  a  district  east  of  Blue 
Island,  Cook  County.  It  was  also  about  this  time  that 
he  contracted  the  "  gold  fever,"  and  spent  three  months 
in  the  Black  Hills.  Mr  Nevens  is  a  member  of  the 
Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  the  Northern  Illi- 
nois Teachers'  Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Masons,  Knights,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Modern  Woodmen  and 
White  Cross. 


667 


Walter  Lawrence  O'Brien 

To  this  gentleman  must  be  given  the  distinction  of 
being  the  youngest  school  principal  in  Illinois,  he 
still  being  in   his   "  teens,"   and,  judging   from  the 
excellence  of  the  work  already  done  by  him,  he  has  a 
most  promising  future. 

Walter  Lawrence  O'Brien  was  born  November  20, 
itS92,  at  Maple  Park,  Illinois,  his  father  being  Michael 
O'Brien,  a  native  of  County  Clare,  Ireland,  his  mother 
Mary  (Neven)  O'Brien,  native  of  Bristol,  Illinois,  both 
of  whom  are  still  living.  He  was  educated  in  country 
schools ;  the  Maple  Park  High  School ;  Kaneville, 
Illinois,  high  school  and  the  Northern  Illinois  State 
Normal  School,  at  De  Kalb,  and  he  graduated  from 
the  latter  June  23,  1910.  He  has  a  teachers'  life  certifi- 
cate and  holds  membership  in  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading 
Circle,  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association  and  the 
Catholic  Church.  He  is  now  fulfilling  his  first  year's 
work  as  a  teacher,  in  the  capacity  of  principal  of  the 
high  school  at  Newark,  Illinois,  and  he  has  already 
become  popularly  known  in  educational  circles. 


Mrs.  Mary  Darrow  Olson 

MRS.  OLSON  was  born  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  her 
parents  being  Ammirus  and  Emily  (Eddy)  Dar- 
row, natives,  respectively,  of  Henrietta,  New 
York,  and  Windsor,  Connecticut,  and  both  now  deceased, 
the  former  having  died  in  Chicago,  in  April,  1904,  the 
latter  in  Kinsman,  Ohio,  in  April,  1872.  In  the  first 
year  of  her  age,  her  parents  moved  to  Kinsman,  and 
here  her  childhood  was  passed.  She  studied  at  the 
academy  there  and  later  at  the  Michigan  University, 
and  finished  at  the  Allegheny  College,  Meadville,  Penn- 
sylvania, from  which  institution  she  graduated  in  1882 
with  the  degree  of  A.B.,  receiving  later  that  of  A.M. 
in  course. 
Mrs.  Olson  began  her  work  as  a  teacher  in  the  com- 


Mrs.  Mary  Darrow  Olson. 


Walter  Lawrence  O'Brien. 

mon  schools  of  her  own  State  and  county.  Then,  after 
graduation,  she  taught  one  year  in  the  North  East  Ohio 
Normal  School.  The  following  year  (1883)  she  came 
to  Illinois  and  was  instructor  for  a  year  in  the  State 
University,  and  then  served  two  years  as  principal  of 
the  Champaign  High  School.  In  1886  she  went  to 
Chicago  and  shortly  thereafter  was  appointed  principal 
of  the  Park  Manor  School.  At  the  completion  of  the 
new  McCosh  School  she  became  its  first  principal, 
which  position  she  held  until  the  beginning  of  her  final 
illness  at  the  end  of  the  school  year  in  June,  1909. 
Her  vitality  had  been  exhausted  by  her  unremitting 
labor,  and  she  failed  to  rally.  She  died  November  14, 
1909,  her  husband,  Mr.  O.  G.  Olson,  to  whom  she  was 
married  in  1889,  having  preceded  her  by  nearly  three 
years. 

Mrs.  Olson  possessed  a  sympathetic,  magnetic  per- 
sonality, which  readily  won  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  her  colleagues  and  pupils.  She  had  never  forgotten 
her  own  life  and  experience,  both  as  pupil  and  teacher, 
and  so  was  able  to  put  herself  instantly  in  the  place 
of  either.  Both  knew  that  she  regarded  their  welfare 
as  her  own.  She  used  her  best  efforts  to  protect  the 
children  from  all  evil  influences,  without  as  well  as 
within.  As  far  as  the  limitations  of  a  public  school 
building  permitted,  she  tried  to  make  it  an  artistic 
home  for  all  within  its  walls,  accepting  the  old  Greek 
conception  that  public  buildings  should  be  adorned  as 
the  real  home  of  the  people. 

]Mrs.  Olson  was  a  successful  teacher,  but  also  some- 
thing more  —  in  every  upward  movement  she  was  in 
the  front  of  the  struggle.  She  was  thoroughly  demo- 
cratic ;  she  knew  no  race,  religion  or  nationality.  She 
worked  luitiringly  for  woman  suffrage.  In  the  days 
of  the  old  School  Council  she  did  all  possible  to  sus- 
tain them  and  to  realize  their  purpose. 

Mrs.  Olson  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight.  She  might 
have  lived  longer  had  she  been  content  to  have  done 
less.  Measured  by  achievement,  her  life  was  long. 
Her  death  seemed  untimely  only  because  she  felt  she 
had  not  accomplished  her  task. 


668 


Sarah  J.  O'Keefe 

THE  cause  of  popular  education  has  a  veteran  and 
most   accomplished   exponent   in   the   above   named 
lady  and  she  has  long  been   familiarly  and   favor- 
ably known  in  pedagogical  circles,   particularly  in   Chi- 
cago, whose  public  school  interest  she  has  done  so  much 
to  promote. 

Mrs.  Sarah  J.  O'Keefe  (nee  Nightingale)  was  born 
in  1854  i"  Cambridge,  England,  and  her  parents,  Joseph 
and  Esther  (Moxon)  Nightingale,  were  natives  of  that 
city,  noted  for  its  great  university.  The  former  died  in 
Fairmont,  Minnesota,  in  February,  1907,  the  latter  at 
Arlington  Heights,  Illinois,  in  July,  1904.  She  was  edu- 
cated in  county  schools  in  Wheeling  and  Palatine  town- 
ships and  the  Cook  County  Normal  School,  Englewood, 
graduating  from  the  latter  in  June,  1872.  She  also  per- 
formed post-graduate  work  at  the  University  of  Chi- 
cago. Mrs.  O'Keefe  has  been  actively  identified  with 
public  schools  for  upward  of  thirty-eight  years,  having 
begun  teaching  in  September,  1872.  Her  first  school 
was  at  Arlington  Heights,  Illinois,  where  she  remained 
nine  years  and  then  taught  for  a  year  at  Palatine,  Illi- 
nois. On  leaving  there  she  was  assigned  a  school  at 
Jefferson  Park,  Illinois,  then  a  suburb  of  Chicago,  but 
which  was  annexed  to  the  city  in  1889.  In  1884  she 
became  principal  of  the  Jefferson  Park  School,  now 
known  as  the  Beaubien  School,  and  located  at  North 
Fifty-second  and  Winnemac  avenues.  She  has  a  staff' 
of  twenty  assistant  teachers,  an  enrolment  of  over 
eight  hundred  pupils,  and  the  most  pleasant  relations 
exist  among  all.  Mrs.  O'Keefe  is  a  skilled  disciplina- 
rian, but  "  rules  by  love,  not  war,"  and  commands  the 
fullest  confidence  and  esteem  of  her  colleagues. 

In  1876  our  subject  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mr. 
William  O'Keefe,  a  most  estimably  known  citizen,  and 
their  home  is  situated  at  Arlington  Heights,  Illinois. 
Mrs.  O'Keefe  has  long  been  a  member  of  the  National 
Education  Association  and  a  loyal  supporter  of  that 
organization,  also  a  member  of  Illinois  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation. 


Arthur  Leonard  Odenweller. 


Sarah  J.  O'Keefe. 


Arthur  Leonard  Odenweller 

THIS  gentleman  made  a  wise  choice  when  he 
selected  pedagogy  for  his  life-work,  as  he  has 
achieved  distinction  therein  in  a  comparatively 
brief  period.  He  is  a  native  of  this  State,  having  been 
born  near  Industry,  McDonough  County,  February  i, 
1879,  son  of  John  L.  and  Lucinda  (Bellomy)  Odenwel- 
ler, both  natives  of  Illinois,  the  former  now  living  on 
his  farm  near  Frederick,  Illinois,  while  the  latter  died  at 
Frederick,  March  7,  1902.  After  completing  a  course 
in  the  public  schools  of  Frederick,  Mr.  Odenweller  took 
a  business  course  in  the  Rushville  Commercial  School, 
then  studied  a  year  in  Eureka  College  and  two  years  in 
the  Western  State  Normal  School  at  Macomb,  Illinois, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  June,  1907.  In  June,  1909, 
he  received  an  advanced  diploma  from  the  latter  institu- 
tion in  recognition  of  his  excellence  in  teaching.  He 
first  taught  as  principal  of  a  village  school  in  Pleasant 
View,  Illinois;  seven  months  in  the  country  school  at 
Hawkeye,  Schuyler  County,  Illinois ;  was  principal  of 
schools  at  Alpha,  Illinois,  two  years ;  principal  of 
schools  at  Atkinson,  Illinois,  one  year  and  for  over  a 
year  has  been  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Henry 
County,  Illinois.  There  he  has  supervision  over  one 
hundred  and  ninety-nine  schools,  three  hundred  and 
fifty  teachers  and  about  nine  thousand  pupils. 

Mr.  Odenweller  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Read- 
ing Circle,  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the 
Superintendents'  and  Principals'  Association  and  several 
fraternal  organizations.  June  21,  191 1,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Ellen  Ahl,  a  native  of  Moline,  Illinois,  a  prom- 
inent worker  in  the  Swedish  Lutheran  Church  and  also 
identified  with  educational  work,  having  for  several 
years  been  a  popular  teacher  in  the  schools  of  her 
birthplace.  Miss  Ahl  graduated  from  the  Moline  high 
school,  the  State  Normal  School  at  Macomb,  Illinois,  in 
June,  1907,  and  in  June,  1909,  was  awarded  an  advanced 
diploma  for  superior  excellence  in  teaching. 


669 


Charles  Henry  Ostrander 

PRINCIPAL   of    the    William    Penn    Nixon    School, 
Chicago,  has  been  engaged  in  school  work  for  up- 
ward of  thirty  years,  and  is  well  known  as  an  edu- 
cator of  force  and  ability.     He  is  an  active  member  of 
the    National    Education    Association    and    keeps    fully 
abreast  of  all  advances  made  in  his  profession. 

Charles  Henry  Ostrander  was  born  in  Livingston 
County,  Illinois,  August  21,  1859,  son  of  John  B.  and 
Nancy  E.  Ostrander,  natives,  respectively,  of  New  York 
and  Connecticut.  Mr.  Ostrander  in  youth  attended  a 
country  school  at  Ottawa,  Illinois ;  attended  the  Ottawa 
High  School,  and  then  took  courses  in  the  Morris,  Illi- 
nois, Normal  School  and  the  Jennings  Seminary,  at 
Aurora,  Illinois.  As  a  teacher  he  was  lirst  employed 
in  country  schools  in  La  Salle  and  Livingston  counties, 
Illinois ;  then  went  to  Verona,  Illinois,  for  two  years ; 
next  to  Naperville,  Illinois,  for  a  similar  period,  and 
for  the  past  twenty-four  years  he  has  been  located  in 
Chicago.  In  the  Nixon  School  he  has  a  staff  of  twenty- 
nine  assistants  and  an  enrolment  of  1,400  pupils,  and 
the  best  of  discipline  is  maintained. 

Mr.  Ostrander  is  a  member  of  the  George  Howland 
Club,  Knights  Templar,  Mystic  Shrine  and  the  Odd 
Fellows.  He  was  married  May  i,  1884,  to  Miss  Mary 
Gregg,  and  they  have  three  children,  Mabel,  Josephine 
and  James  Ostrander. 


John  R.  Pelsma 

ALTHOL^GH    still   a  young   man,   with   many  pros- 

_^Y  pective    years     of    usefulness     before     him,     Mr. 

Pelsma  has  had  long  and  valuable  experience  as 

a  public  instructor,  and  has  held  important,  responsible 


John  R.  Pelsma. 


Charles  Henry  Ostrander. 


positions  in  his  chosen  vocation.  He  was  born  April 
26,  1878,  in  Nappanee,  Indiana,  son  of  Reinder  and 
Dora  Pelsma,  both  natives  of  Holland  and  descendants 
of  old-time  families.  The  former  is  still  living,  while 
the  latter  deceased  in  Nappanee,  Indiana,  in  1883.  The 
splendid  education  our  subject  possesses  was  secured 
in  a  district  school  near  Nappanee;  the  Nappanee 
High  School;  Valparaiso  (Ind.)  University;  Nevada 
State  University ;  De  Pauw  University  and  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago.  He  graduated  from  Valparaiso 
University,  1901,  with  degree  of  S.B. ;  from  De  Pauw 
University,  1908,  with  degree  of  A.B.  Through  post- 
graduate work  he  received  the  degree  of  Ph.M.,  1910, 
from  the  University  of  Chicago,  and  also  performed 
work  in  the  University  of  Nevada,  department  of 
assaying  and  metallurgy.  Since  beginning  his  profes- 
sional career,  he  has  been  teacher  in  a  district  school 
in  Elkhart  County,  Indiana ;  principal  at  Triumph, 
Illinois  ^  principal  at  Waterford,  Indiana ;  instructor 
at  the  Sac  and  Fox  Reservation  ;  principal  of  the  high 
school,  Nappanee,  Indiana ;  head  of  the  department 
of  science,  Reno  (Nev.)  high  school;  superintendent 
of  the  Medaryville,  Indiana,  schools,  and  is  now  prin- 
cipal of  the  high  school  at  Normal,  Illinois,  where  he 
is  assisted  by  six  teachers  and  has  no  pupils. 

Mr.  Pelsma  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, Masonic  Order,  Knights  of  Pythias,  Modern 
Woodmen,  the  Methodist  Church,  and  is  president  of 
the  Epworth  League  at  Normal,  Illinois.  For  a  year 
he  was  observer  in  the  United  States  Weather  Bureau, 
at  Reno,  Nevada,  and  has  been  a  most  extensive  trav- 
eler, having  visited  thirty-five  States  in  the  Union  and 
five  foreign  countries.  A  valuable  contribution  to  edu- 
cational literature  was  a  paper  by  Mr.  Pelsma  on  "  A 
Child's  Vocabulary  and  Its  Development,"  published  in 
the  Pedagogical  Seminary,  September,  1910. 

Mr.  Pelsma  was  married  in  1904  to  Miss  Maud  Pen- 
land,  and  they  have  a  daughter,  Elizabeth  Pelsma. 


670 


Mrs.  Alice  H.  Putnam 

ONE  of  the  world's  most  important  factors  in  ad- 
vancing education  was  Froebel,  the  great  German 
scholar,  who,  by  originating  the  kindergarten 
system,  achieved  everlasting  fame.  This  system  was 
introduced  in  Chicago  in  the  early  seventies  by  Mrs. 
Alice  H.  Putnam,  daughter  of  William  L.  Whiting,  a 
former  grain  merchant  and  charter  member  of  the  Chi- 
cago Board  of  Trade,  who  died  in  1850.  She  was  a 
pupil  of  Mrs.  Ogden,  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  her 
first  morning  spent  in  the  kindergarten  was  like  an 
entrance  into  the  "  Paradise  of  Childhood." 

Mrs.  Putnam's  preparation  for  that  which  has  become 
her  life-work  began  with  daily  life  among  children  at 
home.  An  effort  to  meet  the  daily  problems  of  the 
nursery  led  her  to  see  the  necessity  of  a  rational  inter- 
pretation of  a  child's  activities.  This  was  long  before 
there  was  any  definite  or  well-organized  school  for 
"  child  study."  As  more  psychological  opportunities 
offered,  they  were  eagerly  grasped  and  the  truths  learned 
through  courses  of  study  under  Col.  F.  W.  Parker.  Dr. 
John  Dewey  and  other  prominent  child  students  pro- 
vided the  means  of  reconciling  many  problems  which  had 
formerly  been  isolated.  Principles  and  methods  under- 
lying the  teaching  of  literature,  art  forms,  nature  study 
and  manual  training  were  sought,  not  only  in  relation  to 
their  place  in  the  kindergarten,  but  for  the  right  devel- 
opment of  growing  childhood.  Everywhere  this  expe- 
rience has  proven  the  truth  of  Froebel's  saying :  "  God 
neither  ingrafts  nor  inoculates.  He  develops  each  trivial 
thing  in  continuously  ascending  series,  and  in  accord- 
ance with  self-grounded  and  self-developing  laws ;  and 
God-likeness  ought  to  be  man's  highest  aim  in  thought 
and  deed." 

Mrs.  Putnam  graduated  from  Mrs.  Ogden's  school, 
and  on  returning  to  Chicago  taught  first  in  her  own 
home,  and  later  taught  in  the  Chicago  Normal  School 
under  Colonel  Parker ;  also  in  summer  schools  in  the 
University  of  Chicago  and  elsewhere,  and  also  con- 
ducted a  course  for  mothers  on  "  Training  of  Children," 
in  the  Correspondence  Department  of  the  Extension 
Division  of  the  University  of  Chicago. 

The  Chicago  Froebel  Association  was  organized  in 
1881  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  free  kindergartens 
until  such  time  as  the  Board  of  Education  should  make 
them  a  part  of  the  elementary  school  work.  This  end 
was  accomplished  some  twelve  years  later.  Meantime 
many  free  kindergartens  were  conducted,  and  a  training 
school  for  the  preparation  of  kindergarteners  was  also 
established,  with  Mrs.  Putnam  as  principal,  a  position 
she  still  holds,  although  this  is  an  entirely  independent 
school.  Extensive  kindergarten  work  was  also  under- 
taken at  Hull  House,  including  clubwork  for  boys  and 
girls  who  had  outgrown  the  activities  of  the  kinder- 
garten. 

In  concluding  this  sketch  of  one  who  has  done  so 
much  for  the  cause  of  kindergarten  education  in  Chi- 
cago, we  quote  from  a  previous  sketch  of  Mrs.  Putnam : 

"  She  has  never  courted  publicity,  but  her  endeavor 
has  always  been  to  build  firmly  upon  the  fundamental 
idea  that  manifests  itself  in  the  nurture  and  direction 
of  all  the  normal  faculties  of  the  child,  and  upon  the 
recognition  of  individual  and  social  development  through 
self-activity.  To  this  end  she  has  rejoiced  in  the  in- 
creasing demand  for  the  true  psychological  study  of 
children ;  has  welcomed  every  practical  aid  toward  the 
betterment  of  special  departments  of  training,  and, 
through  her  open-minded  attitude  toward  educators  who 
have  looked  at  and  criticized  the  kindergarten  from 
their  various  viewpoints,  she  has  striven  constantly  to 
overcome  the  tendency  to  narrowness  that  is  the  beset- 
ting temptation  of  every  advocate  of  a  particular  form 
of  truth.  With  singleness  of  purpose,  yet  breadth  of 
view,  her  motto  has  been  "  Fundamental  principle  first, 
then  never-ending,  unlimited  expansion,"  or,  as  some 
one  has  said,  "  Strength  at  the  center,  freedom  at  the 
circumference." 


Mrs.  Alice  H.  Putnam. 

Charles  M.  Parker 

WHEN  R.  T.  Morgan,  county  superintendent  of 
the  schools  of  Dupage  County,  Illinois,  said  of 
Mr.  Parker:  "He  has  done  much  to  advance 
the  noble  cause  of  our  '  great  common  schools  in  Illi- 
nois,' "  he  uttered  but  a  truism.  The  value  of  the  serv- 
ices he  has  given  to  the  promotion  of  popular  education, 
not  only  in  this  State,  but  throughout  the  Union,  can 
not  be  overestimated.  Millions  of  copies  of  his  "  Penny 
Classics,"  of  which  he  was  the  originator,  have  been 
used  in  the  public  school  service.  For  twenty  years  he 
has  been  the  publisher  of  the  noted  Illinois  State  Course 
of  Study. 

He  founded  the  School  News,  in  June,  1887,  an  edu- 
cational publication  that  has  proved  of  wide  scope  in 
influence  during  the  twenty-four  years  of  its  existence. 
This  journal  has  about  thirty  regular  contributing  edi- 
tors. Its  aim  is  to  encourage  a  number  of  broad  edu- 
cational movements,  such  as  "  Education  for  Country 
Life,"  "  Farmers'  Institutes,"  "  Agficultural  Education," 
"  Audubon  Societies,"  "  School  Libraries,"  etc.,  by  em- 
ploying experts  to  conduct  departments  on  these  sub- 
jects. It  is  an  all-round  school  journal  for  school 
superintendents,  principals  and  teachers  of  all  grades. 
Throughout  the  Union  his  publications  have  been  in- 
dorsed by  school  boards  and  teachers.  On  July  11, 
1910,  Mr.  Parker's  printing  plant  at  Taylorville  was 
destroyed  by  fire.  This  catastrophe  caused  the  loss  of 
several  large  editions  of  nearly  four  hundred  publica- 
tions. One  item  of  loss  in  the  fire  was  an  edition  of 
twenty  thousand  copies  of  the  "  Illinois  Course  of 
Study."  In  spite  of  this  and  other  difficulties,  business 
was  resumed  by  him  in  a  very  brief  time. 

Mr.  Parker  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  Farmers'  National  Bank,  of  Taylor- 
ville, since  its  organization  in  1900;  a  member  of  the 
Taylorville  Library  Board  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
was  chairman  of  the  Building  Committee  during  the 
erection  of  the  Carnegie  Library  Building.  For  the 
past  eight  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Taylor- 


671 


ville  Township  High  School  Board;  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  Christian  County  Telephone 
Company  and  its  treasurer  from  its  organization ;  is 
president  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Taylorville 
Home  Building  and  Loan  Association,  and  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Taylorville 
Chamber  of  Commerce  since  the  organization  of  that 
body,  serving  as  its  president  for  two  years. 

Mr.  Parker  was  born  in  the  mountains  of  western 
North  Carolina,  September  17,  i860;  son  of  Samuel  S. 
and  Elizabeth  (Call)  Parker,  both  natives  of  North 
Carolina  and  both  deceased,  the  former  having  been 
killed  in  1862  in  the  Civil  War,  while  the  latter  de- 
ceased in  March,  1876,  in  Christian  County,  Illinois. 

]\lr.  Parker  was  educated  in  the  country  schools  of 
Christian  County,  Illinois ;  the  United  Brethren  Col- 
lege, of  Westfield,  Illinois ;  the  teachers'  summer  insti- 
tutes in  Macon  and  Christian  counties  and  the  Illinois 
Teachers'  Reading  Circle,  in  which  he  completed  two 
courses.  He  was  a  teacher  for  ten  years,  eight  years 
in  the  country  schools  of  Christian  and  Macon  counties 
and  two  years  as  assistant  principal  of  the  West  Side 
School,  in  Taylorville,  and  for  ten  years  he  was  insti- 
stitute  instructor,  having  taught  in  teachers'  institutes 
in  nearly  forty  counties  of  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Penn- 
sylvania. He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
ex-member  of  the  Illinois  State  Reading  Circle  in  which 
he  completed  two  courses  and  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  On  December  27,  1883,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Leonora  L.  Wright,  and  they  have  four  children, 
Minnie  L.  Sultz,  Howard,  Jennie  and  Roy. 

Daniel  Baldwin  Parkinson 

AMONG   the   noted    institutions    of   learning   in   the 
Prairie   State,  none  holds  a  more  honored  name 
than  the   Southern   Illinois   Normal  University,  at 
Carbondale.     From  its   halls   have  graduated  hundreds 
who  have  become  prominent  in  political,  mercantile  and 
financial   circles.     Its  curriculum   is   broad,  comprehen- 


Daniel  Baldwin  Parkinson. 


Charles  M.  Parker. 

sive  and  excellent  in  every  feature.  To  be  at  the  helm 
of  such  a  splendid  institution  as  this  is  indeed  an  honor, 
and  this  honor  is  now  enjoyed  by  Prof.  Daniel  Baldwin 
Parkinson,  a  ripe  scholar  and  a  learned  scientist. 

Doctor  Parkinson  is  a  native  of  this  State,  his  birth- 
place being  near  Highland,  Madison  County,  where  he 
was  born  September  6,  1845,  son  of  Alfred  J.  and  Mary 
(Baldwin)  Parkinson,  natives,  respectively,  of  Tennes- 
see and  New  York.  Both  are  deceased,  the  former  hav- 
ing died  November  14,  1904,  near  Highland,  Illinois, 
the  latter  in  Kansas  City,  ]\Iisouri,  on  January  28,  1890, 
After  attending  a  district  school,  Mr.  Parkinson  studied 
in  the  public  schools  of  Highland,  and  later  in  McKen- 
dree  College  and  the  Northwestern  University.  He 
graduated  June  8,  1868;  received  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts  in  1874,  ^"d  that  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy  in 
1879  from  McKcndree  College.  On  entering  the  public 
school  service  he  taught  for  seven  months  in  rural 
schools ;  was  for  nine  months  principal  of  the  public 
schools  in  Carmi,  Illinois ;  for  three  years  teacher  of 
science  and  mathematics  at  Jennings  Seminary,  Aurora, 
Illinois ;  professor  of  physical  sciences  in  the  Southern 
Illinois  Normal  University  from  1874  to  1895,  and  since 
the  latter  year  has  been  the  honored  president  of  this 
valuable  institution,  making  a  continuous  service  of 
nearh'  thirty-eight  years  in  the  same  school. 

Doctor  Parkinson  was  a  delegate  to  the  International 
Congress  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  in 
1876;  has  been  president  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Teach- 
ers' Association,  and  also  president  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association.  He  is  a  member  of  the  National 
Council,  National  Education  Association,  the  Illinois 
State  Teachers'  Association  and  the  Southern  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association.  Is  a  member  of  the  ^^lethodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  was  first  married  on  December 
28,  1876,  to  j\Iiss  Julia  F.  Mason,  who  died  August  6, 
1879,  and  on  July  30,  1884,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mary  Alice  Raymond.  There  are  in  the  family 
three  children,  Daniel  M.,  son  of  the  first  wife ;  Ray- 
mond F.  and  Mary  Alice,  children  of  the  present  Mrs. 
Parkinson. 


672 


Rose  Pfeiffer 

SCHOLARLY  in  all  that  the  word  conveys,  progres- 
sive and  aggressive  in  forwarding  scholastic  meth- 
ods, and  advancing  the  status  of  popular  education, 
too  much  credit  can  not  be  given  Miss  Pfeiffer,  who  has 
given  for  so  many  years  most  unselfish  work  in  the 
public  schools  of  this  State.  To  such  as  her  are  due 
the  great  efficiency  to  which  the  pubHc  school  system  of 
Illinois  has  arrived. 

Miss  Pfeiffer  is  a  native  of  this  State,  her  birthplace 
being  Peoria.  Illinois.  There  she  was  educated  in  the 
graded  and  high  schools  and  the  Peoria  County  Normal 
School,  where  she  studied  under  Prof.  S.  H.  White,  and 
graduated  as  valedictorian  of  her  class  on  June  23,  1871. 
She  first  taught  for  two  years  in  the  rural  schools  of 
Peoria  County,  then  for  twenty  years  was  in  the  primary 
department  of  the  Franklin  School,  was  principal  of  the 
primary  grades  in  the  school  for  four  years,  and  for  the 
past  fifteen  years  has  been  principal  of  the  grammar 
department  of  the  Whittier  School,  where  she  has 
supervision  of  eleven  teachers  and  about  four  hundred 
and  thirty  pupils. 

Miss  Pfeiffer's  special  study  has  been  literature,  and 
she  has  studied  this  subject,  also  French  and  German, 
under  special  instructors,  likewise  has  attained  credits 
from  Chautauqua  literary  and  scientific  circles.  She  has 
acted  as  director  of  the  Women  Teachers'  Club  of 
Peoria.  She  is  also  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tional Association,  and  the  work  she  has  performed  in 
the  interest  of  education  can  not  be  too  highly  estimated. 

Charles  Irving  Parker 

ONE  of  the  main  causes  for  civic  pride  on  the  part 
of  the  citizens  of  Chicago  is  that  of  the  admirable 
school  system  which  prevails,  the  large  number  of 
fine   school   buildings   and   the  excellent  discipline   that 
marks  their  management.     A  good  example  of  these  is 


Charles  Irving  Parker. 


Rose  Pfeiffer. 


found  in  the  Bowen  High  School,  located  at  Eighty- 
ninth  street  and  Manistee  avenue,  of  which  Charles 
Irving  Parker  is  the  honored  principal.  This  gentle- 
man is  a  veteran  in  the  educational  field,  having  been 
a  public  instructor  for  more  than  the  average  lifetime, 
and  he  is  widely  known  as  a  profound  scholar  and  an 
educator  of  the  highest  accomplishments.  He  was  born 
March  10,  1838,  in  Bedford,  New  Hampshire,  son  of 
John  and  Eliza  (Goffe)  Parker,  who  were  also  natives  of 
Bedford,  and  both  of  whom  are  deceased,  the  former 
having  died  in  February,  1881,  the  latter,  December  2, 
1898.  He  attended  the  Piscatquog  Public  School, 
"  Squog "  Academy,  Appleton  Academy,  New  London 
Academy,  Mount  Vernon  Academy  and  Dartmouth 
College,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1863  with  the 
degree  of  A.B.  The  first  school  taught  by  him  was 
in  Fisherville,  a  suburb  of  Concord,  New  Hampshire ; 
the  second  at  Hooksett,  New  Hampshire.  In  1861  he 
taught  a  country  school  near  Carrollton,  Illinois,  after 
which  he  returned  to  college,  but  remained  there  only 
long  enough  to  enlist  in  "  The  College  Cavaliers,"  a 
company  of  college  students  who  entered  the  Union 
army  in  1862.  After  his  discharge  from  the  army  he 
engaged  in  teaching  in  Illinois.  He  taught  at  Virden, 
Staunton,  Carlinville,  Joliet,  Danville,  Hyde  Park, 
South  Chicago  and  Chicago.  He  was  superintendent 
of  schools  at  Carlinville,  Joliet,  Danville,  Oakland  and 
South  Chicago.  He  is  now  principal  of  the  James  H. 
Bowen  High  School,  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Parker  has  been  president  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Board  of  Education,  and  is  now  a  life  director  in  the 
National  Education  Association.  He  was  made  a  life 
director  in  the  National  Education  Association  by  a 
vote  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association  in  1886.  On 
May  29,  1862,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Frances  Emma 
Avery,  and  their  family  comprises  two  daughters,  Mrs. 
Adela  Parker  Kendall,  a  resident  of  Chicago,  and  Miss 
Mabel  L.  Parker,  a  teacher  of  English  in  the  Hyde 
Park  High  School. 


43 


673 


William  C.  Payne 


THIS  gentleman,  who  has  long  been  prominently 
identified  with  the  public  schools  of  Cook  County 
and  Chicago,  was  born  in  Racine,  Wisconsin,  July 
28,  1861,  his  father  being  Alfred  Payne,  native  of  Liver- 
pool, England,  who  died  at  Hinsdale,  Illinois,  in  1894, 
and  Olive  (Child)  Payne,  native  of  New  York.  He 
was  -educated  in  the  graded  and  high  schools  of  Racine, 
Wisconsin,  the  high  school  at  Hinsdale,  Illinois,  and 
the  Chicago  Law  School.  The  schools  taught  by  him 
since  beginning  his  professional  career  were  as  follows : 
Schaumberg,  Lile  and  Mt.  Forest  district  schools ;  prin- 
cipal of  the  Bloom  high,  Taylor  and  Gallistel  schools, 
South  Chicago ;  teacher  in  the  Cook  County  Normal 
School,  under  Colonel  Parker;  principal  in  Chicago  of 
the  Chalmers,  Thos.  Hayne,  Lawndale,  Gladstone  and 
Harrison  schools ;  and  also  district  superintendent  from 
1900  to  1903.  He  is  now  principal  of  Harrison  Practice 
School,  Twenty-third  place,  between  Princeton  and 
Wentworth  avenues,  where  he  has  under  his  able  lead- 
ership thirty-five  teachers  and  seventeen  hundred  pupils. 
Mr.  Payne  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association  and  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association. 
He  was  married  June  28,  1888,  to  Miss  Isabella  Good- 
win, of  Chicago,  and  their  family  comprises  three  sons : 
Leonard,  Alfred  and  Henry. 


D.  Walter  Potts 

COMPLETE  efficiency  and  thoroughness  in  methods 
have  been  the  distinguishing  traits  in  the  public 
career  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  he  has 
done  splendid  service  in  the  schooldom  of  this  State. 


William  C.  Payne. 


D.  Walter  Potts. 


D.  Walter  Potts  was  born  April  23,  1870,  in  Litch- 
field, Illinois,  son  of  E.  J.  Potts  and  Agnes  A.  Potts, 
who  were  also  natives  of  this  State,  the  former  of 
whom  deceased  August  19,  1910,  at  Decatur,  Illinois, 
and  is  survived  by  his  widow.  The  sound  education  he 
possesses  was  secured  in  the  graded  schools  and  high 
school  of  Litchfield,  graduating  from  the  latter  May 
20,  1890,  and  in  courses  at  the  Washington  University 
and  McKendree  College.  He  has  done  a  considerable 
amount  of  literary  work,  among  the  most  noteworthy 
being,  "  A  Fortnight  in  the  London  Schools "  (copy- 
righted) and  a  paper  on  the  "  Relation  of  Motor  to 
Mental  Activity,"  read  before  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association.  Among  the  prominent  positions  he  has 
held  is  that  of  president  of  the  East  St.  Louis  Teachers' 
Association  and  president  of  the  St.  Clair  County 
Teachers'  Association. 

Mr.  Potts'  first  official  position  was  that  of  principal 
of  schools  at  Mt.  Vernon,  Illinois,  which  he  filled  from 
1891  to  1895,  and  then  for  four  years  was  principal  of 
the  Monroe  High  School,  at  East  St.  Louis,  Illinois. 
Succeeding  this  he  was  principal  of  the  Longfellow 
School,  East  St.  Louis,  for  five  years ;  was  for  five 
years  principal  of  the  Horace  Mann  School,  in  the 
same  city,  and  for  the  past  year  has  been  principal  of 
the  East  St.  Louis  High  School,  where  he  has  a  staff 
of  eighteen  teachers  and  an  enrolment  of  475  pupils. 
In  1900,  in  Charleston,  Illinois,  Mr.  Potts  passed  the 
state  examination  and  was  granted  a  life  state  certifi- 
cate. 

Mr.  Potts  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Ilinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the  St. 
Louis  Society  of  Pedagogy,  the  Royal  Arch  degree  of 
the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Christian  Church,  and  his 
career  has  been  one  reflecting  the  greatest  credit  upon 
his  ambitions  and  ability. 


674 


Edgar  Commodore  Pruitt 

TEACHING  is  not  a  mechamcal  process,  but  is  a 
spiritual  activitj-,  as,  indeed,  life  itself  is  not 
wholly  physical,  but  in  the  last  analysis  a  spiritual 
process.  The  heart-beat  of  the  world  is  the  throbbing 
life  of  the  school,  and  the  germinal  element  of  life. 
Through  schools,  and  the  school-teacher,  has  modern 
civilization  attained  the  advanced  stage  it  now  enjoys. 
Among  the  noted  public  educators  of  this  State,  a 
position  of  prominence  has  long  been  held  by  Edgar 
C.  Pruitt,  who  is  possessed  of  exceptional  ability.  He 
is  a  native  of  Paragon,  Indiana,  born  November  5, 
1863,  his  father  being  Sanford  C.  Pruitt,  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  who  deceased  December  11,  1908,  at  Spring- 
field, Illinois,  while  his  mother,  Cassandrie  (Ludlow) 
Pruitt,  a  native  of  Indiana,  still  lives.  He  first  grad- 
uated from  the  eighth  grade  in  a  country  school,  then 
attended  the  high  school  at  Lincoln,  Illinois,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  June,  1884,  and  later  studied  for  two 
summer  terms  in  the  Normal  school  at  Normal,  Illi 
nois.  His  first  school  was  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  five  years,  and  then  was  stationed 
at  Crow's  Mill,  Illinois,  for  five  years,  and  at  German 
Prairie,  Illinois,  two  years.  He  next  became  principal 
of  the  school  at  Cottage  Hill,  Illinois,  and  during  his 
seven  years'  tenure  there  made  it  the  most  noted  coun- 
try school  in  the  United  States.  He  next  was  elected 
to  his  present  position,  that  of  County  Superintendent 
of  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  served  two  years,  and 
gave  such  satisfaction  that  he  was  reelected  in  1910. 
He  has  supervision  over  485  teachers  and  16,193  pupils. 
Mr.  Pruitt  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle, 
the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  Odd  Fel- 
-lows,  Masonic  Order,  Modern  Woodmen,  Maccabees 
and  the  First  Christian  Church.  On  December  26, 
1893,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Adaline  Hensel,  and  they 
have  two  children,  Hallie  Arlowyne  and  Wesley  Chan- 
cellor. 


Edgar  Commodore  Pruitt. 


Robert  Pifer 


Robert  Pifer. 


MR.  PIFER  is  an  ardent  enthusiast  in  his  chosen 
vocation  of  public-school  instructor,  and  his 
career  has  been  attended  with  the  most  substan- 
tial success.  He  is  an  advanced  thinker,  thoroughly 
progressive  in  his  methods  of  school  management,  and 
ever  assiduous  to  promote  the  interests  of  those  coming 
under  his  jurisdiction. 

Mr.  Pifer  is  a  native  of  the  Prairie  State,  having 
been  born,  1868,  in  Wayne  County,  Illinois,  his  parents 
being  James  H.  and  Sarah  Ann  Pifer,  both  natives  of 
Ohio,  the  latter  of  whom  deceased  in  1890  in  Wayne 
County.  Our  subject  possesses  an  excellent  education  — 
one  of  the  most  practical  character.  He  first  attended 
country  schools,  then  took  courses  in  Hayward  College, 
Fairfield,  Illinois ;  Austin  College,  Effingham,  Illinois ; 
Charleston  State  Normal  School,  Normal  University, 
the  University  of  Illinois,  at  Urbana,  atid  he  is  a  grad- 
uate of  Hayward  College,  Normal  Department,  class 
of  '96. 

On  entering  upon  pedagogical  work  he  taught  in 
country  schools  in  Wayne  County  for  nine  years,  later 
in  Villa  Grove  and  Camargo,  both  in  Douglas  County, 
Illinois,  and  Ogden,  Champaign  County,  Illinois,  and  he 
is  at  present  principal  in  Stanford,  McLean  County, 
Illinois.  There  he  has  supervision  of  five  schools,  five 
teachers  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  pupils,  and  the  best 
of  discipline  and  order  is  at  all  times  maintained.  Mr. 
Pifer  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education  Associa- 
tion, the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  Central 
Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  Modern  Woodmen  and 
the  Christian  Church.  In  1908  he  served  most  capably  as 
president  of  the  Wayne  County  Teachers'  Association. 
In  1906  he  was  married  to  Miss  Effa  Wright  and  they 
have  one  child,  a  son,  Joseph  W.  Pifer. 


675 


James  LaFayette  Parks 

ALTHOUGH  one  of  the  younger  exponents  of  the 
public  school  system  of  Illinois,  yet  Mr.  Parks, 
the  subject  of  this  brief  sketch,  has  already  proved 
his  worth  and  ability  as  an  instructor  and  mind-builder, 
and  he  is  recognized  as  a  valuable  adjunct  to  the  public 
service.  He  was  born  in  i88i,  near  Dyersburg,  Tennes- 
see, son  of  W.  B.  Parks,  native  of  Alabama,  who  is  still 
living,  and  M.  M.  (Clift)  Parks,  whose  demise  occurred 
in  igoo  at  Lenox,  Tennessee,  her  native  State.  He  was 
educated  at  Nash's  school,  near  Friendship,  Tennessee, 
and  in  the  public  schools  of  Dyersburg  and  Newburn, 
Tennessee,  and  later  took  a  course  at  the  Southern  Illi- 
nois Normal  University,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1905.  His  first  position,  in  a  pedagogical  capacity,  was 
as  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Carterville,  Illinois, 
and  thence  he  went  to  the  principalship  of  Carbondale 
high  school.  He  is  now  principal  of  schools  at  Jones- 
boro.  Union  County,  Illinois,  where  he  is  assisted  by  a 
competent  and  most  efficient  staff  of  assistants. 

Mr.  Parks  has  given  numerous  addresses  on  educa- 
tional topics,  and  many  creditable  short  poems  of  his 
have  been  published.  He  is  also  an  accomplished  vocalist 
and  instrumentalist  and  gives  instruction  on  the  violin. 
He  holds  membership  in  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Masonic  lodge,  and  the  South- 
ern Illinois  State  and  National  Teachers'  Associations. 
In  1910  Mr.  Parks  was  elected  president  of  the  School 
Council,  which  meets  annually  at  Carbondale. 

Every  year,  Mr.  Parks  has  his  time  drawn  upon  to 
give  many  education  addresses.  In  1909  he  gave  fifteen 
addresses  in  southern  Illinois  and  Kentucky. 

On  June  11,  1904,  Mr.  Parks  was  married  to  Miss 
Anna  M.  Hodge,  and  they  have  one  child,  Harold  H. 
Parks. 


James  LaFayette  Parks. 


F.  C.  Provvdley. 


F.  C.  Prowdley 

FOR  more  than  nineteen  years  the  above  named  has 
been  an  active,  valued  member  of  the  public  school 
teachers'    fraternity   of    the    State    of    Illinois,    and 
that  he  is  possessed  of  more  than  ordinary  attainments 
has    long   been    recognized   by    his    colleagues    and   the 
public  alike. 

Mr.  Prowdley  was  born  in  Hillsdale  County,  Michi- 
gan, December  2,  1866,  his  parents  being  George  H.  and 
Ellen  A.  (Welborn)  Prowdley,  both  natives  of  Michi- 
gan, the  former  of  whom  deceased  at  Constantine, 
Michigan,  in  April,  1904,  and  is  survived  by  his  widow. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  State,  and  graduated  from  the  high  school  at 
Constantine.  Later  he  took  a  literary  and  scientific 
course  in  the  Michigan  State  Normal  University,  and 
was  graduated  therefrom  in  1891.  He  also  performed 
post-graduate  work  in  Wesleyan  University,  Blooming- 
ton,  Illinois,  and  at  the  Minnesota  University.  He 
made  the  usual  beginning  as  a  teacher  of  country 
schools ;  then  became  principal  and  superintendent  at 
Saybrook,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  five  years ; 
was  superintendent  at  Colfax,  Illinois,  four  years; 
superintendent  at  Nashville,  Illinois,  three  years ;  super- 
intendent at  Metropolis,  four  years,  and  is  now  superin- 
tendent at  Anna,  Illinois,  where  he  has  the  management 
of  three  schools,  eighteen  teachers  and  650  pupils. 
While  at  Colfax  he  was  president  of  the  village  two 
terms. 

Mr.  Prowdley  is  a  member  of  the  Southern  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Masonic  Order  and  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  married  July  3, 
1893,  to  Miss  Alay  A.  Hovey,  and  they  have  had  one  son 
and  one  daughter,  George  and  Frances  May  Prowdley, 
the  former  of  whom  died  in  December,  1905. 


676 


David  M.  Pfaelzer 

IT  is  beyond  dispute  that  tlic  public  schools  and  pub- 
lic-school system  of  Chicago  are  among  the  best  in 
the  world.  Everything,  every  one,  appertaining 
thereto,  has  been  selected  with  the  greatest  of  care, 
without  prejudice,  the  predominant  idea  being  to  secure 
the  fittest  and  most  satisfactory.  The  splendid  status 
of  the  schools  in  the  metropolis  of  the  West  proves  that 
these  efforts  have  not  been  in  vain. 

In  the  selection  of  members  for  its  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, Chicago  has  been  particularly  fortunate,  and  to 
the  unselfish  services  of  those  elected  to  this  body  much 
of  the  excellence  of  the  present  school  system  is  due. 
The  present  Board  is  among  the  best  that  was  ever 
assembled,  and  among  its  hard-working  members,  with 
an  eye  ever  to  the  public  good,  is  David  ]M.  Pfaelzer, 
well  known  as  a  progressive,  thoroughly  public-spirited 
citizen. 

Mr.  Pfaelzer  was  born  November  23,  1853,  in  Lauden- 
bach,  grand  dukedom  of  Baden,  Germany,  son  of  Moses 
and  B.  H.  (Daube)  Pfaelzer,  both  natives  of  Germany, 
and  now  deceased,  the  former  having  died  in  1882,  the 
latter  in  1881.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Laudenbach  and  Hemsbach,  Germany,  and  July  10, 
1868,  graduated  from  the  Real  Gymnasium,  Weinheim,  ' 
Germany,  with  honors  to  his  credit.  He  has  for  years 
been  an  honored  citizen  of  Chicago,  and  in  his  present 
capacity  as  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  has  per- 
formed excellent  services. 

Mr.  Pfaelzer  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Israelite  Church.  He  is 
also  director  and  treasurer  of  the  Chicago  Winfield 
Tuberculosis  Sanitarium,  member  of  Iroquois  and 
Standard  Clubs  and  the  Idlewild  Golf  Club.  In  1882 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Augusta  Daube,  of  Chicago, 
and  their  residence  is  at  4109  Grand  boulevard,  Chicago. 


David  M.  Pfaelzer. 


Lewis  Alexander  Pringle 

SUPERINTENDENT  of  Schools  at  West  Harvey, 
Illinois,  has  been  engaged  in  schoohvork  for  the 
past  thirteen  years  and  bears  an  excellent  reputa- 
tion in  educational  circles.  He  is  a  native  of  this  State, 
having  been  born  in  Chicago,  October  19,  1874,  son  of 
Thomas  A.  C.  and  Martha  A.  Pringle,  the  former  a 
native  of  New  York  city,  the  latter  of  New  Haven, 
Connecticut;  the  father  is  still  living,  the  mother  died 
November  25,  1909.  He  was  educated  in  the  Engle- 
wood  (111.)  grammar  schools,  entered  the  Englewood 
High  School  in  1888  and  graduated  therefrom  in  1892, 
and  then  took  a  course  at  the  Armour  Institute  (aca- 
demical). After  engaging  in  business  for  a  few  years 
he  entered  the  University  of  Chicago,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1902  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts, 
lie  first  taught  school  at  Schaumberg  Center,  District 
54,  then  in  District  106;  was  Principal  at  Berger  and 
Lyonsville,  successively,  when  he  became  Superintendent 
of  Schools  at  West  Harvey  (1906),  all  in  Cook  County, 
Illinois.  As  Superintendent  at  West  Harvey  he  has 
the  management  of  three  schools,  has  seven  assistants 
and  an  enrolment  of  235  pupils. 

Mr.  Pringle  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, and  is  at  present  (1911)  Secretary  of  the  Cook 
County  Teachers'  Association  and  Superintendent  of  the 
Honore  Avenue  Methodist  Sunday-school. 

On  August  18,  1904,  Mr.  Pringle  was  married  to  Miss 
May  E.  Wilson,  and  they  have  two  children,  Dorothy 
and  Edward  Blakeslee. 


Lewis  Alexander  Pringle. 


611 


Harry  Ambrose  Perrin 

SPECIAL  studies  have  been  made  of  psychology, 
zoology  and  botany  by  Mr.  Perrin,  and  he  excels 
in  these  branches.  He  has  served  as  president  of 
county  and  local  teachers'  institutes  and  has  also  been 
on  several  committees  of  the  various  State  organiza- 
tions. As  a  speaker  and  institute  worker  he  has  also 
performed  notable  service  in  the  cause  of  education.  He 
is  an  ardent  upholder  of  the  gospel  of  consistent  hard 
work. 

Mr.  Perrin  was  born  in  Richmond,  Michigan,  son  of 
the  Rev.  D.  A.  Perrin,  D.D.,  a  native  of  Canada,  and 
Achsah  R.  Perrin,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  both  of 
whom  are  still  living.  Both  of  his  parents  were  college 
teachers.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Gardner,  Normal,  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University, 
the  Birmingham  School  of  Arts,  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois and  the  University  of  Chicago.  He  graduated  from 
the  Illinois  State  Normal  University  in  1903  with  de- 
grees A.B.,  Ph.B.  For  twelve  years  he  was  principal 
of  the  village  school  at  Williamsville,  Illinois,  then  was 
superintendent  of  the  Pawnee  (111.)  schools  for  three 
years,  was  superintendent  of  the  Auburn  schools  one 
year,  and  for  the  past  four  years  has  been  superintend- 
ent of  the  Carlinville  city  schools,  where  he  has  charge 
of  five  schools,  twenty  teachers  and  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  pupils.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Illinois  Principals'  Reading  Circle, 
a  32°  Mason  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  On 
August  6,  1907,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  Pollock, 
and  they  have  one  child,  Harry  Ambrose  Perrin,  Jr. 


Harry  Ambrose  Perrin. 


L.  Day  Perry 


LDAY  PERRY  was  born  in  St.  Anne,  Illinois, 
,  in  1887.  His  father,  L.  H.  Perry,  was  a  native 
of  New  York,  and  his  mother,  M.  E.  Ireland,  of 
Michigan,  both  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Mr.  Perry  received  his  education  at  first  in  the  St. 
Anne  public  schools,  and  afterward  attended  the  North- 
ern Illinois  State  Normal  School,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1896.  He  then  took  a  supplementary 
course  in  the  University  of  Chicago,  and  studied  manual 
training  work  at  DeKalb  Normal. 

He  began  his  work  as  a  teacher  at  Waterman,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  was  principal  of  the  high  school  for  a 
year,  following  this  by  teaching  drawing  and  manual 
training  at  Berwyn,  Illinois,  for  a  year,  after  which  he 
took  his  present  position  as  manual  training  director  at 
Joliet,  Illinois,  where  he  has  been  for  three  years  past. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association,  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  is 
president  of  the  "  Brotherhood "  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  of  Joliet. 

As  would  be  indicated  by  the  above,  he  has  made  a 
special  study  of  manual-training  methods,  and  is  a 
great  believer  in  the  saving  qualities  of  a  knowledge  of 
work  along  these  lines  for  the  young  men  of  the  land. 

He  married  Miss  Grace  Dammerau,  in  August,  1908, 
and  they  have  one  child,  L.  Day  Perry,  Jr. 


L.  Day  Perry. 


678 


Otto  Charles  Pfennighausen 

MR.  PFENNIGHAUSEN  was  born  in  St.  Louis 
County,  Missouri,  October  li,  1869;  his  father, 
Reinhold  von  Pfennighausen,  and  his  mother, 
Louise  Gallen,  both  having  been  natives  of  Germany. 
His  father  died  in  Lebanon,  Illinois,  January  22,  1901 ; 
and  his  mother  in  St.  Louis  County,  June  2,  1874. 

The  young  man  attended  the  St.  Louis  Graded,  the 
St.  Louis  High  School  and  McKendree  (111.)  College, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1893  with  the  degree 
of  Master  of  Science,  after  which  he  attended  the  Illi- 
nois University  and  Toensfeldt's  Institute. 

His  first  teaching  was  in  the  Lebanon  schools,  where 
he  continued  for  ten  years;  then  taught  at  Leuzberg, 
Illinois,  one  year ;  at  the  Belleville  High  School  two 
years,  and  the  Belleville  Graded  Schools  four  years, 
where  he  is  now  principal,  with  eight  teachers  and  325 
pupils  under  his  charge. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the 
St.  Clair  County  Historical  Association,  the  Methodist 
Brotherhood,  of  which  he  is  Secretary,  and  the  Teach- 
ers' Bowling  Club,  as  well  as  belonging  to  the  order  of 
the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  He  has  made 
a  special  study  of  political  economy,  German  and  book- 
keeping, and  has  made  a  number  of  public  addresses. 

June  24,  1896,  he  married  Sara  E.  Jones,  and  they 
have  six  children  —  Cornelia,  Louise,  Ida,  George, 
Belle  and  Emma. 


William  E.  Quine,  M.D.,  LL.D. 

THE  story  of  the  singularly  successful  career  of 
Dr.  William  E.  Quine  is  full  of  interest,  affording 
as  it  does  a  noteworthy  illustration  of  what  may 
be  accomplished  by  rare  mental  power  when  combined 
with  indefatigable  energy  and  persistent,  hard  work. 
While  still  in  the  vigor  of  middle  life,  he  has  already 
been  the  recipient  of  many  distinguished  honors  from 
his  professional  brethren,  from  his  Church  and  from 
his  State,  and  seemingly  he  has  yet  before  him  many 
years  of  usefulness  and  distinction. 

Doctor  Quine's  birthplace  was  the  quaint  old  town  of 
Kirk  St.  Ann,  in  the  Isle  of  Man.  His  father  was 
William  Quine,  and  his  mother's  name  was  Margaret 
Kinley.  Born  February  9,  1847,  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  America  when  a  child  of  six  years.  The 
family  settled  in  Chicago,  and  it  was  in  the  city's  gram- 
mar schools  and  the  old  "  Central "  high  school  that  the 
youth  received  his  rudimentary  training.  After  leaving 
school  he  began  the  study  of  pharmacy  and  materia 
medica,  to  which  he  brought  an  aptitude  derived  from 
native  talent  and  inborn  tastes.  His  theoretical  studies 
were  supplemented  by  practical  experience  as  a  drug 
clerk,  and  in  1866  he  matriculated  at  the  Chicago  Med- 
ical College.  As  a  student  his  course  was  exceptionally 
brilliant.  Before  graduation  he  was  appointed,  after 
undergoing  the  ordeal  of  a  competitive  examination,  an 
interne  in  the  Cook  County  Hospital.  He  has  the  honor 
of  being  the  only  undergraduate  of  the  rank  of  a  junior 
medical  student  who  has  ever  been  elected  to  the  house- 
staff  of  the  County  Hospital  over  competing  graduates. 
In  this  position  his  earnest  enthusiasm  and  devotion  to 
duty  at  once  challenged  the  respectful  admiration  of  his 
superiors,  and  after  passing  through  various  gradations 
in  the  service  he  graduated  in  1870  and  soon  after  was 
made  attending  obstetrician  and  gynecologist  to  the 
hospital  by  the  medical  board,  in  which  position  he  con- 
tinued ten  years.  Before  being  thus  honored,  however, 
he  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  (1869),  and  such  pro- 
ficiency had  he  developed  in  materia  medica  and  thera- 
peutics that  he  had  scarcely  beecome  an  alumnus  when 
his  alma  mater  summoned  him  to  fill  that  chair  in  her 
faculty  of  distinguished  men.  This  occurred  when  he 
was  scarcely  twenty-two  years  of  age.  As  a  lecturer 
he  was  popular,  being  not  only  thoroughly  qualified  in 


Otto  Charles  Pfennighausen. 

scholarship,  but  also  endowed  with  the  rare  gifts  of 
oratory,  ready  diction  and  personal  magnetism. 

In  1883  Doctor  Quine  severed  his  connection  with 
the  Chicago  Medical  College  to  accept  the  professorship 
of  the  Principles  and  Practice  of  Medicine  and  Clinical 
Medicine  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 
It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  it  is  largely  due  to  his 
sagacious,  untiring  assiduity,  no  less  than  to  his  per- 
sonal influence  with  his  associates,  that  this  college  was 
amalgamated  with  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  it 
was  in  recognition  of  this  service,  as  well  as  to  his  rare 
qualifications,  that  he  was  made  Dean  of  the  School  of 
Medicine  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  University. 

The  honorary  degree  of  LL.D.  was  conferred  upon 
him  by  the  University  in  June,  1904.  Doctor  Draper, 
president  of  the  university  at  that  time,  said :  "  William 
Edward  Quine :  In  recognition  of  your  standing  as  a 
physician  and  humanitarian,  of  your  long  and  distin- 
griished  service  to  medical  education,  of  many  contribu- 
tions by  word  and  deed  to  the  advancement  of  your 
splendid  profession,  and  particularly  to  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  of  the  fine  and  courageous 
support  you  have  given  to  the  best  impulses  and  the 
noblest  institutions  of  society,  you  are  admitted  to  the 
degree  of  doctor  of  laws,  and  declared  to  be  entitled  to 
the  honors  and  privileges  thereof."  Doctor  Quine  still 
holds  his  chair  in  the  faculty  of  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  and  the  position  of  Dean. 

For  several  years  Doctor  Quine  served  as  president 
of  the  State  Board  of  Health,  discharging  his  obligations 
with  unwearying  patience  and  unswerving  fidelity.  He 
has  been  a  frequent  and  highly  valued  contributor  to 
medical  journals,  and  he  is  unsurpassed  as  a  lecturer 
on  medical  subjects.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society 
(ex-president),  the  Chicago  Medical  Society  (ex-presi- 
dent), and  of  the  Medico-Legal  Society  of  Chicago,  and 
many  and  various  are  the  encomiums  paid  him  by  his 
colleagues. 

In  his  physical  build  Doctor  Quine  reminds  one  of  the 


679 


hackneyed  quotation  from  Horace,  "  Mens  sana  in  cor- 
porc  Sana."  While  not  above  medium  height,  he  is  of 
strong,  rugged  build,  while  his  mien  tells  of  repose  and 
dignit\'  of  character.  His  patriotic  impulses  are  strong 
and  his  religious  convictions  are  of  that  deep,  abiding 
sort  which  not  infrequently  is  associated  with  characters 
of  moral  virility.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  is  a  devout 
and  consistent  member,  having  filled  the  post  of  presi- 
dent of  that  strong,  influential  and  tj'pical  association  of 
Methodist  laymen  known  as  the  Methodist  Social  Union. 
In  1876  Doctor  Quine  was  married  to  Miss  Lettie 
Mason,  of  Normal,  Illinois.  Mrs.  Quine  was  a  lady  of 
ripe  culture  and  extensive  travel,  as  well  as  vmusual 
native  ability.  As  a  medical  missionary  to  China  she 
won  merited  distinction  through  her  unfaltering  zeal 
and  her  heroic  self-abnegation.  She  died  Jime  14,  1903. 
In  her  name  Doctor  Quine  has  permanently  endowed 
four  secular  schools  for  girls  in  various  cities  of  China, 
and  he  is  now  engaged  in  building  a  fine  hospital  for 
women  in  the  city  of  Chin  Kiang. 

Emma  Rebman 

MISS     EMMA    REBMAN,     the    talented     county 
superintendent    of    schools    of    Johnson    County, 
Illinois,  is  a  "  woman  of  mark,"  and  has  achieved 
distinguished   success  in  her  calling.     She   is  noted   as 
one    of   the    most   progressive    teachers    in    the    Prairie 
State,  and  her  record  fully  merits  this  distinction. 

She  is  a  speaker  of  decided  talent,  and,  while  sta- 
tioned in  Arizona,  delivered  one  of  the  principal  ad- 
dresses before  the  Arizona  Teachers'  Association  at 
their  annual  meeting  in  1907,  at  which  there  were  more 
than  five  hundred  teachers  present.  As  a  writer,  too, 
she  has  gained  attention,  having  contributed  many  val- 
uable articles  to  magazines. 

Of  her  capability  as  a  teacher.  President  H.  B.  Brown, 
of  the  Valparaiso  University,  Indiana,  from  which  she 
graduated  in  1893,  said :  "  Miss  Emma  Rebman  will 
make  a  very  superior  principal  of  schools.    She  possesses 


Emma  Rebman. 


William  E.  Quine,  M.D.,  LL.D. 

great  ability,  is  a  fine  organizer,  good  in  government, 
and  especially  apt  in  imparting  instruction.  There  is 
no  one  whom  I  can  with  more  confidence  recommend  to 
public  favor.  She  will  be  valuable  not  only  in  the 
schoolroom,  but  in  the  community  as  well." 

Miss  Rebman  was  born  July  22,  1864,  on  a  farm  near 
Vienna,  Illinois,  her  parents  being  F.  A.  Rebman,  a 
native  of  North  Carolina,  who  died  in  1879,  and  Louisa 
(Slack)  Rebman,  a  native  of  Illinois,  who  died  in  1877. 
She  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Illinois,  the 
Northern  Illinois  State  Normal  School,  the  St.  Louis 
Academy  and  the  Valparaiso  Normal  University.  In 
addition  she  has  visited  many  of  our  most  noted  insti- 
tutions of  learning,  including  Columbia  College,  Johns 
Hopkins  University,  Vassar,  Harvard  and  Yale  Col- 
leges, the  University  of  Chicago  and  Toronto  Univer- 
sity. She  has  also  visited  many  of  the  leading  city 
schools,  both  East  and  West,  including  those  of  Boston,. 
New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago,  St.  Louis  and  Los 
Angeles,  California. 

She  first  taught  in  country  and  village  schools  in  Illi- 
nois for  fourteen  years,  then  in  the  city  schools  of  Pop- 
lar Bluff,  Missouri,  for  five  years. 

She  was  awarded  a  year's  scholarship  in  a  German 
university,  having  her  choice  of  either  Heidelberg  or 
Stuttgart.  She  chose  the  former,  and  was  preparing  to 
sail,  when  the  illness  of  her  brother  intervened,  causing 
her  to  change  her  plans,  and  she  accompanied  him  to 
Mexico,  Arizona  and  California.  She  taught  for  six 
years  in  the  city  schools  of  Phoenix,  Arizona,  and  has 
been  principal  of  several  schools.  Returning  to  this  State 
she  was  elected  county  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Johnson  County. 

Miss  Rebman  is  a  descendant  of  old  European  stock. 
Two  of  her  father's  uncles  were  Prussian  soldiers  in  the 
Napoleonic  wars,  and  later  helped  to  guard  Napoleon 
on  the  island  of  St.  Helena  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 
_  She  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education  Associa- 
tion, the  Rebekahs,  Woman's  Club,  Shakespeare  Club 
and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  she  resides  in 
Vienna,  Illinois. 


680 


John  C.  Reeder 

THE  ranks  of  that  great  civil  army  of  Illinois,  the 
public-school   teachers,   are   constantly   being   aug- 
mented   by   the    accession   of    new   members,   who 
bring  with  them  new  vigor  and  up-to-date  methods  to 
infuse  into  the  existing  order  of  things  and  aid  in  the 
general  spirit  of  progress. 

Among  this  younger  generation  of  pedagogues  is  Mr. 
Reeder.  He  was  born  March  28,  1879,  in  Douglas 
County,  Illinois,  son  of  Thomas  C.  and  Sarah  (Sharp) 
Reeder,  both  natives  of  Ohio.  As  a  pupil  he  attended 
a  district  school  in  Coles  County,  Illinois,  until  eighteen 
years  of  age ;  studied  for  three  years  at  the  State  Nor- 
mal School,  Normal,  Illinois,  and  at  the  Charleston 
(111.)  Normal  School,  graduating  from  the  latter  with 
the  class  of  1903.  He  has  also  studied  for  two  summer 
terms  at  Charleston,  and  four  summer  terms  at  the 
University  of  Illinois.  His  first  official  position  was 
that  of  teacher  of  the  Tinch  school,  in  Coles  County, 
Illinois  ;  his  second,  that  of  principal  of  the  high  school 
at  Arthur,  Illinois ;  his  third,  that  of  the  principalship 
at  Hoopeston,  Illinois,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  1906. 
There  he  had  under  his  management  one  school,  seven 
teachers  and  some  one  hundred  and  fifty  pupils.  He  is 
now  superintendent  of  schools  at  Oilman,  Illinois,  to 
which  position  he  was  elected  in  1908,  and  where  he  has 
nine  teachers  under  his  charge. 

Mr.  Reeder  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association.  On  July  12,  1905,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Bertha  Kirkhart,  and  both  are  attendants  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

John  Riley  Rowland 

FOR  more  than  thirty  years  John  Riley  Rowland  has 
been    prominent    in    educational    affairs.      He    was 
three  times  nominated  for  the  responsible  position 
of  county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Fulton  County. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  Principal's  section  of  the  Illi- 
nois   State    Teachers'    Association    in    1904.      Granted 


John  Riley  Rowland. 


John  C.  Reeder. 

an  institute  instructor's  license  by  the  State  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction  (Illinois)  in  1890,  he  has 
assisted  in  six  annual  teachers'  institutes  in  his  home 
county  and  others  in  other  counties.  He  also  conducted 
successfully  summer  schools  for  teachers,  and  three  years 
was  editor  of  the  "  Fulton  County  School  Journal." 

John  Riley  Rowland  was  born  July  5,  i860,  near 
Ipava,  Fulton  County,  Illinois,  son  of  James  Rowland, 
native  of  Kentucky,  and  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Pleasant  Township,  and  Susannah  (Parkinson)  Row 
land,  a  native  of  Ohio.  Both  are  deceased,  the  former 
having  died  in  1868,  the  latter  in  1864.  Thus  thrown 
on  his  own  resources  in  early  childhood,  Mr.  Rowland 
worked  on  farms  in  summer  and  attended  school  in 
winter  up  to  April,  1877.  In  1877-8  he  took  a  teachers' 
and  business  course  in  the  National  Normal  University 
at  Lebanon,  Ohio,  and  in  1884-5  studied  law  in  that 
same  institution.  In  August,  1880,  he  received  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Science  from  the  National  Normal 
University.  He  first  taught  in  Fairmount,  Ohio,  four 
years ;  next  in  country  schools  in  Illinois  for  a  year ; 
and  then,  successively,  was  principal  at  Ipava,  Illinois, 
two  years ;  principal  of  the  Central  Normal  College, 
Lewistown,  Illinois,  two  years ;  principal  of  the  Table 
Grove  (111.)  High  School,  which  he  organized,  three 
years ;  superintendent  at  Cuba,  Illinois,  two  years ; 
superintendent  at  Avon,  Illinois,  fourteen  years,  and  for 
the  past  two  years  he  has  been  superintendent  at 
Astoria,   Illinois. 

Mr.  Rowland  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  IHinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  the 
Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle,  the  Western 
Illinois  Educational  Association,  Central  Illinois  Teach- 
ers' Association,  Illinois  Principals'  Reading  Circle,  the 
Illinois  State  Historical  Society,  Odd  Fellows,  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  On 
September  22,  1886,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Laurie 
Esther  Smith,  who  was  born  near  Ipava,  Illinois,  Sep- 
tember 7,  1863,  and  they  have  had  seven  children,  six 
of  whom  are  living,  Roland  March,  Leland  Young, 
Sibyl,  Doris,  Carol  and  Aldis. 


681 


Frank  W.  Rieder 

ALTHOUGH  still  in  the  prime  of  his  active  career 
2]^  as  a  public  educationalist,  Mr.  Rieder  is  one  of  the 
oldest  principals  in  Chicago  in  the  tenure  of  hold- 
ing that  incumbency  in  one  school,  he  having  been  prin- 
cipal of  the  Ambrose  E.  Burnside  School  since  1889, 
and  no  more  substantial  testimonial  could  be  given  as 
to  his  ability  and  scholarly  attainments. 

Frank  W.  Rieder  was  born  August  14,  1864,  in  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  Dr.  Oliver  W.  Holmes'  beloved  "  Hub 
of  the  Universe,"  his  parents  being  Frank  A.  and  Laura 
A.  Rieder,  both  natives  of  Germany,  and  both  deceased, 
the  former  having  died  in  December,  1900,  the  latter  in 
February,  1904,  in  Chicago. 

Frank  W.  Rieder  was  educated  in  the  elementary 
schools  and  the  South  Division  High  School,  of  Chi- 
cago, graduating  from  the  latter  in  1880,  and  then  fol- 
lowed a  course  in  the  Cook  County  Normal  School, 
which  he  left  before  graduation  in  1884.  From  1884  to 
1887  he  taught  in  Cook  County  rural  schools ;  from 
1887  to  1889  in  the  eighth  grade  of  the  Brighton  Park 
graded  school,  and  since  then  he  has  been  principal  of 
the  Ambrose  E.  Burnside  School,  where  he  has  a  staff 
of  twenty-three  teachers  and  over  a  thousand  pupils. 

Mr.  Rieder  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Chicago  Principals'  Club,  George  How- 
land  Club,  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  On  June  29,  1897,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Edith  K.  Nichols.  They  have  two  children, 
Norinne  E.  and  Frank  S.  Rieder,  and  reside  at  709 
East  Eighty-ninth  street,  Chicago. 

John  Thompson  Ray 

MR.  RAY  has  been  identified  with  the  public  school 
service  of  Illinois  for  the  past  thirty  years,  and 
has  given  potent  aid  in  promoting  it  to  the  splen- 
did status  it  to-day  rests  upon.     He  is  a  native  of  Ore- 


X 


Frank  W.  Rieder. 


John  Thompson  Ray. 


gon,  Illinois,  born  September  21,  1851 ;  son  of  Hugh  and 
Mary  Ann  (Keenan)  Ray,  both  now  deceased,  the 
former  having  died  in  1894,  the  latter  in  1901.  His 
early  educational  training  was  secured  in  the  graded 
schools  of  his  birthplace,  and  after  graduating  from  the 
high  school  he  entered  the  preparatory  department  of 
the  Northwestern  University,  at  Evanston,  Illinois,  and 
then  the  university  itself,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
June,  1875,  with  the  degree  of  Ph.B.  His  professional 
record  is  as  follows :  Principal  of  schools  at  Byron, 
Illinois;  county  superintendent  of  schools  (two  terms) 
of  Ogle  County,  Illinois ;  superintendent  of  Highland 
Park  schools,  three  years ;  first  principal  at  Dearfield 
Township  High  School,  Highland  Park;  principal 
Edwards  School,  Springfield,  Illinois,  four  years ;  prin- 
cipal of  the  John  Crerar  School,  Chicago,  sixteen  years, 
and  he  is  now  superintendent  of  the  Ryerson  School, 
Chicago.  In  the  Crerar  School  Mr.  Ray  developed  a 
system  of  training  children  in  the  duties  of  citizenship 
by  what  is  known  as  the  "  Citizen  and  Tribune  Plan  " 
of  pupil  cooperation  in  school  government.  The  plan 
has  been  successfully  operated  in  this  and  many  other 
schools  for  years.  The  system  has  been  recommended 
as  the  basis  for  training  in  New  York  and  other  large 
cities,  and  it  is  now  being  used  by  over  four  hundred 
thousand  children  in  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Ray  has  written  extensively  on  educational  topics, 
and  is  author  of  "  Democratic  Government  of  Schools," 
from  the  press  of'  the  Public  School  Publishing  Com- 
pany, Bloomington,  Illinois.  He  is  a  member  of  and  was 
six  years  director  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Read- 
ing Circle,  and  now  holds  membership  in  the  National 
Education  Association,  Chicago  Principals'  Club,  How- 
land  Club,  Knights  Templar  and  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
In  1882  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emily  S.  Light,  and  they 
have  a  family  of  three  daughters  and  two  sons,  Bessie, 
Hugh  L.,  Charles  B.,  Stella  B.  and  Ethel  Jeanne. 


682 


Grace  Reed 

WHILE  a  master  of  all  the  best  that  the  science  of 
pedagogy  offers,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  not 
a  pedant,  but  is  thoroughly  progressive,  eager  to 
adopt  all  practical  ideas  that  may  be  advanced  for  the 
betterment  of  the  public  school  service  —  that  grand 
work  to  which  her  life  has  become  endeared  —  and  fully 
impressed  with  the  importance  of  the  profession  that  is 
proud  to  call  her  one  of  its  own.  She  has  made  a  per- 
sistent, conscientious  study  of  the  deep  complexities  of 
psychological  effects  in  the  matter  of  training  the  youth- 
ful mind  in  the  paths  of  morality  and  culture,  and  that 
her  labors  have  not  been  in  vain  is  shown  in  the  admir- 
able results  that  have  been  attained  wherever  she  has 
held  sway  and  the  high  regard  in  which  she  is  held  by 
her  colleagues  and  the  public. 

Grace  Reed  is  a  product  of  the  western  metropolis, 
having  been  born  in  Chicago,  daughter  of  Charles  L. 
and  Pauline  M.  Reed,  natives  respectively  of  Massachu- 
setts and  Bavaria,  Germany.  Both  are  deceased,  the 
former  having  died  in  1903,  the  latter  in  1910,  in  Chicago. 
Outside  of  her  constant  private  studies,  the  excellent 
education  possessed  by  Miss  Reed  was  secured  in  the 
elementary  and  high  schools  of  her  native  city,  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago,  from  which  she  graduated  in  1884 
with  the  degree  of  B.  A.,  and  Kent  College  of  Law, 
from  which  she  received  the  degree  of  LL.B.,  in  1896. 
She  performed  post-graduate  work  in  science  in  Harvard 
University  and  in  pedagogy  and  psychology  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago.  She  has  occupied  but  two  public 
school  positions.  For  eleven  years  she  was  a  high  school 
instructor  and  for  seventeen  consecutive  years  has  been 
principal  of  the  Frances  E.  Willard  grammar  school, 
where  she  has  under  her  jurisdiction  twenty-five  teach- 
ers and  twelve  hundred  pupils. 

Miss  Reed  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  x\ssociation. 
Political  Equality  League,  Ella  F.  Young  Club,  Catholic 
Women's  League,  and  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 


Samuel  E.  Reecher. 


Grace  Reed. 


Samuel  E.  Reecher 

MR.  REECHER,  who  is  now  superintendent  of 
schools  at  Sparta,  Illinois,  has  been  engaged  in 
the  educational  work  of  this  State  for  over 
fourteen  years  and  he  has  won  an  excellent  reputation 
for  his  ability  and  fitness  for  his  profession.  He  is  a 
native  of  this  State,  having  been  born  March  14,  1871, 
at  Coleta,  Illinois.  His  father,  Samuel  Reecher,  a 
native  of  Maryland,  is  still  living,  while  his  mother,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  deceased  at  Coleta,  Illinois,  in 
1904.  He  was  educated  in  the  "  Liberty  School,"  a  dis- 
trict school  in  Whiteside  County,  Illinois,  in  graded 
schools  in  the  same  county,  the  Illinois  State  Normal 
School,  from  which,  after  a  three  years'  course,  he 
graduated  in  1899,  and  the  Northwestern  University, 
Evanston,  Illinois,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1907 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  also  attended 
a  summer  term  at  the  University  of  Chicago ;  a  sum' 
mer  term  at  State  University,  Champaign,  and  a 
summer  term  at  Geneseo,  Illinois.  He  first  taught  in 
country  schools  in  Whiteside  County,  Illinois,  for  three 
years,  then  was  principal  of  the  public  schools  at 
Wethersfield,  Illinois,  for  a  year,  and  then  was  prin- 
cipal for  four  years  of  the  public  schools  at  Potomac, 
Illinois,  and  for  two  years  was  an  instructor  in  the 
Bryant  &  Stratton  Business  College,  Chicago.  He  next 
was  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Sparta,  Illinois,  for 
two  years,  and  is  at  present  serving  his  second  year  as 
superintendent  of  schools  at  Sparta,  Illinois.  He  has 
charge  of  two  schools,  has  a  staflf  of  twenty-one 
teachers  and  an  enrolment  of  975  pupils. 

Mr.  Reecher  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association,  the  High  School  Conference  at  the  State 
University,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church.  In  1901  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Jeanette  Bach,  of  Kankakee,  Illinois,  and  they 
reside  in  Sparta,  Illinois. 


683 


Carrie  E.  Roundy 


THE  career  of  Miss  Roundy  is  remarkable  in  the 
fact  that  she  has  been  attached  to  but  one  school 
for  the  past  thirty-four  years,  and  its  atmosphere 
has  become  thoroughly  imbued  with  her  personality. 
She  has  ever  been  a  close  student,  has  taken  Chautau- 
qua literary  and  scientific  courses  for  fourteen  years, 
and  has  performed  a  large  amount  of  institute  work  in 
Dupage  County. 

Miss  Roundy  was  born  in  March,  1857,  at  West  Chi- 
cago (formerly  Turner).  Her  father,  G.  N.  Roundy, 
a  native  of  New  York,  died  at  West  Chicago  in  1896. 
Her  mother,  Maria  L.  Kimball,  was  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont. Her  death  occurred  at  West  Chicago  in  1892. 
Miss  Roundy  was  educated  in  the  common  and  high 
schools  of  her  birthplace.  She  graduated  from  the  high 
school  in  1877,  then  taught  a  short  time  at  Kaneville, 
Kane  County,  Illinois,  and  then  went  to  her  present 
school  in  West  Chicago.  After  teaching  there  five 
years  she  gave  up  her  position,  expecting  to  do  mission- 
ary work  in  Japan,  but  a  loss  of  health  made  that  im- 
possible, and  a  year  of  rest  became  necessary.  After 
restoration  to  health  she  accepted  a  position  in  the 
primary  department  of  the  same  school,  and  she  has 
ever  continued  there  with  uninterrupted  success. 

Miss  Roundy  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Reading  Circle,  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association  and  the  Dupage  County  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion. She  has  been  a  member  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  latter  for  many  years,  and  has  had  much 
to  do  in  promoting  the  interests  of  the  county  work. 
She  is  also  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  has 
been  a  successful  teacher  in  the  Sunday-school  for  more 
than  thirty  years.  She  is  active  in  all  the  philanthropic 
work  of  the  church.  Her  associations  with  her  col- 
leagues, pupils  and  the  public  have  been  of  the  most 
pleasant  nature. 


Owen  Thornton  Reeves. 


Carrie  E.  Roundy. 

Owen  Thornton  Reeves 

ONE  of  the  leading  legal  luminaries  in  Illinois,  is 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  dean  of  the 
Law  Department  of  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity, at  Bloomington,  and  who  has  been  engaged  in  edu- 
cational work  for  about  forty  years.  Mr.  Reeves  was 
born  December  18,  1829,  in  Ross  County,  Ohio.  His 
father,  William  Reeves,  a  native  of  Virginia,  died  July 
13,  1876,  in  McLean  County,  Illinois,  and  his  mother, 
Mary  (McLain)  Reeves,  deceased  February  18,  i860, 
in  Bloomington,  Illinois.  He  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  the  Salem  (Ohio)  Academy  and  the  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University,  at  Delaware,  Ohio,  from  which 
he  graduated  July  30,  1850,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts,  and  in  1853  was  granted  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts.  In  1888  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.D.  from 
Monmouth  (111.)  College.  He  taught  in  the  high  school 
at  Chillicothe  for  a  year ;  in  Baldwin  Academy,  Berea, 
a  year ;  was  tutor  of  languages  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan 
University  one  year,  and  in  1874  became  professor  in  the 
Law  Department  of  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University, 
where  he  has  since  remained,  and  from  1891  to  date 
he  has  been  dean  of  this  department,  in  which  he  has 
a  staff  of  ten  teachers.  He  practiced  law  in  Blooming- 
ton, Illinois,  from  1854  to  1877;  was  judge  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  from  March,  1877,  to  June  16,  1891,  and  for 
tht-ee  years  was  judge  of  the  Appellate  Court,  Fourth 
District  of  Illinois.  He  was  prominent  in  the  Civil 
War,  having  been  colonel  of  the  Seventieth  Regiment, 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry. 

Mr.  Reeves  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  the  Ancient  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Col- 
lege Alumni  Club,  Bloomington,  and  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  On  February  i,  1851,  he  was  married 
to  Lucy  A.  King,  who  died  February  10,  1861.  By  her 
he  hacl  four  children,  one  of  them  now  living.  On 
October  30,  1862,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Hawk,  and  by  her  had  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are 
now  living.  He  and  his  family  reside  at  4o6j^  East 
Front  street,  Bloomington,  Illinois. 


684 


Andrew  J.  Rendleman 

WHOSE  residence  address  is  Murphysboro,  Jack- 
son County,  Illinois,  and  who  is  at  present 
County  Superintendent  of  Schools  for  this 
county,  is  a  teacher  of  ripe  experience  and  thorough 
qualifications.  The  birth  of  Mr.  Rendleman  took  place 
in  Williamson  County,  Illinois,  March  3,  1867,  his  par- 
ents being  Harris  and  Elizabeth  (Knight)  Rendleman, 
both  natives  of  Illinois ;  the  former  died  in  Jackson 
County,  Illinois,  May  3,  1897,  and  the  latter  passed 
away  in  Jackson  County  in  1870.  Their  son,  Andrew, 
received  his  education  in  the  New  Hope  district  school, 
in  Williamson  County ;  the  Hastings  and  Zion  district 
schools,  in  Jackson  Count}',  and  in  the  Southern  Nor- 
mal University,  at  Carbondale. 

Mr  Rendleman  began  his  life-work  in  the  New  Hope 
School,  where  he  continued  one  year.  His  subsequent 
experience  has  been  as  follows :  one  year  at  North 
School ;  two  years  at  Hastings,  Illinois ;  four  years  in 
the  Pomona  School ;  one  year  in  the  Baker,  Illinois, 
school ;  one  year  in  the  school  at  Campbell  Hill,  Illi- 
nois ;  an  equal  period  at  Barren,  Illinois ;  three  years 
in  the  school  at  Willisville,  Illinois,  in  the  capacity  of 
principal ;  two  years  as  principal  of  the  Campbell  Hill 
School,  one  year  as  principal  of  the  school  at  Spiller- 
ton,  Illinois,  and  four  years  in  a  similar  position  at 
Murphysboro,  Illinois,  from  which  he  went  to  assume 
charge,  as  principal,  of  the  East  Side  public  school, 
at  Duquoin,  Illinois,  in  which  capacity  he  had  eleven 
teachers  in  charge  and  650  pupils.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association. 

On  November  8,  1910,  ]\Ir.  Rendleman  was  elected 
County  Superintendent  of  Schools  for  Jackson  County. 

Mr.  Rendleman  is  a  communicant  of  the  Free  Bap- 
tist Church,  in  which  denomination  he  is  a  regularly 
ordained  minister.  Fraternally  he  is  identified  with  the 
A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
.Ben  Hur  and  Knights  of  Pythias 

On  April   29,    1887,   Mr.  Rendleman   was    wedded   to 


Martha  M.  Ruggles. 


Andrew  J.  Rendleman. 

Margaret  J.  Monroe,  and  the  issue  of  this  marriage 
has  been  five  children,  of  whom  four  are  still  living, 
namely :  Lillian  M.,  Homer  L.,  Charles  E.  and  An- 
drew J.,  Jr. 

Martha  M.  Ruggles 

ONE  of  the  world's  noblewomen  among  those  who 
have  devoted  their  lives  to  the  public  service,  in 
the  capacity  of  public  school  teacher,  is  the  lady 
whose  name  appears  above.  For  nearly  half  a  century 
she  has  been  a  valued  factor  in  the  development  of 
Chicago's  public  schools ;  faithful  and  tireless,  she  has 
loyally  labored  for  the  advancement  of  education's 
cause  that  has  seen  in  her  more  than  a  generation  of 
active  participation  in  the  growth  of  the  people's  schools 
to  their  present  phenomenal  magnitude. 

"Sirs.  Ruggles  was  born  in  Bainbridge,  Michigan,  Jan- 
uary, 1846,  daughter  of  John  Williams,  lumberman,  and 
Eliza  Williams,  who  is  still  living  at  an  advanced  age. 
In  early  childhood  she  attended  country  schools  in 
Michigan,  and  when  ten  years  of  age  moved  with  her 
parents  to  Chicago,  where  she  has  ever  since  resided. 
Her  schooling  was  continued  there,  and  in  1864  she 
graduated  from  the  Normal  School.  Her  professional 
career  began  in  the  same  year  in  the  capacity  of  teacher 
in  the  Franklin  School,  where  she  remained  four  years. 
Then  followed  five  years  at  the  Pierson  School,  four 
years  at  the  Kinzie  School  (after  the  great  fire),  and 
in  1876  she  was  filling  the  principalship  of  the  Henry 
M.  Stanley  School,  and  through  her  advanced  methods 
and  painstaking  care  she  developed  that  institution  to 
the  highest  plane  of  efficiency.  Mrs.  Ruggles  was  also 
the  first  principal  of  the  Chicago  night  schools,  acting 
in  that  capacity  from  1885  to  1902. 

Mrs.  Ruggles'  grandfather  was  a  veteran  of  the 
Mexican  War,  while  her  husband  served  in  the  Civil 
War  with  distinction,  and  died  from  the  results  of 
disease  contracted  in  that  great  internecine  struggle. 
She  is  a  regular  attendant  of  the  La  Salle  Avenue 
Baptist  Church,  and  is  a  most  valued  member  of  the 
communitv. 


685 


Helen  R.  Ryan 

WHILE  Illinois  "is  one  of  the  greatest  States  in  the 
Union,  the  real  grandeur  of  this  commonwealth 
lies  in  the  noble  qualities  of  manhood  and  woman- 
hood that  are  devoted  to  the  uplift  and  development  of 
the  public  schools  and  colleges.  The  result  of  the  unself- 
ish labors  of  those  engaged  in  this  laudable  work  is 
shown  in  the  magnificent  status  to  which  the  public 
schools  of  the  State  has  been  advanced. 

One  of  the  exponents  of  this  high  profession  is  Miss 
Helen  R.  Ryan,  principal  of  the  Lyman  Trumbull  School. 
Chicago,  an  instructor  of  rare  attainments  and  widely 
known  in  the  educational  field.  Miss  Ryan  is  a  native 
of  the  Empire  State,  having  been  born  in  Farmington, 
New  York,  January  2,  1855,  her  parents  being  Philip 
and  Anne  (Kennedy)  Ryan,  both  natives  of  Ireland 
and  both  deceased ;  the  former  having  died  December 
27,  ^^12)^  the  latter  July  i,  1898.  Her  elementary  educa- 
tion was  secured  in  the  public  schools  of  Lake  Forest, 
and  she  was  graduated  from  Ferry  Hall  Seminary,  Lake 
Forest,  Illinois,  in  June,  1874.  Later  on  she  took  several 
courses  at  the  University  of  Chicago,  and  in  addition 
has  steadily  added  to  her  knowledge  by  constant  study 
and  observation.  ■ 

Miss  Ryan's  first  position  was  that  of  teacher  in  the 
Ward  School,  Chicago.  In  1881  Miss  Ryan  went  to  the 
Mark  Sheridan  School,  Chicago;  next  she  was  elected 
head  assistant  of  the  Webster  School.  After  this  she 
served  as  .principal  of  the  Warren  and  Drummond 
schools,  and  is  now  principal  of  the  Lyman  Trumbull 
school,  as  aforesaid.  In  this  incumbency'  she  is  assisted 
by  a  staff  of  twenty-eight  teachers  and  the  number  of 
pupils  enrolled  is  twelve  hundred  and  fifty.  Miss  Ryan 
has  ever  shown  great  wisdom  and  tact  in  her  manage- 
ment, ruling  pupils  by  reason,  kindness  and  love,  her 
attitude  combining  affection  with  authority.  Her  appre- 
ciation of  the  admirable  qualities  and  her  mental  ability 
have  secured  obedience  and  genuine  respect. 

Miss   Ryan  is  a   member  of  the   National   Education 


John  Benjamin  Russell. 


Helen  R.  Ryan. 

Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  the 
Chicago  Principals'  Club,  the  Chicago  Geographical 
Society  and  the  Lake  Forest  Woman's  Club.  She  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  at  Lake  For- 
est for  eight  years. 

John  Benjamin  Russell 

THIS  gentleman,  the  talented  superintendent  of 
schools  at  Wheaton,  Illinois,  was  born  February 
25,  i860,  in  Henry  County,  Illinois,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Matilda  (Behner)  Russell,  natives,  respectively,  of 
Ohio  and  Indiana,  .and  both  still  living.  His  education 
was  acquired  through  studies  in  a  district  school  of  his 
home  county;  the  Wethersfield  (Illinois)  high  school 
and  Wheaton  College,  graduating  from  the  latter  as 
B.S.  in  1885,  and  he  received  the  degree  of  M.S.  from 
the  same  institution  in  1888.  He  also  took  a  post-grad- 
uate course  in  botany  at  the  University  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Russell  first  taught  in  district  schools  in  Henry 
County,  and  from  1885  to  1886  was  principal  of  schools 
at  Glen  Ellyn,  Illinois.  From  1886  to  1891  he  was 
principal  of  the  Kewanee,  Illinois,  high  school ;  county 
superintendent  of  schools,  Henry  County,  Illinois,  1891 
to  1893 ;  professor  of  physical  and  biological  science, 
Wheaton  College,  1893-5,  and  from  the  latter  year  to 
date  has  been  superintendent  of  schools  at  Wheaton. 
There  are  three  schools,  seventeen  teachers  and  seven 
Iiundred  pupils  under  his  charge. 

Mr.  Russell  is  author  of  a  ''  Scheme  for  Qualitative 
Chemical  Analysis,"  and  has  contributed  frequently  to 
educational  publications.  He  is  an  ex-member  of  the 
National  Education  Association,  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association  and  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Reading  Circle,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Northern 
Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  National  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Science,  National  Geographical 
Society  and  Society  for  Educational  Research.  He  was 
married  December  2},,  1885,  to  Miss  Elsie  Isabell  Gunn, 
and  has  two  children  —  Edna  L.  and  Everett  Carleton 
Russell. 


686 


Bertrand  Clifford  Richardson 

IN  the  magnificent  public  school  system  of  the  United 
States  there  are  enlisted  the  services  of  almost  a 
half-million  men  and  women  whose  unselfish  labors 
have  done  so  much  to  promote  and  lead  to  perfection  a 
system  that  has  made  this  country  famous  the  world 
over  for  the  excellence  of  morals  and  citizenship  to 
which  it  has  led.  The  State  of  Illinois  has  ever  been  a 
leader  in  educational  affairs  and  has  given  the  country 
some  of  its  most  prominent  instructors.  In  the  selection 
of  its  teachers  and  school  officials  a  very  high  average 
is  maintained. 

Among  the  successful  demonstrators  of  the  "  art 
pedagogical,"  is  Bertrand  Clifton  Richardson,  principal 
of  the  Alton  High  School,  Alton,  Illinois,  who  is  well 
known  in  educational  circles  for  the  excellence  of  his 
disciplinary  methods. 

Mr.  Richardson  was  born  in  St.  Johnsburg,  Vermont, 
December  12,  1869,  son  of  Franklin  and  Mary  Richard- 
son, the  former  a  native  of  Vermont,  the  latter  of  New 
York.  His  father  deceased  January  6,  1902,  at  Alton, 
Illinois,  and  is  survived  by  his  widow.  Mr.  Richardson 
was  educated  in  rural  schools  of  New  York,  the  Mexico 
Academy,  Mexico,  New  York,  and  the  Syracuse  Uni- 
versity, of  Syracuse,  New  York,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1893  as  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  in  1896  received 
the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  He  is  also  a  post- 
graduate of  the  University  of  Chicago,  a  member  of 
the  National  Education  Association,  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  National  Geographiqal  Society, 
the  Masonic  Order,  Knights  of  Pythias,.  Society  for 
Social  Service  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  As 
principal  at  Alton,  he  has  fifteen  assistants,  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty  scholars,  and  his  popularity  among 
his  colleagues  and  with  the  public  is  undisputed.  He 
married  Miss  Florence  Paul,  of  Alton,  Illinois,  August 
17,  1909. 


George  H.  Rockwood. 


Bertr.and  Clifford  Richardson. 

George  H.  Rockwood 

PRINCIPAL  of  the  Austin  High  School,  located  on 
Frink  street,  between  Walnut  and  Willow  avenues, 
Chicago,  is  one  of  the  experienced  educators  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  city,  and  his  ability  is  widely 
known  to  the  educational  world.  He  was  born  July  23, 
1854,  in  Swanzey,"  New  Hampshire,  his  parents,  who 
were  also  natives  of  the  Granite  State,  being  Samuel 
and  Melinda  (Stone)  Rockwood.  The  former  died  at 
Swanzey,  New  Hampshire,  in  September,  1886,  the  lat- 
ter at  the  same  place  in  April  of  the  same  year. 

Mr.  Rockwood  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Swanzey ;  at  Powers'  Institute,  Bernardston,  Massachu- 
setts, and  at  Dartmouth  College,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1879  with  an  A.B.  degree,  and,  received  the 
A.M.  degree  in  1882.  He  also  performed  valuable  post- 
graduate work  at  Harvard  University,  and  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago.  He  taught,  in  the  order  given,  in 
the  following  schools :  Conant  High,  Jeffery,  New 
Hampshire;  Medway  High,  Medway,  Massachusetts,  of 
which  he  was  superintendent ;  the  North  Brookfield, 
(Mass.)  High,  of  which  he  also  was  superintend- 
ent ;  the  West  Division  High,  Chicago,  as  teacher  of 
Greek  and  Latin  for  six  years ;  the  Marquette,  as  prin- 
cipal four  years,  and  the  Austin  High,  of  which  he  has 
now  been  principal  eleven  years.  Here  he  has  under 
his  leadership  a  staff  of  thirty  teachers  and  about  one 
thousand  pupils.  While  Mr.  Rockwood  has  always 
stood  for  high  ideals  of  character  and  scholarship,  he  is 
progressive  and  welcomes  to  the  school  program  the 
newer  courses  of  study  that  tend  to  make  the  school  more 
democratic  and  better  suited  to  the  needs  of  modern 
commercial  and  industrial  life.  The  Austin  was  the 
first  of  the  academic  high  schools  of  Chicago  to  intro- 
duce Manual  Training  and  Household  Arts. 

Mr.  Rockwood  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, and  First  Congregational  Church  at  Oak  Park.  He 
was  married  July  i,  1886,  to  Miss  Fanny  Hoyt,  and  they 
have  one  child  —  George  Herbert  Rockwood,  Jr. 


687 


Agnes  Anne  Rourke 

THE  well-known  and  highly  esteemed  principal  of 
the  Ward  School,  in  Lincoln,  Logan  County,  Illi- 
nois, is  a  teacher  of  more  than  ordinary  mental 
culture  and  of  high  merit,  and  has  received  warm  com- 
mendation for  the  able  and  faithful  manner  in  which 
she  has  borne  the  responsibilities  of  her  present  impor- 
tant position.  She  was  born  May  lo,  1863,  at  Green- 
view.  Menard  County,  Illinois,  daughter  of  William 
and  Hilary  (Maxwell)  Rourke,  the  father  a  native  of 
Queens  County,  Ireland,  the  mother  of  Pennsylvania 
origin,  her  birthplace  being  in  Montgomery  County, 
that  State.  The  former  died  at  Lincoln,  Illinois,  in 
August,  1879;    the  latter  is  still  living. 

Miss  Rourke  received  her  girlhood  schooling  in  the 
district  schools  of  Logan  County,  Illinois,  and  later 
attended  the  Valparaiso  (Indiana)  Normal  School  and 
the  Cook  County  (Illinois)  Normal  School,  finally 
going  to  Peoria,  Illinois,  and  completing  her  education 
there  in  the  Bradley  Polytechnic  Institute. 

Miss  Rourke  began  her  work  as  a  teacher  in  1879, 
and  was  thus  engaged  in  country  schools  of  Logan 
County,  Illinois,  for  twelve  years  —  four  years  in  the 
first  district  and  eight  in  the  second.  From  1891  to 
1893  she  taught  a  grammar  school  in  Lisbon,  North 
Dakota.  Returning  then  to  Illinois,  she  taught  three 
years  in  a  country  school  at  Pleasant  Valley,  locating 
in  Lincoln  and  assuming  her  present  duties  in  1906. 
In  this  position  she  has  charge  of  twelve  teachers  and 
about  450  pupils.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Central  Illi- 
nois Teachers'  Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Reading  Circle.  Illinois  Manual  Arts  Association  and 
Western  Drawing  and  Manual  Training  Association. 
She  has  made  a  special  study  of  manual  arts,  and  has 
delivered  occasional  addresses  on  school  topics  before 
teachers'  associations,  women's  clubs,  farmers'  insti- 
tutes, etc.    In  religion  she  is  a  devout  Catholic. 


Agnes  Anne  Rourke. 


S.  E.  Raines. 


S.  E.  Raines 

A  CAREFUL  student  of  all  that  pertains  to  the 
science  of  education,  and  a  keen  observer  of  all 
advances  made  in  the  pedagogical  profession,  the 
above  named  gentleman  has  long  been  known  as  a  valu- 
able and  thoroughly  proficient  exponent  of  his  vocation. 
Mr.  Raines  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  having  been  born  at 
Sullivan,  that  State.  December  22,  1862.  son  of  William 
M.  and  Elvina  (Lasuell)  Raines,  the  former  a  Kentuck- 
ian  l)y  birth,  the  latter  born  in  Indiana,  but  both  are 
now  deceased,  they  having  died  in  1903  and  1905,  respect- 
ively, at  Sullivan,  Indiana.  Our  subject  attended  rural 
schools  in  Indiana  in  the  acquirement  of  his  preliminary 
education,  then  entered  the  high  school  at  Sullivan, 
Indiana,  later  became  a  student  in  the  Indiana  State 
University,  and  graduated  in  1884.  Some  years  after- 
ward he  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  Indiana  State 
University,  graduating  from  that  institution  in  1897 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  Mr.  Raines  taught 
for  a  number  of  years  in  the  rural  schools,  then  became 
identified  with  the  Sullivan  (Ind.)  graded  schools,  and 
continued  there  until  appointed  to  his  present  position 
of  superintendent  of  schools  at  Freeport.  Illinois.  There 
are  eight  schools  under  his  jurisdiction,  seventy-five 
teachers  and  an  enrolment  of  over  twenty-six  hundred 
pupils. 

Mr.  Raines  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  Illinois 
State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle,  Northern  Illinois  Teach- 
ers' Association.  Superintendents'  Club,  of  Chicago, 
Freeport  Club,  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Odd  Fellows' 
fraternity.  In  1896  he  was  married  to  Miss  Blanch  An- 
derson, and  both  are  popular  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  at  Freeport. 


688 


Carl  W.  Ross 

ONE  of  the  most  diligent  and  faithful  teachers  in 
this  section  of  Illinois,  and  in  view  of  his  com- 
paratively brief  career,  one  of  the  most  highly 
appreciated,  is  the  young  gentleman  above  named,  who 
is  discharging  the  duties  of  superintendent  of  schools 
in  Kansas,  Edgar  County. 

Carl  Ross  was  born  in  Sheridan,  Indiana,  May  3, 
1882,  and  is  a  son  of  E.  D.  and  Josephine  Ross, 
natives  of  that  State.  His  boyhood  mental  training 
was  obtained  in  the  district  schools  in  the  vicinity  of 
his  home,  after  which  he  spent  some  time  in  the  Sheri- 
dan high  school,  and  subsequently  matriculated  in  De 
Pauw  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
June,   1908,  with  the  degree  of  A.B. 

IMr.  Ross  began  teaching  in  the  schools  at  Sheridan. 
Indiana,  and  then  occupied  a  position  in  the  Danville 
(Ind.)  high  school.  Later  he  was  engaged  in  the 
Wever-Media  Academy,  at  Media,  Illinois,  and  still 
later  the  Seaton  (111.)  public  schools,  on  leaving  which 
he  began  work  in  the  present  connection,  where  the 
services  of  seven  teachers  are  required  and  the  atttend- 
ance  of  pupils  numbers  221. 

I\Ir.  Ross  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  good  standing. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married  July  27,  1908, 
Miss  Cora  Clow  becoming  his  bride  on  that  date. 


Emil  W.  Ritter 


EMIL  W.  RITTER  is  a  native  of  Chicago,  having 
been  born  in  that  city  October  24,  1869,  son  of 
Theo.  E.  and  Marie  Ritter,  both  parents  natives 
of  Germany.  The  father  deceased  in  1888,  while  the 
mother  survives.  He  was  educated  in  these  Chicago 
schools:  the  Sheldon  (primary),  the  Ogden  (grammar) 
and  the  North  Division  High,  with  graduation  from  the 
latter  in  1886.  This  was  supplemented  with  private 
instruction  in  architectural  and  mechanical  drawing. 

Mr.  Ritter  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  beginning 
of  the  now  well-established  manlial-training  department 
of  the  public-school  system  of  the  City  of  Chicago. 
This  work  was  done  in  what  was  probably  the  first 
public  manual-training  school  in  this  country.  It  had 
an  enrolment  of  about  one  hundred  boys,  who  received 
instruction  in  the  academic  branches  of  the  various  high 
schools  during  the  morning  periods,  and  came  to  the 
manual-training  classes  during  the  afternoons.  The 
classes  were  held  in  the  top  story  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation storehouse  and  repair  shop,  on  Monroe  street, 
near  Halsted.  The  school  was  in  charge  of  Prof.  Her- 
man Hanstein,  and  the  teachers  were  Albert  Reiner  and 
Mr.  Ritter.  Besides  this  work,  Mr.  Ritter  has  been  an 
instructor  in  the  Chicago  Athenaeum,  and  for  many 
years  taught  architectural  and  mechanical  drawing  in 
the  evening  high  schools. 

He  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion of  the  City  of  Chicago  in  1905,  and  the  following 
year  was  unanimously  elected  president  of  that  body. 
He  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  only  ex-school- 
teacher, as  well  as  the  youngest  man,  ever  selected  for 
that  position. 

During  his  administration  many  reforms  were  pro- 
jected, which  are  now  in  successful  operation  in  the 
Chicago  public  school  system.  He  is  an  ex-member 
of  small  parks  commission  of  the  City  of  Chicago.  He 
holds  membership  in  the  Masonic  Order,  the  National 
Union,  the  City  Club,  the  Builders  &  Traders  Exchange, 
of  Chicago,  and  is  president  of  the  Referenduin  League 
of  Illinois.  Mr.  Ritter  has  written  articles  on  political 
and  economical  questions,  which  have  appeared  in  the 
public  press  and  in  pamphlet  form. 


Emil  W.  Ritter. 


In  the  business  world  Mr.  Ritter  is  well  and  favorably 
known  as  the  secretary  and  general  manager  of  the 
Burke  Furnace  Company. 

In  189J  Mr.  Ritter  was  married  to  Clara  E.  Fischer, 
at  the  time  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  the  American 
Conservatory  of  Music,  and  they  have  two  children, 
Walter  T.  and  Claris  M.  Ritter. 


Nellie  S.  Seegar 

THIS  lady,  one  of  the  youngest  of  the  school  princi- 
pals of  the  Prairie  State,  has  won  an  excellent 
reputation  as  an  educator  of  discretion  and  ability 
and  has  earned  an  enviable  reputation.  She  was  born 
August  14,  1884,  in  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  her  parents 
being  Calvin  D.  and  Gladys  R.  Seegar,  natives,  respect- 
ively, of  Illinois  and  Pennsylvania.  The  former  died 
April  29,  1903,  the  latter  on  June  25,  1903. 

Miss  Seegar  was  educated  in  the  elementary  and  high 
schools  of  Jacksonville,  and  the  Jacksonville  Academy 
for  Young  Women,  of  which  she  is  a  graduate.  She 
first  taught  in  the  third  ward  school,  Jacksonville,  for 
a  year,  next  taught  in  the  sixth  grade  in  Nokomis,  Illi- 
nois, and  then  was  for  three  years  assistant  principal 
in  the  Nokomis  high  school.  For  the  past  three  years 
she  has  been  school  principal  at  Nokomis  and  in  this 
incumbency  has  fully  demonstrated  her  fitness  for  her 
chosen  vocation.  She  has  made  special  studies  of  Eng- 
lish and  Latin  and  excels  in  these  studies.  Miss  Seegar 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church  and  most  popu- 
larly known  in  social  and  educational  circles. 


44 


689 


Samuel  Jasper  Shomaker 

MR.  SHOMAKER,  whose  present  residence  is  at 
439  North  Street,  Murphyboro,  Jackson  County, 
Illinois,  was  born  March  6,  1864,  at  Butler,  Ken- 
tucky. His  father  is  W.  J.  Shomaker,  and  his  mother 
Sarah  E.  Shomaker,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Illi- 
nois, and  both  living. 

Mr.  Shomaker's  father  and  mother  removed  to  Illi- 
nois when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  very  young, 
and  his  first  schooling  was  received  in  the  public  schools 
of  Marion  County,  Illinois,  succeeded  by  attendance  in 
these  of  Murphysboro,  Illinois,  and  Danville,  Indiana, 
after  which  he  entered  and  in  due  time  performed  work 
at  the  University  of  Illinois. 

His  first  work  in  the  profession  of  his  life  was  done 
in  the  district  schools  of  Marion  County,  Illinois,  where 
he  taught  one  term,  succeeded  by  nine  terms  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  Jackson  County,  after  which  he  was 
made  principal  of  the  Logan  School,  at  Murphysboro, 
where  he  is  now  City  Superintendent  of  Schools,  with 
four  schools,  twenty-seven  teachers  and  thirteen  hun- 
dred pupils  under  his  charge  and  supervision. 

Mr.  Shomaker  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  and  also  belongs  to  the  fraternal 
orders  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
Knights  of  Pythias,  while  in  religious  life  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

He  was  married  September  18,  1886,  his  wife  having 
been  Miss  Emma  Oakley. 

William  Lucas  Steele 

SUPERINTENDENT  of  Schools  in  Galesburg,  Illi- 
nois, is  one  of  the  most  advanced  educators  in  the 
State  and  has  been  the  leader  in  introducing  many 
innovations  into  pedagogical  work.     Twenty-three  years 
ago,    against    adverse    criticism,    he    introduced    manual 
training  into  the  Galesburg  schools,  and  was   the  first 


William  Lucas  Steele. 


Samuel  Jasper  Shomaker. 

superintendent  in  Illinois  to  make  this  department  a 
distinctive  and  permanent  part  of  the  work  of  the  high 
school.  He  was  also  the  first  in  the  United  States  to 
introduce  the  elective  system.  This  system  permits  a 
pupil  to  graduate  from  high  school  without  a  knowledge 
of  algebra  or  Latin,  and  has  worked  to  marked  advan- 
tage. 

Mr.  Steele  has  been  identified  with  educational  work 
in  Illinois  for  over  twefity-five  years  and  has  done  much 
to  advance  the  cause  of  education  in  this  State.  He  was 
born  in  Adams  County,  Ohio,  July  22,  1854.  His  parents 
are  deceased,  his  father,  William  L.  Steele,  native  of 
Ireland,  having  died  in  Adams  County,  Ohio,  in  1855, 
his  mother,  Anna  Johnson  Steele,  of  Ohio,  in  Galesburg, 
Illinois,  May  6,  1900.  He  secured  his  education  by 
studies  in  a  district  school  in  Randolph  County,  Illinois ; 
public  schools  of  Monmouth,  Illinois ;  Monmouth  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  received  the  degree  of  A.M.  and 
Knox  College,  which  bestowed  on  him  the  Ph.D.  degree. 
His  first  experience  as  teacher  was  in  two  winter  terms 
in  country  schools  of  Warren  County,  Illinois.  From 
1876  to  January,  1883,  he  followed  his  profession  in 
Yates  City,  Illinois,  and  in  December,  1882,  was  elected 
superintendent  of  Knox  County,  Illinois,  where  he  served 
until  September,  1885,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  his 
present  position  of  Superintendent  of  Schools  in  Gales- 
burg, Knox  County,  Illinois.  There  are  nine  schools, 
one  hundred  and  five  teachers  and  about  four  thousand 
pupils  under  his  jurisdiction. 

Mr.  Steele  was  president  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  of  which  organization  he  was 
secretary  of  the  Department  of  Superintendence,  is  a 
director  of  the  First  National  Bank,  Galesburg,  presi- 
dent of  the  Fidelity  Loan  and  Savings  Society,  Gales- 
burg, and  holds  membership  in  the  Illinois  School- 
masters' Club  and  the  Presbyterian  Church.  On  Octo- 
ber 20,  1887,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Helen  C.  Benedict 
and  they  have  two  daughters,  Gertrude  H.  and  Helen  H. 
Steele. 


690 


Prof.  George  W.  Smith,  M.A. 

Head,  Department  of  History,  Southern  Illinois 
State  Normal  University 

IN  this  "  Educational  History  of  Illinois  "  it  must  be 
recorded  that  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  somewhat 
of  a  historian  himself.  He  is  author  of  the  "  Stu- 
dent's Historj'  of  Illinois,"  which  has  reached  a  cir- 
culation of  twenty-two  thousand  copies ;  the  writer  of 
"  Notes  on  the  United  States  History  for  the  Course 
of  Study,"  and  he  is  now  engaged  upon  a  three-volume 
history  of  "  Southern  Illinois."  He  delights  in  his  spe- 
cial study  of  history,  and  has  attained  well-merited  dis- 
tinction in  this  branch  of  learning. 

George  W.  Smith  was  born  November  13,  1855,  near 
Greenfield.  Illinois,  son  of  Stephen  Smith  and  Sally 
Martin  (Pace)  Smith,  natives  of  Virginia,  the  former 
of  whom  died  in  1894,  the  latter  in  1896.  near  Greenfield, 
Illinois.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  in 
Blackburn  University,  from  which  he  received  the  degree 
of  Master  of  Arts.  He  also  was  a  student  under  the 
late  Colonel  Francis  W.  Parker  in  the  Cook  County 
Normal  School.  He  taught  for  six  years  in  rural 
schools ;  was  superintendent  of  schools  at  Perry,  Illi- 
nois, for  a  year ;  was  principal  and  superintendent  of 
the  schools  at  White  Hall,  Illinois,  for  six  years ;  teacher 
in  the  Training  Department,  Southern  Illinois  Normal 
University,  for  six  years ;  head  of  the  department  of 
history  and  geography  in  the  same  school  for  seven 
j-ears,  and  for  the  past  eight  years  has  been  head  of  the 
department  of  history  there. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association, 
the  Christian  Church,  and  has  for  several  years  been  a 
director  of  the  State  Historical  Society  and  a  charter 
member  of  the  Lincoln  Centennial  Association.  August 
25,   1884,  he  was  married  to  Miss   Nellie   Adams,  who 


Prof.  George  W.  Smith,  M.A., 


deceased,  leaving  a  son,  Clyde  L.,  and  on  June  16,  1888, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Nettie  C.  Adams.  From  this 
marriage  there  are  three  children,  Helen  C,  Eugene  R. 
and  Frances  A.  Smith. 


Sylvia  Edna  Smith. 


Sylvia  Edna  Smith 

MISS  SMITH  was  born  in  Midland  City,  Illinois, 
October    7,    1885;     her    father,    John    F.    Smith, 
being  also  a  native  of  Illinois ;    and  her  mother, 
Viola  E.  (Silvers)    Smith,  was  born  in  Iowa  —  both  of 
them  still  living. 

Miss  Smith  secured  her  primary  education  in  a  coun- 
try school  in  DeWitt  County,  Illinois,  where  she  con- 
tinued seven  years,  after  which  she  entered  the  Normal 
(Illinois),  public  and  high  schools,  and  after  that  the 
Illinois  State  Normal  University  of  Normal,  Illinois, 
from  which  she  was  graduated  in  1907,  and  then  finished 
her  education  in  the  summer  school  at  Champaign, 
Illinois. 

She  began  teaching  in  a  country  school  in  DeWitt 
County,  Illinois,  remaining  one  year ;  then  taught  a  year 
in  a  country  school  in  Logan  County ;  the  high  school  in 
Delavan,  two  years ;  the  high  school  in  Mason  City, 
one  year;  and  in  September,  1910,  she  began  work  in 
her  present  position  as  principal  of  the  High  School  of 
Knoxville,  Illinois,  with  five  teachers,  including  superin- 
tendent, the  pupils  under  her  jurisdiction  being  eighty- 
'five  high  school  and  twenty-five  eighth  year. 

She  has  been  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association  and  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Military  Tract  Asso- 
ciation. Her  special  studies  include  those  of  the  sciences 
(biological). 

In  religious  matters,  she  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
(Disciples)  Church. 


691 


Elizabeth  Huntington  Sutherland 

ELIZABETH  HUNTINGTON  SUTHERLAND 
was  born  in  Blue  Island,  Cook  County,  Illinois,  on 
September  27,  1851 ;  her  father,  Samuel  D.  Hunt- 
ington, having  been  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and 
her  mother,  Maria  (Robinson)  Huntington,  a  native  of 
New  York  State.  Both  parents  were  of  distinct  and 
representative  families  of  their  respective  States. 

In  1842,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  her  mother  taught  the 
Blue  Island  village  school,  the  compensation  being  $1 
per  week. 

She  attended,  the  Blue  Island  graded  and  high  schools, 
after  which  she  entered  and  was  graduated  from  the 
Cook  County  Normal  School  in  1869,  and  afterward 
took  special  courses  in  the  University  of  Chicago. 

She  entered  upon  her  life-work  as  a  teacher  in  the 
Blue  Island  graded  school,  after  which  she  taught  in  the 
Hyde  Park  high  school,  the  Washington  Heights 
graded  school  and  high  school,  and  has  been  principal 
of  the  Alice  L.  Barnard  School  of  Chicago  since  the 
year  1883,  with  three  schools  under  her  charge,  nineteen 
teachers,  and  eight  hundred  pupils.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  National  Education   Association. 

She  was  married  September  27,  1894.  to  David  W. 
Sutherland.  Her  father  and  mother  both  died  in  Blue 
Island,  the  latter  in  1885,  and  the  former  in  1887. 

Mrs.  Sutherland's  work  in  the  schools  of  Chicago  has 
invariably  been  of  the  best  and  highest  character,  and 
she  stands  deservedly  high  in  both  social  and  educa- 
tional circles. 

Daniel  Atkinson  King  Steele, 
M.D.,  LL.D. 

THIS  gentleman  has  won  distinguished  success  and 
a  position  of  marked  eminence  in  medical,  surgical 
and  educational  circles,  and  is  a  recognized  leader 
among  his  colleagues. 


Daniel  Atkinson  King  Steele,  M.D.,  LL.D. 


Elizabeth  Huntington  Sutherland. 


Doctor  Steele  was  born  March  29,  1852,  in  Eden, 
Delaware  County,  Ohio,  his  parents  being  Daniel  and 
Mary  L.  (Anderson)  Steele,  both  natives  of  Ireland  and 
now  deceased.  He  received  a  thorough  education,  first 
attending  a  public  school  in  Swanswick,  Illinois,  and 
later  the  Oakdale  Academy,  Washington  County,  Illi- 
nois ;  the  high  school  at  Rantoul,  Illinois,  the  Chicago 
Medical  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  March 
I3>  1873.  He  did  valuable  post-graduate  work  in  Lon- 
don, Paris,  Berne,  Berlin  and  Vienna.  In  1906  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of 
LL.D. 

From  1875  to  1882  Doctor  Steele  was  an  instructor 
in  the  Chicago  Medical  College ;  from  1882  to  the  pres- 
ent time  he  has  been  identified  with  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  having  been  one  of  its 
founders,  and  its  president  from  1893  to  1897.  In  the 
latter  year  this  college  was  affiliated  with  the  University 
of  Illinois,  becoming  its  College  of  Medicine,  of  which 
Doctor  Steele  has  since  been  the  Actuary.  Since  1886 
he  has  been  professor  of  the  Principles  and  Practice  of 
Surgery  and  of  Clinical  Surgery.  Since  the  erection  of 
the  University  Hospital  of  Chicago,  in  1907,  Doctor 
Steele  has  been  its  president.  Doctor  Steele  has  also 
b6en  identified  with  the  Cook  County  Hospital.  He  has 
been  an  extensive  contributor  to  medical  and  surgical 
literature,  having  written  about  fifty  monographs  for 
leading  medical  journals. 

Doctor  Steele  holds  membership  in  the  American 
Medical  Association,  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society, 
the  Chicago  Medical  Society,  the  Chicago  Pathological 
Society,  the  Chicago  Surgical  Society,  the  Chicago 
Physicians'  Clul),  the  Calumet  Club,  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant  in  the 
Reserve  Corps  of  the  United  States  Army.  He  has 
been  president  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society  and  the 
Chicago   Surgical   Society. 

In  1876  Doctor  Steele  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  L. 
Tomlinson,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York.  They  reside  at 
2920  Indiana  avenue,  Chicago. 


692 


Mrs.  Catherine  A.  Kelly  Savage 

THIS  lady  is  a  native  of  Carlinville,  of  Irish  par- 
entage, lier  father,  James  Kelley,  and  mother.  Rose 
Flynn  Kelley,  both  being  natives  of  Ireland,  and 
both  deceased,  the  father's  demise  occurring  at  Carlin- 
ville in  1894,  ^iid  mother's  in  1901. 

Catherine  A.  Kelley  is  a  product  of  Carlinville  public 
schools,  having  received  her  elementary  training  there, 
after  which  she  entered  Blackburn  College  and  was 
graduated  from  there  in  1885  with  the  degree  of  Bache- 
lor of  Science.  This  was  augmented  by  one  summer 
quarter  in  the  University  of  Chicago. 

Miss  Kelley,  in  the  fall  of  1886,  became  a  teacher  in 
the  Carlinville  schools,  where  she  worked  her  way  up 
through  the  grades  into  the  Carlinville  high  school. 
Here  she  was  instructor  in  English  and  history  for  three 
years,  and  assistant  principal  three  years.  Miss  Kelley 
was  called  from  the  Carlinville  high  school  to  the  posi- 
tion of  principal  of  the  Virden  high  school,  to  which 
incumbency  she  brought  those  qualities  of  a  strong  dis- 
ciplinarian, which,  together  with  scholastic  training  and 
a  natural  aptitude  for  her  calling,  had  marked  her 
career  in  Carlinville.  Here  in  the  new  field  an  oppor- 
tunity was  given  her  to  prove  her  ability  in  leadership, 
which  caused  her  to  be  recognized  as  a  forceful  mem- 
ber of  the  community,  and  she  was  enabled  to  bring 
out  the  best  in  herself  and  in  others,  resulting  in  in- 
spiring an  emulation  that  produced  a  healthy  growth 
upward  in  that  community.  Miss  Kelley  did  not  limit 
herself  to  the  schoolroom  alone;  she  served  as  secre- 
tary of  the  Macoupin  County  Teachers'  Association, 
local  manager  of  Teachers'  Association  of  District  No. 
I,  as  well  as  chairman  of  the  Educational  Department 
of  the  Virden  Woman's  Club,  and  was  foremost  in  every 
movement  that  made  for  better  conditions  in  Virden. 
Miss  Kelley  was  continuous  in  her  efforts  for  Virden 
up  to  the  time  of  her  marriage,  which  occurred  July  12, 
1911,  when  she  became  the  bride  of  Joseph  F.  Savage. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Savage  now  reside  in  Carlinville. 


George  Washington  Solomon. 


Mrs.  Catherine  A.  Kelly  Savage. 

George  Washington  Solomon 

IN  the  grand  army  of  public  educators  in  the  State  of 
Illinois  an  honored  position  has  for  years  been  held 
by  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr.  Solomon  is  an 
instructor  of  strong  ability  and  thorough  experience. 
He  is  a  masterly  scholar  and  largely  self-taught,  besidels 
which  he  received  valuable  tuition  in  several  educational 
institutions.  While  he  paid  for  his  own  schooling,  he 
also  helped  his  brothers'  way  at  school. 

Mr.  Solomon  is  a  son  of  the  Prairie  State,  having 
been  born  six  miles  northwest  of  Palmyra,  Illinois,  on 
December  5,  1869.  His  parents  were  William  J.  •  and 
Louise  I.  (Hulse)  Solomon,  the  former  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois, the  latter  of  Tennessee.  Both  are  still  living. 
After  an  elementary  education  in  country  schools  he 
entered  the  Western  Normal  College  at  Bushnell,  Illi- 
nois, from  which  he  was  graduated  (teachers'  course) 
in  1892.  Later  he  studied  in  the  Illinois  State  Normal 
University  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1907.  He 
taught  history,  grammar  and  physiology  in  the  county 
Normal  school  at  Carlinville,  Illinois.  For  seven  years 
he  was  a  teacher  in  the  country  schools  of  Macoupin 
county ;  then  three  years  as  a  principal  at  Modesto ; 
four  years  at  Scottville ;  one  year  at  Medora,  and  for 
the  past  two  years  has  been  superintendent  of  schools 
at  Gillespie,  Illinois.  There  he  has  supervision  of  two 
schools,  seventeen  teachers  and  seven,  hundred  pupils. 
He  was  a  candidate  for  the  position  of  county  superin- 
tendent of  schools  in  Macoupin  County,  and  was  de- 
feated for  that  office  by  but  a  few  votes.  He  served 
efficiently  as  deputy  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  from 
December  7,  1908,  to  August  i,  1910. 

Mr.  Solomon  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Masonic  Order,  Odd  Fellows, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
Court  of  Honor  and  the  Christian  Church.  On  March 
IT,  1909,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Elsie  lona  Land,  at 
Watseka,  Illinois,  and  they  have  a  son,  Jesse  Dale,  who 
was  born  March  3,  1910,  to  bless  their  home. 


693 


Etta  Drucilla  Stansbury 

As  is  the  case  in  the  major  portion  of  the  State,  the 
schools  of  Monmouth,  Illinois,  have  been  advanced 
to  a  most  commendable  degree  of  efficiency  and 
the  residents  of  that  city  take  a  pardonable  pride  in  the 
fact.  Among  the  thoroughly  trained  and  talented  heads 
of  the  schools  there  is  Miss  Etta  D.  Stansbury,  the  highly 
esteemed  and  justly  popular  principal  of  the  Garfield 
school,  whose  ability  has  long  been  recognized  and 
duly  appreciated.  This  lady  has  been  in  the  public 
school  service  for  upward  of  a  score  of  years  and  has 
won  promotion  through  sheer  merit.  She  is  a  product 
of  the  Prairie  State,  having  been  born  in  Brimfield,  Illi- 
nois, December  12,  1866,  her  parents  being  Daniel  Stans- 
bury, a  native  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  Sarah  (Bur- 
ton) Stansbury,  native  of  Harrodsburg,  Kentucky.  The 
former  died  in  Agency,  Missouri,  in  April,  1871,  the  lat- 
ter in  Peoria,  Illinois,  on  July  4,  1902. 

Miss  Stansbury  was  educated  in  the  grammar  school 
and  high  school  of  Brimfield,  graduating  from  the  latter 
in  1883,  and  she  also  took  courses  in  the  Normal  School 
at  Normal,  Illinois,  and  the  University  of  Illinois  at 
Urbana,  Illinois.  For  ten  years  she  taught  in  the  fourth 
and  fifth  grades  in  Brimfield,  Illinois ;  was  for  a  year 
in  charge  of  the  eighth  grade  in  Winchester,  Illinois ; 
taught  Latin  and  English  in  the  Winchester  high  school 
for  a  year ;  and  for  the  past  eleven  years  has  been  sta- 
tioned in  Monmouth.  There  she  has  supervision  of 
nine  teachers  and  about  three  hundred  pupils  and  the 
most  cordial  relations  exist  between  her  and  those  under 
her  jurisdiction. 

Miss  Stansbury  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Read- 
ing Circle,  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association  and 
the  Military  Tract  Association.  She  is  an  attendant  of 
the  Baptist  Church  and  resides  at  229  South  Fifth 
street,  Monmouth. 


Etta  Drucilla  Stansbury. 


Addison  M.  Shelton. 


Addison  M.  Shelton 

DURING  the  busy  ten  years  that  Mr.  Shelton  has 
been  engaged  in  the  public  school  service  he  has 
ever  commanded  the  fullest  confidence  and  the 
highest  regard  of  his  colleagues  and  the  public,  and  his 
career   has  been  eminently   successful   from  the  outset. 

Mr.  Shelton  was  born  in  Chatham,  Illinois,  in  1876, 
son  of  Martin  and  Sarah  (Dill)  Shelton,  both  natives 
of  Illinois  and  still  living  in  the  State,  and  he  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools,  the  high  school 
at  Losine,  Illinois,  the  Illinois  State  Normal  and  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1903 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  began  teach- 
ing in  Forrest  Hill,  Illinois,  was  there  for  a  year,  then 
went  to  Custer,  Illinois,  where  he  taught  for  one  year ; 
from  thence  he  went  to  Pleasant  Plains  for  two  years, 
and  for  eight  years  he  was  superintendent  at  Nunda 
and  Crystal  Lake,  where  he  had  charge  of  two  schools, 
fourteen  assistants  and  375  pupi^.  In  1910  Mr.  Shelton 
was  elected  County  Superintendent  of  Schools  of  Mc- 
Henry  County,  in  which  capacity  he  is  meeting  with 
marked  success. 

Mr.  Shelton  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  and  the  Mc- 
Henry  County  Superintendents'  Association.  He  has 
written  many  historical  essays,  educational  tracts,  and 
is  a  contributor  to  educational  magazines.  He  fre- 
quently addresses  farmers'  and  teachers'  institutes  and 
is  an  able  and  fluent  speaker.  In  1899  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Wanda  Schember,  of  St.  Louis,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Wanda  and  Robert. 

Aside  from  the  intense  interest  Mr.  Shelton  has 
always  taken  in  school  work,  he  is  especially  interested 
in  "  The  Rural  Problem." 


694 


Myrtle  Therese  Simmons 

THIS  lady  has  been  an  indefatigable  worker  in  the 
educational  field  for  almost  twenty  years,  and  she 
has  long  been  popularly  known  to  the  public.  She 
is  a  native  of  this  State,  having  been  born  in  Macomb, 
of  distinguished  parents.  Her  father,  Louis  Alden  Sim- 
mons, a  native  of  Brockton,  Massachusetts,  who  died 
December  6,  1888,  was  a  graduate  of  Lombard  College 
(1856),  Galesburg,  Illinois,  and  the  Albany  Law  School, 
Albany,  New  York.  Mr.  Simmons  was  also  a  Civil 
War  veteran,  was  first  lieutenant,  Company  A,  Eighty- 
fourth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  served  through 
the  war.  He  also  served  with  distinction  as  county 
superintendent  of  schools  and  county  judge  of  McDon- 
ough  County,  and  practiced  law  in  Macomb,  Illinois,  and 
Wellington,  Kansas.  Her  mother,  Jennie  E.  (Barber) 
Simmons,  a  native  of  Groveland,  New  York,  and  now 
living,  was  educated  at  Hedding  College,  Abingdon,  Illi- 
nois, and  taught  school  for  a  number  of  years. 

Miss  Simmons  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Ma- 
comb, Illinois,  and  the  high  school  at  Wellington,  Kan- 
sas, graduating  from  the  latter  in  1888.  She  also  studied 
English  literature  for  a  year  in  the  University  of  Chi- 
cago and  in  1890  took  a  teachers'  course  in  the  Boston 
Home  College.  She  first  taught  at  Belle  Plaine,  Kan- 
sas, for  two  years ;  next,  in  Wellington,  Kansas,  for 
five  years,  and  for  the  past  fourteen  years  has  been  a 
teacher  in  the  Central  school,  at  Monmouth,  Illinois, 
the  last  four  years  serving  as  principal.  There  she  has 
a  staff  of  nine  assistant  teachers,  and  the  pupils  number 
about  three  hundred  and  fifty. 

Miss  Simmons  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Military 
Tract  Teachers'  Association,  the  Warren  County  Teach- 
ers' Association,  the  Monmouth  Schoolmasters'  Club, 
the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution  and  the  Presbyterian  Church.  She 
resides  at  331  South  Seventh  street,  Monmouth,  Illinois. 


Spencer  R.\msey  Smith. 


Myrtle  Therese  Simmons. 

Spencer  Ramsey  Smith 

MR.  SMITH  was  born  at  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana, 
June  II,  1857.  His  father,  Cornelius  S.  Smith, 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  his  mother. 
Charity  Ramsey  Smith,  of  Illinois.  The  former  died 
in  Chicago,  December  30,  1902,  and  the  latter  in  Fort 
Wayne,  in  June,  1891. 

After  his  preliminary  schooling,  the  young  man  pur- 
sued his  studies  in  the  Fort  Wayne  High  School,  after 
which  he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1879  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Psi  Upsilon 
fraternity. 

Mr.  Smith  began  his  work  by  becoming  a  teacher 
of  Latin,  Greek  and  English  in  the  Fort  Wayne  Col- 
lege in  the  years  of  1881-4  and  1885-7;  then  took 
charge  of  the  college  preparatory  department  of  Park 
Institute,  1884-5  and  1887-9;  was  first  master  in  charge 
of  classes  at  Lake  Forest  Academy,  1889-91 ;  teacher 
of  classics.  University  School,  Chicago,  1893-4;  West 
Division  High  School,  Chicago,  1894-1900;  and  at 
present  is  principal  of  the  Wendell  Phillips  High  School 
(formerly  South  Division),  with  sixty-two  teachers 
and  about  eighteen  hundred  pupils  under  his  charge. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education  Associa- 
tion, the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  and  was 
secretary  of  the  Chicago  and  Cook  County  High  School 
Association  for  seven  years,  was  president  of  the  High 
School  Teachers'  Club  of  Chicago  the  first  year  of  its 
existence,  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  the  Influence 
of  Fraternities  on  Secondary  Schools,  appointed  by  the 
Conference  of  Cooperating  and  Affiliated  Schools  of  the 
University  of  Chicago,  and  is  chairman  of  the  Commit- 
tee on  the  Cosmopolitan  High  School  Curriculum,  ap- 
pointed by  Secondary  Department  of  National  Education 
Association. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  June  22,  1886,  married  Ruby  Florence  Button.  He 
has  two  children  —  Gerald  Clark  and  Kenneth  Ham- 
ilton. 


695 


Alice  E.  Sollitt 

THE  first  essential  qualities  in  a  teacher  are  clear- 
ness of  thought  and  expression,  and  power  of  apt 
illustration,  due  to  vivid  imagination  and  a  firm 
grasp  of  a  subject.  It  is  impossible  to  enumerate  all 
the  qualities  which  make  up  a  pleasing  personality,  but 
children  seem  to  prize,  above  all  others,  cheerfulness, 
a  strong  sense  of  justice  and  truth,  and  a  kindly  sense 
of  humor.  Real  sympathy  with  the  pupils  is  necessary, 
in  order  that  a  teacher  may  come  in  touch  with  them. 

These  qualities,  with  an  earnestness  of  purpose  under- 
lying them  —  a  strong  desire  for  the  good  of  the  pupils 
—  are  possessed  in  full  by  the  lady  whose  name  heads 
this  brief  sketch,  and  deserved  success  has  rewarded 
her  labors. 

Miss  Alice  E.  Sollitt  was  born  in  Chicago,  December 
2,  1859,  her  parents  being  Thomas  and  Eleanor  Sollitt, 
the  former  a  native  of  York,  England,  who  died  Sep- 
tember 9,  1907 ;  the  latter  a  native  of  Buflfalo,  New 
York.  Her  education,  an  excellent  one,  was  secured 
in  the  Skinner,  Scammon,  Doolittle  and  Douglas  public 
schools,  of  Chicago,  and  the  Chicago  Normal  School, 
from  which  she  graduated  in  December,  1876.  The 
schools  taught  by  her  were  the  Third  Avenue,  the  Calu- 
met Avenue,  Haven  and  the  Kenwood.  At  the  latter, 
of  which  she  is  now  principal,  she  has  a  stafif  of  eleven 
assistants  and  a  membership  of  about  five  hundred 
pupils,  and  she  is  held  in  esteem  by  her  colleagues  and 
scholars  alike. 

Miss  Sollitt  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  a  wor- 
shiper in  the  St.  Paul  Universalist  Church,  and  has  a 
legion  of  friends  in  educational  circles  and  private  life. 


Alice  E.  Sollitt. 


Albert  Robbins  Sabin. 


Albert  Robbins  Sabin 

PRINCIPAL  of  the  Medill  School,  Chicago,  is  widely 
known  as  an  accomplished  educator  and  he  has  also 
contributed  much  to  educational  literature,  among 
his  works  being  four  arithmetics  and  a  spelling  book. 
Mr.  Sabin  was  born  September  30,  1837,  at  Rocking- 
ham, Windham  County,  Vermont,  son  of  Elisha  S. 
Sabin  and  Sophia  (Hall)  Sabin,  both  natives  of  Ver- 
mont and  both  deceased.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Rockingham  District  School ;  Saxton's  River  Academy ; 
Monson  (Mass.)  Academy  and  Middlebury  College, 
Vermont.  He  studied  three  years  at  the  latter,  and 
left  in  1862  to  go  to  the  front  in  the  Civil  War,  in 
which  he  served  with  distinction  as  Captain  of  Com- 
pany C,  Ninth  Vermont  Volunteer  Infantry.  Before 
the  war  he  taught  in  district  schools  in  Vermont  and 
New  Hampshire  and  in  the  Chester  Academy.  After 
leaving  the  service  he  settled  in  Chicago.  There  he  has 
held  eight  principalships,  and  taught  in  the  following 
schools'  Dearborn,  Newberry,  Franklin,  Douglas,  Old 
Central  High  School,  Kinzie,  Audubon,  Irving  Park, 
Lake  Forest  Academy  (five  years)  ;  Professor  of  Latin 
at  Lake  Forest  College,  two  years ;  County  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools  in  Lake  County,  Illinois,  one  term ; 
fifteen  years  District  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Chi- 
cago, and  principal  of  Irving  Park  School.  Some  hun- 
dreds of  teachers  and  over  forty-five  thousand  pupils 
have  been  under  his  jurisdiction. 

Mr.  Sabin  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association ;  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association ; 
the  National  Geographical  Society,  of  Washington, 
D.  C. ;  the  Chi  Psi  Greek-letter  fraternity;  the  Masonic 
Order;  Loyal  Legion  (Illinois  Commandery)  ;  National 
Union  and  the  Irving  Park  Country  Club.  On  July 
II,  1862,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Barber  (now 
deceased),  and  on  January  31,  1893,  to  Miss  Helen 
Mackey,  and  their  family  consists  of  two  sons,  Stewart 
Barber  and  Albert  R.  Sabin,  Jr. 


696 


Nellie  Lenington  Smith 

MISS  SMITH  was  born  in  Macomb,  Illinois,  Sep- 
tember 15,  1884;  her  father,  Charles  F.  Smith, 
and  her  mother,  Nora  Smith,  both  being  natives 
of  Illinois,  and  both  are  still  living. 

Her  education  was  received  in  the  public  schools  of 
Macomb;  the  Macomb  High  School,  from  which  she 
was  graduated  in  1901 ;  the  Western  Illinois  State 
Normal  School,  from  which  she  received  a  post-grad- 
uate certificate  for  successful  teaching,  and  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois,  which  she  attended  during  the  fall  of 
1906  and  until  January,  1907. 

She  taught  two  years  (1904-1906)  in  the  Mazon 
Township  High  School ;  the  Virginia  High  School, 
Virginia,  Illinois,  two  years  and  a  half  (1907-1909); 
and  has  been  principal  of  the  Astoria  High  School  since 
1909,  with  eighty-five  pupils  in  her  care. 

Miss  Smith  has  made  a  special  study  of  Latin ;  is  a 
member  of  the  Pythian  Sisters,  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Reading  Circle,  and  at  present  is  a  member  of  the 
Military  Tract  Teachers'  Association. 

She  is  also  a  member  of  the  Classical  Association  of 
the  Middle  West  and  South,  and  belongs  to  the  Univer- 
salist  Church,  her  residence  being  in  Macomb,  though 
her  school  is  located  at  Astoria. 


Nellie  Lenington  Smith. 


Jacob  Phillip  Scheid 

SUPERINTENDENT  of  the  public  school  at  White 
Hall,  Green  County,  Illinois,  a  capable,  energetic 
and  progressive  teacher,  was  born  in  Freeburg, 
Illinois,  December  16,  1875.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  and 
Margaret  (Heigel)  Scheid,  natives  of  Germany,  the 
father  born  in  Hesse  Nassau,  and  the  mother  in  Swabia. 
Charles  Scheid  died  in  Freeburg,  Illinois,  September  17, 
1907 ;    his  widow  is  still  living. 

In  boyhood  Jacob  Scheid  attended  the  Freeburg  pub- 
lic schools,  and  afterward  the  Evangelical  Parochial 
School  (two  years),  still  later  pursuing  courses  of 
study  in  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University  and  the 
University  of  Illinois.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Illi- 
nois State  Normal  School,  June  7,  1907.  The  first 
three  years  of  his  teaching  were  spent  in  the  Drum  Hill 
School,  in  New  Athens  township,  St.  Clair  County, 
from  which  he  went  to  the  New  Athens  public  school, 
remaining  there  seven  years,  and  then  assuming  his 
present  duties  at  White  Hall  in  1906.  The  White  Hall 
school  has  fourteen  teachers  and  580  pupils.  Mr.  Scheid 
is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association. 
Aside  from  his  regular  duties,  he  makes  a  special  study 
of  chemistry. 

Mr.  Scheid  is  happily  married,  the  maiden  name  of 
his  wife  having  been  Flora  Caroline  Hertel.  Two  chil- 
dren have  blessed  this  union  —  Flora  Hertel  and  Harold 
Russell.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scheid  are  members  of  the 
M.  E.  Church. 


Jacob  Phillip  Scheid. 


697 


Eva  A.  Smedley 

IN  a  community  where  a  high  standard  in  educational 
lines  has  long  been  established,  marked  success  has 
been  attained  by  Eva  A.  Smedley,  principal  of  the 
Noyes  Street  School,  Evanston,  Illinois.  Miss  Smedley 
is  a  native  of  Belvidere.  Her  father,  Nathan  Smedley, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  is  still  living,  w^hile  her 
mother,  Adaline  (Warren)  Smedley,  who  was  born  in 
New  York,  died  in  November.  1893.  She  was  educated 
and  graduated  from  the  South  Belvidere  High  School 
and  the  Cook  County  Normal  School  and  also  studied 
in  the  University  of  Chicago.  In  her  position  as  prin- 
cipal of  the  Noyes  Street  School  she  has  supervision 
over  sixteen  teachers  and  five  hundred  and  thirty  pupils, 
and  the  affairs  of  the  school  are  in  excellent  condition. 
In  addition  to  her  present  position,  Miss  Smedley 
has  taught  in  teachers'  institutes  in  many  of  the  larger 
counties  of  the  State.  She  is  a  member  of  the  National 
Education  Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the 
English  Club,  Evanston  Political  Equality  League,  Na- 
tional Geographic  Society,  National  Story  Tellers' 
League,  and  the  La  Salle  Avenue  Baptist  Church.  Her 
residence  is  at  3728  Ellis  avenue,  Chicago. 


^Pk..' 


Eva  a.  Smedley. 


John  J.  Sonsteby. 


John  J.  Sonsteby 

JOHN  J.  SONSTEBY  was  born  in  Milwaukee,  Wis- 
consin, January  15,  1879.  His  parents  were  Nor- 
wegians, and  moved  to  Chicago  when  he  was  five 
years  of  age.  He  has  always  taken  an  interest  in  the 
public  schools,  especially  in  alumni  work,  and  has 
acquired  a  wide  acquaintance  among  Chicago  teachers 
and  principals. 

In  1906  Mayor  Edward  F.  Dunne  appointed  him  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education,  where  he 
served  three  years.  His  efforts  were  largely  instrumen- 
tal in  raising  the  salary  schedules  of  principals,  teachers 
and  other  employees  of  the  Chicago  public  schools.  He 
has  assisted  in  securing  legislation  in  Illinois  for  the 
public  schools  and  has  opposed  legislation  injurious  to 
them.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Text  Book  Committee, 
appointed  by  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education,  and  care- 
fully investigated  the  prices  paid  for  school  books  in 
Chicago  and  other  cities  of  the  United  States,  resulting 
in  a  large  saving  to  the  parents  of  Chicago  children  in 
the  cost  of  such  books. 

Mr.  Sonsteby  is  a  practicing  lawyer,  with  offices  in 
the  Association  Building,  Chicago,  Illinois.  He  grad- 
uated from  the  John  Marshall  Law  School  v^ith  the 
degree  of  LL.B.,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Bar  and  Chicago  Bar  Associations.  He  holds  member- 
ship in  many  Norwegian  societies  and  has  been  president 
of  the  Norwegian  National  League  of  Chicago.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  many  societies  and  clubs,  the  principal 
ones  being  the  Masonic,  Royal  League,  Maccabees,  City 
Club  and  Art  Institute.  He  is  a  ShrinCr  and  Thirty- 
second  Degree  Mason,  being  a  member  of  Medinah  Tem- 
ple, Oriental  Consistory,  Humboldt  Park  Lodge  No. 
813,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  now  Worthy  Patron  of  Hum- 
boldt Park  Chapter  No.  472,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star. 


698 


Inger  M .  Schjoldager 

MISS  SCHJOLDAGER  was  born  in  1856,  in  Nor- 
way, and  came  from  that  historic  country  with 
her  parents  to  the  United  States  in  early  youth, 
the  family  settling  in  Chicago.  Her  father  and  mother, 
Thorwald  F.  and  Caroline  H.  Schjoldager,  were  both 
natives  of  Norway.  Both  are  deceased,  the  former 
having  died  May  i,  191 1,  the  latter,  September  23,  1904. 
Their  worth  and  many  estimable  qualities  are  cherished 
in  the  memory  of  those  who  knew  them. 

Miss  Schjoldager  was  educated  in  the  elementary 
schools  of  Chicago,  the  Chicago  High  School  and  the 
Chicago  Normal  School,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
December,  1874.  From  March,  1875,  to  September,  1888, 
she  taught  in  the  Washington  School,  Chicago ;  from 
1888  to  1902  was  assistant  principal  of  the  Burr  School, 
Chicago ;  was  principal  of  the  Monroe  Street  Primary 
School  from  1902  to  1903,  and  then  became  principal  of 
the  Pearson  School,  the  name  of  the  latter  being 
changed  to  that  of  the  Adams  School.  From  1903  she 
has  been  principal  of  this  school,  where  she  has  a  staff 
of  twenty- four  teachers  and  an  enrolment  of  1,050 
pupils. 

Miss  Schjoldager  is  a  member  of  the  National  Edu- 
cation Association,  the  Illinois  School  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, the  Ella  Flagg  Young  Club  and  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  She  resides  at  in  Gale  avenue,  River  Forest, 
Illinois. 


Inger  M.  Schjoldager. 


John  Daniel  Shoop. 


,  John  Daniel  Shoop 

IN  this  gentleman,  who  is  the  First  Assistant  Super- 
intendent of  Schools  in  Chicago,  that  city  has  a 
representative  of  rnature  experience  and  high-grade 
executive  ability,  one  who  has  the  public  service  thor- 
oughly at  heart. 

Mr.  Shoop  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  March  3,  1857, 
his  parents  being  Jonathan  M.  and  Margaret  (Snyder) 
Shoop,  natives,  respectively,  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ken- 
tucky, and  now  deceased,  the  former  having  died  in 
1864,  the  latter  in  i860. 

John  Daniel  Shoop  was  educated  in  country  schools 
in  Ohio ;  the  village  school  at  Staunton,  Ohio ;  Fay- 
ette Institute,  Washington  Court  House,  Ohio ;  the 
Northern  Indiana  University,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1907 ;  the  University  of  Chicago  and  Lake  For- 
est University.  From  the  latter  he  was  graduated  in 
1911. 

Mr.  Shoop  taught  in  country  schools  in  Ohio,  the 
schools  at  Staunton  and  Bloomingbury,  Ohio ;  has  been 
superintendent  of  the  schools  at  Saybrook,  Gibson  City 
and  Paris,  Illinois,  and  in  Chicago.  He  has  been. super- 
intendent of  Vacation  Schools  and  Social  Centers,  for 
a  number  of  years,  in  Chicago  schools.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  National  Education  Association,  the  Illinois 
State  Teachers'  Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Reading  Circle,  and  has  been  president  of  the  Central 
Illinois  Teachers'  Association  and  the  Eastern  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association,  and  is  now  (1912)  president  of 
the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  Order,  the  Modern  Woodmen,  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  People's  Church.  In  1887 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  Perrill,  of  Washington 
Court  House,  Ohio,  and  they  have  two  children,  Arnold 
C.  and  Edwin  P.  Shoop.  The  family  residence  is  at  No. 
6928  Stewart  avenue,  Chicago. 


699 


Edward  Sargent 

FOR  the  past  ten  years  Mr.  Sargent  has  concentrated 
his   energies   upon   educational   work,   and   has   won 
an    excellent   reputation    for   the   strength   and   effi- 
ciency of  his  methods,  which  have  been  productive  of 
the  best  discipline. 

Mr.  Sargent  is  a  native  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  his 
parents,  Christopher  and  Jane  Findlay  (iTorrence) 
Sargent  (who  are  now  living  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana), 
resided.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
birthplace,  primarily,  and  then  took  a  four  years'  course 
in  the  University  of  the  South,  a  three  years'  course  in 
the  Western  Theological  Seminary,  Chicago,  and  one 
year  at  the  University  of  Chicago,  graduating  from  the 
latter  in  1903  with  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  He 
first  taught  in  the  Menekaune  Ward  School,  at  Mari- 
nette, Wisconsin,  for  a  year ;  then  became  principal  of 
the  Ludington  High  School,  Ludington,  Michigan,  for 
four  years,  and  for  four  years  was  principal  of  the 
Bloom  Township  High  School,  Chicago  Heights,  Illinois. 
Since  1908  he  has  organized  and  been  principal  of  the 
Gary  High  School,  Gary,  Indiana. 

Mr.  Sargent  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  Educational  Association,  the 
Masonic  Order,  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Episcopal 
Church,  and  he  commands  a  high  standing,  both  in  edu- 
cational circles  and  in  private  life. 


Edward  Sargent. 


Orville  Simmons 

A  TALENTED,    energetic    and    progressive    young 
teacher,    who   at   present   is    superintendent   of   the 
graded  public  schools  in  Equality,  Gallatin  County, 
Illinois,  was  born  in  Divide,  Illinois,  July  12,  1886,  and 
is  a  son  of  W.  F.  and  Louise  Simmons,  who  also  are 
native  Illinoisans. 

Orville  Simmons  obtained  his  primary  education  in 
the  country  schools  of  Jefferson  County,  Illinois,  and 
later  in  life  became  a  student  in  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Carbondale,  and  at  Normal,  Illinois,  also 
attending  Ewing  College.  His  work  as  a  teacher  began 
in  the  Lowery  (111.)  country  school,  where  he  continued 
five  months,  going  thence  to  the  Sheller  (111.)  country 
school  and  remaining  six  months  there.  Next  he  spent 
two  terms  of  nine  months,  respectively,  in  city  schools 
at  Mt.  Vernon.  Illinois,  and  following  this  taught  nine 
months  in  the  Olney  School.  In  discharging  his  present 
duties  in  the  Equality  School,  which  he  assumed  in 
1910,  eight  teachers  are  associated  with  him,  and  under 
his  care  are  three  hundred  pupils.  The  Isranches  of 
study  to  which  he  gives  special  attention  are  mathe- 
matics and  history. 

Mr.  Simmons  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers"  Reading  Circle, 
Illinois  Principals'  Club,  Illinois  Principals'  Reading 
Circle,  and  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association. 
The  religious  connection  of  Mr.  Simmons  is  with  the 
Baptist  Church.  In  private  life  and  social  relations  he 
is  a  man  of  most  exemplary  character,  and  his  record 
as  an  instructor  is  most  commendable. 


Orville  Simmons. 


700 


John  Alford  Stevenson 

As  superintendent  of  the  city  schools  of  Ohiej',  a 
distinct  success  was  won  by  Mr.  Stevenson,  and 
he  is  most  eminently  known  in  scholastic  circles. 
John  Alford  Stevenson  was  born  March  i,  1886,  in 
Cobden,  Illinois,  son  of  John  M.  and  Elizabeth  C.  Ste- 
venson, the  former  a  native  of  Illinois,  the  latter  of 
Tennessee,  and  both  living.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  birthplace,  the  Southern  Illinois 
Normal  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1905 
in  the  Latin  and  English  courses;  he  also  was  grad- 
uated from  Ewing  College  in  1908,  receiving  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  also  studied  in  the  summer 
schools  of  the  University  of  Illinois  and  the  University 
of  Wisconsin. 

After  teaching  three  terms  in  the  practice  school  at 
Carbondale,  Illinois,  Mr.  Stevenson  was  for  two  years 
principal  of  the  high  school  at  Nashville,  Illinois,  from 
which  he  resigned  to  accept  the  principalship  of  the 
high  school  at  Olney,  Illinois,  serving  two  j^ars  in  this 
position,  when  he  was  appointed  superintendent  at 
Olney,  where  he  had  charge  of  city  schools  and  a  staff 
of  twenty-five  teachers.  Mr.  Stevenson,  upon  being  ap- 
pointed in  the  Department  of  Education  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Wisconsin,  left  the  public  school  service  of  Illi- 
nois in  the  fall  of  191 1. 

Mr.  Stevenson  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Execu- 
tive Committee  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers' 
Association  and  holds  membership  in  the  National  Edu- 
cation Association,  the  Masonic  Order,  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Baptist  Church. 


John  Alford  Stevenson. 


Harry  G.  Spear 

A  SOUND  record  is  enjoyed  by  this  gentleman,  who 
has  been  successfully  engaged  in  public  school 
work  for  the  past  eighteen  years.  He  has  made  a 
special  study  of  mathematics  and  science,  and  is  well 
versed  in  these  branches.  He  has  taken  a  deep  interest 
in  teachers'  associations,  and  during  the  past  two  years 
has  prepared  papers  for  county  associations.  He  was 
secretary  of  the  Central  Illinois  Christian  Conference 
for  six  years,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  that  organization. 

Mr.  Spear  is  a  native  of  this  State,  having  been  born 
February  10,  1873,  ii^  Greene  County,  son  of  William  L. 
and  Frances  R.  (Dewes)  Spear,  the  former  a  native 
of  Illinois,  the  latter  of  England,  and  both  now  living. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Rockbridge, 
Illinois ;  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  at  Nor- 
mal, Illinois ;  Greer  College,  Hoopeston,  Illinois,  and 
he  also  has  performed  much  correspondence  work.  He 
taught  in  country  schools  in  Vermilion  County,  Illinois, 
three  years ;  at  Muncie,  Illinois,  three  years ;  Bismark, 
Illinois,  two  years;  Grape  Creek,  Illinois,  three  years; 
Danville,  Illinois,  three  years ;  Oakwood,  Illinois,  one 
year ;  Greenup,  Illinois,  two  years,  and  for  the  past 
year  he  has  been  principal  of  the  township  high  school 
at  Assumption,  Illinois,  where  he  has  gained  popularity 
and  favor.  In  1900  Mr.  Spear  was  married  to  Miss 
Lena  L.  Bennett,  of  Cayuga,  Indiana.  They  reside  in 
Assumption,  Illinois. 


Harry  G.  Spear. 


701 


William  H.  SieflFerman 

FAVORABLY  known  throughout  his  section  of  Illi- 
nois as  county  superintendent  of  Edwards  County, 
Illinois,  and  recognized  as  one  of  its  most  capable 
instructors  and  school  managers,  was  born  in  that 
county  April  24,  1878,  son  of  Jacob  and  Kathrine 
Siefferman,  the  father  a  native  of  Germany,  and  the 
mother,  of  the  State  of  Indiana.  Both  are  deceased; 
the  former  having  died  on  his  farm  in  Edwards 
County,  Illinois,  March  14,  1893,  and  the  latter  in  the 
same  county,  about  the  year  1875. 

William  Siefferman  attended  the  country  schools  of 
his  home  neighborhood  during  his  boyhood  days,  and 
also  for  one  year  attended  the  public  schools  of  Ohio. 
At  a  later  period  he  pursued  a  course  of  study  in  the 
Southern  Collegiate  Institute,  at  Albion,  Illinois,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1905. 

On  applying  himself  to  teaching,  Mr.  Siefferman  was 
first  engaged  two  terms  in  the  Montgomery  school,  and 
next,  two  terms  in  the  Fieber  school.  He  afterward 
was  principal  of  the  high  school.  North  Side,  Grayville, 
two  terms ;  then  taught  one  term  in  Albion  public 
schools,  after  which  he  was  elected  to  his  present  office 
—  county  superintendent  of  Edwards  County  —  to  which 
he  has  been  recently  reelected.  He  now  has  seventy- 
six  teachers  and  3,383  pupils.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association  and  the  Southern 
Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  and  is  fraternally  affil- 
iated with  the  Masonic  Order,  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  a  member  also  of  the 
Congregational  Church.  On  June  11,  1903,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Anna  Coulthard,  and  from  their  union 
two  children  have  resulted,  namely :  Royal  Lincoln  and 
Byron. 


William  H.  Siefferman. 


John  H.  Stehman 

FOR  more  than  a  third  of  a  century  an  active  part 
has  been  taken  in  the  educational  world  by  the 
gentleman  whose  name  herein  appears.  Thor- 
oughly progressive  in  his  methods,  though  strictly  avoid- 
ing "  faddism,"  he  has  devoted  his  life  energies  to  the 
betterment  of  the  profession  he  so  ably  represents  and 
to  the  advancement  of  the  pedagogue's  status  in  the 
social  world. 

Mr  Stehman  was  born  in  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania, 
June  25,  1850,  passing  his  early  life  on  the  farm  owned 
and  managed  by  his  father,  Isaac  L.  Stehman,  who  died 
in  1900.  His  education  was  secured  in  the  elementary 
schools  of  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
Normal  School  at  Millersville,  Pennsylvania,  and  he 
first  began  teaching  in  1871.  After  having  taught  for 
seven  years  in  his  native  county  of  Lancaster,  he  re- 
moved to  Plainfield,  Illinois,  and  continued  for  three 
years  as  school  principal.  In  1881  he  removed  to  Chi- 
cago, where  he  was  appointed  principal  of  the  Avon- 
dale  School,  and  this  position  he  has  retained  ever  since, 
being  now  one  of  the  oldest  principals  in  point  of  serv- 
ice in  Chicago.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  National 
Education  Association  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Letta  H.  Harding, 
and  they  have  had  six  children,  of  whom  four  daugh- 
ters and  one  son  are  now  living. 


John  H.  Stehman. 


702 


Martin  L.  Smyser 

MR.   SMYSER  has  given  his  energies,  knowledge 
and  ability  in  their  entirety  to  the  cause  of  pub- 
lic education,  and  his  services  have  been  of  the 
most  valuable  and  appreciable  character. 

Mr.  Smyser  comes  of  old  Pennsylvania  stock,  having 
been  born  May  ii,  1872,  at  Wellsville,  Pennsylvania, 
and  his  parents,  Henry  and  Rebecca  Smyser,  were  also 
natives  of  the  Keystone  State.  The  former  is  de- 
ceased, having  died  at  Wellsville  in  August,  1891.  He 
was  given  a  good  public  school  education,  and  after 
attended  Normal  and  the  Pennsylvania  College  at  Get- 
tysburg, Pennsylvania,  graduating  in  1900  with  the  de- 
gree of  B.S.  Two  years  later  he  had  conferred  upon 
him  the  M.S.  degree.  Mr.  Smyser  taught  school  in 
Pennsylvania  three  years ;  in  Worth,  Illinois,  four 
terms,  and  is  now  in  his  seventh  term  at  Palatine,  Illi- 
nois, as  principal  of  the  high  school,  in  which  position 
he  has  made  an  excellent  record  for  executive  ability 
and  the  soundness  of  his  methods.  He  has  six  assist- 
ant teachers  and'  an  enrolment  of  295  pupils. 

Mr.  Smyser  is  a  Mason  and  a  member  of  several  fra- 
ternal organizations,  and  an  attendant  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  In  1894  he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  M. 
Myers,  of  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  two 
sons,  Lynn  M.  and  Donald  C.  Smyser. 

John  Winthrop  Troeger 

MR.  TROEGER  has  had  a  distinguished  career  as 
a  public  worker,  and  all  his  promotions  have  been 
fairly  earned.  In  his  present  incumbency  as  prin- 
cipal of  the  Irving  School,  Lexington  street,  near  Leavitt 
street,  Chicago,  he  has  achieved  marked  success,  the 
departments  Of  instruction  now  being  in  an  admirably 
efficient  condition. 

Mr.  Troeger  was  born  August  20,  1849,  near  Aurora, 
Illinois,  his  parents  being  George  A.  and  Barbara  (Opel) 


John  Winthrop  Troeger. 


Martin  L.  Smyser. 

Troeger,  both  natives  of  Bavaria,  Germany.  His  father 
is  still  living  at  Charles  City,  Iowa,  but  his  mother  died 
in  the  spring  of  1851.  He  was  given  a  primary  educa- 
tion in  the  district  school  at  National,  Iowa,  and  then 
followed  preparatory  and  college  courses  in  Northwest- 
ern College,  Naperville,  Illinois,  with  graduation  in  1875 
and  a  B.  S.  degree.  He  lacked  but  one  major  in  Greek 
of  obtaining  a  B.  A.  degree.  At  the  commencement  of 
the  Northwestern  College,  in  1878,  he  was  granted  the 
honorary  degree  of  A.  M. 

Mr.  Troeger  began  teaching  in  a  district  school  at 
Girard,  Iowa,  in  1869;  then  in  a  similar  school  near 
Streator,  Illinois,  1873-4,  and  again  in  1875-6.  On  Sep- 
tember I,  1876,  he  assumed  charge  of  the  Teachers' 
Institute  and  Classical  Seminary  (chartered),  at  Paw 
Paw,  Illinois ;  from  1881  to  1885  was  superintendent  at 
Blue  Island,  Illinois ;  1885-6,  superintendent  at  Hinsdale, 
Illinois;  1887  to  1893  was  engaged  in  publishing;  in 
1893  was  elected  principal  of  the  Irving  School,  Chicago, 
and  continues  to  efficiently  discharge  the  duties  of  this 
position,  in  which  he  has  sixteen  teachers  and  over  eight 
hundred  pupils  under  his  leadership. 

Mr.  Troeger  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  a  member  of  the  Philosophical  Society, 
American  Historical  Association,  Royal  Round  Table, 
Chicago,  the  National  Geographical  League  and  the 
First  Congregational  Church,  at  La  Grange.  In  April, 
1906,  he  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  Count}''  Super- 
intendent by  the  Prohibition  Party,  and  again  in  1910. 
He  is  the  author  of  a  number  of  valuable  educational 
works,  prominent  among  them  being  "  Troeger  Science 
Book"  (Scott,  Foresman  &  Co.)  and  five  graded  readers 
on  nature-study  subjects  (Harold  Books,  by  Appleton 
&  Co.).  In  1876  Mr.  Troeger  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Rassweiler,  and  they  have  had  three  children, 
Edna  B.  (now  Mrs.  C.  A.  Heppes),  Hazel  and  Harold 
B.  Troeger. 

In  addition  to  the  work  incident  to  teaching,  Mr. 
Troeger  has  worked  out  formulae  and  machinery  for 
manufacturing  several  useful  products,  which  are  pat- 
ented and  are  meeting  with  success  in  their  sale. 


703 


Harry   Taylor 

FOR  almost  two  decades  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
has  been  in  the  public  school  service  of  Illinois, 
and  he  is  well  known  as  an  advanced  scholar  and 
an  exponent  of  progressiveness  in  modern  practical 
methods  of  teaching.  Mr.  Taylor  was  born  on  a  farm 
located  five  miles  from  Harrisburg,  Illinois,  and  his 
preliminary  education  was  secured  in  the  rural  schools 
of  Saline  County,  this  State,  subsequent  to  which  he 
attended  public  school  in  Harrisburg  City,  and  later 
took  courses  in  the  Southern  Illinois  Normal  University 
and  the  University  of  Illinois.  On  beginning  profes- 
sional work  he  first  taught  for  seven  years  in  the  rural 
schools  of  Saline  County,  and  then  became  principal  of 
the  Harrisburg  High  School,  where  he  remained  for 
two  years.  Following  this  he  was  superintendent  of 
Harrisburg  schools  for  four  years,  and  ten  years  ago 
he  was  appointed  to  his  present  position,  principal  of 
the  Harrisburg  Township  High  School,  where  he  has  a 
staflf  of  seven  assistant  teachers  and  an  enrolment  of 
165  pupils. 

Mr.  Taylor  holds  membership  in  numerous  organiza- 
tions, among  them  being  the  National  Education  As- 
sociation, the  State  Educational  Commission,  the  Illinois 
State  Teachers'  Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Reading  Circle,  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association, 
the  Methodist  Church.  He  was  married  in  1894  to  Miss 
Leah  Mitchell,  and  they  have  one  child,  Inglis  Taylor. 


Frank  D.  Thomson 

FOR  a  quarter  century  the  above  named  has  been 
actively  identified  with  the  public  school  system  of 
Illinois  as  an  instructor  and  official,  and  he  has 
given  material  aid  in  promoting  that  system  to  the  high 
plane  of  excellence  which  it  now  maintains.  He  is  a, 
native  of  this  State,  having  been  born  in  Knox  County, 
son    of    Presson    W.    and    Mary    Susannah    (Lapham) 


Frank  D.  Thomson. 


Harry  Taylor. 


Thomson,  both  natives  of  Ohio,  and  descendants  of 
old  pioneer  stock.  He  was  given  his  preliminary  edu- 
cation in  country  schools  and  the  public  schools  of 
Yates  City,  Illinois,  and  later  entered  Knox  College, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1892  with  the  degree  of 
A.B.,  and  in  1895  received  the  A.M.  degree.  He  also 
took  two  years'  post-graduate  work  in  Johns  Hopkins 
University,  Baltimore,  Maryland.  In  1882  Mr.  Thom- 
son began  his  career  as  a  teacher  in  a  country  school 
at  Truro,  Illinois,  and  in  1883  went  to  Douglas,  Illi- 
nois, as  teacher  of  the  public  school,  in  which  capacity 
he  continued  up  to  1886.  From  1890  to  1891  he  was 
principal  of  the  Yates  City  School ;  from  1894  to  1895, 
principal  of  the  Sumner  School,  Peoria,  Illinois ;  then 
became  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Galesburg,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  remained  until  1909.  He  is  now  princi- 
pal of  the  high  school  at  Springfield,  Sangamon  County, 
Illinois.  While  principal  of  the  Galesburg  High  School 
he  made  a  valuable  contribution  to  higii-school  work 
in  developing  and  carrying  out  an  elective  system  of 
studies  which  has  been  called  the  "  Galesburg  plan." 
This  school  was  among  the  first,  if  not  the  first,  to 
give  such  freedom  of  election,  and  the  success  of  the 
plan  under  his  management  has  attracted  the  attention 
of  educators  throughout  the  United  States. 

In  Springfield  he  was  made  director  of  the  first  Boys' 
State  Fair  School,  which  is  designed  to  aflford  an  oppor- 
tunity to  a  select  number  of  boys  from  the  various 
counties  of  the  State  to  attend  a  course  of  lectures  on 
agricultural  topics,  with  the  added  advantage  of  using 
the  state  fair  exhibits  for  the  purpose  of  illustration. 

Mr.  Thomson  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion and  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  of 
which  he  has  been  the  honored  president.  He  was  the 
second  president  of  the  Military  Tract  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation. In  1900  he  was  married  to  Miss  Gertrude  R. 
Chapin,  and  their  home  now  possesses  a  little  daughter, 
Ruth  Thomson. 


704 


Edward  J.  Tobin 

THE  leading  factor  in  the  advancement  of  civiliza- 
tion, to  use  a  well-known  truism,  has  been  educa- 
tion, and  one  of  the  best  systems  of  education 
extant  is  that  found  in  the  United  States.  Our  public 
schools  are  our  proudest  boast,  and  throughout  this 
broad  land  none  i)etter  are  to  be  found  than  those  of 
Illinois,  particularly  Chicago,  where  the  school  system 
is  perfection  itself.  Among  the  prominent  educators  of 
that  city  is  Edward  J.  Tobin,  now  county  superintendent 
of  schools  of  Cook  County.  Mr.  Tobin  is  a  native  of 
Wisconsin,  having  been  born  in  Kenosha,  that  State, 
January  8,  1874,  of  sturdy  Irish  stock,  his  parents  being 
Patrick  and  Alary  Tobin,  both  natives  of  Ireland,  but 
long  residents  of  this  country.  Both  are  deceased,  the 
former  having  died  in  Chicago,  August  14,  1900,  the 
latter  January  28,  1906,  thus  ending  the  careers  of  a  most 
worthy  couple.  Mr.  Tobin's  education  was  secured  in 
country  schools,  the  Kenosha  high  school,  the  Chicago 
Normal  school,  the  University  at  Valparaiso,  Indiana, 
and  Bryant  &  Stratton's  business  college.  He  first  taught 
in  the  Kenosha  high  school,  and  then  became  teacher 
in  a  Chicago  graded  school,  whence,  his  merit  becoming 
recognized,  he  went  to  the  Hayes  school  a»  principal. 
After  serving  there  six  years  he  became  principal  of  the 
Healy  school,  where  he  had  charge  of  twenty-eight 
teachers  and  fifteen  hundred  pupils.  After  five  years' 
service  there  he  resigned  to  enter  upon  his  present  posi- 
tion. He  was  elected,  as  Democratic  candidate  for 
superintendent  of  Cook  County  schools,  in  September, 
1910,  by  a  majority  of  some  twenty-four  thousand  votes, 
running  second  only  to  Peter  Bartzen,  who  received  the 
highest  plurality  of  his  party,  for  the  position  of  County 
Commissioner  of  Cook  County.  Mr.  Tobin  was  elected 
for  a  term  of  four  years  and  assumed  office  on  Decem- 
ber 5,  1910,  his  headquarters  being  in  the  County  Court 
building,  and  his  administration  of  affairs  thus  far  has 
been  eminently  efficient  and  satisfactory. 


Charles  W.  Thompson. 


Edward  J.  Tobin. 


In  July,  1909,  Mr.  Tobin  was  married  to  Miss  Belle 
Padden,  formerly  teacher  in  the  Harrison  school.  They 
have  a  daughter,  Ruth  Marie  Tobin,  now  a  year  old, 
and  reside  at  No.  5609  South  Michigan  avenue. 


Charles  W.  Thompson 

IN  the  roster  of  superintendents  and  principals  of  the 
public  schools  of  Chicago,  honorable  mention  must 
be  accorded  Charles  W.  Thompson,  whose  life  devo- 
tion to  his  profession  has  given  substantial  aid  to  the 
advancement  and  elevation  of  education.  His  learning 
is  deep,  well-rooted,  his  principles  admirable,  his  methods 
liberally  progressive. 

Mr.  Thompson  hails  from  the  South,  having  been  born 
in  historic  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  February  6,  1852, 
son  of  William  L.  and  Priscilla  Thompson,  both  native 
Americans  and  now  deceased,  the  former  having  died 
September  18,  1901,  the  latter  November  6,  1857,  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio.  His  early  education  was  secured  in  the 
ward  schools  of  Cincinnati,  and  this  has  since  been  fol- 
lowed by  constant  "burning  of  the  midnight  oil."  After 
teaching  in  four  country  schools,  he  went  to  Kansas 
City,  Missouri,  and  there,  consecutively,  was  principal 
of  the  Martin  and  Garfield  schools.  His  next  field  of 
labor  was  Chicago,  where  he  became  principal  of  the 
Henry  Clay  School,  and  on  concluding  his  services  there 
was  appointed  principal  of  the  Washburne  School,  his 
present  position,  where  he  has  a  staff  of  forty  teachers 
and  over  sixteen  hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Thompson  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association  and  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation. July  5.  1894,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Harriet 
A.  Stokes,  and  they  reside  at  5329  Indiana  avenue,  Chi- 
cago. 


45 


70S 


Isaac  Harry  Todd 

MR.  TODD  comes  from  Ohio  stock;  his  father, 
Miles  Todd,  and  his  mother,  Eunice  Todd,  both 
being  natives  of  Ohio,  while  he  himself  was 
born  in  Bremen,  Iowa,  May  6,  1863,  and,  after  his  edu- 
cational days  arrived,  he  went  through  all  the  grades 
and  high  school  at  Monmouth,  Illinois,  a  year  at  the 
seminary  at  La  Harpe,  Illinois,  after  which  he  entered 
Ewing  College,  Ewing,  Illinois,  and  was  graduated 
therefrom  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  June, 
1909,  which  he  is  following  up  with  work  on  the  Doc- 
tor of  Philosophy  degree  at  present. 

The  first  school  he  taught  was  in  Kingston,  Iowa,  in 
1877,  after  which  he  taught  in  many  country  schools; 
then  in  the  primary  department  at  Bowen,  Illinois ;  as 
principal  at  Elvaston,  Illinois,  two  years,  and  then  to 
East  St.  Louis  in  1891,  as  principal  of  the  Emerson, 
Monroe,  Irving,  Longfellow,  and  now  at  the  Franklin, 
with  one  school,  twelve  teachers  and  460  pupils  under 
his  charge.  There  were  three  separate  districts  in  the 
city  for  a  while,  and  he  was  superintendent  of  one  of 
them  for  several  years,  until  the  consolidation. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education  Associa- 
tion, the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  the  South- 
ern Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the  St.  Clair  County 
Teachers'  Association,  the  East  St.  Louis  Teachers' 
Association  and  the  St.  Louis  Society  of  Pedagogy,  in 
the  educational  line ;  while  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  Order  —  Scottish  Rite,  thirty-second  degree  — 
a  York  Rite  Knight  Templar  and  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  O.  E.  S.  White  Shrine  of 
Jerusalem,  the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  Elks,  the  Commercial  Club,  the  Orpheus  Club, 
the  Amphion  Club  and  the  St.  Louis  Symphony  Society. 

Mr.  Todd's  father  died  in  La  Harpe,  Illinois,  in  1891, 
and  his  mother  in  Kossuth,  Iowa,  in  1889. 


Isaac  Harry  Todd. 


EsTON  Valentine  Tubes. 


Eston  Valentine  Tubbs 

THROUGH  sheer  merit  and  the  application  of  the 
most  approved  modern  pedagogical  methods,  Mr. 
Tubbs  has  steadily  forged  ahead  to  success  in  the 
educational  field,  and,  being  still  young,  the  future  holds 
many  possibilities  in  store  for  him.  He  is  what  is 
termed  a  "  self-man  man,"  having  through  hard  efforts 
overcome  many  handicaps  and  obstacles  in  order  to 
secure  the  excellent  education  he  possesses.  He  worked 
his  way  through  college  after  marriage,  and  was  father 
of  two  children  before  he  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts. 

Eston  V.  Tubbs  was  born  February  4,  1883,  in 
Hillsboro,  Indiana,  son  of  Daniel  A.  and  Hattie  Tubbs, 
both  natives  of  Indiana  and  both  now  living.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  the  high  school  at 
Rossville,  Illinois,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1902, 
and  then,  taking  a  course  in  the  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity, graduated  therefrom  as  an  A.B.  in  1909.  In  the 
spring  of  1909  he  received  an  appointment  to  a  scholar- 
ship in  the  University  of  Illinois,  which  carried  a  stipend 
of  $250.  Through  post-graduate  work  in  the  University 
of  Illinois  he  secured  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  in 
1910,  his  special  branch  of  study  being  History.  He 
began  teaching  in  a  country  school  near  Alvin,  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  two  years,  next  was  superintendent 
at  Cheneyville,  Illinois,  for  a  year,  after  which  he  took 
up  his  college  work  at  Northwestern  in  the  fall  of  1905. 
Since  1910  he  has  been  principal  of  the  Township  High 
School  at  Lawrenceville,  Illinois,  where  he  has  six 
assistant  teachers  and  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
pupils.  He  is  earnestly  attentive  to  his  duties  and  his 
thoroughness  has  made  his  work  most  effective. 

On  February  24,  1904,  Mr.  Tubbs  was  married  to  Miss 
Vinnie  I.  McAllister  and  they  have  three  children  — 
Edwin.  Dorothy  and  Genevieve. 


706 


Alfred  R.  Urion 

IN  January,  191 1,  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education 
lost  a  valuable  member  and  leader  in  the  resigna- 
tion of  its  president,  Alfred  R.  Urion.  Failing  health 
was  the  cause  of  his  resignation  from  the  position  he 
had  so  conspiciously  honored.  Mr.  Urion  is  a  native 
American,  having  been  born  near  Salem,  New  Jersey, 
son  of  John  and  Alary  Urion,  who  were  also  natives  of 
that  State.  Hi.s  elementary  education  was  obtained  in 
the  common  schools  and  the  Central  high  school  of 
Philadelphia.  Coming  to  Chicago,  he  became  a  promi- 
nent factor  in  civic  affairs  and  has  given  highly  valued 
services  to  the  public.  In  June,  1907,  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education,  and  from 
June,  1909,  to  January,  191 1,  served  as  its  president.  In 
1885  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mabel  Kimball,  of  Carlin- 
ville,  Illinois,  and  they  have  four  children :  Henry, 
Frances,  Alfred  R.  and  Virginia.  They  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  reside  at  839  East  Fortieth 
street,  Chicago. 

Charles  Van  Dorn 

As  a  specimen  of  the  most  progressive,  modern,  up- 
to-date  educator,  a  distinguished  success  has  been 
achieved  by  the  above  named.  He  puts  his  ideas 
into  practical  use  and  has  met  with  the  most  practical 
results.  He  established  the  Sangamon  School  Interests, 
a  monthly  school  journal  having  a  large  circulation  and 
much  influence.  In  the  January,  1906,  issue  of  this 
journal  was  printed  a  lengthy  letter  that  had  previously 
been  written  to  State  Superintendent  of  Public  In- 
struction Alfred  Bayliss  in  response  to  a  circular  letter 
issued  by  the  latter  to  county  superintendents,  asking 
for  their  methods  of  management.  Our  space  forbids 
its  reprint,  but  it  contained  many  excellent  suggestions 
that  had  already  been  carried  out  by  Mr.  Van  Dorn. 
Among  these  were  the  appointment  of  only  such  teach- 
ers as  possessed  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  subjects 
prescribed  by  law;    the  urging  of  school  boards  to  pay 


Charles  Van  Dorn. 


Alfred  R.  Urion. 


teachers  living  salaries ;  the  importance  of  extending 
the  term  of  the  school ;  assisting  teachers  in  their  study 
and  application  of  school  methods ;  the  securing  of 
the  best  talent  for  county  institutes;  the  issuing  of 
"  perfect  attendance  "  certificates  to  pupils ;  the  require- 
ment of  reports  from  teachers  telling  the  condition  of 
their  schools ;  the  beautifying  of  school  buildings  and 
grounds ;  the  establishment  of  school  libraries ;  the 
exhibition  of  schoolwork  at  the  State  Fair ;  the  hold- 
ing of  graduating  exercises  for  pupils  in  the  rural 
schools  who  had  completed  the  common-school  course ; 
the  adoption  of  uniform  text-books  for  the  county 
schools,  and  the  encouragement  of  healthy,  inspiring 
school  spirit. 

Mr.  Van  Dorn  was  born  at  Buffalo  Heart,  Sangamon 
County,  Illinois,  March  21,  1864,  son  of  Hezekiah  Van 
Dorn,  farmer,  now  deceased.  He  was  educated  in  the 
pu1)lic  schools,  graduated  from  high  school  in  and 
took  a  course  at  a  commercial  college  in  Springfield, 
Illinois,  and  has  also  done  a  large  amount  of  private 
study.  He  began  teaching  at  Buffalo  Heart  in  1890, 
was  there  one  year  and  went  thence  to  Williamsville, 
Illinois,  for  four  years.  His  next  school  was  at  Wood- 
side,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  three  years.  In  1898 
he  was  nominated  for  school  superintendent  of  Sanga- 
mon County  and  was  elected,  and  in  1902  was  reelected 
to  this  position,  which  he  very  ably  filled.  In  1903  he 
was  instrumental  in  organizing  the  Illinois  Association 
of  County  Superintendents  of  Schools,  was  its  president 
two  years,  and  has  since  served  on  its  Executive  Com- 
mittee. In  1886  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Miller, 
and  they  have  a  family  of  four  daughters  and  a  son  — 
Inez,  Hulah,  Vera,  Theodore  and  Imo. 

Mr.  Van  Dorn  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Read- 
ing Circle,  the  Masonic  Order,  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  the  Supreme  Court  of  Honor.  He  is  the 
author  of  a  very  practical  booklet,  entitled  "  The  Reci- 
tation and  the  Art  of  Questioning,"  published  Novenl- 
ber,  1911. 


707 


Elbert  Waller,  Ph.B. 

SUPERINTENDENT  OF  SCHOOLS  at  Cobden, 
Illinois,  has  been  actively  engaged  in  schoolwork 
for  eighteen  years,  and  during  that  period  has  be- 
come well  known  in  literary  and  scholastic  circles.  He 
was  born  August  24,  1870,  in  Jackson  County,  this 
State,  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Crawshaw)  Waller, 
both  native  Illinoisans,  the  former  of  whom  died  in 
189T,  the  latter  in  1902,  in  Jackson  County,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Waller  attended  country  schools  until  1888,  and 
then  entered  the  Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  Uni- 
versity, at  Carbondale,  where  he  attended  four  years 
out  of  six,  teaching  in  rural  schools  the  other  two,  and 
was  a  senior  in  1894.  He  then  entered  Evving  College 
and  remained  until  he  was  graduated  with  the  Ph.B. 
degree.  After  a  preliminary  experience  of  four  years 
as  a  teacher  of  a  country  school  in  Jackson  County, 
Mr.  Waller  went  to  Ava,  Illinois,  and  was  teacher  of 
the  grammar  department  there  a  year,  when  he  was 
elected  principal,  serving  in  that  capacity  two  years. 
Since  then  he  has  continuously  held  superintendencies 
of  considerable  prominence.  His  success  is  marked  by 
the  fact  that  he  did  not  change  positions  often,  and 
that  every  year,  except  one,  he  commanded  an  increased 
salary.  He  is  now  superintendent  at  Cobden,  Illinois, 
serving  his  eighteenth  year  in  public  school  work. 

Mr.  Waller  is  a  fluent  speaker  and  has  frequently 
been  called  upon  to  address  teachers'  institutes,  etc., 
and  is  in  demand  as  a  commencement  speaker.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion. Illinois  Historical  Society,  the  Masonic  Order, 
Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Woodmen  and  the  Missionary 
Baptist  Church.  He  was  city  attorney  of  Ava,  Illinois, 
two  years,  at  the  same  time  editor  of  the  Ava  Adver- 
tiser, and  was  a  volunteer  in  the  Spanish-American  War, 
in  1898.  He  is  the  author  of  two  valuable  works,  viz. : 
"Literary  Notes"  (1902)  and  "Waller's  History  of 
Illinois,"  the  latter  of  which  is  perhaps  more  generally 
used  in  the  schools   than  any  other   text  on  the  same 


Harmon  E.  Waits. 


Elbert  Waller,  Ph.B. 

subject.     He  is  now  engaged  in  preparing  a"  work  on 
civics  for  use  in  the  public  schools. 

In  1893  Mr.  Waller  was  married  to  Miss  Maggie  D. 
Clendenin.  They  have  had  four  children,  of  whom  two, 
Willard  W.  and  Howard  Max,  survive. 


Harmon  E.  Waits 

MR.  WAITS  is  widely  and  most  favorably  known 
to  the  school  men  and  women  of  the  Prairie 
State  as  a  thoroughly  accomplished  and  expe- 
rienced educator,  as  well  as  one  who  has  done  much  to 
advance  the  status  of  his  honored  profession.  Faith- 
fully and  efficiently  has  he  served  in  his  public  capacity, 
and  he  has  fully  earned  the  position  now  so  admirably 
filled  by  him. 

Mr.  Waits  was  born  in  Elizabethtown,  Indiana,  son 
of  Reuben  and  Nancy  (McGannon)  Waits,  the  former 
a  native  of  Ohio  and  now  living,  the  latter  a  native  of 
Indiana,  who  died  August  28,  1893,  in  Elizabethtown, 
Indiana.  He  was  educated  in  elementary  schools;  the 
high  school  at  Azalia,  Indiana ;  the  Illinois  State  Nor- 
mal Lfniversity,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1898,  and 
the  University  of  Illinois.  He  graduated  from  the  latter 
in  191 1,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  From 
1893  to  1896  he  was  principal  of  schools  at  Lilly,  Illi- 
nois ;  from  1896  to  1904  was  superintendent  of  schools 
at  West  El  Paso,  Illinois ;  superintendent  at  Peters- 
bur}^,  Illinois,  from  1904  to  1910,  and  since  then  has  been 
superintendent  of  schools  at  Princeton,  Illinois.  There 
he  has  supervision  of  three  schools,  twenty-one  teachers 
and  about  650  pupils. 

Mr.  Waits  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association, 
the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  School- 
masters' Club,  Illinois  Valley  Schoolmasters'  Club,  the 
Masonic  Order,  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  On  August  3,  1898,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Zetta  M.  Bozarth,  and  they  have  one  child,  Juanita. 


708 


Ambrose  Benson  Wight 

PRINCIPAL  of  the  Talcott  School,  located  at  Lin- 
coln and  Ohio  streets,  Chicago,  has  been  identified 
with  the  public  school  service  for  the  past  fourteen 
years,  and  has  been  uniformly  successful  in  all  the 
positions  that  have  been  occupied  by  him.  He  was 
born  October  2,  1871,  at  Marquette,  Wisconsin,  son  of 
Ambrose  S.  and  Elizabeth  (Benson)  Wight,  natives, 
respectively,  of  Chicago  and  Philadelphia,  the  latter  of 
whom  deceased  at  Linden,  Michigan,  in  1891.  He  was 
educated  in  the  village  school  at  Bridgman,  Michigan ; 
the  schools  at  Milan  and  Linden,  Michigan;  the  Alma 
(Mich.)  Preparatory  School;  Alma  College,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1895  as  a  Bachelor  of  Arts ;  the 
Illinois  State  Normal  University  and  the  University  of 
Chicago.  From  1896  to  1897  he  was  principal  of  the 
high  school  at  Monticello,  Illinois ;  1897-98,  principal  of 
the  high  school  at  Nashville,  Illinois ;  from  1898  to 
1902  was  in  charge  of  the  Ryerson  Branch  School ;  for 
four  years  was  principal  of  the  Morse  School,  and  is  at 
the  present  time  principal  of  the  Talcott  School,  where 
he  has  thirt3--nine  teachers  and  an  enrolment  of  four- 
teen hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Wight  has  made'  a  specialty  of  the  work  for  sub- 
normal children,  and  also  the  teaching  of  the  industrial 
arts.  He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Chicago  Principals'  Club,  the  National 
Union  and  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  vvas  married 
in  1906  to  Miss  Alice  Shoyer,  and  they  reside  in  Oak 
Park,  Illinois. 

John  A.  Wadhams 

THE  public  school  system  of  Illinois  has  had  the 
benefit  of  the  services  of  the  above  named  gentle- 
man   for    almost    fifty    years,    and    he    has    given 
valuable  aid  in  promoting  the  many  improvements  that 
have  been  accomplished. 

John  A.  Wadhams  was  born  November   17,   1845,  in 


John  A.  Wadhams. 


Ambrose  Benson  Wight. 


the  Township  of  Bremen,  Cook  County,  Illinois,  and  is 
a  direct  lineal  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest,  most 
prominent  English  families.  Wadhams  College,  at 
Oxford  University,  Oxford,  England,  was  founded  by 
his  progenitors  in  1620,  and  the  coat  of  arms  of  the 
family  may  be  found  in  any  book  of  heraldry  extant. 
His  parents,  both  now  deceased,  were  David  Wadhams, 
native  of  Goshen,  Connecticut,  who  died  October  28, 
1858,  in  Bremen,  Illinois,  and  Rubey  (Crandall)  Wad- 
hams, whose  death  took  place  in  Bremen,  November  i, 
1872. 

After  completing  the  studies  offered  by  the  country 
school  of  Bremen,  Mr.  Wadhams  entered  the  Hillsdale 
College,  Hillsdale,  Michigan,  from  which  he  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  Master  of  Science.  He  then  took  a 
course  in  the  Cook  County  Normal  School  and  grad- 
uated therefrom  with  the  class  of  June,  1872. 

He  began  his  professional  career  in  a  country  school 
in  Bremen,  Illinois,  where  he  taught  from  October,  1869, 
to  June,    1870.     From    September,    1872,  to  June,    1876, 
he  had  a  school  at  Washington  Heights,  Illinois,  from 
September,  1876,  to  June,   1877,  at  Desplaines,  Illinois; 
from  September,  1877,  to  January,  1880,  at  Irving  Park, 
Illinois;    from   September,    1881,   to   February,    1882,   at 
Washington   Heights,  Illinois,  from   February,   1882,  to 
September,  1890,  was  assistant  superintendent  of  schools 
of    Cook    County,    Illinois;     from    September,    1890,    to 
June,  1904,' principal  of  the  Tilton  School,  Chicago,  and 
since   September,    1904,   to    date   he   has   been    principal 
of    the    James    Monroe    School,    corner    Schubert    and 
Monticello  avenues,  where  he  has  a  staff  of  thirty-four 
teachers  and  over  fifteen  hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Wadhams  is  a  member  of  the  National  "Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle,  Alpha 
Kappa  Phi  Fraternity,  Royal  Arcanum,  and  the  Irving 
Park  Reformed  Church.  He  was  married  August  11, 
1875.  to  Miss  Lucinda  Morrell,  now  deceased,  and  his 
second  marriage  was  January  14,  1907,  to  Miss  Susan 
C.  Stevens.    They  reside  at  4008  Lowell  avenue,  Chicago. 


709 


William  Wallis 

MR.  WALLIS  has  had  about  seventeen  years  ex- 
perience as  a  public  educator,  and  his  ability  is 
well  known  and  fully  appreciated.  He  is  a  native 
of  this  State,  having  been  born  in  Collinsville,  June  lo, 
1870,  son  of  William  Wallis,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
Eva  (Hain)  Wallis,  native  of  Ohio.  The  former  died 
March  15,  1901,  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  the  latter  in 
Lebanon,  Illinois,  March  7,  1902.  He  was  educated  in 
the  pul)lic  schools  of  Centralia,  Olney,  Carlyle  and  Ash- 
ley, Illinois,  the  Southern  Illinois  Normal  School  and 
the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  taking  four-year  courses 
in  the  two  last  named.  He  graduated  from  the  Normal 
in  1889.  Jind  from  the  University  in  1894  with  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Science. 

Mr.  Wallis  taught  for  six  months  in  a  school  at  Her- 
rin,  Illinois ;  was  Latin  instructor  in  Charleston,  Illinois, 
one  year ;  principal  of  the  high  school  there  for  seven 
years;  high  school  principal  at  Mattoon,  Illinois,  three 
years ;  high  school  principal  at  Urbana,  Illinois,  one 
year,  and  since  1907  has  been  principal  of  the  high 
school  at  Bloomington,  Illinois,  where  he  has  a  staff  of 
nineteen  teachers  and  an  enrolment  of  about  six  hundred 
pupils. 

Mr.  Wallis  holds  membership  in  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association,  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  As- 
sociation, a  Greek  letter  fraternity,  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Methodist  Church.  On  August  12,  1903, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Clark  and  they  reside  in 
Bloomington,  Illinois. 

Peleg  Remington  Walker 

THIS  gentleman  is  one  of  the  oldest  public  school 
officials    in    Illinois,    having    been    identified    with 
this  branch  of  the  public  service  for  over  half  a 
century.    He  was  born  July  i,  1835,  in  Brooklyn,  Wind- 
ham   County,    Connecticut,   his   parents,   Albert   C.   and 


\ 


Peleg  Remington  Walker. 


William  Wallis. 

Patience  A.  E.  (Remington)  Walker,  being  descend- 
ants of  the  founders  of  Rhode  Island. 

In  early  youth  Mr.  Walker  attended  a  district  school 
and  later  West  Killingly  Academy,  Connecticut,  where 
he  was  preparing  for  college,  when  a  severe  affliction 
of  the  eyes,  continuing  two  years,  compelled  him  to 
relinquish  his  plans.  At  this  time  the  family  moved  to 
Illinois.  Later  he  entered  the  Normal  University  at 
Bloomington,  Illinois,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
July  3,  1861.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Company  K, 
Ninety-second  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry. 
In  a  few  months  he  received  a  commission  as  lieuten- 
ant, and  from  June,  1864,  to  May,  1865,  was  in  com- 
mand of  his  company.  He  was  in  the  "  Army  of  the 
Cumberland,"  in  Wilder's  brigade  of  mounted  infantry, 
in  the  battles  of  Chickamauga  and  Mission  Ridge.  In 
April,  1864,  his  regiment  was  attached  to  General 
Kilpatrick's  division  of  cavalry,  and  had  a  prominent 
part  in  the  advance  on  Atlanta  and  with  Sherman  on 
his  "  March  to  the  Sea,"  and  later  through  the  Caro- 
linas.  He  was  mustered  out  June,  1865,  in  Concord, 
North  Carolina.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic  and  the  Loyal  Legion. 

Mr.  Walker  was  chairman  of  the  Educational  Com- 
mittee on  Normal  Schools  for  six  years,  when  the  last 
Normal  school  bills  were  being  urged  for  legislation. 
As  a  teacher  he  began  in  district  schools  in  Hampton 
and  South  Killingly,  Connecticut ;  later  in  Lindenwood 
and  Byron,  Illinois.  He  was  principal  of  the  Creston 
school  for  eight  years ;  Rochelle,  twelve  years,  and  has 
been  superintendent  of  the  Rockford  schools  twenty-six 
years,  where  he  is  at  present. 

Mr.  Walker  is  an  active  member  of  the  National 
Education  Association.  He  has  been  president  of  the 
State  Teachers'  Association,  the  Northern  Principals' 
Association,  and  is  now  president  of  the  State  Board 
of  Education,  of  which  he  has  been  a  member  twenty- 
seven  years. 

On  August  16,  1865,  he  married  Miss  ]\Iartha  E. 
Webb,  of  LeRoy,  New  York.  The}'  have  a  daughter, 
Miss  Frances  E.  Walker. 


710 


Robert  I.  White 

THE  cause  of  education  has  an  ardent  exponent 
in  the  efficient  superintendent  of  schools  at  Elgin, 
Illinois.  Mr.  White  was  born  June  22,  1874, 
at  Lowell,  Michigan.  His  parents,  Frank  N.  and 
Emma  A.  White,  also  natives  of  INIichigan,  are  both 
still  living.  He  first  studied  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  birthplace,  and  then  attended,  successively,  the 
Albion  College  Preparatory  School,  Northern  Ohio 
University,  Albion  College  and  the  University  of 
Michigan.  He  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Science  from  the  Northern  Ohio  University  in  1896, 
and  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  from  Albion  Col- 
lege, Albion,  Michigan,  in  1902.  Through  post-grad- 
uate work  he  earned  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts 
from  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1903.  He  first 
taught  in  rural  schools  in  Lowell,  Michigan,  two  years ; 
was  principal  of  the  Ward  School,  Lowell,  Michigan, 
one  year ;  was  superintendent  at  Grandville,  Michigan, 
four  vears ;  county  examiner  of  schools,  Kent  County, 
Michigan,  two  years ;  superintendent  of  schools,  Caro, 
Michigan,  two  years ;  superintendent  of  schools,  Cold- 
water,  Michigan,  two  years,  and  is  now  in  his  fourth 
year  as  superintendent  of  schools  at  Elgin,  111.  There 
he  has  charge  of  twelve  elementary  schools,  one  high 
school,  136  teachers. 

Mr.  White  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  Illinois  Sup- 
erintendents' Round  Table,  Illinois  Superintendents' 
Association,  college  and  alumni  associations,  Sigma 
Nu  fraternity  of  Albion  College,  the  Masonic  Order, 
Mystic  Workers.  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Elgin,  Illinois.  In  1896 
Mr.  White  was  married  to  Miss  Fannie  A.  Goodenow, 
of  White  Pigeon,  Michigan.  Mrs.  White  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  I.  J.  and  Alice  Goodenow,  now  of  Detroit,  Mich- 
igan. Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  have  three  children  —  Alice 
Irene,  Robert  I.,  Jr.,  and  Nada  Loraine. 


James  E.  Wooters. 


Robert  I.  White. 


James  E.  Wooters 

THE  ample  experience  of  this  gentleman  as  a  teacher 
has  made  his  services  as  a  public  educator  most 
valuable  and  in  uninterrupted  demand.     In  every 
position  to  which  he  has  been  called  he  has  most  fully 
dernonstrated    his    ability    and   peculiar    fitness    for    the 
position  to  which  he  is  devoting  his  life  energies. 

Mr.  Wooters  was  born  May  28,  1861,  in  Marion 
County,  Illinois,  son  of  E.  T.  and  Julia  F.  Wooters. 
His  father,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  deceased  Octo- 
ber 22,  1899,  and  his  mother,  a  native  of  Ohio,  died 
December  12,  1903,  both  at  Odin,  Illinois.  The  sound 
education  he  possesses  was  acquired  through  studies 
in  the  school  at  Odin,  Illinois;  in  the  country  schools; 
the  Centralia  High  School,  from  which  he  received  a 
diploma;  McKendree  College;  the  National  Normal 
School,  Lebanon,  Ohio;  the  University  of  Chicago; 
the  University  of  Illinois  and  Blackburn  College,  grad- 
uating from  the  latter  in  1908  with  the  degree  of  Bache- 
lor of  Philosophy.  In  his  professional  career  he  taught 
for  three  years  in  country  schools;  the  seventh  grade, 
Monticello,  Illinois,  two  years;  was  principal  at  Cerro 
Gordo,  Illinois,  two  years;  superintendent  at  DuQuoin, 
Illinois,  eight  years;  superintendent  at  Litchfield,  Illi- 
nois, three  years;  superintendent  at  Carlinville,  Illi- 
nois, ten  years,  and  for  the  past  two  years  has  been 
principal  of  the  Township  High  School,  at  Taylorville, 
Illinois,  where  he  has  a  staflf  of  ten  teachers  and  an 
enrolment  of  241  pupils. 

Mr.  Wooters  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  the 
Schoolmasters'  Club,  the  Central  Association  of  Science 
Teachers,  the  Masonic  Order,  Blue  Lodge;  the  Knights 
Templar  and  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  On 
October  3,  1888,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Laura  E. 
]\Iagness,  and  they  have  two  sons,  Leland  M.  and  Nor- 
man E.  Wooters. 


711 


Arba  N.  Waterman 

THIS  veteran  educationalist,  publicist,  soldier  and 
patriotic  citizen,  now  as  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes  would  remark,  "  seventy-four  years 
young."  was  born  February  5.  1836,  in  Greensboro,  Ver- 
mont. His  parents  were  Loring  F.  Waterman  and  Mary 
(Stevens)  Waterman,  both  natives  of  Vermont,  and 
now  deceased,  the  former  having  died  in  1858,  the  lat- 
ter in  1836,  fifteen  days  after  our  subject's  birth.  He 
was  educated  in  district  and  private  schools ;  Johnson, 
Peacham  and  Montpelier  Academies  and  Norwich  (Vt.) 
University,  from  which  he  graduated  with  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1856.  He  was  a  student  in  the 
Albany  Law  School  in  1860-61,  and  in  the  latter  year 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  by  the  Supreme  Court  of 
New  York.  During  the  Civil  War  he  served  as  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel of  the  One  Hundredth  Regiment,  Illinois 
Volunteers,  and  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  was 
wounded  and  his  horse  killed  under  him.  From  1887 
to  1903,  after  years  of  law  practice  in  Chicago,  he 
served  as  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Cook  County, 
Illinois,  and  was  also  assigned  judge  of  the  Appellate 
Court,  First  District  of  Illinois.  In  1892  he  received 
the  honorary  degree  of  LL.D.  from  the  University  of 
Vermont,  and  since  the  latter  year  has  been  Dean  of 
Marshall  Law  School.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Library  Board,  and  has  office  headquarters  at 
No.  734  First  National  Bank  building,  Chicago. 

Judge  Waterman  is  the  author  of  "  A  Century  of 
Caste "  and  "  A  Consideration  of  the  Influences  That 
Have  Made  Chicago  and  the  Prospect  as  to  Its  Future." 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Hamilton,  Irving  and  Literary 
Clubs,  the  Loyal  Legion  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  as  a  public-spirited  citizen  commands  the 
esteem  of  the  entire  community. 


Arba  N.  Waterman. 


Harry  Bruce  Wilson. 


Harry  Bruce  Wilson 

SUPERINTENDENT  of  public  schools  in  Decatur, 
Macon  County,  Illinois,  and  one  of  the  most  highly 
respected  official  instructors  in  his  section,  was  born 
in  Frankfort,  Clinton  County,  Indiana,  and  is  a  son  of 
E.  B.  and  Mary  E.  Wilson,  both  natives  of  Indiana. 
The  father  died  at  Frankfort  in  1897,  his  widow  still 
surviving  and  being  a  resident  of  that  place. 

Harry  B.  Wilson  received  his  primary  mental  train- 
ing in  the  common  schools  of  Clinton  County.  Indiana, 
after  which  he  Successively  attended  the  Indiana  State 
Normal  School,  graduating  with  the  class  of  1895. 
Indiana  University  and  Columbia  both  granted  him 
degrees ;  from  the  former  he  received  the  degree  of 
A.B.,  in  1905;    from  the  latter  M.A.,  1910. 

Beginning  his  work  as  a  teacher  in  the  district  schools 
of  Clinton  County,  Indiana,  in  1891,  and  continuing 
thus  during  the  following  two  years,  Mr.  Wilson  next 
became  principal  of  the  Salem  (Indiana)  High  School, 
and  remained  there  from  1895  to  1897,  at  which  time 
he  was  made  superintendent  of  the  Salem  public 
schools,  serving  thus  until  1902.  On  relinquishing  that 
position  he  became  superintendent  of  the  public  schools 
in  Franklin,  Indiana,  holding  this  office  until  1907,  when 
he  assumed  his  present  duties  in  Decatur. 

Mr.  Wilson  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  Cen- 
tral Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  National  Society  for 
the  Study  of  Education,  Society  for  the  Promotion  of 
Industrial  Education.  He  is  connected  fraternally  with 
the  Decatur  Club  and  the  Masonic  Order.  He  has  held 
the  presidency  of  the  Town  and  City  Superintendents' 
Association  of  Indiana,  and  was  chairman  of  the  Execu- 
tive  Committee,  Central   Illinois  Teachers'  Association. 

On  June  16,  1896,  Mr.  Wilson  was  married  to  Maude 
Barnes,  and  they  have  two  children  —  Dean  Bruce  and 
Harriet  Maude.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church. 


712 


Harriet  N.  Winchell 

THIS  lady  has  achieved  an  enviable  record  and 
reputation  as  an  expert,  competent  member  of  the 
public  school  teaching  fraternity,  and  her  long  suc- 
cess shows  in  unmistakable  terms  that  her  selection 
of  a  vocation  was  a  most  felicitous  one.  She  has  ever 
been  a  faithful  student,  and  her  artistic  and  literary 
inclinations  have  had  marked  efifect  upon  her  colleagues 
and  pupils.  She  is  well  known  as  a  pioneer  worker  in 
manual  training  and  domestic  science. 

Miss  Winchell  is  a  native  Illinoisan,  having  been  born 
in  Northfield,  Cook  County,  July  28,  1845,  daughter  of 
Milo  Winchell,  native  of  New  York  State,  who  de- 
ceased Septemljer  27,  1879,  ^"tl  Margaret  (Edwards) 
Winchell,  of  Philadelphia,  whose  demise  occurred  Jan- 
uary 9,  1892.  Her  early  education  was  received  in  a 
district  school  at  Northfield,  Illinois,  and  the  Washing- 
ton School,  Chicago,  from  which  she  went  to  the  Chi- 
cago Normal  School,  graduating  in  1864.  She  first 
taught  in  the  Newberry  School,  next  in  the  Washington 
School,  and  in  1867  went  to  the  Elizabeth  Street  School, 
becoming  its  principal  in  1869,  and  this  position  she 
has  ever  since  retained,  though  the  school's  name  has 
since  changed  to  its  present  title.  She  has  a  corps  of 
twenty-two  teachers,  over  one  thousand  pupils,  and 
every  department  is  in  an  admirable  state  of  efficiency. 

Miss  Winchell  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  President  of  the  Ella  F.  Young 
Club,  Vice-President  the  Chicago  Principals'  Associa- 
tion and  the  Chicago  Normal  Alumni  Association, 
Chairman  of  the  Educational  Department  of  the  West 
End  Women's  Club  at  the  time  of  its  organization,  and 
her  place  of  worship  is  the  American  Reformed  Church, 
Norwood  Park,  her  residence  in  the  park  being  at  133 
East  Circle  Avenue. 


Harriett  N.  Winchell. 


Horatio  L.  Wait 


Horatio  L.  Wait. 


IT  is  a  high  honor  to  be  appointed  a  member  of  the 
Lilirary  Board  of  Chicago,  and  that  body  is  com- 
posed of  prominent  representative  citizens,  having 
at  heart  the  best  interests  of  the  community.  One  to 
receive  this  honor  within  the  past  year  is  Horatio 
Loomis  Wait,  who  has  had  a  long  and  most  creditable 
career  in  public  afifairs. 

Mr.  Wait  was  born  August  8,  1836,  in  New  York  city, 
son  of  Joseph  and  Harriet  Heileman  (Whitney)  Wait, 
I)oth  natives  of  Vermont,  and  now  deceased,  the  former 
having  died  in  New  York  in  1872,  the  latter  in  Chicago 
in  1877.  He  was  educated  in  Trinity  School  and  Colum- 
bia Grammar  School,  New  York ;  went  to  Chicago  in 
1856,  and  taught  for  eight  years  in  the  Chicago  Law 
School.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1870  and 
served  as  Master  in  Chancery  of  the  Circuit  Court 
of  Cook  County,  Illinois.  He  was  given  the  honorary 
degree  of  LL.D.  by  the  Chicago  Law  School. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  in  1861  Mr.  Wait 
enlisted  in  Company  D,  Sixtieth  Illinois  Infantry,  but 
later  became  paymaster  with  rank  of  Master  in  the 
United  States  navy.  He  served  under  Admirals  Farra- 
gut  and  Duponf  in  blockading  Savannah,  Pensacola  and 
Mobile,  and  Admiral  Dahlgren's  flagship  at  the  bom- 
bardment of  Fort  Sumter  and  the  siege  of  Charleston ; 
on  the  United  States  steamship  Ino,  after  the  war,  in 
the  European  squadron ;  he  was  promoted  to  paymaster 
with  rank  of  lieutenant-commander  in  1865,  and  per- 
formed various  duties  up  to  1870,  when  he  resigned. 
He  is  Dean  of  the  Chicago  Law  School,  a  member  of 
the  Illinois  State  Bar  Association,  the  Chicago  Literary 
Club  and  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church,  Chicago.  Mr. 
Wait  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Illinois  Naval 
Reserves  in  1893,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Char- 
ity Organization  Society,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
was  superintendent  of  the  Tyng  Mission  Sunday-school. 


713 


Arthur  Warren  Willis 

THE  status  of  the  schools  of  Galesburg,  Illinois,  is 
on  a  plane  equal  to  that  of  any  other  city  in  the 
State,  a  high  degree  of  excellence  being  maintained 
in  all  the  various  grades  and  departments.  Among  the 
talented  pedagogues  in  control  there  is  Arthur  Warren 
Willis,  principal  of  the  Galesburg  High  School,  a  posi- 
tion his  experience,  training  and  natural  ability  emi- 
nently qualify  him  to  fill  in  the  most  efficient  and  sat- 
isfactory manner. 

Mr.  Willis  is  a  native  of  this  State,  having  been  born 
in  Woodhull,  Illinois,  November  19,  1874,  son  of  Josiah 
Warren  Willis,  a  native  of  Rochester,  New  York,  and 
Frances  (Camp)  Willis,  native  of  Springfield,  Illinois. 
The  latter  is  still  living,  while  the  former  is  deceased, 
his  death  occurring  on  December  18,  1903,  in  Galesburg. 

Mr.  Willis  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  the 
high  school  at  Woodhull,  Illinois,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1890,  and  in  Knox  Academy  and  Knox  Col- 
lege, graduating  from  the  latter  in  1900. with  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Arts. 

From  1901  to  1904  he  taught  in  the  high  school  at 
Argenta,  Illinois ;  from  1904  to  1906,  in  the  high  school 
at  Oneida,  Illinois ;  from  1906  to  1909,  in  the  high  school 
at  Galesburg,  Illinois,  and  since  the  latter  year  he  has 
been  principal  of  the  Galesburg  High  School,  in  which 
capacity  he  has  svipervision  over  thirty  teachers  and  ']']^ 
pupils.  He  exercises  discipline  of  the  most  advanta- 
geous character,  and  his  management  of  aflfairs  has  ever 
been  marked  with  ability  and  efficiency. 

Mr.  Willis  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Association, 
the  Illinois  Schoolmasters'  Cub,  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  Presbyterian  Church.  On  June  30,  1908,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  G.  Monica  Olsen,  and  they  have  a 
daughter,  Marian  Elizabeth  Willis.  Their  home  is  at 
564  North  Seminary  street,  Galesburg. 


Arthur  Warren  Willis. 


Eugene  Alonzo  Wilson. 


Eugene  Alonzo  Wilson 

SUPERINTENDENT  OF  SCHOOLS  at  Berwyn, 
Illinois,  has  long  been  engaged  in  educational  work, 
and  is  known  as  a  most  proficient  disciplinarian  and 
instructor.  He  follows  closely  all  advances  made  along 
educational  lines,  and  adopts  all  methods  that  appear 
to  him  feasible  and  likely  to  produce  beneficial  results. 

Eugene  Alonzo  Wilson  was  born  at  Ridgeway,  Mich- 
igan, son  of  William  R.  and  Mary  A.  Wilson,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  New  York,  who  deceased  February  9, 
1903 ;  the  latter  a  native  of  Sidney,  Maine,  and  still 
living.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  school  of  his 
birthplace ;  the  high  school  at  Tecumseh,  Michigan, 
from  which  he  graduated ;  also  the  State  Normal  Col- 
lege, at  Ypsilanti,  Michigan,  graduating  therefrom  in 
1899  with  the  degree  of  M.  Pd. ;  and  the  University  of 
Chicago,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1906  with  the 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  He  first  taught  school  at 
Mount  Pleasant,  Michigan ;  next  at  Tecumseh,  Mich- 
igan ;  then,  successively,  at  Vassar,  Michigan,  Paw 
Paw,  Michigan,  and  Benton  Harbor,  Michigan;  he 
then  assumed  his  present  position  as  superintendent  at 
Berwyn,  Illinois,  where  he  has  thirty-five  assistants  and 
about  a  thousand  pupils. 

Mr.  Wilson  is  an  ex-member  of  the  Michigan  State 
Teachers'  Association,  was  Commissioner  of  Schools  in 
Lenawee  County,  Michigan,  and  a  member  of  the  State 
Board  of  Education,  Michigan,  from  1892  to  1898,  and 
he  is  now  an  active  member  of  the  National  Education 
Association,  the  Cook  County  Teachers'  Association, 
the  Chapter,  Commandery  and  Shrine  of  the  Masonic 
Order,  and  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
was  married  in  1882  to  Miss  Kittie  G.  Fessenden,  and 
they  have  two  children,  Harriet  Mary  and  William  Fes- 
senden Wilson. 


714 


William  W.  Woodbury 

FOR  about  a  third  of  a  century  the  public  school  serv- 
ice has  had  the  benefit  of  Mr.  Woodbury's  talents. 
During  that  period  of  public  duty  the  splendid  work 
performed  by  him  has  been  most  beneficial  for  the  uplift 
of  popular  education. 

William  W.  Woodbury  was  born  in  La  Salle  County, 
Illinois,  his  parents  being  John  H.  and  Laura  A.  Wood- 
bury, natives,  respectively,  of  New  York  and  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  former  of  whom  is  still  living  at  Shabbona, 
this  State,  while  the  latter  has  been  deceased  since  1891. 
His  education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  Illi- 
nois, the  Teachers'  Institute  and  Classical  Seminary,  at 
Paw  Paw,  Illinois,  and  in  special  work  at  the  University 
of  Wisconsin  and  the  University  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Wood- 
bury taught  for  ten  years  in  district  schools,  and  for  the 
past  twenty-three  years  has  been  stationed  at  Sandwich, 
Illinois,  where  for  the  first  six  years  he  was  principal 
of  the  grammar  school,  and  for  the  last  seventeen  years 
has  been  superintendent  of  schools.  He  has  a  staff  of 
fifteen  assistants,  an  enrolment  of  five  hundred  pupils, 
and  he  commands  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  both  his 
colleagues  and  students. 

Mr.  Woodbury  is  a  member  of  the  Northern  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association,  secretary  of  the  Sandwich  Board 
of  Education  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
where  he  holds  the  position  of  Ruling  Elder.  He  was 
married  June  26,  1895,  to  Miss  Nellie  G.  Forsyth,  and 
they  have  two  sons,  Kenneth  F.  and  G.  Coleman  Wood- 
bury, and  a  daughter,  Bernice  Marjorie  Woodbury. 

Phineas  Lawrence  Windsor 

THE  library  and  library  school  of  the  University  of 
Illinois,  at  Urbana,  is  recognized  as  being  one  of 
the  best  of  the  kind  in  the  United  States,  and 
has  as  its  librarian  and  director  Phineas  Lawrence 
Windsor,  an  authority  in  bibliographical  science.  This 
library  school  has  four  instructors  and  about  forty  stu- 
dents, and  nearly  all  of  its  four  hundred  former  stu- 
dents are  now  working  in  American  libraries.  It  is  a 
professional  school  on  a  graduate  basis,  a  college  degree 
being- required  for  entrance.  The  library  numbers  two 
hundred  thousand  volumes,  selected  to  aid  the  work  of 
the  university.  The  librarian,  Mr.  Windsor,  is  a  native 
of  this  State,  having  been  born  February  21,  1871,  in 
Chenoa,  Illinois,  son  of  Rev.  John  A.  Windsor,  a  native 
of  Maryland,  now  living,  and  Amy  (Arnold)  Windsor, 
native  of  Ohio,  who  died  in  1871. 

Mr.  Windsor  prepared  for  college  in  a  public  school 
in  Sparland,  Illinois,  and  in  the  Academy  of  the  North- 
western University,  in  Evanston,  Illinois.  He  entered 
the  College  of  Liberal  Arts,  Northwestern  University, 
in  September,  1891,  and  graduated  therefrom  in  1895 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy.  He  also 
studied  for  two  years  in  the  New  York  State  Library 
School  at  Albany,  New  York,  and  one  year  in  the 
Albany  Law  School.  He  was  assistant  in  the  New  York 
State  Library  for  a  year,  was  an  assistant  in  the  Copy- 
right office.  Library  of  Congress,  Washington,  D.  C,  for 
three  years ;  librarian  of  the  University  of  Texas,  Aus- 
tin, Texas,  for  six  years ;  and  for  the  past  two  years  has 
been  librarian  and  director  of  the  library  school,  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois. 

Mr.  Windsor  has  officiated  as  editor  of  the  "  Hand- 
book of  Texas  Libraries,"  is  one  of  the  editors  of  the 
"  Manual  of  American  Library  Economy,"  and  has  also 
been  a  contributor  to  library  periodicals.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Council  of  the  American  Library  Association, 
the  Bibliographical  Society  of  America,  the  Delta  Tau 
Delta  fraternity,  the  University  Club  of  Urbana,  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  is  chairman  (1911)  of 
the  professional  training  section,  American  Library  As- 
sociation. On  January  i,  1902,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Margaret  Fursman  Boynton,  of  Lockport,  New  York, 
and  they  have  three  children,  Margaret,  Mary  Frances 
and  Elizabeth  Arnold  Windsor. 


William  W.  Woodbury. 


Harvey  T.  White 

GREENE  COUNTY  possesses  many  of  the  best- 
trained  and  best-equipped  educators  in  the  State 
of  Illinois,  and  to  this  is  due  the  high  status  of 
the  schools  in  operation  in  that  county.  Roodhouse 
presents  its  able  representative  in  Mr.  Harvey  T.  White, 
superintendent  of  schools,  who  is  an  instructor  of  sound 
experience  and  tried  capacity,  one  who  maintains  the 
departments  under  his  charge  at  the  highest  state  of 
efficiency  and  usefulness. 

Mr.  White  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  having  been  born 
at  Carrollton,  March  25,  1869.  His  father,  J.  C.  White, 
a  native  of  Oneida  County,  New  York,  died  at  Carroll- 
ton,  August  5,  1898;  his  widow,  Mary  Agnes  (Trimble) 
White,  born  in  Greene  County,  Illinois,  resides  at  Car- 
rollton. After  passing  through  all  the  elementary  grades 
Mr.  White  attended  the  high  school  at  Carrollton  four 
years  and  graduated  in  1887.  In  1890-91  and  the  sum- 
mer term  of  1891  he  studied  at  the  Illinois  State  Normal 
University  high  school  at  Normal,  Illinois.  As  teacher, 
his  experience  covers  three  years  in  rural  schools  in 
Green  County,  Illinois ;  five  years  as  principal  of  the 
high  school  at  Roodhouse,  Illinois,  and  eleven  years  as 
superintendent  of  city  schools  at  Roodhouse,  his  pres- 
ent position,  in  which  he  has  charge  of  two  school 
buildings,  thirteen  teachers  and  about  five  hundred 
pupils.  He  also  served  as  county  superintendent  of 
schools  of  Greene  County  from  1894  to  1898. 

Mr.  White  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association,  Illinois'  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle, 
Greene  County  Teachers'  Association,  Four-County 
Teachers'  Association  (Pike,  Scott,  Morgan  and 
Greene)  and  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  De- 
cember 24,  1901  he  was  married  to  Miss  Annie  Smith, 
of  Carrollton,  Illinois,  and  they  have  three  children, 
Orville,  Lester  and  Gratia. 


715 


Minnie  Mallory  Wrisley 

FOR    more    than    a    quarter    century    a    conspicuous 
position  in  the  educational  world  has  been  held  by 
the  subject   of  this  sketch,  whose   scholastic   worth 
and  executive  ability  have  long  been  recognized  by  her 
colleagues  and  the  public. 

Mrs.  Wrisley  was  born  April  22,  1858,  in  Canton, 
New  York,  her  parents  being  Ransom  Collins  Mallory 
and  Welthy  Jane  (Hill)  Mallory,  both  natives  of  Can- 
ada. The  former  died  in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  in 
1897,  the  latter  in  Canton,  New  York,  in  1885.  Mrs. 
Wrisley  is  the  possessor  of  a  superior  education,  which 
was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  Canton,  New 
York,  Canton  Academy,  the  high  school  at  Hermon, 
New  York,  from  which  she  graduated  in  1875,  and  the 
Potsdam  Normal  School,  Potsdam,  New  York,  gradu- 
ating from  the  latter  in  1882.  Under  private  tutorship 
she  has  also  done  much  work  toward  securing  a  col- 
lege degree. 

Mrs.  Wrisley  taught  in  the  schools  of  St.  Lawrence 
County,  New  York,  western  Massachusetts  and  Minne- 
apolis, Minnesota.  Going  to  Chicago  in  1892  she  began 
work  there  in  the  Louis  Nettlehorst  School,  was  made 
head  assistant  in  the  Thomas  School  in  1897,  head 
assistant  in  the  Wells  School  in  1906,  and  since  October, 
1910,  has  been  principal  of  the  Hancock  School,  located 
at  Princeton  avenue  and  Swann  street,  where  she  has 
eleven  teachers  and  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  pupils. 
Her  methods  are  progressive,  and  such  as  to  promote 
the  best  inter'fests  of  the  pupils  under  her  management, 
whose  confidence  and  respect  she  is  given  in  the  fullest 
degree,  and  her  standing  in  educational  circles  is  of 
the  highest,  most  commendable  character. 

In  1885  Mrs.  Wrisley  was  married  to  Henry  W. 
Haile,  who  died  in  the  same  year,  and  in  1889  to  Arial 
W.  Wrisley,  deceased  in  1909.  She  now  resides  at 
3753  Maple  Square  avenue,  Chicago. 

Isaac  H.  Yoder 

To  the  veterans  in  the  public  school  service  in  Illi- 
nois who  have  given  such  unselfish  devotion  to  their 
self-imposed  task  of  educating  the  youth  of  this 
State,  too  much  credit  can  not  be  given.  When  they 
entered  the  field  conditions  were  somewhat  crude  and  in 
vast  contradistinction  to  conditions  that  exist  to-day.  To 
them  all  praise !  Among  these  educational  field  veterans 
the  name  of  Isaac  H.  Yoder  is  prominent  and  his  work 
has  deservedly  gained  appreciation.  His  reputation  is 
secure,  as  it  was  won  through  earnest  eflfort  and  with  a 
full  knowledge  of  the  difficulty  of  his  task. 

Isaac  H.  Yoder  was  born  May  6,  1852,  in  McLean 
County,  Illinois,  sort  of  Elias  and  Lydia  (Plank)  Yoder, 
both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the  former  of  whom  de- 
ceased January  22,  1875,  the  latter  in  February,  1858,  in 
McLean  County,  Illinois.  He  attended  country  schools 
up  to  the  age  of  eighteen,  entered  the  Illinois  State  Nor- 
mal University  in  1870,  from  which  he  finally  graduated 
in  1885.  and  during  the  interim  taught  school  in  order 
to  pay  his  expenses.  Post-graduate  work  and  constant 
private  study  have  added  greatly  to  his  store  of  knowl- 
edge, and  in  his  special  studies  —  history  and  the  Eng- 
lish language  —  he  is  an  acknowledged  adept. 

Mr.  Yoder  first  taught  in  country  schools  for  seven- 
teen years ;  was  principal  at  Chenoa,  Illinois,  for  two 
years ;  principal  at  Piper  City,  Illinois,  three  years ; 
principal  at  Loda,  Illinois,  three  years ;  principal  at  Wel- 
lington, Illinois,  four  years ;  principal  at  Carlock,  Illi- 
nois, three  years ;  principal  at  Ellsworth,  Illinois,  one 
year,  and  for  over  two  years  has  been  superintendent  at 
McLean,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Yoder  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Reading  Circle,  the  Central  Illinois  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, the  Modern  Woodmen  and  the  Christian  Church. 
On  April  8,  1875,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Mc- 
Gavack,  and  they  have  six  children  —  Joy  O.,  Fuller, 
Carl  H.,  Ralph,  Mary  A.  and  Lee  O. 


Lawson  Grant  Yenerich. 

Mrs.  Yoder  was  a  teacher  at  the  time  of  their  mar- 
riage. Of  their  children,  three  have  followed  in  the 
footsteps  of  their  parents,  having  taught  for  a  number  of 
years. 

Lawson  Grant  Yenerich 

MR.  YENERICH,  as  his  name  would  indicate,  is 
of  German  descent,  his  father  having  been  born 
in  the  Fatherland,  whence  he  came  to  this  coun- 
try, and  in  Illinois  met  his  future  wife,  her  birthplace 
having  been  here,  and,  in  the  State  of  the  father's 
adoption,  J.  G.  Yenerich  and  Margaret  Kraemer,  also 
of  German  descent,  were  married,  both  of  them  still 
living. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Mendota, 
Illinois,  July  27,  1875,  and  received  his  primary  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  Lee  and  La  Salle  counties,  and 
went  from  the  rural  schools  to  Dixon  College,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1900  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Science,  then  entered  the  University  of  Chi- 
cago, and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1904  with  A.B. 
attached  to  his  name. 

He  did  half  a  year's  post-graduate  work  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago,  and  then  began  teaching  in  the 
rural  schools  of  La  Salle  Covmty,  his  work  there  being 
in  1898  and  1899,  and  then  he  taught  in  the  rural  schools 
of  Lee  County  in  1899,  1900  and  1901.  He  then  became 
principal  of  Washington  School,  Centralia,  Illinois, 
being  engaged  there  from  1904  to  1906,  in  which  latter 
year  he  changed  his  field  of  work  to  the  Lincoln  School, 
at  Ottawa,  in  which  he  has  been  principal  ever  since, 
with  fifteen  teachers  and  650  pupils  in  his  care. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Reading  Circle  and 
the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association,  and  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  Order. 

He  married  Miss  Clara  Dittmar  in  1905,  and  they 
have  one  child  —  Muriel  Imogene  Yenerich. 


716 


Henry  Charles  Zeis 

MR.  ZEIS  is  American  born,  as  were  his  father 
and  mother  before  him ;  and  Illinois  was  the 
birthplace  of  the  yoimger  Zeis,  Waterloo  having 
been  the  scene  of  his  first  appearance  on  earth,  and 
July  24,  1885,  the  date  of  his  birth ;  his  father's  name 
having  been  Lorenz  Zeis,  and  his  mother's,  Catherin. 

Young  Zeis  began  his  education  in  the  Martini  Dis- 
trict School,  in  Monroe  County,  Illinois,  following  it 
up  in  the  Waterloo  High  School.  After  leaving  high 
school  he  taught  in  the  Schroeder  School,  District  No. 
7,  Monroe  County,  Illinois,  for  five  years,  when  he 
entered  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1910.  After  a  post-graduate 
course  in  the  university,  he  took  up  teaching  as  a  pro- 
fession and  was  stationed  at  Highland,  Illinois,  where 
he  is  teaching  at  present,  being  principal  of  the  high 
school  there,  with  three  teachers  and  forty  pupils  under 
his  jurisdiction. 

Mr.  Zeis  is  a  member  of  the  Madison  County  Teach- 
ers' Association,  and  is  a  communicant  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  His  special  branches  of  study,  in 
which  he  is  very  proficient,  are  mathematics  and  Ger- 
man. 


Jaroslav  J.  Zmrhal 

PRINCIPAL  of  the  Davis  School,  Chicago,  though 
one  of  the  younger  of  those  holding  this  position, 
is  one  of  the  most  accomplished  and  progressive 
educators  and  enjoys  a  high  degree  of  popularity.  He 
was  born  in  Czaslau,  Bohemia,  August  29,  1878,  son  of 
Aloisius  and  Marie  Zmrhal,  both  native  Bohemians,  the 
former  of  whom  died  September  27,  1901,  and  is  sur- 
vived by  his  widow.     He  received  his  early  education 


Jaroslav  J.  Zmrhal. 


Henry  Charles  Zeis. 


in  the  grammar  schools  of  his  birthplace,  of  which  he 
is  a  graduate ;  Lake  High  School,  Chicago,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1896;  the  University  of  Illinois  and 
University  of  Chicago,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1905  with  the  degree  of  Ph.B.  He  also  took  a  course 
in  the  Chicago  Normal  School,  under  Col.  Francis 
Parker,  and  graduated  therefrom  in  1899. 

Mr.  Zmrhal  first  taught  in  the  Farragut  School,  Chi- 
cago. In  1905  he  was  elected  principal  of  the  Edgar 
Allen  Poe  School,  and  went  thence  to  his  present  posi- 
tion as  principal  of  the  Davis  School,  where  he  has 
thirteen  teachers  and  over  six  hundred  pupils. 

Mr.  Zmrhal  has  written  many  poems  and  special  arti- 
cles for  newspapers  and  magazines.  He  is  also  a  settle- 
ment worker  and  lecturer  for  the  Chicago  Daily  News 
and  the  Society  of  Colonial  Dames  of  Chicago.  In 
November,  1902,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Agnes  Palma, 
and  they  have  two  children  —  Jaroslav  Daniel  and  Vera 
Zmrhal. 

At  present  Mr.  Zmrhal  is  working  in  the  University 
for  the  degree  of  Ph.D.,  his  major  being  literature.  He 
is  also  busy  translating  some  of  the  masterpieces  of 
Bohemian  literature  into  English,  and  preparing  a  vol- 
ume of  Bohemian  verses  and  stories  for  children.  These 
productions,  according  to  continental  critics,  are  unsur- 
passed. Work  by  Zeyer,  the  Bohemian  de  Maupassant, 
will  appear  first.  Zeyer's  works  have  been  translated 
into  French  and  German,  and  the  English-speaking  pub- 
lic will  have  the  good  fortune  of  becoming  acquainted 
with  this  unique  master. 

Mr.  Zmrhal  has  been-active  in  civic  affairs,  is  one  of 
the  leaders  of  his  people  in  Chicago,  and  has  done 
much  toward  uplifting  the  political  status  of  the  city. 
He  has  addressed  audiences  as  large  as  eight  thousand 
people,  and  jhis  speeches  have  been  printed  verbatim 
in  all  Bohemian  daily  papers.  He  is  a  young  man  of 
great  promise  and  the  public  is  certain  to  hear  more 
of  him. 


717 


Arvid  P.  Zetterberg 

AMONG  the  younger  generation  of  instructors  en- 
gaged in  the  public  school  service  of  the  Prairie 
State,  an  honored  position  is  occupied  by  Mr. 
Zetterberg,  the  efficient  and  highly  popular  superintend- 
ent of  schools  at  Avon,  Illinois.  He  is  an  excellent 
scholar,  and  through  constant  study  is  steadily  increas- 
ing his  store  of  knowledge  and,  consequently,  his  use- 
fulness. 

Arvid  P.  Zetterberg  was  born  August  21,  1882,  in 
Galesburg,  Illinois,  son  of  P.  and  Hannah  Zetterberg, 
natives  of  Sweden,  the  former  of  whom  deceased  in 
Atlantic,  Iowa,  in  1900,  while  the  latter  is  still  living, 
and  resides  in  Galesburg.  He  was  educated  in  the  ele- 
mentary and  secondary  schools  of  his  birthplace,  also 
the  Galesburg  High  School,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated with  honor  in  1900,  and  he  also  took  a  course 
in  Knox  College,  graduating  with  honors  therefrom  in 
1905  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  Later  he 
performed  post-graduate  work  in  the  same  institution. 
From  September,  1905,  to  June,  1910,  Air.  Zetterberg 
was  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  the  Galesburg  High 
School,  and  since  September,  1910,  has  been  superin- 
tendent of  the  graded  and  high  schools  of  Avon,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  has  eight  teachers  and  175  pupils.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, the  Illinois  Schoolmasters'  Club,  the  Fulton  County 
Schoolmasters'  Club  and  Teachers'  Association  and  the 
Congregational  Church.  In  literary  work  he  officiated 
as  editor  of  the  Knox  College  Annual,  was  associate 
editor  of  the  College  Weekly,  took -part  in  public  speak- 
ing and  debate  and  was  supervisor  of  the  Galesburg 
high  school  annuals  and  weekly,  and  coached  the  debat- 
ing teams  of  the  school  without  a  defeat.  In  these 
different  positions  he  has  performed  much  creditable 
work. 


Arvid  P.  Zetterberg. 


John  Kay  Stableton. 


John  Kay  Stableton 

MR.  STABLETON  has  made  an  honorable,  most 
creditable  record  in  the  public  school  service  of 
this  State  and  he  is  held  in  deserved  esteem  in 
scholastic  circles.  He  is  well  known  as  the  author  of 
the  "  Diary  of  a  Western  Schoolmaster,"  and  has  con- 
tributed numerous  valuable  and  interesting  articles  to 
educational  journals. 

John  Kay  Stableton  was  born  January  14,  1858,  in 
Manchester,  Ohio,  son  of  David  W.  and  Mary  D.  Stable- 
ton,  natives,  respectively,  of  Georgetown  and  Manches- 
ter, Ohio.  Both  are  deceased,  the  former  having  died 
May  18,  1877,  the  latter  September  3,  1904,  in  Manches- 
ter, Ohio.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Manchester  and  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  gradu- 
ating from  the  latter  in  1882  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Science,  and  in  1886  received  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts  from  that  institution.  Later  he  performed  post- 
graduate work  in  Harvard  College. 

Mr.  Stableton  was  principal  of  schools  in  Aberdeen, 
Ohio,  one  year ;  principal  in  Central  City,  Nebraska, 
two  years ;  professor  of  mathematics  in  Central  College, 
Nebraska,  four  years ;  school  superintendent  at  Charles- 
ton, Illinois,  three  years,  and  for  the  past  ten  years 
has  been  superintendent  of  schools  at  Bloomington.  He 
has  under  his  supervision  eleven  schools,  one  hundred 
and  twelve  teachers  and  four  thousand  pupils,  and 
through  his  management  the  schools  have  attained  a 
high  standard  of  excellence. 

Mr.  Stableton  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tion Association,  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, Illinois  Schoolmasters'  Club  and  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  he  resides  at  in  East  Locust 
street,  Bloomington, 


718 


James  Herman  Yarbrough 

SCHOOL  SUPERINTENDENT  at  O'Fallon,  Illi- 
nois, an  excellent  scholar  and  a  thoroughly  capable, 
experienced  educator,  was  born  August  6,  1873,  in 
Dixon,  Webster  County,  Kentucky,  son  of  D.  C.  and 
Mary  Susan  Yarbrough,  both  natives  of  North  Carolina, 
the  former  still  living,  while  the  latter  deceased  at 
Dixon,  Kentucky,  August  15,  1881.  He  studied  in  the 
common  schools;  the  Poseyville  (Ind.)  High  School; 
the  Madisonville  (Ky.)  Classical  Institute;  Kentucky 
University,  and  the  Southern  Normal  School  (now  the 
Western  Kentucky  State  Normal),  from  which  he 
graduated  in  July,  1906,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Science.  Before  going  to  his  present  position,  Mr. 
Yarbrough  taught  in  schools  at  Nebo,  De  Koven  and 
Grove  Center,  all  in  Kentucky.  In  his  present  incum- 
bency he  has  a  staff  of  eleven  assistants,  about  six 
hundred  pupils,  and  excellently  equipped  schools,  where 
the  best  of  discipline  is  maintained. 

Mr.  Yarbrough  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  County 
Teachers'  Examining  Board,  Union  County,  Kentucky, 
also  was  chairman  of  the  County  Educational  Committee 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  the 
Kentucky  State  Teachers'  Association,  the  Masonic 
Order  and  the  Church  of  the  Disciples.  December  25, 
1901,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Cordelia  Lee  Greer,  and 
"they  have  five  children,  Edward  Matthew,  Mary  Hum- 
phrey, James  Greer,  Ruth  and  Esther,  the  latter  twins. 


James  Herman  Yarbrough. 


719 


The  McCormick  School 

THE  McCormick  School,  located  at  Twenty-seventh 
street  and  Sawyer  avenue,  Chicago,  Illinois,  rep- 
resents one  of  the  newer  types  of  school  building. 
It  was  erected  during  1904  and  1905  at  a  cost  approxi- 
mately $200,000  and  was  first  occupied  May  6,  1906. 


grew  so  rapidly  that  the  number  of  pupils  increased  to 
1,450  and  the  number  of  teachers  to  34. 

In  the  fall  of  1910  the  opening  of  the  Gary  School 
reduced  the  number  of  pupils  to  1,200  and  teachers 
to  28. 

In  1909  a  municipal  playground  was  added  at  a  cost 
of  over   $13,000  —  $5,000   of   which   was   a   gift   of  the 


The  McCormick  School. 


It  contains  twenty-six  classrooms,  besides  commodious 
assembly  hall  on  the  ground  floor,  with  gymnasium  and 
special  rooms'  for  manual  training,  Sloyd  and  domestic 


McCormick  family.  A  gift  of  $500  a  year  for  a  term 
of  five  years  was  made  in  the  spring  of  1910  by  these 
friends  of  the  school,  for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  room 


Manual-training  Room,  McCormick  School. 


science.  The  school  building  is  named  after  the  famous 
inventor  of  the  reaper  —  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  —  and 
for  this  reason  the  school  is  of  special  interest  to  the 
McCormick  family.  At  the  organization  of  the  school 
there  were  26  rooms  of  more  than  1,200  pupils,  provided 
with  28  teachers.    During  the  first  three  years  the  school 


libraries  to  the  school,  and  pictures  and  statuary  for  the 
corridors  and  classrooms. 

A  vacation  school  was  also  organized  in  the  summer 
of  1909  which  has  an  enrolment  of  over  seven  hundred 
pupils,  each  summer,  with  some  fifteen  teachers  provided 
by  the  Board  of  Education  of  Chicago. 


720 


Danville  Public  Library 

DANVILLE  can  well  boast  of  having  one  of  the 
l)est-equipped  and  well-managed  libraries  in  the 
L^nitcd  States  for  a  city  of  its  size.  A  comparison 
with  libraries  of  other  cities  of  even  larger  population 
is  decidedly  in  its  favor.  This  library  has  been  a  boon 
to  Danville  and  its  benefits  have  been  wide  and  far- 
reaching. 

The  first  meeting  to  organize  a  free  public  library  for 
Danville  was  held  July  21,  1862,  at  the  call  of  L.  1. 
Dickason,  then  mayor.  The  officers  chosen  were  W.  C. 
McReynolds,  president ;  J.  G.  English,  vice-president ; 
H.  A.  Coffeen,  secretary,  and  among  the  board  of  di- 
rectors were  Dr.  Wheeler  Jones,  Father  P.  J.  O'Reilly, 
John  C.  Black,  W.  R.  Jewell,  William  P.  Cannon  and 
the  Rev.  Charles  H.  Little.  The  library  was  first  located 
in  the  McDonald  building.  West  Main  street.  Previous 
to  this  existed  the  Culbertson  Library,  originating  in  a 
bequest  made  by  the  Rev.  James  Culbertson,  a  Presby- 


thousand  volumes.  A  special  effort  has  been  made  to 
build  up  the  reference  department  so  that  it  may  contain 
everything  needed  for  public  school  pupils  and  those  fol- 
lowing special  lines  of  study. 

Following  arc  the  names  of  officers  of  the  library : 
Directors:  D.  G.  Moore,  Dr.  P.  L  Poland,  O.  A. 
McFarland,  C.  L.  English,  A.  L.  Webster,  G.  F.  Rearick, 
Thos.  Conron,  Columbus  Schatz,  E.  R.  E.  Kimbrough ; 
president,  A.  L.  Webster ;  vice-president,  G.  F.  Rearick ; 
secretary,  C.  L.  English ;  treasurer,  Thomas  Conron ; 
librarian,  Josephine  E.  Durham. 

John  Crerar  Library 

THE  JOHN  CRERAR  LIBRARY,  founded  by  the 
late   John   Crerar,  was   incorporated   in   1894,   a"<J 
opened  to  the  public  in   1897.     The  endowment  is 
conservatively    estimated    at    $3,500,000.      After    careful 
consideration,   the   board   of   directors   determined   upon 
a  field  of  work  which  would  best  complement  and  not 


D.\NviLLE  Public  Likr.xry. 


terian  minister.  The  books  were  mostly  on  theological 
subjects,  works  of  fiction,  as  in  the  case  of  John  Crerar 
Library,  of  Chicago,  having  been  inhibited  by  the  donor. 
In  1883  this  collection  of  books  was  merged  into  the 
Danville  Public  Library.  Its  first  librarian  was  the 
Rev.  James  W.  Coe,  who  acted  in  this  capacity  for  five 
years,  when  failing  health  caused  him  to  resign.  He 
was  a  splendid  scholar  and  an  excellent  portrait  of  this 
venerable  man  adorns  the  reading-room  of  the  library. 
Miss  Aletha  B.  White  succeeded  to  the  position,  and 
she  served  from  1887  to  1890,  resigning  in  the  latter 
year  to  take  a  position  in  the  Pratt  Library,  Brooklyn, 
New  York.  From  1890  to  date  Miss  Josephine  E.  Dur- 
ham has  been  librarian.  Under  her  incumbency  the 
library  has  been  managed  in  a  manner  reflecting  much 
credit  upon  her  executive  ability  and  scholarship.  She 
is  well  acquainted  with  tjie  needs  of  the  library  and  has 
maintained  its  wants  most  efficiently. 

The  library  site,  covering  a  tract  of  land  132  by  155 
feet,  was  purchased  for  $25,000.  The  building,  costing 
$40,000,  the  donation  of  Andrew  Carnegie,  was  made  of 
Bedford  stone  and  dark  brick,  and  presents  a  pleasing 
front.  It  is  fireproof  throughout,  the  bookstacks  are  of 
steel,  and  the  building  is  heated  by  steam  and  lighted  by 
electricity.      The    library    contains    about    twenty-seven 


duplicate  that  of  the  other  public  libraries  of  the  city. 
It  may  be  defined  as  that  of  the  natural,  physical,  medi- 
cal and  social  sciences,  and  their  applications. 
■  The  library  occupies  temporarily  rented  quarters  com- 
prising the  fifth  and  sixth  floors  of  the  Marshall  Field 
&  Co.  building.  A  building  fund  of  $1,000,000  has  been 
accumulated,  with  which  it  is  planned  to  erect  in  the 
near  future  a  building  which  shall  house  suitably  its 
collections  and  activities. 

The  number  of  volumes  owned  by  the  library  is  now 
over  300,000,  and  it  has  also  some  90,000  pamphlets 
and  3,000  maps.  It  is  a  good  working  collection  in  all 
the  subjects  within  its  scope,  and  much  more  than  this 
in  many  of  them.  By  gift  it  has  received  the  Senn 
collection  on  medicine,  the  Jackson  collection  on  con- 
stitutional law,  the  Chanute  collection  on  aviation  and 
the  Gradle  collection  on  diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear. 
Special  purchases  of  noteworthy  collections  have  been 
in  economics,  especially  labor  and  social  questions,  the 
social  status  of  woman,  gynecology,  mathematics,  zool- 
ogy and  oriental  science. 

The  library  has  endeavored  to  make  these  treasures 
as  available  as  possible  by  means  of  a  somewhat  elab- 
orate and  peculiar  card  catalogue,  and  by  rather  unusual 
provision    for   assistance  to   readers.     That  it   meets   a 


46 


721 


real  need  is  shown  by  the  increase  in  attendance  from 
80  a  day  in  1897,  to  over  450  in  191 1,  and  in*  the  esti- 
mated use  from  45,000  books  and  periodicals  in  1897 
to  nearly  500,000  in  191 1.  To  all  in  search  of  informa- 
tion on  scientific  subjects,  The  John  Crerar  Library 
extends  a  most  cordial  welcome.  . 


it  affords  the  best  facilities  for  special  work  in  theolog- 
ical study.  The  library  consists  of  upward  of  thirty- 
five  thousand  volumes,  and  forms  a  choice  collection  of 
theological  and  miscellaneous  books,  well  adapted  to 
the  wants  of  professors  and  students.  Additions  are 
being  made  constantly  to  the  library. 


Virginia  Library 


Virginia  Library. 

The  Gail  Borden  Public  Library 


IN  connection  with  the  McCormick  Theological  Semi- 
nary,  located   in   the   City  of   Chicago,   one   of   the 
many  advantages  offered  theological  students  gratis 
is  the  use  of  the  Virginia  Library,  which  represents  one 


ON    April    2,    1872,    the    Elgin    Public    Library    was 
established  under  the  State  law,  and  on  April  10 
it  was  organized.     In   December,   1873,  the  books 
and   furniture  of  the  Y.    M.   C.   A.   library,   previously 


Gail  Borden  Public  Library. 


of  the  gifts  of  Mrs.  Nettie  F.  McCormick  to  this  insti- 
tution for  the  training  of  divinity  students.  The  library 
building  is  a  most  elegant  structure,  planned  and 
equipped  after  the  most  recent  approved  principles,  and 


formed,  were  bought  for  $250  and  moved  to  the  third 
story  of  the  Bank  block,  corner  Chicago  street  and 
Douglas  avenue,  Elgin.  In  1874  the  Circulating  Library 
of   Dennison  &   Burdick,  seven  hundred  volumes,   was 


722 


bought  for  $500.  Other  purchases  increased  the  collec- 
tion to  two  thousand  volumes.  In  1875  E.  C.  Lovell 
went  to  Europe  with  authority  to  buy  books  for  the 
library  and  he  secured  fifteen  thousand  volumes.  The 
library  also  received  many  gifts.  Early  in  July,  1892, 
the  lot  and  residence  of  D.  C.  Scofield,  on  Spring  street, 
between  Milwaukee  and  Division  streets,  were  bought 
for  about  $12,000.  by  A.  B.  and  S.  M.  Church,  and  given 
to  Elgin  for  a  library  site,  provided  the  public  library 
be  called  the  Gail  Borden  Public  Library.  The  building 
as  it  now  stands  represents  an  outlay  of  about  $15,000. 
W.  W.  Abell,  of  Elgin,  was  the  architect.  The  main 
floor  contains  .reading-room,  magazine  room,  delivery 
room  and  librarian's  oflfice ;  the  second  floor  contains 
the  reference  room,  a  room  used  for  newspaper  files 
and  public  documents,  and  the  directors'  room,  which 
was  handsomely  furnished  by  Mrs.  A.  B.  Church.  The 
building  was  reopened  February  22,  1894.  The  library 
is  free  within  the  town  of  Elgin,  to  any  householder  or 
taxpayer  upon  application,  and  to  other  residents  upon 
giving  satisfactory  guaranty,  or  depositing  $5. 

In  1905  a  new  brick  addition  was  constructed  at  a  cost 
of  $6,000. 

University  of  Chicago  Libraries 

ON  September  i,  1892,  a  library  was  formally  organ- 
ized, and  in  October  of  the  same  year  a  room  was 
set  aside   in   Cobb   Hall  to   serve   as  headquarters 
and   executive   office   of  the  librarian.     On   January   3, 
1893,  the  library  was  removed  to  a  temporary  building 


The  M^yer  collection,  54  volumes,  109  pamphlets. 

Mrs.  Zella  Allen  Dixson  collection,  592  volumes  and 
pamphlets. 

The  book  resources  are  at  present  divided  into  groups 
as  follows : 

1.  'The  General  library,  which  is  a  reference  and  cir- 
culating library. 

2.  The  Departmental  libraries,  which  are  primarily 
reference  and  research  libraries,  located  mainly  in  the 
Departmental  buildings. 

3.  The  Traveling  libraries. 

4.  The  House  libraries. 

Departmental  libraries  have  so  far  been  established 
for  eighteen  schools,  groups  and  departments.  It  is 
hoped  that  a  number  of  these  may  be  housed  in  the  new 
Harper  Memorial  Library  or  in  buildings  which  connect 
with  it. 

The  Harper  Memorial  Library,  erected  in  memory  of 
William  Rainey  Harper,  and  which  was  occupied  in 
the  spring  of  1912,  is  a  gift  to  the  University  from  Mr. 
John  D.  Rockefeller  and  more  than  two  thousand  other 
persons,  friends  and  former  pupils  of  Doctor  Harper. 
This  building,  erected  at  a  cost  of  approximately 
$700,000,  occupies  the  center  of  the  south  front  of  the 
main  quadrangle.  It  is  248  feet  long  from  east  to  west, 
and  60  feet  wide  from  north  to  south.  It  consists  of 
two  towers  each  60  by  50  feet,  and  128  feet  high,  joined 
by  the  central  section  of  the  building,  approximately 
150  feet  long  and  100  feet  high. 

For  a  time  it  will  be  necessary  to  assign  part  of  the 
building  to  departmental  libraries,  offices  and  classrooms 


University  of  Chicago  Libraries. 


situated  on  the  corner  of  Lexington  avenue  and  Fifty- 
seventh  street,  which  building  it  occupied  until  1902, 
when  it  was  removed  to  the  Press  building,  Fifty-eighth 
street  and  Ellis  avenue.  In  the  spring  of  1912  it  was 
established  in  the  new  Harper  Memorial  Library  on 
Fifty-ninth  street  and  Greenwood  avenue. 

The  collection  of  books  numbers  at  present  approxi- 
mately 350,000  volumes,  which  number  does  not  include 
a  considerable  number  of  books  and  pamphlets  still  un- 
catalogued.  The  accession^  to  the  library  have  been 
mainly  through  purchase,  a  considerable  proportion, 
however,  being  secured  through  exchange  or  gift.  Of 
the  gifts,  the  following  may  be  mentioned : 

The  library  of  Professor  von  Hoist,  1,250  volumes, 
200  pamphlets. 

The  library  of  Dr.  George  Washington  Northrup, 
1,050  volumes  and  about  350  pamphlets. 

The  Hirsch-Bernays  library,  6,000  volumes. 

The  Stensland  collection,   1,100  volumes. 

The  Lane  collection,  9,000  volumes. 


of  the  historical  group  and  of  the  department  of  philoso- 
phy, and  to  the  offices  of  the  president  of  the  university. 
When  all  the  space  is  ultimately  devoted  to  library  pur- 
poses, there  will  be  shelf  room  for  a  little  over  one 
million  volumes,  and  accommodations  for  between  five 
hundred  and  six  hundred  readers. 

Cairo  Public  Library — A.  B.  Safford 
Memorial  Library  Building 

"^TpHE  public  library  is  an  integral  part  of  public 
_|_  education."  Cairo,  Illinois,  has  been  fortunate. 
In  1875  the  Woman's  Club  and  Library  Associa- 
tion organized,  and  by  diligent  and  intelligent  work 
opened  a  subscription  library  of  twelve  hundred  volumes 
in  1877.  Mrs.  C.  C.  E.  Gross  was  librarian.  Affairs 
were  administered  successfully,  and  in  1882  the  books 
were  presented  to  the  city  as  a  foundation  for  a  free 
public  library.    The  gift  was  promptly  accepted,  an  ordi- 


723 


nance   passed    for    its    maintenance,    and    the    following  of  usefulness   it  is   well  equipped   with   seventeen  thou- 

board   of  directors  appointed :     Capt.   W.    P.    Halliday,  sand  selected  volumes,  all  classified  and  card  catalogued 

Judge  Wm.   H.  Green,  Rev.   B.   Y.   George,   Mr.   Wood  by    modern    methods.      The    library    has    many    bound 

Rittenhouse,  Mrs.  Anna  E.  Safford,  Mrs.  H.  H.  Candee,  magazines  and  recent  works  of  reference,  and  also  three 

Mrs.  Wm.  R.   Smith,  Mrs.   P.  A.  Taylor,  Mrs.  P.  W.  thousand  books  for  children. 

Barclay.  Much    reference    work   is    done,    the   reading-room    is 

GIFT  OK  THE  BUILDING.  ^^''  patronized  and  the  circulation  is  large.    The  library 

„  is  truly  a  source  of  pleasure  and  profit  to  thousands  of 

At  this  juncture  Mrs.  Anna  E.   Safford  purchased  a  residents  and  it  is  an  educational  factor  in  the  upbuild- 

block  on  the  mam  avenue  and  erected  the  A.  B.  Safford  [„g  of  the  city.     The  present  board  of  directors  are : 

Memorial  Library  Buildmg  thereon  and  presented  it  to  ^rs.  Anna  E.   Safford,  president ;    Mr.  M.  J.  Howley, 

the  City  of  Cairo  for  the  free  public  library.     In  the  vice-president;    Mrs.  Anna  Goldstine,   secretary;    Mrs. 

gift  of  this  fitting  tribute  to  her  husband,  Mrs    Safford  h.   H.  Candee,  Mrs.  J.  A.  Miller,  Mrs.  W.   H.  Wood, 

has  everlastingly  won  the  affection  and  gratitude  of  all  Mr.  Phil  C.  Barclay,  Mr.  Herman  C.  Schuh,  Hon.  Reed 

Cairo.  Green. 

The  handsome  building  with  its  well-ordered  interior 

for    library,    reading,    reference    and    club    rooms,    fine  liibrary  staff. 

museum  and  lecture  hall,  with  the  restful,  park-like  sur-  Mrs.  L.  L.  Powell,  librarian ;    Miss  Effie  A.  Landsen, 

roundings,  make  this  an  ornament  to  the  city.     In  point  Miss  Marie  Clare  Glauber,  assistant  librarians. 


724 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Abbott,  A.  B 207 

Abbott,  J.  B 203 

Abingdon  College 325 

Abraham,  Heights  of 13 

Academies  — 

Madison  28 

Belleville 28,  29,  30,     69 

Carlyle  28 

Adams,  E.  Louise 250 

Adams,  G.  E 463 

Adams,  John    547 

Adams,  J.  Q 316,  331 

Adams,  Samuel   547 

Adams,  W.  H.  H 320 

Adams,  W.  T 197 

Addams,  Jane  316,  463 

Adsit,  J.  M 358 

Agricultural  College  76,  124,  144 

Aiken,  Hall 199 

Aikin,  J.  M 200 

Akers,  Peter 307,  309,  318 

Albers,  Francis  334 

Alexander,  Robert  203 

Allen,  C.  E 241 

Allen,  Elmore    196 

Allen,  James 317 

Allen,  J.  M 325 

Allen,  Louise  C 365 

Allen,  Martin  V 198 

Allen,  S.  B 336 

Allen,  W.  H 317 

Allensworth,  B.  C 207 

Allerton,  R.  H 512 

Almicks,  Servatus 333 

Almira  College   345 

Altgeld,  John  P 244,  245,  366 

Alton  — 

First  tax  levy 29,     30 

College   289,  290,  302 

Seminary  302 

Alvoord,  G.  G 497 

Allyn,  Robert 142,  143,  229,  230,  232,  233,  235,  309 

American  Idea    130 

Ames,  E.  R 306 

Amigh,  Mrs 512 

Amonett,  James  P 196 

Anderson,  A.  J 551 

Anderson,  A.  L 196 

Anderson,  D.  R 199 

Anderson,  Matthew 202 

Anderson,  R.  B 205 

Anderson,  Sarah  F 316 

Anderson,  V.   C 355 

Andreen,  Gustave 333 

Andrews,  Archibald 209 

Andrews,  E.   B 248,  347,  473,  493 

Andrews,  Hugh 207 

Andrews,  Matthew  323,  502 

Andrus,  Reuben  317,  318 

Angel,  E.  A 497 

725 


Ansorge,  Charles   491 

Aram,  Miss 250 

Arbor  and  Bird  Day 184 

Armitage,  B.  F 497 

Armour,  J.  F 355 

Armour,  J.  0 356 

Armour  Institute  355 

Armour,  P.  D 355,  356 

Armour,  P.  D.,  Jr 356 

Armstrong,  D.  H •. 199 

Armstrong,  F.  A 203 

Armstrong,  Henry   203 

Armstrong,  J.  E 485 

Armstrong,  S.  A 199 

Armstrong,  W.  J 487 

Arnold,  J.  A 198 

Arnold,  J.  F 201 

Arny,  W.  F.  U 517 

Arny,  W.  H.  H 517 

Articles  of  Agreement,  Teachers' 63 

Arts  and  Industries,  Mind  in 135 

Association,  Illinois  Teachers' 44 

Atkinson,  Philip  487 

Atwater,  John  60 

Atwater,  S.  B 204 

Augustana  College  and  Theological  Seminary 331 

Aurora  Public  Schools 498 

Austin,  Calvin  292 

Austin  College 291 

Austin,  Edward 292 

Averill,  B.  T 487 

Award  Columbian  Exposition 168 

Babbitt,  Grace  E 246 

Babcock,  B.  F 468 

Baber,  Zonia   270 

Bachelor,  John   370 

Badger,  S.  M 203 

Baggott,  O.  P 207 

Bale,  Tillie 250 

Baily,  J.  W 330 

Bain,  Riley  J 195 

Baird,  Luther 252 

Baker,  G.   C •  •  207 

Baker,  Ira  S 485,  487,  519,  522 

Baker,  M.  Lillian  205 

Baker,  W.   M •  •  518 

Baker,  W.  S 500 

Bakewell  Case  97 

Baldwin,  H.  R 204 

Baldwin,  S.  D 204 

Baldwin,  Theron    294,  295,  370,  515,  547 

Baldwin,  Mrs.  Theron  548 

Ballard,  M.  B 207 

Balliet,  Thomas  M 270 

Ballinger,  C.  P 203 

Bancroft,  M.  M 200 

Bangs,  J.  E 78 

Barber,  Eliel    494 

Barber,  Lester  204 


720 


INDEX 


PAGE 

B.'irber,  W.  E 196 

Barbre,  Anna  L 196 

Barbre,  Milton    207 

Bardwell,  C.  M 498 

Barge,  B.  F 200 

Barker,  B.  B 550 

Barner,  Henry 92,  371,  500 

Barnes,  C.  W 299 

Barnes,  F.  G 320 

Barr,  M.  L 309 

Barrett,  Jesse  204 

"  Barring  out  "    67 

Earringer,  George   207 

Bartholf,  W.  J 485 

Bartholomew,  E.  F 343 

Bartlett,  A.  C 349 

Bartlett,   H.   E 196 

Batavia  96 

Batchelder,  G.  W 200 

Batcheldcr,  Mrs.  H 548 

Bateman,  Newton   ...86,  92,  114,  115,  118,  121,  126, 
127,  130,  136,  173,   190,  312,  313,   363,  500,  505, 

506,  518,  520 

Bates,  T.  M 359 

Bateman,   G.    S 201 

Batterton,  Eva  B 204 

Bass,  Perkins  216,  460 

Bayliss,  Alfred 173,  174,  178,  179,  181,  248,  255, 

256,  257,  446,  508,  510 

Beach,  Elizabeth  458 

Beaiibien,  Charles   456,  457 

Beattie,  G.  A 197 

Beaudoin,  Father 339 

Beck,  Doctor 267 

Beecher,  Edward    296,  297,  298,  370,  432 

Beecher,  F.  W 201 

Beecher,  Lyman    301 

Beecher,  Mrs.  Mary   349 

Beeman,  M.   N 197 

Belfield,   H.   H 485,  488,  490,  519 

Bell,  Alexander  G 278 

Bell,  H.  E 199 

Belleville  28,     29 

Belleville  Academy    69 

Benedict,  Cora  T 250 

Benedict,  John  D 157,  158,  168,  208 

Bennett,  Charles  A ^ 184 

Bent,  H.  G ^ 495 

Benton,  H.  J 197 

Berry,  O.  F 248 

Berry,  W.  H 204 

Bethany  College  323,  324 

Beveridge,  John  L 233 

Bibb,  Scott   549 

Bicknell,  T.  J 523 

Biggerstaff,   T.   W 200 

Bigley,  M 497 

Birkbeck,   B.  L 201 

Birkbeck,  Morris    289 

Bishop,  C.  A 248 

Bishop,  D.  M 203 

Bishop,  Mellie  A 254 

Bissell,  L.  H 291 

Black,  J.  C 356 

Black.  J.  H 195 

Blackard,  W.  J 199 

Blackburn  Academy 329 

Blackburn  College    329 

Blackburn  Theological  Seminary   329 

Blackburn  University  156,  330 

Blackburn,  Gideon   329 

Blackman,  O.   C 92,  491,  519 

Blackman,  W.  S 206 

Blackstone,  T.  B 354 

Blaine,  Mrs.  Emmons     271,  349,  463,  483 


PAGE 

Blaine,  F.   E 255 

Blair,  D.   M 203 

Blair,   Francis   G...178,  179,  180,  181,  250,  252,  253,  257 

Blair,  J.  W 205 

Blake,  E.  J 197,  200 

Blanchard,  Charles  A 331 

Blanchard,   Jonathan    114,  312,  314,  330 

Blatchford,  E.  W 490 

Blatchford,  Mrs.  E.  W 489 

Bledsoe,  A.  T 370,  516 

Bloomfall,  I.  F 494 

Bloomington  Schools    494 

Blue  Licks 18 

Bluthard,   T.    J 481 

Board  of  Education  of  the  State  of  Illinois 93 

Boards  of  Education 104,  134 

"  Boarding  round  "    63 

Bodine,   W.    L 475,  476,  480,  481,  486 

Bogan,  W.  J 485 

Bogardus,  F.  S . 288,  290 

Bogue,  G.   M 358 

Boling,  J.  L 207 

Bollan,  ALntthew  203 

Boltwood,  H.  L 507,  508,  520 

Bonbright,   Daniel    351 

Bond  County  30 

Bond,  Shadrach 27 

Bonney,   C.  C 110,  112,  517 

Bookwalter,  Lewis 336 

Booth,  Edward   204 

Booth,  Henry  252 

Booth,  Mary  J 254 

Borstadt,  Christian  330 

Boswell,  J.  B 199 

Bottler,  Philip  197 

Bowdon,  J.  C 337 

Bowersox,   G.   W 203 

Bowman,  Leona  F 203 

Bowman,  T.  B 354 

Bowyer,  E 231 

Boyd,  Francis • 196 

Boyer,  E.  R 199 

Boyer,  J.  M 206 

Boyes,   W.   F 202 

Bradbury,  John  60 

Bradbury,  P.   G 197 

Braden,  Clark   229 

Bradley,  John 60 

Bradley,  John  E 299 

Bradley,  Thomas    19 

Bradley,  W.  H 330 

Bradt,  C  E 245 

Brand,  Robert  201 

Branch,  Daniel 204 

Breese,  Sidney   13,  14,  291,  369 

Brenholt,  J.   J 549 

Brennan,  James 248 

Brentano,  Lorenzo  463 

Bridgewater  Normal  School 79,  481 

Briggs,  James  0 196 

Briggs,   S.  A 463 

Bright,  Orville  T..  .248,  271,  278,  445,  446,  480,  485, 

487,  488 

Brooks,  A.  M 206,  454,  460 

Brooks,  John  F 44,  88,  114,  295,  370,  547 

Brooks,  John   P 88,  123,  124,  125,  126,  190 

Brooks,  Mary  98,  227 

Brooks,  S.   S 515 

Broomell,  George  D 460,  474 

Bross,  William 327,  329 

Brownlee,  J.  H 232,  233  241,  250 

Brown,  Alfred 31 

Brown,  Claude    196 

Brown,  George  A 259,  522,  524 

Brown,  George  P 215,  248,  522,  524 


INDEX 


727 


PAGE 

Brown,  G.  W 198,  451 

Brown,  I.  H 206 

Brown,  James    199 

Brown,  J.   C 253 

Brown,  J.  R 325 

Brown,  J.  S 258,  512 

Brown,  Stuart,  in  "  Old  Kaskaskia  " 15 

Brown,  William   371.  547 

Brown,  W.    M 325 

Brown,  W.  0 207 

Brush,  C.  E 245 

Brvan,  John  M 200 

Bryan,  W.  J 238,  299 

Buchanan,  James    36 

Buck,   B.   F 486 

Buck.  Martha 232,  233,  241 

Buel  Institute 434 

Bulkley,  Justus   304 

Bull  Run  101 

Bulletins  of  Educational  Commission 182 

Bunch,  Mamie  198 

Buncombe  Consolidated    School 509 

Bunn,  D.   C 503 

Bunn,   Lewis    317 

Bunsen,  George 80,  81,  89,  90,     94 

Buntin,  W.   S 199 

Burbank,   A.    P 46G 

Burdick,   S.   G 203 

Bureau  County  and  Normal  School 285 

Burgess,  G.  A 205 

Burgess,  T.  C 183 

Burgett,  Warren  206 

Burlingham,  E.  P 230,  497 

Burner,  S.  A 197 

Burnham,  J.  H 227,  494 

Burns,  J.  C 167,  255 

Burns,   J.   R 198 

Burr,  Bert  R 200 

Burrill,  T.  J 178,  363,  366 

Burrington,   L.   L 227 

Burroughs.  B.  R 513 

Burrowes,  A.   J 183 

Burrows,  J.  C 463,  474 

Burrows,  Mary 458,  474 

Burton,  R.  W 207 

Butler,  A.  C 450,  508 

Butler,  C.   C 200 

Butler,  Louis  B ; 195 

Butler,  Milford   C 327 

Butler,  N.  M 276 

Cable,  P.  L 332 

Cabot    11 

Cahokia   15,     24 

Cairo  Schools    496 

Caldwell,  Billy  457 

Caldwell,  O.  W 252,  253 

Calhoun,   Alexander    204 

Califf,  John  A 200 

Callan,  James    207 

Callaway,  S.   T 198 

Callender,   Geo 325 

"  Campagnie  de  I'Occident  " 36 

Campbell,  A.   B 501 

Campbell.  Alexander 240 

Campbell,  G.  H 337 

Campbell,  J.  T 196 

Campbell,  L.   D 435 

Campbell,  S.   May    206 

Campbell,  Thomas   49,  108,  109 

Campbell,  Victor 493 

Campbell,  W.  J 356 

Canal •.  . .     24 

Cannady,  Charles   207 

Cannon,  J.   S 208 


PAGE 

Cantrall,  D.   E 204 

Carey,  Daniel  202 

Carey,  Zadoc   •  360 

Carnegie.   Andrew    312,  320,  329,  335,  344 

Garner,  D.  J 245 

Carney,   Mabel   256 

Carpenter,  Mrs.  A.bel  E 457 

Carpenter,  Benjamin   513 

Carpenter,  Jackson  207 

Carpenter,  Mrs.    M.   L 206,  209,  449 

Carr,   B.  L 202 

Carriel,  Mrs.  Mary  T 431 

Carrollton    70 

Carson,  L.  H 208 

Cartier    11 

Carter,  Orrin  N 199 

Carter,  S.  K 198 

Carthage   College   343 

Cartright,   Peter    317 

Case,  T.  A 201 

Caverly,  H.  P 201 

Gavins,  E.  W 450 

Centennial  Exposition  141 

Central  Illinois  Female  College 323 

Central    Illinois   Teachers'   Association  —  Founding, 

meetings,  officers,  speakers,  etc 399-403 

Certificates     41,  44,  58,  104,  117,  121 

■       Life 122,  180 

Chaddock   College    319 

Chalfant,  J.   G 202 

Chalmers,  W.  J 358 

Champlin,   A.    H 267,  270 

Chamberlin,   H.   B 471 

Chamberlin,   M.    H 308,  309 

Chambers,    M.   R 201 

Champlain 11,     12 

Chaplin,   Miss    ' 70 

Chapman,  Anna   B 205 

Chapman,   P.   H ' 203 

Chapman,  P.  T 201 

Chappel,   Eliza    451,  458 

Charles,    F.    L 184,  246,  247 

Charles,   G.   B 201 

Chartres,   Fort    13,  15,  16,     36 

"  Cheese "  Law   144 

Chester    Settlements    16 

Chicago  College  of  Law 328 

Chicago  Historical  Society  17 

Chicago  in    1812    22,  24,  134 

Chicago  Law    School 359 

Chicago  Medical   College  327 

Chicago  Normal    School    271 

Chicago  Public  Schools   456 

First  tuition   456 

First  school    456 

Family   school    456 

Mr.  Forber's  school 456 

First  house  for  a  school 457 

John  Watkins'  school   457 

Miss    Chappel's   school 457,  458 

G.  T.  Sproat's  school 457 

School   section   '. .   458 

George  Davis's  school 458 

Wright    schoolhouse    458 

First  independent   organization 458 

Miss   Leavenworth's    school 459 

Miss    Willard's    school 459 

City  incorporated   459 

Charter  amended 459 

First  records    459 

Division   into    districts 450 

Female   teachers    460 

First  permanent  school  building 460 

Authorized  salaries    460 

Report  of  1849 461 


728 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Female  teachers  classified 460 

Certificate  necessary 462 

Organization  in  1911 462 

Development  of  Board  of  Education 463 

Inspectors  in   1840 463 

Inspectors  before  1872 463 

Since  1872 463 

The  superintendency  463 

Normal  school 464 

Assistant  superintendency  474 

Compulsory  education 480 

Teachers'  college 481 

The  high  school 484 

Parochial  schools   486 

John  Worthy  School 486 

City  Bridewell  486 

The  grammar  schools  487 

Fire  of  1871 487 

Special  schools 48t» 

Blind  schools  489 

Deaf  schools  48i» 

Schools  for  crippled  children 489 

Tuberculosis  children 489 

Juvenile  court 489 

Evening  schools 489 

Free  Kindergarten  Association 489 

Kindergarten  College 489 

Manual  training 490 

Music    491 

Drawing  491 

Growth  and  expenses 491 

Salaries 492 

Special  committees  492 

Half-day  scheme 492 

Special  funds  492 

German  492 

Vertical  writing 492 

Pensions  492 

Dr.  Andrews'  report 493 

Dr.   Christopher's   report    493 

Child  study  493 

Educational  commission  493 

Mr.  Cooley's  administration 493 

Mrs.  Young's  administration 493 

Chicago  Theological  Seminary 355 

Childs,  C.  F 227 

Chipperfield,    B.    M 255 

Christianer,  F 202 

Christiansen,  Alice  M 202 

Church  of  Christ 324 

Christopher,  W.  S 463,  493 

Churchill,   George    105,  499,  500,  501 

Churchill,  M.  E 299 

Circulars,  superintendents'  184 

Circuit  schools 549 

Cisne,  W.  G 208 

Claflin,  J.  F 485,  490 

Clarida,  R.  0 209 

Clark,  Charles 198 

Clark,  E.  S 497 

Clark,  Francis  59 

Clark,  G.  C 463 

Clark,  George  Rogers 16,  17,  19,     20 

Clark,  H.  D 323 

Clark,  H.  G 475 

Clark,  J.  M 209 

Clark,  T.  A 367 

Clark,  W.  A 206 

Clayberg,  G.  M 485,  486 

Clendenen,  T.  C 497 

Cloud,   Senator    90 

Cobb,  Emery   365 

Cobb,  S.  B 349 

Cobleigh,  N.  E 309 

Coff man,  L.  D 253 


PAGE 

Cokely,   J.   D 200 

Cole,  J.  S 202 

Coleman,  J.  W , 205 

Coles,  Frank  J 198 

College  fund   39,  79,  88,     93 

College,  relation  to  public  schools 129 

Collins,  W.  T 207 

Colton,  B.   P 167,  215,  325 

Colton,  C.  S 501 

Columbia  Exposition  167 

Colwell,  S.  A 20b 

Colyer,  F.  H 242 

Combs,  Charles  L 198 

Commissioners,  school  40,  44,  84,  117,  123,  124 

"  Common   School  Advocate  " 44 

Compensation  of  officers 133 

Compiilsory  attendance 124,  135,  156,  157,  167 

Comstock,  H.  S 200 

Conger,  L.  E 321 

Conger,  Uzziah   321 

Congerville  consolidated  school  511 

Conley,  Professor 330 

Conn,  G.  W.  Jr 204 

Conrow,  W.  L 199 

Consolidated  school  decision 177 

Consolidated  schools  508 

Constitution   of  1818 26,  51,  52,  132 

Constitution  of  1848 51 

Constitution  of  1870 132,  192 

Contract,  teacher's 63 

Conventions,  educational    36,  42,  45,  52,  88,  107,  110 

Conzelman,  W.  J 513 

Cook,  Charles  A 485,  486 

Cook   County  Normal  School,  see  County  Normal 
Schools. 

Cook,  Edna  F : 252 

Cook,  Flora  J 270 

Cook,  John  W 215,  216,  245,  246,  248,  249,  251, 

259,  278, -447,  450,  451,  519,  543 

Cook,   M.   M 199 

Cooley,    E.    G :  .181,  183,  473,  480,  482,  493,  498 

Cooley,  H.  S 47,  48,  49,  50  109 

Coons,  J.  C 206 

Cooper,  T.J 199 

Copeland,  L.  H 204 

Corbin,  Abel  R 550 

Cornell,  Paul 264 

Corrington,  S.  F 199 

Costello,  J.  W 197 

Costley,  J.  C 198 

Coultas,  W.  W 198 

Coulter,  J.  M 328 

County  commissioners 28,  38,     40 

County  funds   77 

County  school  convention 54 

County  superintendents'  convention 44 

Cowan,  D.  C 196 

Cowan,  Minnie  R 480 

Cox,  F.  W 202 

Cox,  Henry  C 480 

Cox,  W.  R 456 

Coy,  E.  W 518 

Coy,  W.  S 227 

Craig,  I.   B 251 

Crampton,  Rufus 299 

Crane,  R.  T 490,  491 

Crangle,  F.  M 200 

Crary,  A.  A 207 

Crary,  Mary  E 196 

Crary,  O.  M 208 

Cravens,  L.  P 200 

Crawford,  F.  E 199 

Crerar.^  John 490 

Creve  Coeur  13 

Crocker,  Mrs.  Sarah  C 548 


INDEX 


729 


PAGE 

Cross,  J.  E 205 

Cross,  John 330 

Crouch,  F.  W 203 

Crow,  W.  H 205 

Crowe,  A.  B 250 

Crowell,  W.  H 330 

Crozat   15.     36 

Cullom,  S.  M 93,  143,  208 

Culver,  Helen 349 

Cumberland  Presbyterians  29 

Cummings,  Joseph  351 

Cummins,  A.  W 309 

Cummins,  J.  S 303 

Cumnock,  R.  L 333 

Cunningham,  Alice  B 252 

Curran,  A.  B 202,  451 

Curtis,  Harvey 312,  326 

Curtis,  Louise  S 488 

Curtis,  W.  S 312 

Cusic,  R.  S 198 

Cutcheon,  Dr 114 

Cutler,  Dr 26 

Cutter,  B.  R 457,  488 

Dailey,   W.   W 200 

Damen 341 

Dapprich,  Emil    150,  207 

Dartmouth  College  Case 302 

Daugherty,  B.  F 336 

Davenport,  Eugene    183,  328,  367 

Davis,  David    : 96,  318 

Davis,  George    458 

Davis,  Henry    513 

Davis,  H.  V 196 

Davis,  J.  A 198 

Davis,  K.  B 204 

Davis,  Leonard    253 

Davis,  W.  B 241 

Dawson,  James    197 

Day,  J.  M 202 

Deaf  and  Dumb 186 

Dean,  H.  A 201 

Dearborn,    F.    C 19 

Dearborn  School    460 

DeBey,  Cornelia  463 

DeBlois,  Austin  K 305 

Decatur  Schools  503 

DeChartres,  Fort  15 

Decisions 177 

Decius,  Lewis    197 

Decker,  B.  E 204 

Decoration    176 

Deere,   Charles  E 245 

Deering,  William   351 

De    Garmo,    Charles 215,  521 

Degrees,    Professional    184 

DeKalb    244 

Delano,   E.    C 143,  475,  479,  481,  482,  488 

De  Leon    11 

DeMotte,  H.  C 319 

Dempster,  John 318 

Denhart,  Henry    344 

Denio,  C.  B : 95 

Denny,  M.  V 195 

Deputy,   M.   W 253 

Derby,  W.  H 202 

De  Soto 11 

Detweiler,  J.  S 343 

Dewell,  J.  N 205 

Dew,  John *  309 

Dewey,  Electa  E .' 488 

Dewey,  Janet  249 

Dewey,  John  274,  277 

Dewhurst,  H.  F 206 

Dexter,  E.  G 288 


Dickens,   Charles    496 

Dickey,  S.  M 230 

Dickinson,  Baxter    327 

Dickinson,  H.   W 167 

Dickinson,  J.  T 323 

Dickinson,  W.   C 327 

Dietz,  W.   H 291 

Dillman,  A.  W 197 

Dillon,  W.  F 199 

Dingle,   T.   W '. 330 

Directors    104,  105 

Directors,  School   210 

Distribution  of   Funds 58 

District  Boundaries 133 

District  System 57 

Dixon,  G.  W 207 

Doane,  J.  W 490 

Dodge,    W.    C 269,  270,  475,  480 

Doeden,  F.  H 209 

Donahy,  J.  M 203 

Donnell,  J.  B 208 

Donnersberger,  Joseph   270 

Donovan,   H.  F 270 

Dooling,  T.  P 203 

Doolittle,  J.  R 463 

Dore,  J.   C 267,  463,  464,  484 

Doty,    Duane    143,  467,  474 

Dougherty,  N.   C 155 

Douglas,    S.    A 25,  42,  52,  72,  346 

Douglass,  C.  E 499 

Dow,  G.  W 487 

Dowdall,  Leonora   250 

Downer,  Mr 329 

Doyle,  John   60 

Drake,  H.  W 197 

Drake,  J.   P 255 

Drake,  William     487 

Draper,   A.    S 248,  258,  277,  367 

Dresser,  Charles  516 

Dubois,  Jesse  K 43 

Dudman,  T.  J 204 

Duff,   Samuel  G 195 

Dunbar,  Margaret   255 

Duncan,  Joseph   32,  43,  360,  516 

Duncan,  J.  H 209 

Dunlap,   Mrs 183 

Dunsworth,  J.  M.,  Jr 204 

Dupee;   C.   A 484,  518 

Durand,  Henry  329 

Duration  of  Schools 518 

Durham,  W.  H 191,  196 

Durley,  A.  W 206 

Dysart,  Doctor    344 

Dye,  Lucretia  W 201 

Dysinger,  Holmes    343 

Early   Conditions    27 

Early  Education 153,  155 

Easterday,  C.  F 199 

Easterday,  L.  F.  M 343 

Eastern  Illinois  State  Normal  School 244,  250,  251 

Eastern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association 406,  407 

Eaton,  Julia '•  •  •  196 

Eaton,  W.  P 203 

Eberhart,   John    F 124,  197,  262,  263,  267,  269 

Echols,  R.  G 200 

Eckman,  J.  J 200 

Eden,  John  R 95 

Edmunds,  B.  F 530,  550 

Edmunds,  Mrs.  M.  P 207 

Edmundson,   Carrie  B 250 

Educational   Commission    181,  186 

Education  Defined  9 

Educational  Exhibit 156 

Edwards,  C.   L 208 


730 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Edwards,  Cyrus    35,     42 

Edwards  Countv  289 

Edwards,  C    S.,  Jr 203 

Edwards,  I.  Frank 202 

Edwards,  J.  C 202 

Edwards,  Ninian    37 

Edwards.  Ninian  W 42,  53,  55,  57,  78,  79,  81, 

93,  94,  114,   189,   580 

Edwards,  Richard    155,  156,  157,  158,  214.  230, 

232,   233,  240,  251,   252,  330,  518,  520 

Edwards  Female  Academy 70 

Edwardsville  Library  Association 30 

Eisenhart.  Henry  204 

Ela.  Clarissa  167,  449 

Elections    133 

Elgin  Academy  353 

Elliott,  Mary  W 512 

Ellis,  F.  A 201 

Ellis,  J.    M 293,  295,  547 

Ellwood,  I.  L 244,  245,  250 

English  Claim   11 

English,  Gertrude  480 

English  High  School 497 

Errant,  J.  W 463,  482 

Esher,  J.  J 354 

Esbjorn,  L.  B 332 

Erskine,   W.   R 325 

Etter.    S.    M 141,  142,  144  145,  494 

Eureka   College   323 

Evangelical    Proseminary  342 

Evans,  John  351 

Evans,  T.  L 203 

Evanston  High  School 508 

Evans,  W.  M 252 

Everest,   H.   W 234,  239,  325 

Everett,  David  64 

"  Evolution   of  Dodd  " 52 

Ewart,  Grace   254 

Ewing  College   339 

Ewing,  J.  E 317 

Examinations    213 

Examinations  in  1862 46 

Exhibit  in  1887 156 

Experiment  Station   365 

Explorers    11 


Fager,   Phillip    

Fairbank,  F.  J 

Fairbank,  N.  K 

Fallows,  Samuel 321, 

Faris,  S.  A.  D 

Farley,  Jennie  E 

Farmers'  Institute    

Farnham,  Eli 

Farnsworth,  J.  B 

Farris,  T.  G 

Farson.  M.  Elizabeth 

Farwell,  C.  B 

Fayerweather,  D.  D 351, 

Feagan,  C  F 

Fell.  Jesse  W 96,  97,  101, 

Fell,   K.   H 

Felmley,  David  ....167,  183,  184,  185,  215,  216,  226, 

Fenton,  G.  R 

Ferguson,  D.  C 

Ferguson,   S.  J 

Ferguson,   W.    F 

Ferris,  G.  W 

Ferry  Hall  327, 

Field,  Marshall 349, 

Field,   Stanlev    

Fifer.  J.  .W." 

Finley,  J;   C 

Finley,  John   H 313, 

First  School  Law. 


200 
255 
490 
513 
200 
249 
439 
499 
507 
201 
475 
328 
440 
199 
362 
317 
451 
204 
110 
206 
291 
202 
328 
490 
413 
513 
309 
314 
27 


PAGE 

First   School    60,  540 

Fisher,  A.  S 323 

Fisher,  F.  J. 336 

Fisher,  Genevieve   253 

Fisher,  L.  B 321,  322 

Fisher,  Peter    202 

Fisher  201 

Fisher,  Samuel    198 

Fisher,  W.  L  N 198 

Fiske,  A.  W 245 

Fiske,  F.   P 485,  486 

Fiske,  H.  F 353 

Fitch,  A.  H ; 487 

Fitch,  E.   C 198 

Fitch,  Mary    250 

Fitzer,   L.   J 196 

Fitzpatrick,   Frank  A 278 

Flannigan,   S.  E 207 

Fleming,   C    M 207 

Fletcher,  Nelson   196 

Flower,  George  289 

Flowers,   Tammie   E 488 

Fogler,  C.  L 199 

Foley,  H.  H 206 

Foote,  C.  E 203 

Foote,   Mr 457 

Forbes,  Caroline   253 

Forbes,  H.  A 202 

Forbes,  S.  A 143,  366,  368.  520 

Forbes.  Stephen 456 

Ford,  Ellen   253 

Ford,  John " 200 

Ford,  Thomas    35,  516 

Forsythe.  Robert    456 

Fort  Dearbo'rn  19 

Fort  Gage   17 

Fort  St.  Joseph  19 

Fort  St.  Louis    13,     14 

Fort  Stephenson    43 

Foss.  C.  W 333 

Foster,  G.   F 232,  233 

Foster,  Henry    450 

Foster.  John  H 463 

Foster.  Mrs.  Nancy  349 

Foster,  R.   S 350 

Foster.  W.  R 202 

Fowkes,  H.  L 196 

Fowler.  Charles    551 

Fowler.  C.  H 351 

Fowler,  Henry    551 

Fowler.  Horatio   551 

Fowler  Institute 551 

P'owler.  J.    M 208 

Fox,  Jesse  C 206 

France.  New 13 

Frank.  G.  0 207 

Frankland.  A.  E 481 

Franklin   College    289 

Frazer,  L.  W 207 

Frazier.  Amanda  E 204 

Frederick.  S.  A.  S 197 

Freeman.  A 337 

Freeman,  J.   H...:.157,  158,  171,  172,  177,  450,  497, 

498,  499 

French.  Augustus  C 372 

French  Claim  12 

French,   C.   W 485 

French,  D.  P 346 

French.   G.  H 241 

French  Regime   16 

French   Settlers    '. 13,     14 

Fritz,  G.  W 270 

Frontenac    13 

Frost,  Augusta  256,  266 

Frv,  A.  E 270 


INDEX 


731 


PAGE 

Fryar,   Minnie  J 242 

Funds  — 

Apportionment   39,  133 

Custody    133 

Fuller,  John   203 

Fuller,  T.  B 208 

Funk,  Isaac 317,  320 

Funk,  Rufus 207 

Funkhauser,  A.  J 197 

Gaggin,  F.  N 202 

Gale,    G.    W 309,  310,  311,  312,  313 

Galesburg  Schools   499 

Gallagher,  Samuel   494 

Gard,   H.  V 147 

Gardner,  A.  E 199 

Gardner,  W.  H 209 

Garfield,  James   A 239 

Garrard,   W.   C 245 

Garrett,  Mayor 460 

Gary  Collegiate   Institute 315 

Gastman,  E.  A 232,  233,  408,  409,  503,  504.  505, 

520,  532,  533 

Gates,  J.  W 512 

Gatewood,   W.   J 42,  44,  88,  370 

Gati,   Father   339 

Gaylord,  S.  D 494 

"  Gazetteer   of   Illinois  " 301 

Gelston,  Anna   316 

General   Assembly    23,  27,  28,  30,  32,  38,     42 

German    147 

Gerstifel,  Theo 270 

Gest,  W.  H 206 

Gettemy,   Mary    502 

Gibbs,  H.   C 251 

Gibbs,  J.  T 208 

Gibbs,  Louise  C 195 

Giddings,   Samuel   293 

Giffin,  William   270,  278,  279,  483 

Gilbert,  N 491 

Gilbert,   N.   D 246,  249 

Gilbreath,  F.  A 200 

Gillaii,  S.  Y... 167 

Gillespie,  Jennie    488 

Gillespie,  John   J 95 

Gilmer,  U.  Z 323 

Gilmore,  S.   F 198 

Glidden,  J.   F 244 

Goddard,  L.   A 245,  250 

Coding,  Joseph   A 204 

Goebel,  P 342 

Going,  Jonathan   302 

Goldspohn,   Albert    335 

Goode,  J.   Paul 252 

Goodfellow,  Prof.  W 110 

Goodfellow,  William   318 

Goodhue,   L.   P 475 

Goold,  H.   C. 199 

Goodrich,  A.   A 245,  248,  250 

Goodrich,  Grant   350 

Gordon,   G.   H 198 

Gore,  John 196 

Gore,  R.  E 198 

Gorrell,  W.   F 196 

Gorsuch,  R.    N 199 

Gorton,  Mary  R 266 

Gott,    Silas   E 195 

Goudy,  C 515 

Goudy,  E 44 

Goudy,  E.  T 44,  515 

Goudy,  J.    F 494 

Goudy,  John   369 

Cough,   H.   B 323 

Gould,  Elsie  488 

Gove,  Aaron  208,  219,  518,  519,  520 


PAGE 

Cow,  A.  M 518 

Gowdy,   Calvin    46 

Graded   Schools   81,  85,  147 

Gragg,  J.   B 205 

Graham,  L.  L 198 

Graham,  R.  0 320 

Craw,   E.    P 202 

Crammer,   Seth   A 195 

Grand   Prairie  Seminary 353 

Granger   Movement   140 

Grant,  A.    P 445 

Grant,  Inness  312 

Grant,  U.   S 511 

Granville   Convention 36,  91,  434 

Graves,  Linus 317 

Gray,  Joseph    207 

Green,  W.  H 231 

Greenbackers    145 

Greene,  E.  R 359,  362,  363,  364 

Greene,  H.  E 197 

Greenlaw,  T.  B 197 

Greenlee,  J.  M 199 

Creenman,  A.  V 499  • 

Greenville  College   345 

Grewell,  V.  M 199 

Greenwood,  G.  W 305 

Gregg,  David  L io9 

Gregg,  H.  C 199 

Gregory,  C.  L .* 204,  451 

Gregory,  D.   S 328 

Gregory,  H.  L 204 

Gregory,  John  M...142,  173,  230,  362,  363,  365,  439,  520 

Griflfin,  William   200 

Griffith,  L  V 208 

Griggsville  Address  434 

Grison,  W.  M.,  Jr 201 

Grissamore,  J.  F 197 

Griswold,  Sarah  E 27C 

Grooner,  W.  H 204 

Grovesnor,  Mason .294,  295 

Groscup,  H.J 197 

Gross,  Lewis  M 198 

Grossman,  J.   H 196 

Grove,  Cyrus  S 207 

Grove,  Elijah 303 

Grote,  Caroline   205 

Grubb,  Ella  M 195 

Grubb,  G.  W 203 

"  Guide  for  Emigrants  " 68,  301 

Guithues,    P.   C 337 

Guild,  R.  B 501,  506 

Gulliver,   J.    P 312 

Gulliver,  Julia   316 

Gunsaulus,   Frank   W 245,  356,  357 

Guttery,  Samuel   202 

Guy,  C.  V 206 

Gwillem,  J.   B .  207 

Hacker,  Fannie   P 195 

Hadley,  Hiram   520 

Haggard,  J.  R 198,  207 

Haish,  Jacob  244,  248 

Hale,  Albert  547 

Halfpenny    59 

Hall,  A.  1 207 

Hall,   A.   S 485 

Hall,  B.  G 207 

Hall,  B.  L 206 

Hall,  Edith     250 

Hall,  Mrs.   G.    M 512 

Hall,  G.  Stanley 278 

Hall,  Frank   H 145,  149,  183,  441,  442-448,  449 

Hall,  James    369 

Halsey,  Amelia  L 207 

Halsy,  John  J 32,  68 


732 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Hamilton,  Cora 255 

Hamilton,  R.  J 457 

Hamlin,  Bertha  252 

Hamlin,  W.  H 259 

Hammond,   P.  D 208 

Hartford,  Francis  474 

Hankinson,  T.  L 253 

Hanlon,  George 199 

Hannan,  Annie  R .  206 

Hannan,  James   474,  475,  488 

Hannan,  N.  B 206 

Hanson,  Minnie  A 247 

Hardin,  J.  H 325 

Hardinger,  Agnes  M 482 

Harker,  Joseph  167 

Harlan,  W.  T 195 

Harmison,  J.   K 199 

Harmon,  J.   F 309 

Harmon,  W.  M 81 

Harp,  J.  W 204 

Harper,  W.  R 276,  278,  347,  349,  358,  432,  463,  493 

Harrington,  George 303 

Harrington,  G.  B. 196 

Harris,  A.  W. 351 

Harris,  E.  B 518 

Harris,  G.   S 463 

Harris,  Levinus  198 

Harris,  W.  T 277 

Harrison,  W.  H ! 286,  287 

Harsha,  A.  S 208 

Hart,  C.  W 512 

Hart,  T.  W 197 

Hartacher,   Minnie   C 334 

Hartney,  Lizzie  L 474 

Harvey,  Elizabeth  B 196 

Harvey,  Julia 512 

Harwood,  S.  E 241 

Hasselquist,  T.  N 332 

Hastings,  L.  M 499 

Hatch,  F.  S 201 

Hatch,  L.  A 248 

Hatfield,  S.  K 207 

Hatfield,  W.  R 205 

Hathaway,  W.  M 206 

Haven,  Dwight  208 

Haven,  E.  0 351 

Haven,  Luther 463 

Hawkins,  J.  A 330 

Hawkins,  Mary  E 254 

Hawkins,  May  206 

Hawley,    S.    S 203 

Haworth,  O.  P 208 

Hawthorne,  C.  J 517 

Hawthorne,  W.   E 206 

Hay,  John  196 

Hayes,  Edward   501,  502 

Hayes,  J.  A 205 

Hazle,  Laura 109,  255 

Heath,  G.  W 488 

Hedding  College 323 

Hedding,  Elijah   323 

Hedding  Seminary 323 

Henaughan,  M.  J 245 

Henderson,  G.  W 197 

Hendricks,  B.   F. 208 

Hennepin   12 

Henninger,    J.    W 171,  255,  256 

Henny,  A.  K 200 

Henry,  Kate 232 

Henry,  Patrick  17 

Henson,  Mark  203 

Herbert,  W.  E 202 

Herdman,  T.  H 309 

Herdman,  W.  J 201 

Hermetel,    G.    R . .' 206 


Hertel,  Charles 207 

Hewett,  Edwin  C 102,  143,  214,  216,  518,  519,  520 

Hewins,  L.  T 200 

Hewitt,  J.   N 328 

Hey  wood,  A.  S 487,  488 

Heywood,  P.  C 497 

Hickman,  J.  F * 203 

Hickox,  W.  R 201 

Hieronymus,  R.  E 181,  183,  325 

Higby,  John   199,  201,  551 

Higgins,  Henry  204 

Higgins,  Van  H 267 

High,  G.  L : 252 

Higher   Education    280 

Higher  Education,  Development  of 286 

Highland  Park   508 

High  Schools    139,  148 

High  Schools,  Graded   505 

High  Schools,  Township  506 

Hill,  Allen    197 

Hill,  A.  J 196 

Hill,  L  C 485 

Hill,  J.  M 201 

Hillard,   Martha   316 

Hillman,  A.  C 208,  232,  233 

Hillsboro  College 343 

Hillyard,  W.  H 204 

Hinman,  C.  T 351 

Hinners,  A.  C 196 

Hirsch.   Emil   G 276,  277 

Hiser,  H.  0 197 

Hitch,  R.  M.. 205,  480,  486 

Hitchcock,  Mrs.  Charles   349 

Hitchcock,  H.  E 313 

Hitchcock,  Henry 313 

Hitchcock,  Miss    70 

Hoaglin,  Sue  D 246,  247 

Hoard,  Samuel   463 

Hobbs,  J.  B 351 

Hodge,  John  H 205 

Hoffman,  P.   H 336 

Hoffman,  U.  J 179,  180,  202,  451 

Hogue,  Thomas   351,  352 

Hogue,   W.   T 346 

Hoke,  J.  C 205 

Holder,  Charles  B 463 

Holderly,  N.  P 199 

Holgate,  T.  F 351 

Holderman,  Mary  R 199 

Holidays    133 

Hollis,  D.  P •. 205 

Holm,  P.  N 206 

Holmes,  John  HI   200 

Holmes,  R.  B 208 

Holmes,  W.  K 317 

"  Home  Missionary  " 295 

Hood,  J.  W 206 

Hood,  S.  B 167,  206 

Hoover,  H.  D 344 

Hopkins,  A.  J 248 

Hopkins,  C.  J 368 

Hopkins,  Kate  L 199 

Horton,  Mary  227 

Horton,  O.  H 358 

Hostetler,  H.  W 202 

Hotz,   Christopher    358 

Houghton,  Florence  K 346 

Houghton,  R.   C 309 

Hough,  W.  A 207 

Hovey,  Alvah 347 

Hovey,  C.  E...92,  93,  94,  98,  99,  100,  101,  173,  214, 

227,  243,  372,  505,   518 

Hovey,  Mrs.  C.  E 518 

Howard,  Lafayette 200 

Howe,  S.  J 202 


INDEX 


733 


Howell,  J.  G 227 

Howland,  George   467,  468,  474,  485,  488,  490,  520 

Hubbard,  W.  A 199 

Hudson,  J.  W 208 

Huff,  Charlotte  249 

Huff,  Rose  L 249 

Huddleson,  William    339 

Hughes,  N.  R 198 

Hull,  John 156,  167,  204,  233,  234,  238,  239,  519 

Hunt,  B.  K 550 

Hunt,  D.  D 244,  248 

Hunt,  George    198 

Hunt,  G.  W 206 

Huntsman,   Bertha  F 250 

Hurd,  Albert  314 

Hurd,  H.  B 352 

Hurley,  T.  D 512 

Hurons  12 

Hursh,  S.  B 255,  256,  257 

Hutchinson  349 

Hynes,   T.   W 195,  231 

Illinois  — 

Position 9 

Prairies    10 

Area   10 

Mounds    10 

mini    11 

Conquest  of   17 

Revolution 19 

Territory   23 

Enabling  Act 23,     72 

History  new  ;    Indians 11,     23 

Frenchmen    11 

Population   in    1763 22 

Northwestern  boundary   23 

Constitution    24 

Settled  portion  on  1825 25 

Immigrants    25 

Preachers    25 

Teachers     52,  79,  92,  101,  117,  123 

Teachers'  Association 44,    52 

Illinois  College    44,  289,  290,  292,  329,  260,  432 

Illinois  College  of  Pharmacy 352 

Illinois  Industrial  Convention   435,  436,  437 

Illinois  Institute    330 

Illinois  Institute  of  Education 301,  369 

Illinois  Liberal  Institute 321 

Illinois  Soldiers'  College   511 

Illinois  State  Education  Society 44,  370 

Illinois  State  Normal  University.. 24,  76,  78,  85,  89, 

94,  118,  124,  125,  130,  168,  371,  372 
Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  History  of .  . .  .  373 

Illinois  State   University   290,  343 

Illinois  Teachers'  Association  44,     52 

Illinois  University    361 

Illinois  Wesleyan  University   317 

Immaculate  Conception  of  Blessed  Virgin 14 

Indiana   University    287 

Industrial   Education  85,  183,  184 

Industrial  League   91,  136 

Industrial   University   ; 125,  362 

Inglis,  B 252 

Inglis,   S.   M 170,  171,  245,  250,  251,  450 

Institute,   State  Teachers 91,  124 

Institutes    ...58,  80,  83,  112,  122,  124,  125,  147,  152, 

167,  184,  194 

Introduction  9 

Irion,  Rev.   D 342 

Jack,  John    200 

Jackman,  W.   S 270,  271,  272,  275 

Jackson,  Charlotte   M 254 

Jackson,  J.   W 204 

Jackson,  T.  C 200 


PAGE 

Jackson,  W.    S 270,  271,  272,  275 

Jackson,  W.  T 336 

Jacksonville  Association 547 

Jacobs,  Henry  190 

James,  C.    S 201 

James,   Edmund  J 181,  367,  351 

James,  Leeds   208 

James  Milliken  University 337 

James,  P.   M 202 

Jaques,  J.  R 323 

Jayne,  Violet  D 367 

Jefferson,   H.   S 507 

Jefferson,  Thomas   17 

Jeliff,  F.  R 255 

Jenks,  J.  W ' 370 

Jenkins,  J.  H 200 

Jenkins,  T.   K 199 

Jenkins,  William     ; .  .  168,  173,  551 

Jenney,  Elisha    295,  547 

Jennison,  John 195 

Jepson,  A.  G 309 

Jerome,  C.  W 208 

Jewett,   J.   J 498 

Jobe,  J.  E 206 

John  Swaney  Consolidated  School 510 

Johannon,  Carl   325 

Johns,  John   199 

Johnson,  Annabel     253 

Johnson,  B.  W 325 

Johnson,  Frank  A 204 

Johnson,  F.   F 206 

Johnson,  G.  J 304 

Johnson,  G.   W 201 

Johnson,  Henrv    252,  253 

Johnson,  J.   W 204 

Johnson,  L.  M 327 

Johnson,  William    197 

Johnston,  W.   J 208 

Joliet,  Louis    12,     13 

Jones,  A.  H 251 

Jones,  Alba  203 

Jones,  Jenkin   Lloyd 278 

Jones,  L.    K 199 

Jones,  Lottie    167 

Jones,  William    463 

Tones,  W.  A 497 

Jonesboro  College 289,  290 

Jubilee  College   289,  290,  291 

Judson,  Harry  Pratt 350 

Junker,   Damien    333 

Kane,  Thomas 358 

Karr,  Lyon 209 

Karraker,  D.  W 207 

"Kaskie  Old"   13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  19,  21,  22,  23, 

24,  27,  28,  36,  60 

Kays,  Victor    510 

Keane,  M.  J 463 

Keating,  J.   T 463 

Keener,    A.    C 200 

Keily,  Richard  201 

Keith,  Edna   255 

Keith,  Edson    490 

Keith,  G.   G 463 

Keith,  J.  A.  H 246,  247,  249 

Keith,  H.  M 487 

Kellar,  J.  G 203 

Keller,  G.  W 336 

Kelley,  Mrs.  E.  G 349 

Kelly,  M.  B 208 

Kellogg,  H.   Amelia    482 

Kellogg,  H.  H 311 

Kellogg,  Kate    480 

Kemp,  Theo 320 

Kendall,  H.  N 303 


734 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Kendall,  Mrs 501 

Kendall,  P.  R 322 

Kendrick,  A.  A 304 

Kennery,   Mrs 512 

Kent,  Erastus    315 

Kent,  S.  A 349 

Kennedy,  J.  A 204 

Kenyon,  J.  S 203 

Kepley,  If.  B 292 

Kephart,   I.   L 336 

Kern,  O.  J 209 

Kern,  D 200 

Kerford,  Mrs.   W.  D 512 

Kerrick.  James   A 198 

Kessinger,   M.   M 203 

Killie,  T.   C 197 

Kimball,  C.   P 370 

Kimball,  G.  P 330 

Kimball,  J.  E 487 

Kimberley,    E.   S 463 

Kimbrough,  E.  R.  E 155 

Kimmel,  R.   R 202 

Kimzey,   W.   R 205 

Kindergarten    268,  275,  489 

King,  D.   F 199 

King,  J.  W 198 

King,  Tuthill    354 

King,  W.  H 463 

Kingman,  A.  J 204 

Kinley,  David    367 

Kinnie,  C  J 156 

Kinzie,  John  H 456 

Kirbv,  William   547 

Kirk^   Alfred    474,  475,  480,  488,  519 

Kirk,  James   166,  167,  169,  209,  450 

Kirkby 295,  297 

Kirkhofer,  H.  J 335 

Kister,  W.  H 203 

Kleckner,    I.    F 207 

Klinefelter,  W.   H 336 

Klosterman,  P.  M 337 

Knapp,  C.  H 201 

Knapp,  J.  H 501 

Knapp,  James  H 202 

Kniselv,  J.   S 203 

Knox   College    288,  290,  309 

Knox  ^lanual  Labor  College 311 

Koch,    Frederich    252,  253 

Koerner,    Gustave    231 

Kohlsaat,   C.   C 358 

Kosinski,   John    345 

Kramer,  J.   H 208 

Kranz,   C 342 

Krape,  A.  A I 207 

Kroh,    P.   H 207 

Kunkleman,  J.   A 343 

Lackey,  G.  W 202 

Lackland,   W.   R 207 

Ladies'    Schools    70 

Lake  Forest  Association    327 

Lake  Forest  College   326 

Lake  Forest  University    327 

Lake  View    High    School 507 

Lake,  W.  E 197 

Lamar,  C.  H 196 

Lamb,   J.    E 209 

Land  Grant  Act 361 

Lane,  A.   G....155,  157,  197,  267,  268,  270,  276,  358, 

449,  471,  475,  476,  482,  487 

Lane,  J.  H 200 

Lane  Seminary  310 

Lanning,   Solomon   196 

Lands,  School  40 

Landsden,   John 496 


PAGE 

Earned,  Mrs.  C.  E 196 

Larrimore,   J.   W 268 

La   Salle   12,     13 

Latham,  R.   B 337 

Law,  John   13,     15 

Layton,    Louise    E 270 

Layton,   S.   W 200 

Leach,   Clement   501 

Leach,    O.    D 201 

Leal,  T.  R 196 

Leaton,  James 317 

Leavenworth,    Miss    ' 459 

Leavitt,  J.   A 339 

Lebanon   ; 206 

Lebanon   Seminary   290,  306 

Lecrone,  G.  M 291 

Lee,  E.  W 205 

Lee,  George   H 196 

Lee,  J.   C 322 

Lee,  T.  J 197 

Leib,  H.  E 207 

Leonard,  Nicholas  334,  337 

Leverett,  Warren   303 

Leverett,  Washington 303 

Lewis,  A.    C 357,  358 

Lewis,  G.   0 197 

Lewis,  H.   B 267 

Lewis,  H.   F 358 

Lewis  Institute   -  357 

Lewis,  John    357 

Lewis,  J.    H 245 

Lewis,  Leslie 460,  474 

Lewis,  N.  C 323 

Lewis,  S.  G 196 

Lewis,  T.  Z 205 

Lexington   Normal   School 89 

Library   School    67 

Libraries    84,  86,  104,  184,  440 

Lincoln,    A 43,  96,  307,  361,  371,  438,  494 

Lincoln    College    337 

Lind  University    327 

Lindsey,  John    324 

Link.  R.  R 199 

Lippincott,   Mr 293 

Littler,  D.   F 245 

Little,  Luella  V 488 

Livingston,   F,   W 204 

Livingston,   W 322 

London   Company  n 

Loring,  Lucius  no 

Locke,  J.  W 142,  309 

Locke,  O.   E 353 

Lcckwood,    S.    D 516,  547 

Lodge,  A.   N 209 

Logan,  John  A 231 

Lombard  College   321 

Lombard,   Frank  491 

Lombard,  Henry  322 

Loomis,  G.   C 208 

Loomis,  H.  B 486 

Loomis,  Hubbel    302,  550 

Lord,    L.    C • 252,  253,  259,  451 

Loos,   C.   L 325 

Losey,   N.   H 311 

Lett,  E.  C 245 

Love,  Homer  329 

Lovejoy,   Elijah   298 

Lovejoy,   Owen    331 

Low,   G.  A 487 

Lowe,   O.  B 205 

Lowell,  C.  E.  M 208 

Lowery,  R.  H 403 

Lowry,    C.   D 475,  480 

Lowry,  J.   A 200 

Lowry,  T.   P 202 


INDEX 


735 


PAGE 

Lucas,  J.   G 196 

Ludwig,  W.  Y 208 

Lugenbeel,  W.  A 391,  392 

Liindegreen,   Eliza   488 

Li,nt,  F.   S 253 

Lusson,  St 12 

Luther,  Martin   200 

Lutkin,   P.   C 353 

Lyman,   H.  M 358 

Lynn,   A.   T 204 

Lynn,  W.  H 201 

Lvons,  H.   S 508 

Lyons,   S.  R 326 

INLibry,  J.  B 208 

McAlpine,  W.  J 245 

McAndrew,  W.  A 485 

]^lcArthur.  James 200 

^fcCall.  Mrs.  L.   M 501,  502 

:\icCallister,  Everett 200 

:McCIaughry,  R.   W '.  .325,  326,  513,  541 

McClellan,  George  B 199 

:\lcClellan,  Thomas 313,  314 

McClintock,   J.   1 208 

McCloir.  D.   C 503 

McClung,  J.   S 200 

McClunn,   J.   E 217 

AlcClure,  G.  J 328 

McClure,  J.   E 203 

McClure,  J.  G.  K 354 

McClure.  S.   S 214 

McCormick,   Henry   167,  215,  216,  224 

McCormick,  Nellie  F 254 

McCormick   Theological   Seminary 354 

McCreery,   L.   J 206 

McDavid,  W.  J 204 

McDonald.  A.  D ;  . .  .  205 

McDonough  College   205 

Mace,  S.  E. 200 

McGaskill,  A 196 

McGinniss,  Albert   338 

McGIumpy,   A.  J'. 337 

McGrew,   E.   A 207 

McGruder,  Judge   359 

McGuire,   Theresa    482 

McHanev,  James 203 

McHattan,  Hugh    197 

M  cintosh,   Charles    205,  457 

Mcintosh,   Sarah  C 208 

Mack,  W.   S 259 

McKain,   P.   A 197 

McKay,  S.  A 205 

Macke,    P.    S 337 

McKearnan,  John   208,  454 

McKee,    Nannie   J 195 

McKeever,   E.    B 206 

McKelyey,  S.  A 206 

McKendrean    College    307 

McKendree   College  209,  305,  360 

McKennev,   Isabelle   253 

McKim,   b.   F 203 

Mackinac   12 

Mackinaw,   Little    22 

McKinley,  President   253 

]\IcKinney,  Augusta  242 

McKneeley,  J.   1 147 

McKnight,   J.   F '. 197 

McLain,  N.  W 512 

McLaren,  John   358 

McLaughlin.   P.   S 201 

McLean,   Addie   L 250 

McLean   County    96 

McMasters,   S.  Y 303 

MacMillan.   D.   P 493 

McMichael,  G.  B 376 


PAGE 

McMichael.  T.  H 326 

McMurrv,  C.   A 167,  215,  246,  247,  249 

McMurry,  F.  M 215 

McMurry,  J.  H 338 

McMurry,  Lida  B 248,  250 

McMurry,   Miss  306 

McNabb,  James    196 

McNeill,   Mary   M 242 

Alacomb , 254 

McPherson,  W.  M 302 

McQueary,   T.   H 475,  476,  486 

McQueen,  D.   A 197 

McQuilkin,  James    . 207 

McVey,  W.   P 323 

Mc'.dison  County  First  School 60 

Magnor,  J.   N 205 

Magoun,  John   •. 317 

Mahoney,   Jeremiah    488,  519,  520,  521,  522 

Major's  Hall   98 

Male   Teachers    152 

Mallary.    M.    M 203,  514 

Malonc,  J.  A 206 

Manchester,  J.   P 202 

Manchester.  O.  L 228 

Mandel,  Leo  349 

Manlev,  A.  P 208 

Mann,  C.  E 201 

Mann.  C.  W 357 

Mann,  Horace    79,  88,  371,  500 

Mann,  Jessie  R 249 

Manual  Labor  College  Movement 290 

Mapes,  A.   J ; 198 

Marcy,  Oliver    351 

Alanor,  Francis 64 

Mark,   Clavton  463 

Marlow,  A.   S.  : 245 

Maroe,  J.   G 206 

Marquette    12 

Marschutz.  William   207 

Marsh,   H.   B 372 

Marshall,  A.  B 206 

Marshall,  J.  R 202 

Marsile,   M.   J 340 

Martin,  C.   H 202 

Martin,  Irma    251 

Martin,  John   C 344 

Martin,  J.  H 205 

Martin,  S.   M 204 

Martin,  William    550 

Martin,  W.    H 201 

Martin,  W.  L 208 

Marwin,   AL   W 202 

Mason,  Edward  G 12 

Mason,  George    17 

Mason,  Julia   F 232,  241 

Mason,  R.  B 267 

Mason,  S.  G 205 

Massachusetts    88 

Massev,  S.  E 199 

Mastin,  G.  C 196 

Matheney,   F.   E ." " 200 

Mather,  Robert   .■ 314 

Matlack,  L.  G .'  .  330 

M  atteson.  Governor    52,  110 

ATatthews,  John  354 

Mavitv,  W.  P 207 

Maxwell,  H.  A 204 

Mavs,  D.  H 199 

Mays.  Jesse    199 

Mayne,   S.   A 208 

Meeker.    G.    W 372 

Meeks,  B.   F 208 

Megan,   C.   P. 475,  476,  480 

Mehlhop,  J.  A 203 

Melendez 11 


736 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Melville,  Andrew  249 

Memorial  Day  184 

Memorial  in  1844  46 

Memorial  to  the  President 30 

Menard,  Pierre 27,  286 

Mereer,  J.  A 196 

Mermet,  Father 15 

Merrich,  F.  W 461 

Merrill,  Bishop   359 

Merrill,  J.  K 487 

Merriman,  A.  N 488 

Merriman,  C.  B 494 

Merriman,  C.  P 317 

Merritt,  J.   W 309 

Merritt.  L.  Evelyn 250 

Mertling,  J.  A 330 

Merwin,  Fannie  S .  . : 203 

Messenger,  John  60 

Metcalf,   Thomas    215,  216,  225 

Metzell,  E.  L 250 

Mever,  H.  A 195 

Michigan    72 

Military  Tract   254,  311 

Military  Tract  Educational  Association 403-406 

Millard,  J.  E 96 

Miller,  Bertha   183 

Miller,   Clara    253 

Miller,  J.  A.  449 

Miller,  Jacob    196 

Miller,  J.  A 203 

Miller,  James     317 

Miller,  John    334 

Miller,  L.  W .• . .  .  202 

Miller,  R.   D 204,  454 

Miller,  S.   C 197 

Miller,  S.   F '. 327 

Miller,  T.   C 452 

Miller,  W.   E 197 

Milligan,  H.  W 299 

Millikin,  James   338 

Mills,  C.  W 197 

Mills,  S 335 

Mills,  W.  B 510 

Minton,  Homer   329,  330 

Mitchell,   C.   E 198 

Mitchell,  J.  J 349 

Model   School    227 

Monmouth   College    325 

Monroe  County 30 

Monroe,  John 494 

Monroe,  W.  W 198 

Monser  High   School 207 

Montford,  Helen  R 270 

Montgomery,  H.   H 199 

Montgomery,  H.  C 204 

Montgomery,  J.  A 207 

Month,  School  133 

Moore,  B.  C 204 

Moore,  H.  H 203 

Moore,  Hugh  203 

Moore,  Ira    92,  98,  102,  243,  481 

Moore,  J.   C. 207 

Moore,  Mary    203 

Moore,  R.  C 203 

Moore,  R.  L 209 

Moore,  T.  E 203 

Morals    186 

Morey,  T.  P 195 

Morgan,  J.   E.  W 203 

Morgan,  J.  G 497 

Morgan,  Joel  G 195 

Morgan,  R.  T 198,  457 

Morrell,  J.  S 438 

Morrill   Act    .' :  . .  126 

Morrison,  Marion  325 


Morrison,  T.  N 498 

Morrison,  W.  R 231 

Morse,  Mrs.  A.  B 345 

Morse,  F.  L 485 

Mortensen,  P.  A 480,  486 

Morse,  Anna  A 254 

Moseley,  Flavel 94,  463 

Moseley,  Sarah   P 370 

"  Mosaics  "    246 

Moses 28 

Moss,  C.   M 317,  320 

Moulton,    S.    W ;; 93,  95,  111,  513 

Mudd,  Maurice  A 206 

Mueller,  Anselm 333 

Mundell,  C.  W 199 

Munsell,  C.  W.   C 199 

Munsell,  E.  B 319 

Munsell,  O.   S 319,  320 

Murphy,  Edward   459 

Murray,  Bronson    112,  437,  517 

Monticello   Seminary  548 

Nash,   C.   E 326 

National  Education  Association 155 

Nauvoo  High  School 508 

Neal,  H.  A 251 

Neal,  J.  0 198 

Neal,  Marietta  A 197 

Neal,  Offa    199 

Neff,  E.   F 205 

Negro  Burned  18 

Negroes 54 

Nehrling,  Walter   254 

Neill,  J.  R 206 

Nevens,  W.  H 208 

New  Albany  Theological   Seminary 304 

Newberry,   W.   L 463 

New  England  Company 26,     35 

New  Normal  School  Movement 243 

Nichols,  O.  B 197 

Nichols,  T.   M 230 

Nichols,  W.  F 497 

Nichols,  D.  F 202 

Nickey,  S.   P 203 

Nickle,  William    204 

Nicolet,  Jean   12 

Nightingale,  A.   F 181,  197,  474,  475,  507,  508 

Nollen,  J.  S 328 

Normal    Schools    .  .44,  49,  56,  79,  80,  85,  87,  88,  89, 

90,  91,  92,  130,  147,  148,  180,  184,  214,  243,  244,  376 

Normal    Schools,   County 92,  262,  281,  285 

Northern  Illinois  State  Normal  School 243,  245 

Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association 387-396 

Northwestern  College    334 

Northwestern  College  of  Dental  Surgery 328 

Northwestern  Education   Society   372 

Northwestern  University    350 

Northwestern  University  Medical   School 353 

Norton,  J.   H 485 

Norton,  Mabel    250 

Norton,  W.   T 550 

Noyes,  H.  S 351 

Nutting,  Rufus   330 

Nye,  J.  W 335 

Oberlin    College    310 

O'Brien,  MoUie 205 

O'Connor,  Thomas 513 

Ogden,  W.  B 349,  372 

Oglesby,  R.  G 267,  362,  511 

Ohio    72 

O'Keef e,  Isabel  463 

Oldfather,   G.   W 202,  449,  452 

Oldt,  F.   T 155 

Olsson,  Doctor    332 


INDEX 


737 


O'Mahoney,  J.  P 340 

O'Massener,  R 494 

Ong,  Ira  M 203 

Oneida  Institute  290 

Ordinance  of  1787 21,  22,  25,     36 

Ordinance  of  1785 71 

Oregon   245 

Orphan  School   126 

Orr,  R.  W 496 

Ottawa  High  School 507,  508 

Ottawa   Mission    13 

Overland  Trail   15 

Overman,  C.  R 435 

Owen,  Colonel  457 

Owen,   W.   B 280,  486 

Oxford,   J.    H 200 

Ozark 10 

Pace,  J.  M 201,  204 

Paddock,  Armada  G 266 

Paddock,  H.  C 201 

Page,  E.   C 246,  249 

Page,  S.  C 208 

Page's  Theory  and  Practice 118 

Palmer,  A.   C 507 

Palmer,   E.   G 231 

Park,  Edwin    203 

Parker,  C.   1 485 

Parker,  C.  M 449,  451,  454,  45^,  523 

Parker,  F.  W 167,  269,  270,  271,  272,  273,  482,  483 

Parker,  Mrs.  F.  W 270 

Parker,  G.   N 197 

Parker,  J.  W 208 

Parker,  Valmore    197 

Parkinson,   D.   B...143,  232,  233,  234,  240,  242,  259,  570 

Psrrish 15 

Parks,  Lizzie   241 

Parson,  Helen  E 503 

Parson,  S.  F 270 

Parsons,  G.  B 206 

Partridge,  Lelia  E 270 

Passavant,  W.  A 355 

Paten,  J.  W 339 

Patten,  Alice  C 246,  247,  249 

Patten,   O.   W 490 

Patterson,  Alice    184 

Patterson,  Doctor 304 

Patterson,  R.  W 326 

Paxson,  Walter  A 206 

Payne,  W.  C 475 

Peabody,  S.  H 156,  364,  365,  366,  484,  489 

Peadro,  B.  F 205 

Pearce,  Edward    197 

Pearn,  J.  G 196 

Pearsons,  D.  K 251,  299,  313,  328,  329 

Peck,  G.  W 323 

Peck,  J.   M 42,  68,  300,  301,  369 

Peck,  John    203 

Peirce,  Cyrus  21,  99,  243 

Pence,  Robert   206 

Pennington,  Lott 201 

Pensions   184,  187 

Peoria  Annual  Conference 323 

Peoria  County  Normal  School 251,  281 

Pepson,  G.  W 201 

Perdue,  J.   C 197 

Perkins,   G.   W 513 

Perry,  E.  Frank 203 

Perry,   J.   T 208 

Pestalozzi 80 

Peterson,   Frances   503,  505 

Peterson,  J.   H 201 

Pettingill,  J.   C 205 

Phelps,  Edward    371 

Phelps,   W.    F , 98 


PAGE 

Philbrick,  John  D 464 

Phillips,  D.   W 309 

Phillips,  L.  M 232 

Pickard,  J.  L 143,  267,  467,  520 

Pierce,  Amos  .• 321 

Pierpont  Readers   64 

Pillsbury,  J.  E 205 

Pillsbury,  W.   L...35,  71,  75,  88,  122,  125,  148,  152, 

154,  155,  227,  286,  370 

Pinkney,  D.  J 47,     89 

"  Pioneer  Western  Baptist "   42,  301,  369 

Piper,  Anna 252,  253 

Piper,  J.  A 251 

Piper,  J.   M 205,  450 

Piper,  Jonathan    519 

Pitkin,  C.  J 205 

Pittsford,  D.   B .• 207 

Plainfield  College  334 

Plant,  G.  D 197 

Plumb,  Ralph   508 

Plymouth  Company  11 

Polo    245 

Pomfret,  M.   E 207 

Pope,  Nathaniel    23,  546,  550 

Porter,  J.    C.    325 

Porter,  Jeremiah    458 

Porter,  W.  A 197 

Potter,  F.  W 198 

Potter,  Johnson    207 

Potter,  L.  H 102,  484,  512 

Potter,  Mary  Ross   246,  247 

Post,  Edwin  501 

Post,  T.  M 546 

Powell,  W.   B...78,  82,  84,  86,  93,  95,  110,  113,  114, 

141,  142,   143,  144  190,  408,  435,  497 

Powner,  C.  1 523 

"  Prairie  College "   311 

Prairie  Du  Rocher 24 

Prairie  Du   Pont 24 

"  Prairie  Farmer  "   45,  107,  370,  391,  434 

Prentiss,   N.   A 497 

Preston,  J.   H " 202 

Press  Bulletin 180 

Priestley,  W.  M 203 

Primer,   J.    W 203 

Princeton  Township  High  School 365,  507 

Private   Schools  82,     86 

Proccs  Verbal  12 

Proctor,   T.   J 199 

Pruitt,  Edgar  C 206 

Public  School  Journal 248 

Pullman,  George  M 490 

Pupils'  Reading  Circle 410,  411,  412 

Putnam,   Alice   H 270 

Putnam  County 434,  519,  520 

Quackenbush,  M 201 

Quebec 11,     13 

Raab,  Henry  122,  149,  150,  152,  157,  159,  166, 

167,  169,  170 

Ragon,   Edith  .' ...  253 

Rainey,  Mrs.  Henry  M 512,  513 

Rammelkamp,  C.  H 293,  299 

Ramsey,  J.  E 208 

Randall,  R.  P 200 

Randolph,  J.  B 199 

Randolph,  R.   R 205 

Rank,  Fred  H 446 

Ransom,  S.   C 202 

Rasweiler,  H.  H 335 

Rasweiler,  John  K 198 

Rate  Bill 80 

Raum,  G.  B 231 

Ray,  Jessie  Ellwood 248 


738 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Ray.  J.   T. 205 

Raymond,  Alice    241 

Ravmond,  Sarah    E 142,  143,  494,  495 

Raymond,  W.  H.  V 230,  497 

Reactionary  Movement  .• 36 

Read,   Daniel    230,  303,  304 

"  Reading  as  a  Life  Force  " 155 

Rebman,  Emma 201 

Redd,  L.  H 200 

Reed,   Mary  1 205 

Reed.  P.  C " 195 

Rceder,  J.  M 200 

Reeder.  R.   R ' 167,  219,  522 

Reese,  W.   S 336 

Reeyes,  O.   T 494 

Regan,  G.   D 206 

Regan,   L.   T 202 

Reid,  S.   S 329 

Rein,  William   215 

Remsberg,   J.   H 503 

Renault.   Philip   Francis 36 

Rendleman,  A.  Z 200 

Renwick,  Myrtle  201 

Revell.  A.   H 463 

Rex,  George  P 95 

Rexford,  Heber  S 264 

Reynolds,  Emily  K 216 

Reynolds,  J.  M 203 

Rhetoricals    44 

Rhine,  R.  E 206 

Rhode  Island  35 

Rhodes,  John  334 

Rice,  Emily  J 270 

Rice.  Inez  D 247 

Rice,  Maurice   P 199 

Rich,    Professor    322 

Rich,  W.   C.,  Jr 207 

Richardson,   Henry    494 

Richardt,  P.  M 337 

Richmond,   C.   W 198 

Richmond.  John    P 196 

Ricker,    N .' 364 

Rickert,  J.   W 204 

Ridgeway,  T.   S 232,  233 

Riess,  George  L 206 

Riggs,  J.  D.  S.  .' 305 

Riley,  Charles   499 

Rittenhouse,  H.  M , 200 

Roberts,  J.   B 501,  502 

Roberts,  H.   L 255 

Roberts,  James    232 

Roberts,  J.   W 201 

Roberts,  W.  C 328 

Roberts,  W.   J 199 

Roberts,  W.   M 475,  480 

Robertson,   Charles    330 

Robinson,  A  R 485 

Robinson,  G.   B 200 

Robinson",  H.  C 200 

Robinson,  Ida    200 

Robinson,  S.    W 364 

Robinson,  W.   E 195 

Roche,  J.  A ■ ; ; ; ;  358 

Rocheleau,  W.  F 16? 

Rockefeller,   J.    D 347,  349 

Rockford _ .   245 

Rockford   College 314 

Rockford  Seminary   '314 

Rock    Spring  •  Seminary 290,  301,  302 

Rock  Spring  Theological  and  High  School.... 300 

R  ockwood,   G.   H 485 

Roe,  E.  R 494 

Rogers,  Annie  E igg 

Rogers,  H.  W 351,  352 

Rogers,  James  E 330 


PAGE 

Rogers,  T.    P 317 

Roosevelt,  Theodore   , 338 

Root,  C.  H 451 

Root,  C.  R 199 

Roots,    B.    G 63,  92,  205,  230,  520,  531 

Rose,  James  A 205 

R  ose,  K.   P 205 

Rose,  Marshall    201 

Ross,  G.  C 199 

Ross,  G.    W 245 

Ross,  Mrs.   M.   H 268 

Ross,  Robert    325 

Rosette,   Clinton 244,  245 

Rosseter,  E.   C 200,  480 

Roth,  W.  H 198 

Roughton,  Van  D 205 

Rourke,   P.  J 2OG 

Roy,  Father  Thomas 339,  340 

Rude,  L.  F 198 

Rudolph,  H.   M 199 

Runyan,   E.   F 463 

Rupp,  Helen   M 208 

Rural   School   Architecture 176 

Rush  Aledical   College 29,  328 

Russell,  E.    S ». 232 

Russell,  John    • 197 

Russell,  J.  B 200 

Russell,  R.  A 514 

R  uther f ord.   S.  C '  200 

Ruthrauff,  J.   M 343 

Rutledge.  W.  J 317 

Ryan,  Merion  E 196 

Ryder   Divinity   School 341,  342 

Ryder,   W.    H 322 

Ryerson.  M.  A 349 

Rj'on,  D.   B 259 

Sabin,  A.   R 156,  202,  460,  474,  484,  486,  488 

Sage,   R.    P 501 

St.  Charles  School  for  Boys 512 

St.  Clair   County 226 

St.  Clair,  Governor  22,     37 

St.  Francis    Solanus    College 333 

St.  Ignace    12.     13 

St.  Ignatius    College    -►. 340 

St.  Joseph  Seraphic  College 336 

St.  Louis,  Fort   13 

St.  Stanislaus  College  344 

St.  Viateur  College   " 339 

St.  Vincent's    21 

Salaries     50,  51,  78,  82,  116,  123,  174,  185 

Salter,  Matilda  F 241 

Saltsgiver,   S.   D 201 

Samson,   J..  H 207 

Sanborn,  David  501 

Sandham,  W.  R ? 207 

Sanford,  Fernando  205 

Sangamo  Journal    42,  43,  370 

Sargent,   F.   M 475 

Saulsbury,  C.  H 245 

Sault    Ste.    Marie 12 

Scammon,    J.    Y 463 

Schedule    40 

Schneider.    O.    C 463 

Scott,  J.   C 206,  230 

Scott,  W.   H 203 

Scott,  Owen    198,  251 

School   Commissioners .40,  44,  54,  57,  104 

"  School  Days  in  the  Fifties  " 278 

School  Directors    117,  210 

School  Districts    104,  211 

School  for   Blind   423-428 

School  for  Deaf  and  Dumb 413-417 

School  for  Idiots  and  Feeble  Minded 418-423 

School  Fivnd   Proper  76 


INDEX 


739 


School  Funds    71,  76,  148 

Care  of 167 

School  Houses,   First   60,  61,  83,  211 

Use  of   133 

School  Journalism   in   Illinois 515-523 

School  Law    ..  .27,  32.  37,  38,  39,  40,  44,  45,  53,  56, 
58,   104,   113,  117,  127,   132,  133,  134,   145,   146, 

152,  155,  168,  185,  186,  188,  189 

Schools,    Early    59,  66,     67 

"  The   Schoolmaster  "    238 

Scotland   Consolidated   School 511 

Scouller,  J.   D 513 

Searl,  C.  J 255 

Sears,   C.  A 318 

Seaton,  J.  H 206 

Seehorn,  A.  A 195 

Select   Schools   213 

Seele}',  John 57 

Seeley,    Samuel   J 59 

Sellars,    C.   W 196 

Seminaries,  County   88 

Seminary    Fund    31,74,75,88,     93 

Senneff,   B.    L 336 

Servant,  Richard  B 105 

Sevier.   C.   M 204 

Sewall,   J.    A 103,  519 

Seward  Consolidated  School 509 

Seymour,   M.   L 225 

Shannon,  A.  R 95 

Sharp,  Catherine  L 367 

Sharp,  Elisha  197 

Shasted,  John    372 

Shattuck,  S.  W 363 

Shaw,   Edward    196 

Shaw,  F.  M 196 

Shawhan.    G.   R 196,  449,  450,  451,  453,  454 

Sheets.  B.  F 518 

Sheldon,  William   339 

Shelton,  A.  M 204 

Shepardson,  F.  W. 346 

Sheridan,  T.  H 205 

Sherman,  Mrs.  C.  K 463 

Sherman,  L.  Y 254,  513 

Sherrill,  H.  J 190 

Sherwood,  Adiel   303 

Sherwood.  George,  &  Co 487 

Shipley,  B.  F 1^9 

Shipman,  M.  D 245 

Shoal  Creek   293 

Shoemaker,  J.  D 197 

Shonts,  T.  P 326 

Shoop,  G.  W 250 

Shoop,  John  D 480 

Shryock,  H.  W 241 

Shuey,  J.  R 325 

Shuey,  W.  R 326 

Sigmund,  F.  L 343 

Sief erman,  W.  H 198 

Sill,  Anna  P 314 

Simonds,  S.  0 208 

Simonds,-  W.  E 309 

Simpson.  T.  A 309 

Sinclair.  Nellie  M 201 

Sippy.  B.  F 203 

Sixteenth  Section   24,  28,     71 

Skiff ington.  Florence  V 253 

Skiles,  J.  R 250 

Skinner,  O.  A 322 

Slade,  J.   P 155,  157,  159,  193,  207,  346,  449 

Slavery  in  Illinois 15,  36,  37,  298 

Slavery  Question 298 

Sloan,  Wesley 95 

Sloan,  W.  F 508 

Slocum,  B.  D 487 

Slocum,  C.  E 35 


PAGE 

Slocum,  J.  J T 326 

Slocum,  Jeremiah    485,    487,  488 

Slocum,  May    252 

Slocum,  W.  F 486 

Smedley,  Fred  493 

Smith,  A.  A 334,  335 

Smith,  A.  E 208 

Smith,  A.J 206 

Smith.  A.  R .- 195 

Smith,  B.  L 207 

Smith,  Bernadine  Orme  354 

Smith,  C.  E, 201 

Smith,  D.  C 354 

Smith,  E.  C 173,  519 

Smith,  E.  M 320 

Smith,  G.  0 196 

Smith,  G.  W 197 

Smith,  G.  W 241 

Smith,  Helen  M 451 

Smith,  Henry '. 463 

Smith,  Hester  M 206 

Smith,  Nettie   501 

Smith,  Nora   198 

Smith,  O.  V 202 

Smith,  R.  M 486 

Smith,  S.  L 255 

Smith,  Spencer  R 486 

Smith,  V.  W 208 

Smith,  W.  C 335 

Smith.  William  Hawley 259,  521 

Smith,  William  H 202 

Smith,  W.  M ^08 

Smith,  William  Y 201 

Smithson,  N.  R 207 

Snapp,  G.  N 205 

Snell,  Mrs.  H 349 

Snyder,  Edward 363,  367 

Snyder,  John 195 

Society  of  Inquiry 294 

Society  of  School  Principals 408 

Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home   • 319,  428 

Soldiers'  College  103 

Songer,  J.  H ' 197 

Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  University.  .228,  242,  243 

Southern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association 382 

Southwell,  J.  H 206 

Southworth,  G.  S 204 

Spain's  Claim 11 

Spalding.  Rev.  John  Lancaster .  . .  s 278 

Sparks,  Thomas 209 

Spear,  S.  L 16,  209 

Special  Acts 144 

Speer,  Mary  A 270 

Speer,  W.  W 270,  475 

Spence,  W.  A 203 

Spencer,  A.  P 202 

Spofford,  G.  W. 487 

Springer,  Francis 204 

Springer,  M.  C 323 

Sproat,  G.  T 457 

Spurgeon,  R.  M 206 

Squire.  James '. .  203 

Standish,  J.  V.  N 142,  229,  322,  518 

Stansberry,  C.  B 197 

Stableton,  J.  K 494,  495 

Stapleton,  John   : 207 

Starne,  Alexander 110 

State  Association  of  County  Superintendents 408 

State  Board  of  Education 93,     99 

State  Certificates 122 

State  Course  of  Study 156,  179,  449 

State  Laboratory  of  Natural  History 365 

State  Orphan  School 126 

State  Reform  School 513 

State  Teachers'  Association 367 


740 


INDEX 


State  Teachers'  Institute , 91 

State 'Training  School  for  Girls 512 

Statistical  Year 146 

Stearns,  F.  D 205 

Steele,  W.  L...156,  183,  282,  373,  453,  499,  500,  501,  502 

Steiner,  John  H 195 

Stelle,  John  P : 200 

Sterans,  E.  F 485 

Stern,  Max  270 

Stetson,  Albert 215,  510,  519 

Stevens,  Emily  M.  C 488 

Stewart,  D.  T 198 

Stewart,  S.  C 335 

Steyer,  Theo 205 

Stine,  W.  F 206 

Stitch,  O.  C 201 

Stiver,  P.  O .' 207 

Stockdale,  G.  B 202 

Stoll,  C.  A 345 

Stone,  C.  M 205 

Stone,  M.  E 463 

Storff,  P.  H 337 

Storrs,  William  H 203 

Stotler,  R.  N 206 

Stout,  J.  B 202 

Stover,  D.  M 206 

Stowell,  C.  G ". 488 

Straight,  H.  H 270 

Stratford,  Emma  F 246,  247 

Stratton,  Charles  T 149 

Streator  High  School 507 

"  Strictures  and  Criticisms  "   135 

Stubbs,  T.  H 200 

Sturgeon,  M.  M 206 

Sturtevant,  Julian  M 142,  296,  297,  298,  370,  516, 

528,  547 

Sullivan,  Ella  C 475,  480 

Summerfield,  John 267,  270 

Summers,  A.  E 201 

Summers,  J.  A 200 

Sumner,  W.  T 201 

Superintendent,  County  .  .44,  127,  128,  133,  141,  183, 

188,  190,  191,  192,  193,  194,  195 

Superintendents,  County 195-209 

Superintendents'  and  Principals'  Association,  North- 
ern Illinois 396 

Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  .44,  47,  52,  56, 

104,  105,  111,  112,  128,  157 
Superintendents  of  Public  Instruction : 

Ex  oMcio 108-110 

Elective Ill,  113,  114,  123,  140,  144,  150,  155, 

170,  173,  178. 

"  Supervision  " 55,  184 

Suppiger,  A.  A 203 

Surplus  Revenue  Fund 40 

Sutherland,  S.J 255 

Sutlef,  Phebe  T '316 

Swahlin,  W.  F 309 

Swan,  C.  1 205 

Swan,  Zeiba  S 199 

Swaney,  John 510 

Swartz,  A.  D ." 323 

Swartz,  Winnifred 255 

Sweet,  B.  A 197 

Swift,  E.  F 351,  353 

Swift,  G.  S 351 

Swift,  H.  T 179 

Swift,  Lola  E 249 

Switzer,  J.  A 246,  249 

Sykes,  Mary  E 208 

Tabor,  Merwin 497 

Taft,  L.  B 463 

Talbot,  G.   1 198,  449,  453 

Talon,  Jean 12 


PAGE 

Tanner,  E.  A 299 

Tanner,  John  R 248,  251,  254,  359 

Tate,  Harvey 196 

Tateman,  C.  A 205 

Tax,  First  School 29 

Taxation    45,  51,  54,  58,  128,  133,  211 

Taylor,  A.  R 338 

Taylor,  Edson  H 252,  253 

Taylor,  F.  Lillian 503 

Ta3^1or,  Harry 181 

Taylor,  Phoebe  A 195 

Taylor,  Zachary  .  . . 347 

Taylorville  High  School 508 

Tazewell,  Edna 250 

Teachers 104,  210,  212 

Teachers'  Association,  Illinois   44 

Teachers'  Association,  State 367 

Teachers,  Early 59,  62,     82 

Teachers'  Requirements 45 

Teachers,  Shortage  of 179 

Teaching  Force  in  1884 153 

Templeton,  J.  W 208 

Templeton,  R.  B 205 

Tenney,  Sanborn 230 

Text-Book  Act 186 

Thayer,  Gilbert ". 494 

Thirty-sixth  Section  24,     72 

Thomas,  Cyrus 232 

Thomas,  Ezekiel 317 

Thomas,  Jesse  B 43 

Thomas,  Professor 143 

Thomas, '  S.  E : 253 

Thompson,  A.  H 494 

Thompson,  F.  D 502 

Thompson,  D.  G 205 

Thompson,  J.  C 178,  179 

Thompson,  R.  P 206 

Thornton,  C.  S 463 

Threlkeld,  C.  L 199 

Throop,  A.  G 323 

Tidd,  Charley 250 

Tillinghast,  Nicholas 102,  215 

Tilson,  Mrs.  John  548 

Tipsward,  H.  M 199 

Tipton,  S.  S 197 

Tobias,  J.J 359 

Tobin,  E.  J 197 

Todd,  E.  J 498 

Todd,  John 17 

Tolono  Township  High  School 507 

Tombaugh,  C.  R 202 

Tombaugh,  M 202 

Tomlin,  J.  T 319 

Tompkins,  Arnold  214,  216,  248,  280,  482,  483 

Tonty  12,     13 

Township  — 

Fund 40,     71 

High  School 133,  187 

Incorporation    41 

System    53,  57,     81 

Treasurer   104,  133 

Trainer,  John  203,  449,  452,  453,  454,  522,  523 

Transeau,  E.  N 253 

Traylor,  J.  L 204 

Treasurer,  County 104 

Tressler,  D.  H 343 

Trude,  A.  S 463 

Truesdell,  R.  B 291 

Trumbull,  Lyman   24,  109,  267,  352,  511 

Trustees    28,  39,  104,  209 

Trustees,  Township 209,  210 

Tryon,  Mrs 501 

Tufts,  C.  W 156 

Tulley,  J.  C 204 

Turner,  Asa 295,  547 


INDEX 


741 


PAGE 

Turner,  A.  E 338 

Turner,  J.   B.  .42,  44,  91,  92,  114,  298,  360,  361,  362, 

363,  364,  370,  372,  431,  517,  547 

Turner,  Oaks 435 

Tuthill,  R.  S 359,  512,  513 

Underwood,  D.  J 200 

"  Union  Agriculturist  "   « 89 

Union  Biblical  Institute 354 

Uniformity 78 

Union  College 289 

Union  College  of  Law 352 

Universalist  Library  Society  of  Illinois 321 

University  of  Chicago 346 

University  Fund 77 

University  of  Illinois 359,  439 

University,  State   90,  125,  168 

Uzzell,  J.  U 202 

Vaile,  E.  0 523 

Van  Arsdale,  Elmer 206 

Van  Cleve,  M.  T -. 201 

Vandalia  28,  35,  42,  70,     88 

Vandalia  High  School  70,     88 

Van  Demark,  J.  K 196 

Van  de  Velde,  James 341 

Van  Dorn,  Charles 206 

Vanlew,  F.  M 198 

Van  Liew,  C.  C 215 

Van  Liew,  F.  H .497 

Van  Petten,  E.  M 494,  495 

Van  Zwoll,  H.  A .' 488 

Vaughan,  Mary  C 475 

Vaughn,  S.  J 250 

Varner,   I.  J 196 

Vernon,  W.  A 208 

Verrazani 11 

Viego,  Colonel  Francis 17 

Villars,  Isaiah 309 

Vincennes 17 

Visitation  School  ..128,  133,  189,  190,  191,  192,  193,  194 

Vocational  Education 125 

Vote,  Women's,  Decision 16".) 

Wade,  A.  L 452 

Wadsworth,  S.  B 205 

Wager,   R.   E 249 

Wages  in  1860 116 

Wakeman,  Mrs.  S.  A 338 

Walbridge,  Emma 268 

Walker,  E.  F 207 

Walker,  G.  C 349 

Walker,  Jesse 457 

Walker,  J.  B 291 

Walker,  L  H 201 

Walker,  John  F 326 

Walker,  P.  R 258,  538 

Wallace,  D.  A 325,  326 

Wallace,  Mrs.  R.  M 512 

Walnut  Grove  Academy 324 

Walnut  Grove  Seminary   328 

Walsh,  Thomas 231 

Wampler,  I.  C 198 

War,  Close  of 127 

War  Resolutions  124 

Ward,  E.  1 205 

Ward,  G.  H 401 

Ward,  J.  B 205 

Warner,  E.  F 329 

Warner,  Sarah  L 457 

Warville,  G.  W 359 

Warwick,  Elmer  246 

Wasco,  Consolidated  School 41i 

Washburn,  Jemima 551 

Washburn,  John 338 


PAGE 

Washburn,  E.  B 438 

Waters,  Silas .» .   317 

Watkins,  John 457 

Watson,  J.  E 196 

Watson,  R.  B 254 

Watt,  Mrs.  M.  E 2O8 

Watts,  C.  H 196 

Washington 96 

Washington,  George 22 

Waverly  88 

Wead,  H.  M 47 

Weaver,  Henry  E 512 

Weaver,  John 200 

Webster,   F.    M 270 

Webster,  O.  S 206 

Wedgewood,  G.  S 202 

Weed,  Ira  M 326 

Weems,  "  Parson  "   64 

Weir,  Marshall  W 149 

Weiss,  Mrs.  G.  A 512 

Welch,  Mary  S 196 

Weller,  Anna  L 253 

Weller,  Marion 249 

Wells,  A.  M 207 

Wells,  E.  L 143,  205 

Wells,  G.  P 488 

Wells,  T.  M 198 

Wells,  William  H 92,  94,  463,  464,  465,  466 

Wentworth,   D.  S 143,  265,  266,  289,  460,  487,  489 

Wertz,  Adda  P • 241 

West,  C.  P 321 

West,  Mary  Allen 202,  500,  502,  520 

West,  Z.  B 208 

Westcott.  O.  S 484,  485,  486,  488,  520 

Westfield  College 335 

Western  Company 13 

Western  Illinois  State  Normal  School 254 

Weston,  A.  M ■ 324 

Weston,  E.  P 328 

Weston,  J.  P 322 

Wheaton  College  330 

Wheaton,  W.  L 331 

Wheeler,  D.  H 351 

Whetzel,  W.  J . 209 

Whipp,  F.  D '513 

Whipple  Academy 298 

Whisnand,  J.  L 197 

Whitchurch,  John 203 

Whitcomb,  A.  L 246 

"  White  " 548 

White,  C.  P 208 

White,  H.  A 358 

White,  H.  T 199 

White,  Nehemiah 322 

White,  Professor 345 

White,  R.  A 463 

White,  S.  H 36,  37,  58,  104,  143,  144,  281,  282, 

487,  518 

Whitehead,  E.  J 264 

Whiteside,  Mary  W 205 

Whitham,  Kenneth  M 204 

Whitman,  E.  A : 309 

Whitman,  Mary  R 249 

Whittemore,  Edward 491 

Whitten,  C.  W 249 

Whittenberg,  Sarah  J 201 

Whittington.  S.  B 241 

Wilcox,  J.  W 201 

Wilcox,  Major 457 

Wilde,  Arthur  H 350 

Wilder,  W.  H 320 

Wiley,  E.  R 516 

Wiley,  Margaret  L 208 

Wilkie,  W.  W 499 

Wilkins,  Daniel  93,  94,  124,  204,  232,  494,  517 


742 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Wilkinson,  E.  S. 202,  253 

Willard.  Frances 351 

Willard,  Miss  Langford 459 

Willard,  Samuel 59,  65,  67,  103,  136,  142,  li>% 

173,  459,  488,  515,  516,  518,  520,  527,  528 

Willard,  Silas  500 

Williams,  Frank  D 488 

Williams.  J.  D 201 

Williams,  J.  E 200 

Williams,  R 202 

Williams.  R.    E 320 

Williamson,  Katharine  P 246 

Williamson,  Wiliam  H 206 

Willis,  A.  W 502 

Wilmarth,  Professor  551 

Wilson,  Hattie  P 198 

Wilson,  H.  B 204 

Wilson,  John    510 

Wilson,  J.  1 208 

Wilson,  J.  M 352 

Wilson,  M.  H 351 

Wilson,  S.  L 196 

Winchell,  Ann  E 487 

Winchell,  Hattie  N 488 

Winchell,  S.  R 519,  523 

"  Winnebagoes  " 12 

Winship,  C 330 

Wire,  R.  E 204 

Wirtz,  W.  W 249 

Wiswall    ; 250 

Withee,  W.  H 204 

Witmer,  D.  0 196 

Wolverton,  C.  W 198 

Womack,  J.  H 200 


PAGE 

Woman's  Medical  School 353 

Wood,  Norman  N 303 

Woodbury,  Caroline 322 

Woodland,  F.  M 208 

Woodson,  Elsie 254 

Woodward,  Willard 267,  487 

Worley,  C  A : 199 

Worthington,  Eleanor   270 

Worthington,  N.  E 205 

Wright,  J.  Ambrose 516 

Wright,  John  S 4.5,  47,  89,  106,  107,  111,  370,  371, 

488,  516 

Wright,  Simeon...  .83,  92,  93,  94,  112,  114,  231,  372,  531 

Writing 65 

Wygant,  Caroline  S.  A 481 

Wylie,  L.  B. 197 

"  Yale  Band  " 295 

Yates,  Richard  252,  296,  361,  437,  438 

Yeakel,  Reuben   354 

Yelvington,  M.  D 201 

Yeomans.  Delia 200 

Yerkes,  C.  T 349 

York,  L.  E 200 

Young,  D.  G 209 

Young,  Ella  Flagg 167,  259,  280,  473,  474,  475, 

481,  485,  488 

Young,  J.  L 208 

Youngblood.  F.  M , 251 

Youngblood.  T.  F 209 

Youngstown  Consolidated  Schools 511 

Zimmerman,  W.  C 185 


INDEX  TO  BIOGRAPHIES 


PAGE 

Allenworth,  Ben  C 564 

Alvis,  Harry  J 562 

Anderson,  Edward  566 

Anderson,   Harrison   Monroe 565 

Andrews,  William  Edward  562 

Anthony,  Calvin  Bertram 564 

Armstrong,  George  Buchanan '. . .  .  565 

Armstrong,  James  E 563 

Amy,  Leonidas  Ellsworth 563 

Baber,  Zonia 574 

Baer,  Louis  571 

Bailey,   O.   C 578 

Baker,   George   C 573 

Bartelme,  Mary  M 575 

Bawden.  William   T 573 

Beebe,  William  Hempstead   570 

Beecher,  Howard  Benjamin 570 

Beeman,  Marion   Nelson 572 

Belote,  Edwin  Irving 577 

Bender,  Viola  Emeline  572 

Beseman,   Ella • .  •  •  579 

Birney,  Thomas   Milton 580 

Blackburn,  Rev.  Gideon,  D.D 569 

Blair,  Francis  Grant 551 

Blue,  Harry  J 567 

Bone,  Hugh  Alvin 581 

Boyes,  Walter  F" 574 

Brennan,  George  Albert  568 

Brewer,  John  Morton  578 

Brittin,  Charles  Henry 579 

Brophy,  Truman  William,  D.D.S.,  M.D.,  LL.D 566 


PAGE 

Browne,  William  Henry 568 

Burgess,  Theodore   C 576 

Burke,  Rosanna  A 576 

Burton,  Myron  G 571 

Butler,   Arthur   Clark 575 

Butler,  George  C 577 

Buzzell,  Delos 567 

Byrne,   Christopher   J 580 

Cade,  George  Newton 592 

Cameron.  Daniel  Ross 587 

Carroll,   Daniel   Bernard 588 

Chamberlin,  William  Harvey 588 

Chandler,  Floyd  Alvin 589 

Chapman,   Gideon   P 592 

Clark,  Florence  Jane 585 

Clark,  M.  G 586 

Clendenen,  Taylor  C 583 

Coddington,  A.  0 586 

Coffield,   Heywood    582 

Collins,   Elbert   Adrian 584 

Colwell,   Lewis   W 590 

Conn,  George  W.,  Jr 591 

Cook,  Charles  Alonzo 581 

Cooke,   Flora  J 589 

Coultas,  William  Wallace 590 

Cox,  Henry  Clay 582 

Crawford,  Francis  Everett 584 

Crouse,  Colonel  591 

Cunningham,  Michael  J 587 

Curlee,  Samual  J 583 

Curran,  Amos  D 585 


INDEX 


743 


PAGE 

Darling,  Daniel  H 596 

Daugherty,  Benjamin  Franklin 595 

Davis,  Exum  W .  598 

Davis,  John  William 593 

Davison,  Charles 599 

Deach,   Ivan  J 596 

Dean,  Harry  Adelbert 598 

Dixson,  Zella  Allen,  A.M.,  L.H.D 595 

Dodge,  Solon  Sylvester   597 

Dorris,  Charles  Henry 593 

DuBois,  Chase  0 594 

Dunn,  Eleanor  Reese 594 

Dyar,  Herbert  Lee  597 

Earle,  Frank  B 602 

Eberhart,  John  Frederic  59? 

Edmimds,  Henry  Hugh 605 

Edwards,  Jay  Calhoun   602 

Edwood.  DeWitt 603 

Elliott,  Thomas  Orvall  G04 

Ellis,  Edward  Arthur  604 

Elmer,  Mrs.  Blanche  B 603 

Fairweather,  William  Calvin 605 

Farnsworth,  James  B 612 

Fawcett,  D.  Frank  611 

Fellows,  Mary  Louise 609 

Ferguson,  James  J 610 

Ferguson,  Samuel  J 608 

Findle^,  Mary  Morrow :  .  606 

Frost,  Henry  Hoag   607 

Foster,  W.  R 606 

Fowkes,  Henry  L 608 

Freeman,   James   Alexander 609 

French,  Charles  Wallace  607 

Frohardt,  L.   P 610 

Furr,  William  Alexander 611 

Gilbert,  Newell  Darrow   613 

Gill,  Margaret  S.,  A.B.,  Ph.B 612 

Gowey,  Elbert  E 616 

Graff,  Mamie  E 613 

Green,  Harry  Edwin  : 615 

Greenup,  Warren  C 603 

Griffiths,  G.  Charles  614 

Grotts,  Walter  Franklin  614 

Grove,  Cyrus  Stover  613 

Gunderson,  Severt  Tobias 616 

Hacker,  Mrs.  Fanny  Posey 627 

Hagan,  Warren  L. 628 

Haight.  Robert  Allen 631 

Haley,  Margaret  A &32 

Hamilton,  Katherine   625 

Harlan,  Claire   613 

Hartigan,  Mary  Susan  Leonard 626 

Harvey,  Alfred   617 

Harvey.  Elizabeth  B 629 

Hatch,  Henry  D 628 

Hawkins,  May  S 631 

Hayes,  John  Arleigh   624 

Hays,  Dudley  Grant 619 

Henderson,  Mrs.  Kate  A 618 

Henry,  James  Hamilton   617 

Hermetet,  George  621 

Herrick,   Horace  N 622 

Heuermann,  Minna  S 626 

Hickman,  James  Franklin  620 

Hill,  Thomas  C 621 

Hines,  Frank  B.,  A.M 618 

Hines,  Nannie  M 625 

Hinkle,  Homer  Marion 620 

Hoehn,  Frank  L 622 

Hoffman,  U.  J 553 

Holbrook,  Florence   630 


PAGE 

Hornbacker,  William  R 627 

Hough,  Willjam  Alexander  623 

Huddle,  John  Benjamin  624 

Humer,  J.  Montgomery   632 

Hurt,  Huber  William 629 

Huttman,   Henry  William    623 

Jackson,  James  W 634 

James,  Edmund  Janes 559 

Jenkins,  Frances   635 

Johnson,  Thomas  C ; 636 

Joiner,  Charles  Ellsworth 633 

Jones,  Davis  Oscar   633 

Jones,  Edgar  S 635 

Jones,  Emma  Fanny   634 

Jones,  Lottie  E 636 

Kellogg,  Kate  Starr 644 

Kemp,  Theodore,  A.B.,  D.D 638 

Kennedy,  Frank  Ellsworth   .  . . .  > 642 

Keough,  Mrs.  W.  C.  H .  643 

Kern,  O.   J 640 

Kimmel,  Oscar  Harrison   638 

King,  Charles  W.   F 644 

Kirkpatrick,  Harold  H 640 

Kletzing,  Elmer  L 643 

Kletzing,  Josiah  F 641 

Kling,   Henry   F 642 

Kock,  Charles  Rudolph  Edward 636 

Kramer,  Marguerite  Ethel  637 

Krauskopf,  Charles  Clovis 637 

Ksycki,   Philip  M 639 

Kuflewski,  Dr.  Wladyslaw  Augustus 639 

Kuechler,  Charles  Edward 641 

Lagorio,   Antonio    648 

Laws,  Elmer  Ellsworth 645 

Lentz,  Eli  Gilbert 646 

Lewis,  John  L 646 

Lewis,   Leslie 648 

Loesch,  Frank  J 646 

Long,  John  A 644 

Loomis,  John  H 647 

Lucas,  Jackson  G 647' 

Ludwig,  William  Y 646 

Lyons,  James  645 

Magill,  Hugh  Stewart,  Jr 649 

Martin,  Daniel  R 649 

Maxson,  Charles  Henry  650 

McCartney,  Marcus  Neely 656 

McClelland,  George  B 663 

McComis,   Samuel  Jay 660 

McDonough,  Thomas  J 660 

McFatrich,  James  Burton   651 

McGinnis,  James  W 661 

McManus,  James  B 663 

Meek,  Tecumseh  Henry  654 

Melody,  Genevieve  664 

Merriman,   Eugene   D 658 

Merwin,  Fannie  Spaits   656 

Meyer,  Henry  Adam 659 

Middleton,  Anthony 662 

Miller,  Frank  Lester   650 

Miller.  John  Elmer 664 

Millikin,  Orris  J 657 

Milner,  Sarah  A 652 

Moore,  B.  C 652 

Moore,  James  Gregory  653 

Moore,  Nellie  Anna  . 653 

Moore,  Robert  Christian   661 

Moore,  Roy  L 658 

Moore,  Thomas  Edward 655 

Morgan,  Esther 657 

Morgan,  Royal  T 655 


744 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Morse,  Edward  L.  C. 659 

Mortcnson,  Peter  Alvin 651 

Moses,  Eliza  Trabue  654 

Mozier,  William  Foye 662 

Murray,  David  L 665 

Neumann,  Julius  K 606 

Ncvens,  William  H 067 

Newell,  Moses  Elmer  607 

Nickols,  Daniel  Franklin  665 

Norton,  Marie  Therese  .Werneburg 606 

O'Brien.  Walter  Lawrence 668 

Odenweller,  Arthur  Leonard 669 

O'Keefe,  Sarah  J T 069 

Olson,  Mrs.  Mary  Darrow 068 

Ostrander,  Charles  Henry  070 

Parker,  Charles  Irving 673 

Parker.  Cliarlcs   M 671 

Parkinson.  Daniel  Baldwin   672 

Parks,  James  LaFayettc 670 

Payne,  William  C 674 

Pelsma,  John   R , 670 

Perrin,  Harry  Ambrose 678 

Perrv,  L.   Day 678 

Pfaelzer,  David  M 077 

Pfeiffer.   Rose    073 

Pfennighausen,  Otto  Charles   079 

Pifcr,  Robert 075 

Potts,  D.  Walter 074 

Pringle,  Lewis  Alexander   677 

Prowdley,  F.  C 676 

Pruitt,  Edgar  Commodore 675 

Putman,  Mrs.  Alice  H 671 

Quine,  William  E..  M.D.,  LL.D 079 

Raines,  S.  E 088 

Ray.  John  Thompson 682 

Rebman,  Emma 680 

Reecher,   Samuel   E 683 

Reed,  Grace   683 

Reeder,  John   C , 681 

Reeves,   Owen   Thornton 684 

Rendleman,   Andrew  J 685 

Richardson,  Bertrand  Clifford   687 

Rieder,  Frank  W ., 682 

Ritter,  Emil  W , 689 

Rockwood,  George  H 087 

Ross,   Carl   W 689 

Roundy,  Carrie  E 084 

Rourke,  Agnes  Anne  688 

Rowland,  John  Riley  081 

Ruggles,  Martha  M 685 

Russell,  John  Benjamin   086 

Ryan,   Helen  R 080 

Sabin.  Alljert  Robbins 096 

Sargent,  Edward .' 700 

Savage,  Mrs.  Catherine  A.  Kelly 093 

Scheid,  Jacob  Phillip 697 

Schjoldager,  Inger  M 699 

Scegar,  Nellie  S 689 

Shelton,  Addison   M 094 

Shomaker,  Samuel  Jasper   690 

SIioop*,  Jolm  Daniel  •. .  699 

Siefferman,  William  H 702 

Simmons,  Myrtle  Therese  695 

Simmons,  Orville 700 


PAGE 

Smedley,  Eva  A 698 

Smith,  George  W.,  Prof.,  M. A 091 

Smith,  Nellie  Lenington   697  ' 

Smith,  Spencer  Ramsey  '' 595 

Smith,  Sylvia  Edna 691 

Smyser,   Martin   L 703 

Sollitt,  Alice  E 696 

Solomon,  George  Washington   693 

Sonsteby,  John  J 698 

Spear,  Harry  G 701 

Stableton,  John  Kay 718 

Stansbury,  Etta  Drucilla 694 

Steele,  Daniel  Atkinson  King,  M.D.,  LL.D 692 

Steele,  William  Lucas  690 

Stevenson,  John  Alford 701 

Stehman,  John   H 702 

Sutherland,  Elizabeth  Huntington 692 

Taylor,  Harry   704 

Thompson,  Charles  W 705 

Thomson,  Frank  D 704 

Tobin,  Edward  J 705 

Todd,  Isaac  Harry 706 

Troeger,  John  Winthrop   703 

Tubbs,  Eston  Valentine 706 

Urion,  Alfred  R 707 

Van  Dorn,  Charles 707 

Wadhams,  John   A 709 

Wait,  Horatio  L 713 

Waits,   Harmon   E 708 

Walker,  Peleg  Remington   710 

Waller,  Elbert,  Ph.B 7O8 

Wallis,   William    710 

Waterman,  Arba  N 712 

White,  Harvey  T 715 

White,  Robert   I 711 

Wight.  Ambrose  Benson   709 

Willis.  Arthur  Warren   714 

Wilson,  Eugene  Alonzo   714 

Wilson'.  Harry  Bruce 712 

Winchell,   Harriet  N 713 

Windsor,  Phineas  Lawrence  715 

Woodbury,  William  W 715 

Wooters,  James  E 711 

Wrisley,  Minnie  Mallory   716 

Yarbrough,  James  Herman  719 

Yenerich,  Lawson  Grant 716 

Yoder,  Isaac  H • 716 

Young,  Ella  Flagg  361 

Zeis,   Henry  Charles    717 

Zetterberg,  Arvid   P 718 

Zmrhal,  Jaroslav  J 717 

SCHOOLS,  LIBRARIES,  COLLEGES. 

Cairo     Pu1)lic    Library,    A.    B.     Safiford    Memorial 

Library  Building  723 

Danville  Public  Library   721 

Gail  Borden  Public  Library   722 

John  Crerar  Library   721 

McCormick  School,  The 720 

University  of  Chicago  Libraries 723 

Virginia  Library   722 


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